Why is A2OCA so Important?

Why is A2OCA so Important? This is question that we need to answer, and an answer that we need to strive to share together as a parish family.

There are various ways to answer the question posed above. There are positive ways, and as Orthodox Christians we should always see things from a positive point of view. For us the glass is ALWAYS half full, even if it only has a few drops in it, because we trust that the Lord can fill what is lacking in any sort of situation. But there are negative ways to answer this question too, and although we do not prefer to look at the world from this perspective, we also cannot deny reality. We are not called to live in a fantasy, but to live in the fallen world, struggling to raise the world to a higher place by our lives as Christians. 

Positive Ways to Answer the Question Posed Above:

• Our School Mission
• The mission of Ann Arbor Orthodox Classical Academy is to provide a classical education in an Orthodox Christian environment, allowing our students to grow to their full human and spiritual potential, with the ability to engage society as mature followers of Jesus Christ.

• Our School Vision
• The vision of Ann Arbor Orthodox Classical Academy is to foster the next generation of leaders for the Church and society with fully developed minds, bodies, and souls.

• Our School Goals
• At A2OCA, we support our students to:
• strive for academic success
• develop a love of learning
• appreciate the value of classical languages, math, science, the arts, and music
• be creative and responsible
• engage in a traditional learning atmosphere

• Our school children, teachers, staff, and parents will share the same foundational values, those eternal values taught by the Holy Church. Consistency in this regard is important for our children and all those involved in their education.

Negative Ways to Answer the Question Posed Above:

• We are not going to change your child’s gender

• We are not going to normalize deviant sexuality (in fact, we are not going to actively purse discussions on sexuality at all – we feel that is squarely in the parents’ locus of influence)

• We are not going to invite drag queens in to read to your children

• We are not going to carry pornography in the library
• We are not going to do anything to or with your child without your knowledge
• You will never hear any adult associated with A2OCA say: “you can’t tell your parents about this”, rather, parents will know everything about their child and his/her experience at A2OCA and be the closest associates, assistants, and partners to the teachers and staff in the education of their children

• We are not going to do any of the crazy, immoral, or evil things that are being perpetrated on children in public schools in our days. Period.

It is very easy for us to deny the reality of the things on the negative list. We know that such things can’t happen in a society which values things that are good and true and beautiful. But these things are happening in our society, which shows us what the society DOES value. Probably in some places these things happen more than others, but even somewhat rural and more conservative areas are beginning to see these sorts of shenanigans. We do not live in a rural or conservative area. :) Obviously as a society we have lost our way. That is not a radical new statement. It is not meant to invoke despondency. This is simply a statement of fact. We have written here previously about how as Christians we are not, and never have been, and never can be, consumed by society. We have talked about this many times in sermons and lectures in church. Society will always have another agenda that is more or less opposed to Christianity. For instance, the desire for religious toleration and societal political peace and continuity (all good things in the abstract) in the Byzantine Empire brought us… Iconoclasm – a terrible heresy. Those espousing this evil doctrine viciously persecuted those who refused to reject icons. Not persecutions like “you can’t join this fancy country club because you are not cool”, but persecutions like: we torture you, exile you, imprison you, kill you. 

It is not good for us to have a persecution complex. It is not good for us to overly focus on the evils of society – past or present. We are called to live in the world but not be consumed by the world. We are called to be a light to the world and to try to raise it to a higher place – towards the Heavenly Kingdom – by having the love of Christ shining so brightly in our hearts that it enlightens those around us. But it is also not good for us to live in denial. The simple fact of the matter is that as Orthodox Christians the safest path for us to deal with the educating of our children in our days is to home school them or enroll them in an Orthodox school. 

This is coming from someone who had a GREAT experience in the public schools. My public school education was excellent! Incredible really. But those days are long gone, and we have to be honest about that reality. That does not mean there are no good public schools. Many charter schools are solid. Charter school have become a kind of retreat position that many have assumed in fleeing from public education. All parents have to do what they feel is best for their children regarding education, and whatever decision you make I will do my best to support you and your children in your striving for the Heavenly Kingdom. And we are not saying that children in public schools are doomed. But as a priest, who will answer for the souls of all the children in our parish, I have to say that I cannot recommend public schools as a suitable and safe place for our children. That is not because I want to guilt you into participating in our parish school. That is because my #1 job is to do everything I can to help you and your family save your souls. And because I WILL ANSWER FOR YOUR SALVATION BEFORE THE LORD. That is a rather big deal for me as you might expect, and thus I’m going to do everything I can to to help you – even if sometimes what I say in service to this goal is a challenge to you. Spiritual challenges are good – they help us grow. 

My job is not to pat you on the hand and tell you everything is OK. My job is to take you by the hand, look you in the eye, and let you know when there is a problem. And right now there is a problem in our society – a big problem that is potentially (and almost certainly) harming our children in the public schools. This is why we are building a parish school. This is why we undertook the school project before the new church project. Not because we don’t want to build a new church. WE DO! But building a school is MORE important! Because if we don’t do this now we will not have a next generation to worship in that new church. Sure – some of our kids will make it through somehow. But take a look at the last few generations. How many made it? How many of our kids who were born in the 90s and 00s are with us every Sunday in church? If we keep doing the same thing and expecting different results we are embodying the definition of insanity. We have to do something to save our children – something other than what we have done before. Bringing them to church every Sunday and hoping that is going to overcome 5 days a week of indoctrination against everything that the Church teaches us is not sufficient. We have to make a change. And this is why we are building our school.

And this is why we need everyone – EVERYONE – to take this seriously. We need everyone on board and rowing in the same direction. To support this undertaking however you can. If you have children too old for the school right now please remember that one day you will have grandchildren. You want our parish school to be there for them. If you have no children we still need you – because you are a Christian and care about seeing the next generation of Christians in the church on Sunday – not pursuing some secular humanist fantasies or just sleeping in on Sunday mornings. You want our parish school to be there for this generation so the next has a better chance to be grounded in their faith. Is attendance at the school a guarantee that all children will live exemplary Christian lives? Of course not. Most know that Stalin was a seminarian. Orthodox education is not magic. There are no guarantees in this life except we must struggle diligently for our salvation and that we will die. But the more we can do to strengthen ourselves and our next generations in the faith while we live and struggle the better. And the school will be a GREAT aid to our children. The school is the beginning – the foundation – of training our children in Love for God and man. There is much work to do beyond providing a school for our children. But you cannot build anything without a firm foundation – and the school will provide this firm foundation. The school will be a haven from the insanity of the world for our children – and this will allow them to get their Christian bearings before they are faced with the difficult choices our world forces them to make.

Now we are raising funds to finish our school. This school is for you. If you are a parishioner of St. Vladimir’s we need your help. If you are an Orthodox Christian in Washtenaw County we need your help. If you are an Orthodox Christian who wants to help ensure the proper Christian education of the next generation of Orthodox children in Michigan we need your help. Because our school is the FIRST in Michigan, but it cannot be the last. We envision a whole series of Orthodox school across our state, educating the children of future generations and preparing them to be the future leaders of the Church. 

We ask the time, talent, and treasure of those who can support this worthy cause. In the ancient world cathedrals were built from pennies – pennies of thousands of the faithful. We invite everyone to throw in their mite, because if we all give what we can from our time, talent, and treasure then we will reach our important goal: the first Orthodox school in our Michigan. May God inspire you to support this crucial project!

To learn more about our parish school and how you can help the school succeed, please VISIT THE SCHOOL WEB SITE.

Asking Your Prayers,

Fr. Gregory 

P.S. May people ask us why are we charging tuition in our school. If it is so important, should we not give away the education to everyone who asks for it? Honestly the answer is yes: we should give it away. We want to give it away. But we cannot afford to give it away unless our teachers are willing to work for no pay, DTE is willing to give us gas and electric for no cost, and we can find contractors to build and maintain our facilities for free. Unfortunately the way the education funding system works in the United States, property taxes go to the public schools. A child is welcome to leave the public schools to pursue home schooling or private education, but the child does not take his property tax funding with him. If he leaves the public schools that money stays in the public school system. Thus, the public schools have a financial monopoly, and it is not legal to provide any public funds to private schools in Michigan (or pretty much any other state, with a few exceptions). Therefore, perhaps providentially, we are forced to put our money where our mouth is, so to speak. At Ann Arbor Orthodox Classical Academy we are committed to make sure that EVERY CHILD, no matter his or her family financial reality, can attend our school. What that means, given the education funding system in our country, is that not only do we need to raise funds to build our school and to pay our teachers, but we need to also raise scholarship funds for those students whose families cannot afford to pay full (or any) tuition. We believe that we are doing the Lord’s work in our school, so we trust that He will also help us raise those funds. EVERY CHILD who wants to join our school will be able to do so, but we need to build that school first, and that is principally what this note is about. However, we promise to return later and have a nice, long discussion about how and why we need to find a way to provide scholarship funds to help us make our school available to EVERY CHILD!

Orthopraxis (Correct Practice) Corner: When Shall We Arrive at Liturgy?

This is an interesting question, actually. One can find in the fathers the admonition to not leave Liturgy early. Even that it is better to come late and stay to the end than to arrive on time and leave early. However, one can not find in the fathers the admonition NOT to come early or that it is GOOD to come late. :) And in fact, at our Diocesan Assembly in October Archbishop Peter specifically instructed the gathered delegates to spread the word that it is best to come to Liturgy early, arrange one’s prospohora, candles, etc., and be standing in one’s place when the Hours begin. On a Sunday at STV that would mean standing in place by 9:30 a.m. Not arriving by 9:30 a.m. - but arriving in time to arrange everything that needs to be arranged and be standing in one’s place by 9:30 a.m. That is a challenge – but a good one. 

As we round the corner on the Nativity Lent and our preparation for the Lord’s Nativity let us consider how we can take up this challenge and put it to use in our own spiritual lives. Ideally we grow in our faith every day, but certainly we want to focus on such growth during each of the extended Lenten periods. Putting into place an earlier arrival at the Divine Liturgy for yourself and your family would certainly be quite beneficial in your spiritual growth. This would allow you to fully participate in the Divine Liturgy, the center of our week as Orthodox Christians and the most important of the Divine Services that are all given to us for our salvation by the Holy Church! 

Asking Your Prayers,

Fr. Gregory

Orthopraxis (Correct Practice) Corner: Transition to Audio Stream Only for 2023

At the onset of the pandemic, with the blessing of Archbishop Peter, we instituted a video live stream to better serve those who were unable to come to church. As the pandemic wore on, it was more possible to come to church, but as an exception the video live stream served those who stayed home due to medical issues. We were thankful to have this technology to support our parishioners in their spiritual lives.

As the pandemic has faded, many things associated with the pandemic have also gone away: masking, social distancing, etc. This is normal – this is how these things work. At the end of this year the video live stream will also go away.

The good news is that our high-fidelity audio live stream will continue, as it did before, during, and after the pandemic. We feel that this is a much more appropriate way for those who can not join us in person to join us in prayer. Video facilitates sitting and watching services as one watches a sporting event. Audio facilitates standing in prayer before one’s icons and praying along with the parish family. And this is how we should be when we are participating from afar: standing before the icons, lampada or candle lit, dressed in church clothes, participating prayerfully in the Divine Services; follow Divine Liturgy with a special family meal. Since the eyes are not involved there is no need to see anything – one can see all that is needed with the mind’s eye, or with the soul. And this is how we should be whether we are listening, or even more authentically and traditionally, when we are executing a Reader Service at home.

A Reader Service sounds rather daunting at first blush, but it really is not. In fact, our last lecture of the Nativity Lecture Series this year, on January 1, 2023, will be dedicated to explaining how to do a Reader Service at home. In the mean time, you can prepare for this lecture by visiting the link below, which explains this in some detail:

READER SERVICES

We hope that all our parishioners can always come to church! But we know that is not reality. So we want to arm you with options that are authentic, traditional, and accessible. Because when the parish family is at prayer we should all be at prayer – whether we are together at church or somewhere else for whatever reason.

All audio live streams will be posted on our Facebook page when they begin – just as we do the video live stream now. So if your practice is to rely on Facebook notifications do not fear – this will continue. There will be a link to click, and the audio live stream will open.

The audio live stream can be accessed during Divine Services here:

AUDIO LIVE STREAM

Please do not hesitate to contact me or Fr. Colin with questions in this regard.

Asking Your Prayers,

Fr. Gregory

O Lord I Have Loved the Beauty of Thy House – Let us Love it Again!

“O Lord, I have loved the beauty of Thy house, and the place where Thy glory dwelleth.”

(Psalm 25:8-9)

There are few things that are quite as invigorating as as a full church, a wonderful Liturgy, communing from two chalices, etc. What a great day we had on December 4 when the feast of the Entry of the Theotokos coincided with a Sunday! It reminded one of how things were before the pandemic! Since the pandemic we have slowly been getting back to our average number of folks kissing the cross. We’ve long since surpassed pre-pandemic numbers of people partaking of Holy Communion every Sunday, but not the numbers attending. Of course, some folks fell out of the habit of going to church every Sunday during the pandemic. That is understandable, of course, but it is time for us to start working hard to reacquire that good habit. We encourage everyone to push themselves in this regard, especially during the Lenten period we are now working through as we prepare ourselves for the great feast of the Nativity of the Lord.

When Metropolitan Nicholas visited the Cincinnati parish a few weeks ago for a Wednesday Divine Liturgy the church also was full, communion took place from two chalices, the choir sang wonderfully, etc. Just like what we experienced at STV on Sunday, December 4. And Vladyka mentioned this several time during his sermon and after the Liturgy too: Orthodox Christians should strive to be in God’s House every day – not just on Sundays. But we should especially strive to be in church on Sunday, as this is the day of the Lord’s Resurrection. Every Sunday is a small Pascha. Every Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Feasts and Day of Days. And this has been the Christian practice for time immemorial. 

Let us not think that the pandemic we just experienced was the first of the Christian Era. Or the worst of the Christian Era. There have been MANY pandemics since the time our Lord walked the earth, and it is well known that the first two pandemics of the Christian Era were in fact hemorrhagic fever pandemics. That is, the disease that spread in those times killed its victims in horribly bloody and gory ways. Of course, in the end, whether killed one way or another the outcome is the same. But the Christians in those early pandemics distinguished themselves by not only caring for their own dead, but even the pagan dead. Yes – those same pagans that were seeking to wipe out Christianity. And there is an interesting correspondence between the two Roman Emperors (one in the east and one in the west) that notes this, and further notes that surely this spells the death of paganism, for the pagans run from those who die, while the Christians care for them – even at great risk to themselves.

In many ways as Orthodox Christians we strive to embody the best of those that came before us. In externals no, of course. We don’t wear Roman garb from the first century, for instance. But in the most important things, that is, things of faith and virtue, we do strive to emulate them because they point us the way to the Heavenly Kingdom.

It is time now for us to re-adjust our paradigm regarding our participation in the Church. During the pandemic this changed for many, and understandably so, but now we have to fight those demons who are suggesting to us that it is OK: we can just come to Church once in a while at our convenience, perhaps following this cadence for the rest of our lives. We survived the pandemic without going to Church every day after all. Maybe we don’t need that. Maybe just once in a while is good enough...

Those are not MY suggestions, but no doubt we struggle with those suggestions from the demons who do not have our best interest at heart. When will we finally understand and truly accept that the world does not love us as much as God does? That those that suggest that we not put God first in our lives do not care for our comfort, but use this “temptation to comfort” as a weapon to drag us down to share in their eternal destruction? Somehow those thoughts seem so logical though. After all, we have many things to do, and sleeping in and doing chores on Sunday is much more comfortable than pushing ourselves to get up and go to church EVERY WEEK. On December 4 it was hot in the church too. But it is better to be hot in the church for a short time rather than hot for eternity! :) And the Metropolitan did not call us, in his first sermon in our diocese, to seek comfort. He called us to be in church MORE often – not just on Sundays!

The pandemic paradigm of inactivity and self-indulgence has had its time. And its time has past. Like most sins it began with something good and reasonable, and over time deviated into something that is not only inappropriate for a Christian, but something that truly “misses the mark”, as the Greek word for sin can be translated. Is the expectation that every Orthodox Christian come to every Divine Service every time? Of course not – that is just not reasonable, and is perhaps also a temptation from the source of temptations that drives us towards the opposite extreme. Extremes are never conducive to salvation. But should most of us be at most services most of the time? Indeed we should. And that is not unreasonable – that should be a welcome challenge for those of us who are striving for the Heavenly Kingdom. The Lord said “...the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12). We do not take it from the couch. Or doing chores in the yard on the Lord’s Day. Or by any other way than by force – forcing ourselves to do the right thing. Forcing ourselves to peel ourselves out of bed in the morning. Forcing ourselves to the realization that this life is a time of spiritual war, as St. Paul said: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12). This metaphor of war is not symbol, an allegory, or anything else but the absolute reality of our spiritual lives. If war is the right reality, then sloth is not the right strategy for victory. We must FIGHT – and fighting to get to God’s House more often, for the renewal of our ammunition, supplies, intelligence, and other important resources towards our victory is a crucial tactic in our struggle.

Again I ask: when will we finally understand and accept that the world does not love us as much as God does? That those that suggest we not put God first in our lives do not care for our comfort, but use this temptation to comfort to drag us down to share in their eternal destruction? I would suggest that the time is NOW to embrace this understanding. Now is the time to push ourselves. Now is the time to reestablish good habits of regular churchgoing. And this too: now is the time to push ourselves not just back to our pre-pandemic status quo, but beyond that! If you were a regular Sunday morning attendee before the pandemic, since you are pushing yourself now anyway, why not push right into being a regular attendee of Saturday night Vigil too? And if you were pretty good at Saturday night and Sunday morning, then push yourself right into at least one weekday Divine Service per week. The big effort is not so much to attain to what you had, but to move yourself off the status quo. Once you’ve established momentum by moving from the status quo, the sky is the limit. 

And so, in the end, since everything that the Lord sends to us is good, we see too that the pandemic, in the end, has opportunities for good as well. Without the pandemic would we ever have changed our churchgoing habits? I mean for the better? If we are honest, the answer is: probably not. But now that we see it is time to break those pandemic habits and get back to church? In fact we can rather easily exceed our pre-pandemic practices and end up in a better place than we were when we started back in 2020!

One more word about December 4 before we close this piece. Sts. Joachim and Anna are front and center in the feast of the Entry of the Theotokos. This is because the feast is, in a nutshell, them fulfilling their vow to God to dedicate the child to Him that they prayed He send them for so many years. They followed through on their promise. They put God first not just hypothetically, but in ACTION. This is what I am suggesting to us all here: to practice our faith in action. To do what we know we need to do, and to exceed the cadence of visiting the Lord’s House that we had before the pandemic.

Glory to God for everything, dear brothers and sisters, even for the pandemic! Yes – there were bad things which came with it to be sure. But in the end it has given us the opportunity to be more diligent Christians than we were before it came upon us. To value our faith even more than before the pandemic. The Lord, in His love for us, gives us many opportunities to draw near to Him in this life. Here is yet another – and a very good one indeed. Let us take advantage of His love for us, and repay Him by acting to fulfill His will in creating mankind: that He might share His love with us for all eternity. The more we care for our souls, the more we put God first, the more we strive to live according to the Gospel, the more we align ourselves with His will to grant us the Heavenly Kingdom!

Asking Your Prayers,

Fr. Gregory 

Orthopraxis (Correct Practice): Time to Review our Meal Practices

Parish Meals are Orthopraxis!

It is important for us to review all our parish family practices from time to time, and a fasting period (such as we are in now) is a good time to review our parish meal practices. Sometimes we acquire bad habits. Such a review helps us to jettison those bad habits. So, going forward at STV:

1. Guests should ALWAYS be first. Always. And there is never a time that always is not. Before clergy. Before everyone. Before anyone. Guests always go first. We need to work on this as a parish family, so please support those who forget in a loving way. This especially includes kids. It is important spiritually for us all to learn to delay our gratification, and perhaps most important for the kids to do that. We are asking for folks to wait for 1 or 2 minutes to allow guests to go first. This is a good spiritual challenge for us. Let us support each other in this regard with Christian love!

2. Meals will no longer be self service beginning Sunday, December 4. It turns out that people throw a lot of food away every Sunday, and this is completely unacceptable from an Orthodox point of view. We can not waste the Lord’s blessing. And we need to teach our children this. If they learn to waste food at church we are teaching them the OPPOSITE of what they should do as mature Orthodox Christians. By letting people take as much food as they like much of it is thrown away, and often there is not enough for those who are at the end of the line.

3. Donation for lunch: you may not have $10 for weekly lunch or $20 for Building Fund Dinner (once per month), but you probably have something you can give. Many people have gotten into the habit of eating without giving any donation at all, and this is not fair to those ladies who work so hard to prepare a meal for everyone. Yes – we have the Christian duty to be hospitable. That is unquestionably true and this will not change. But our meals also support our parish and our many ministries. The Building Fund Dinner supports the Building Fund, as you might imagine. :) These things are not unimportant. The Lord’s knows our hearts – we aren’t going to interrogate anyone. You need to be right with the Lord in this regard, and we leave it to your conscience to put in the box what you can, and if you can’t, then to put in nothing and ask the Lord’s blessings on those who provided the meal. 

Asking Your Prayers,

Fr. Gregory

Well Done Thou Good and Faithful Servant: Repaying our Founders

If we are normal people we often think about how we can repay those that have done good to us. By normal I mean not terribly selfish people who never think about those who made it possible for them to live in this world. The list of people we have to thank is not short: there are parents of course, likely some other relatives there, mentors, certainly some teachers or professors, professional leaders that helped and guided us, and others. But we cannot, we must not, forget the founders of our parish. The parish did not spring forth from the earth just in time for you to arrive and take advantage of a parish church, a fine choir, trained clergymen, a parish cemetery, etc. The list is long. Our founders have done MUCH for us, yet if we are honest, we think of them rarely. If we never attend memorial Saturdays or services where the reposed are commemorated we may think of them… never. And that must be rectified.

The present iteration of our parish reaches back to 1981, when a few families founded St. Vladimir’s. But the Russian Orthodox presence in Ann Arbor goes back to the 1950s, when the St. Hilarion parish was founded. After Fr. Peter Demett reposed, the bishops were not able to send another priest and the nascent mission folded. The small number of those laboring for God’s glory in the 1950s and those who followed in the 1980s (there was some overlap between these two groups, not surprisingly) invested their time, talent, and treasure not just for themselves. They did it for us. Not knowing who would come after them, they tirelessly gave of themselves to plant Russian Orthodox Christianity in Ann Arbor. In other words, they invested in us, not possibly being able to comprehend the huge influx of non-Slavs who would come into the Church, the huge influx of Orthodox Christians from the former Soviet Union, and the continuing generations that would call St. Vladimir’s home. In other words, they had no idea for whom they were working, but they knew that they were working for God’s glory, and they knew that if they gave it their all He would take care of the rest.

We now stand on their shoulders. Almost all have gone to their eternal reward. Most are buried in Forest Hill Cemetery on the University of Michigan campus, and it is good for us to visit them there, which we do every year at least on Thomas Sunday, and whenever we bring another from their ranks to join their friends and loved ones there as they wait for the Common Resurrection. Their work in the Church Militant is done. They made their investment. They labored diligently and worthily. They used the talents the Lord gave them for His glory.

It is now time for us to take full and complete ownership of what they have gifted to us. And to emulate their spiritual feat. As a parish family we try to facilitate this ownership by having a monthly work day every second Saturday of the month where everyone participates. And this is good, and important. But this is not all. If we are to honor the memory of our founders we must follow their example and invest in the future. That is, to invest in those whom we do not know, but if the Lord wills, we will meet before we too go on to our eternal reward. We hope and intend to leave for the next generation a thriving eucharistic community, a school, a new church, a social hall, and more. But here we must say: success only comes before work in the dictionary. We need to work. We need to be motivated by those who had so much less than we do (almost all of them immigrants with just a few nickles to rub together) yet gave so much more of themselves: their time, their talent, and their treasure. 

If we are to accomplish all the lofty goals listed above we need to be wise. We can’t do everything at once. We have to start one and finish one. We have started and finished our cemetery. We have started and finished our barn. We have started and finished our parking lots (more will be done as we build out future phases of our campus of course). We have started the school. Now we need to finish it too. And in finishing it we will tick another box: social space for our parish community. 

This week we began the Nativity Lent. We began to prepare ourselves in earnest for the incarnation of the Lord that will be upon us in just a few short weeks. Forty days goes by in the blink of an eye, as we have learned from past experience. And we need to consider: what will I, as the Wise Men did, bring to the newly-born Christ? Of course, the ideal answer is that we will bring what they brought, that is, spiritual gifts. Gold fit for a King, Frankincense fit for the High Priest, and Myrrh fit for His burial. In other words, we must bring our souls: spiritually shining like Gold, spiritually fragrant like Frankincense, and spiritually repentant (taking advantage of the great gift that the Lord gives to us of repentance in this life, for there is no repentance in the next) in preparation for our own burial. Much of this work is spiritual, but the Magi’s gifts were material too, and we have to think about this in the light of our founders and what they gave to us. So let us first struggle spiritually, for this is always the most important of our duties as Orthodox Christians. But let us also find a way to bring at least a small additional treasure to the King of Glory, and let us participate in the <$4/week pledge drive that will make it possible for us to bequeath to our progeny (both physical and spiritual) a school that will educate our children and grandchildren (and their peers yet to come to the faith) in all that is true, and good, and beautiful; and social space in which these children and their parents can strengthen themselves through their interactions with other Orthodox Christians. And where those adults who continue to come to Christ through us unworthy ones will also be catechized and prepared to join the Ark of Salvation that is the Holy Church.

The Lord gave the cross of founding our parish and building our first facilities to those who have gone on to the next life. He has give us the cross of continuing their work and seeking to multiply the talents they passed on to us. The Lord was very clear about how this works – let us not delude ourselves into thinking that His words do not apply to us:

“For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:14-30)

To be clear, there are none of us who have been given no talents. Perhaps we have been given five, perhaps two, or perhaps only one. The servant who was given one was not punished because he was given little. He was punished because he did not use what he was given! No matter how many talents we have been given we can, and we must, unless we want to share in the “reward” of the unwise servant who received one talent and wasted it, put our talents to use! Spiritually first – always. But materially too, according to how the Lord has blessed us. Most of us can find the <$4/week that it will take for us to build our school and our hall – assuming everyone (every adult member of the parish) pitches in. If we all do – we are done! If we don’t – perhaps read the parable above again. More slowly this time. :)

May the Lord grant us a spiritually profitable fast! And may He inspire us to zealously emulate our own selfless founders who gave us so much to us. How? By giving just as much as they gave to us and MORE to the generations that will come after us!

LEARN MORE AND PLEDGE HERE

Asking Your Prayers,

Fr. Gregory  

The Nativity Fast begins Tomorrow: What shall we do? ~ Завтра начинается Рождественский пост: что нам делать?

Sermon given on November 14/27, 2022 at Dormition Cathedral, Ferndale, MI

Translation: Deacon Peter Longan

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!

Во имя Отца, и Сына, и Святаго Духа!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Дорогие братья и сестры о Христе,

Let us thank God, for we have come to the very precipice of one of the four extended periods of fasting that the Church, our loving mother, provides to us for our salvation. These fasting periods are:

The Nativity Fast
The Great Lenten Fast
The Apostles Fast
The Dormition Fast

Возблагодарим сегодня Господа за то, что мы подошли к порогу одного из четырёх продолжительных постов, которые Церковь, наша любящая мать, даёт нам нашего ради спасения. Всего у нас четыре периода воздержания:

Филиппов (Рождественнский) пост
Великий пост
Петров пост
Успенский пост

The Apostles Fast varies in length because its beginning is determined by Pascha (which is not a fixed calendar date), but its end is determined by the feast of Sts. Peter & Paul, which is a fixed date on the calendar. Thus, if Pascha is early then the Apostles fast is long, whereas if Pascha is late the Apostles Fast is short.

Петровкий пост каждый год имеют разную продолжительность, потому что его начало определяется датой Пасхи, которая не фиксированна. Окончание же его приходится на праздник свв. первоверховных апостолов Петра и Павла, который празднуется 12 июля по новому стилю. Так, что, если Пасха ранняя, то Апостольский пост долгий, а если Пасха поздняя, то он короткий.

The fast is a microcosm of our spiritual lives. There is no success in spiritual life without struggle. Salvation is work. Fasting is work. But the process of fasting and the process of salvation need not be unpleasant. We are not called upon to suffer – we are called upon to struggle. 

Пост – это вся наша духовная жизнь в миниатюре. Без борьбы не бывает успеха в духовной жизни. Спасение — это труд. И пост — это труд. Но прохождение поста и достижение спасения не должны быть неприятными. Мы не призваны страдать — мы призваны бороться. Это весьма важное различие.

And the struggle that we least undertake in our days is obedience. In the monastery all the inhabitants are obedient to the Abbot. Hypothetically in marriage we are obedient to our spouse. But that mostly involves finding compromises, rather than true obedience. In the Old Testament it is written: “Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” (I Samuel 15:22) To be clear, this is quite a radical statement from an Old Testament point of view, for nothing was higher to the Jews than to sacrifice to God. Yet obedience is higher even than sacrifice! And this theme runs throughout the New Testament, perhaps being most clearly stated here by the Lord Himself: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21). In other words, we show that we love the Lord by being obedient to Him. He taught that His disciples would fast once He has ascended to Heaven: 

“And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.” (Mark 2:18-20)

Борьба, которую мы с меньше всего предпринимаем в наши дни, — это послушание. В монастыре все насельники послушны игумену. Теоретически в браке мы послушны своему супругу. Но это в основном связано с поиском компромиссов, а не с истинным послушанием. В Ветхом Завете написано: «Еда́ уго́дны Го́споду всесожже́нiя и же́ртвы, я́коже послу́шати гла́са Госпо́дня? Се́, послуша́нiе па́че же́ртвы бла́ги, и покоре́нiе па́че ту́ка о́вня» (1Цар. 15, 22)*. Следует понимать, что это довольно радикальное заявление с точки зрения Ветхого Завета, ибо для иудеев не было ничего выше, чем приносить жертвы Богу. Но послушание выше даже жертвы! И эта тема проходит красной нитью чрез весь Новый Завет и, возможно, наиболее ясно она выражена Самим Господом: «Имѣ́яй за́повѣди Моя́ и соблюда́яй и́хъ, то́й е́сть любя́й Мя́: а любя́й Мя́ возлю́бленъ бу́детъ Отце́мъ Мои́мъ, и А́зъ возлюблю́ его́, и явлю́ся ему́ Са́мъ»** (Ин. 14, 21). Другими словами, мы показываем Господу, что любим Его, когда мы послушны Ему. А Он наставлял учеников Своих, что они будут поститься, как только Он вознесется на Небеса:

«И бя́ху ученицы́ Иоа́нновы и фарисе́йстiи постя́щеся. И прiидо́ша и глаго́лаша Ему́: почто́ ученицы́ Иоа́нновы и фарисе́йстiи постя́тся, а Твои́ ученицы́ не постя́тся? И рече́ и́мъ Иису́съ: еда́ мо́гутъ сы́нове бра́чнiи, до́ндеже жени́хъ съ ни́ми е́сть, пости́тися? Ели́ко вре́мя съ собо́ю и́мутъ жениха́, не мо́гутъ пости́тися: прiи́дутъ же дні́е, егда́ отъи́мется от ни́хъ жени́хъ, и тогда́ постя́тся въ ты́я дни́» (Мк. 2, 18-20).

Now that we have established that obedience is an important aspect of our Christian lives, let us be obedient to the Church which the Lord established for our salvation. We must worthily prepare ourselves for the great feast of our Lord’s Nativity. The Holy Church, as a loving mother, has established the Lenten period before the Lord’s Nativity to prepare for His Incarnation. Let us thank God that He gives us this opportunity: to draw nearer to Him through our obedience and to prepare ourselves for His Nativity through fasting!

Теперь, после того, как мы разобрались с тем, что послушание является важнейшим аспектом христианской жизни, давайте будем послушны Церкви, которую Господь установил для нашего спасения. Давайте достойно приготовимся к великому празднику Рождества Христова. Святая Церковь, как любящая мать, установила пост перед Рождеством Господа нашего Иисуса Христа, чтобы приготовиться к Его Воплощению. Будем благодарить Бога за то, что Он даёт нам такую возможность: приблизиться к Нему своим послушанием и приготовиться к Его Рождеству через пост!

If you don’t know how to fast please talk to me or Fr. Daniel – we will be happy to guide you! What is most important is that we make a sincere effort. That we try. That we make a start if we haven’t done this before. We may not always be successful, but we must try. Fasting is a big part of our Orthodox life and just about our only opportunity for obedience. Let us embrace the opportunity, make our sincere struggle, and prepare ourselves spiritually better than ever before for the great feast just 41 days from now! Amen.

Если вы не знаете, как поститься, побеседуйте со мною или о. Даниилом – мы будем рады рассказать и помочь в этом вопросе! Самое главное, что мы должны делать искреннее усилие, пытаться начать поститься, особенно если мы раньше никогда не постились. Может у нас и не получится всё сразу, но мы обязаны попытаться. Пост – это важнейшая составляющая нашей православной жизни и чуть ли не единственная возможность проявить послушание. Давайте воспользуемся этой возможностью, честно начнем борьбу и духовно подготовимся лучше, чем когда-либо прежде, к великому празднику, который будет всего через 41 день. Аминь.

*Неужели всесожжения и жертвы столько же приятны Господу, как послушание гласу Господа? Послушание лучше жертвы и повиновение лучше тука овнов.

**Кто имеет заповеди Мои и соблюдает их, тот любит Меня; а кто любит Меня, тот возлюблен будет Отцом Моим; и Я возлюблю его и явлюсь ему Сам.

Orthopraxis (Correct Practice) Corner: Singing at Liturgy

Singing at Liturgy is Orthopraxis! In our parish the choir sings the majority of the service, but there are three things that we sing together. We want you to know this so that you can practice. :) So we can sing these with zeal - with power! WE SHOULD BE LIFTING THE ROOF WHEN WE SING THESE - THEY SHOULD BE SUNG VERY STRONGLY* - ESPECIALLY THE CREED AND "HAVING BEHELD THE RESURRECTION..."

Saturday Vigil - "Having Beheld the Resurrection of Christ"

Every Liturgy - "Symbol of Faith"

Every Liturgy - "Our Father"

Asking Your Prayers,

Fr. Gregory

*Powerfully, but not hysterically. Screaming is not appropriate. Singing loudly – very appropriate.

Orthopraxis (Correct Practice) Corner: When Should One Depart from Liturgy?

St. Anatoly of Optina said that it is better to come late and stay to the end of Liturgy than to come early and leave early. As a parish we are rather consistent at the come late part. :) But that is not what this little instruction is about. Oddly, in the last couple of months we have picked up the bad habit of leaving immediately when Holy Communion is brought forth if we are not communing, rather than staying to the very end of the Divine Liturgy, on Sundays. It is not clear where this practice came from. In the 40+ year history of our parish that has never been a problem. Until now. So let us kill this weed immediately by supporting each other to stay until the end of the Divine Liturgy. That is, until the Thanksgiving Prayers after Communion have concluded and the Royal Doors are closed. 

There are only two types of people that need to listen to the Thanksgiving Prayers: those that communed should thank God for the great gift that He has given them as they listen to the prayers, and those who did not commune should ask God to help them to partake at the soonest opportunity as they listen to the prayers. All others may ignore these prayers and talk as much as they like. :)

Let us be diligent to stay until the end of the Divine Liturgy to receive the blessing of having fully participated in our community worship on Sunday morning. Yes – undoubtedly there will come a time when you have to leave early. But that should be the exception and not the rule. Let us make our rule to stay until the very end of the Divine Liturgy!

Asking Your Prayers,

Fr. Gregory

Stop Drinking Poison

The society in which we live seems to be aggressively accelerating its deviation from historical Christian morality. This is not hyperbole – but an obvious observation by anyone who is paying attention to the moral direction of the West and who has studied the scriptures on even the most superficial level. The defeat of Proposition 3 in Michigan – its very resounding defeat – should be for us the straw that broke the camel’s back in this regard, in case we hadn’t noticed that the camel has been paralyzed for some decades now.

It is true that there was a time when western society, broadly, aligned with Christian values. Certainly this time had well and truly ended by the 1970s in America, but for some reason the grieving process of the death of this temporary alignment has been a long and painful one for us Orthodox Christians. This extended grief has caused us to look back on that time of societal alignment with Christian values longingly, rather than deal with the reality that we face now. It is time for us to stop looking back and to start looking forward. The Lord put us in this time and place because we can best be saved in this time and place, not so that we would dream of living in some other time and place.

Historically, Orthodox Christians have lived in the world while striving not to be consumed by the world. This was true in the first centuries of the Church when it was under persecution, following the edict of Milan, during the Byzantine Empire, the Russian Empire, the Soviet Empire, and at every time that Christians have lived in the world. One might argue that when the Church was more “legal” the temptations were greater, since the world and the Church were outwardly aligned in many ways, and thus spiritually healthy watchfulness on the part of Christians could be found lacking. When the Church was openly persecuted the lines were clear, and it was more difficult for Christians to be subtly pulled away by the wiles of the world.

The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus helps us see how Christians lived in the second century of the Christian era. I would argue that how Christians live their lives has not changed, and most certainly should not deviate from the life of Christians described below. In other words, this is a good outline of how we should live in our twenty first century as Christians striving for the Kingdom:

“Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign.

And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not destroy them. They share their meals, but not their wives.

They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law. Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life. They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.

To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world. As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen. The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it, but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures. Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments.

Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body's hatred. It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the body is held together, and similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together. The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place; and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven. As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution. Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself.” From a letter to Diognetus (Nn. 5-6; Funk, 397-401)

I would submit that for us Orthodox Christians it is time to largely excuse ourselves from participating in the culture (popular and otherwise) that surrounds us, because that culture is poison. Morally what the world cherishes we reject, and what the world rejects (faith, hope, charity, love (not just Eros, but Philos and other loftier expressions of love), purity, chastity, fidelity), we cherish. To the extent that we participate in popular culture we poison ourselves spiritually. And yet, although we are called to reject the poison of the world, at the same time we are called to love our fellow man that inhabits this fallen world by sharing the love of the Savior for mankind with all through the examples of our lives, and seeking, through meeting the world where it is with that love in our hearts, to raise the world towards the Heavenly Kingdom.

In other words, just because we reject the evil of the world we do not have a blessing to reject those who live in it. We must see those that drink the poison of our culture and subsequently act according to its morays as victims, not as criminals, even if some of the symptoms that come from the disease of this poisonous culture in which we live impinge on our own lives negatively – even criminally. For a man who has lost his mind is never held as guilty of a crime as one who is in  his right mind, even if both the insane and the sane commit the exact same crime.

A Christian must be able to maintain peace, even when surrounded by fire. We are culturally and morally surrounded by fire to be sure, but the Lord has already won the victory, and thus there is no reason for us to fear. The Lord commanded: “Fear not: believe only…” (Luke 8:50), and He then raised a dead child to life. If we fear, let us turn to the Lord and cry out: “Lord, You commanded that we “fear not and believe only” – please help me not to fear! Please bring me also to life!” That is, life in Christ, a paradigm radically opposed to the poison of the culture in which we find ourselves in our days.

One may read all the above and think that all is lost. All is evil. All is bad. We must live permanently in caves. We can have nothing to do with modern society on any level. In fact the contrary is true, for the Christian, God created everything good! Yes – the world is fallen. The symptoms of that fallen world cause much moral disease, many suffer, but we must never forget the Lord’s words in this regard: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) 

The days of society providing any sort of moral support to Christians is long, long gone. Yet we pine for such societal alignment, and even sometimes conflate the society’s morality with something we should embrace, perhaps because of that time when society and Church shared moral values. Let us engage in such fantasies no longer! Let us wake from this stupor! Let us understand that we must stand clearly apart from this culture which conveys death! And let us embrace the Gospel which conveys life!

The Lord has overcome the world. We belong to the Lord. Let us show ourselves as His, not just on Sunday mornings, but always, by rejecting what is false, evil, and ugly, and embracing what is true, good, and beautiful. For there is still much that is true, good, and beautiful in the world! It is just that we have to affirmatively seek these out in our days – we are less likely to stumble upon them because these things are mocked by our society. We need to build our Christian culture to oppose the poisonous culture of the world. We do that not by making stuff up, but by looking to our fathers and mothers that came before us and emulating the best of their lives – especially their spiritual lives - and how they lived in the world without being consumed by the world.

No one forces us to drink the poison of our culture – sadly we do it voluntarily. Let me, as someone who will answer for each of your souls on the day of my appearance before the Lord, encourage you to stop drinking that poison. And let me invite you to drink from the Cup of Life, our Lord Jesus Christ. May His Holy Mysteries strengthen us to struggle to live as Christians not just on Sunday mornings, but every moment of our lives that He has given us to live here and now, for here and now is where He has deigned that we can best save our souls.

Asking Your Prayers,

Fr. Gregory

Orthopraxis (Correct Practice) Corner: Cross Processions

Cross Processions are Orthodpraxis. On a more macro level than taking a blessing, yes, but still Orthopraxis. THANKFULLY we have a Cross Procession coming up this Sunday. How convenient! Cross Processions are Orthopraxis because this is authentically how we bring our faith to those who do not yet know about Orthodoxy. We don’t argue on the Diag. We don’t knock on doors. We pick up our cross and we bear it to the community – and we do that together as a parish community. Join us this Sunday and be fully traditional and authentic in your Orthopraxis:

SIGN UP

P.S. Meet at the parking lot at Busch’s on US 12.

Orthopraxis (Correct Practice) Corner: Video - Taking a Blessing and Holding Arms at Communion

How to take a blessing from a priest or a bishop? How to hold your arms when you partake of Holy Communion? All questions answered in the short video here:

TAKING A BLESSING + HOLDING ARMS AT COMMUNION

St. John of Kronstadt & Holy Communion ~ Святой Иоанн Кронштадтский и Святое Причастие

Sermon given on October 17/30, 2022 at Dormition Cathedral, Ferndale, MI

Translation: Deacon Peter Longan

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!

Во имя Отца, и Сына, и Святаго Духа!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Возлюбленные о Христе братья и сестры!

In just a few days the Holy Church will commemorate St. John of Kronstadt, one of the great saints of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries of the Russian Church. There are fewer saints who lived a married life than who lived a monastic life, and thus it behooves us to be especially attentive to those who lived a life as we do, in the world with a spouse.

Через несколько дней Святая Церковь будет совершать память святого праведного Иоанна Кронштадтского, одного из великих святых Русской Церкви конца XIX - начала XX веков. Святых, проживших монашескую жизнь, большее количество, чем проживших супружескую, и поэтому нам следует быть особенно внимательными к тем, кто прожил жизнь, как мы, в миру и со супругом.

Born in 1829, St. John began his life as the son of a parish Reader in the Archangelsk province. He loved to go to church with his father and participate in the Divine Services. Here then is our first lesson, taught to us by the saint when he was only a child: we must strive to love God’s House and the Divine Services served therein, for these services are a font of knowledge for our salvation! 

Святой Иоанн родился в 1829 году и начал свою жизнь как сын приходского псаломщика в Архангельской губернии. Он любил с отцом ходить в церковь и участвовать в богослужениях. Вот первый урок, преподанный нам святителем, когда он был еще ребёнком: мы должны любить Дом Божий и совершаемые в нем богослужения, ибо эти службы - источник знаний для нашего спасения! 

If you understand village life of this time you understand that many people, except for the clerical families and a few others, were illiterate. Yet, despite being surround by those who could read, St. John struggled with his lessons, just as did the great St. Sergius of Radonezh. St. Sergius received a special blessing from an angel in the guise of a monk. After this he read well. As a child St. John prayed to God fervently, undoubtedly fully aware of the life of St. Sergius. And one day, after fervent prayer to the Lord, it was as if scales fell from the eyes of his intellect, and he began to excel at his lessons. In fact, he became such a good student that, having finished the schooling available to him in the North, he received a scholarship to study at the St. Petersburg Seminary, and later at the St. Petersburg Academy. We see here that prayer is indeed something great! Our prayers are always heard by the Merciful Lord, but He answers them, as a loving parent, how, when, and where we need His answer to best help us with our salvation. Let us trust God as St. John did – knowing that He will give us what is best for us and for our loved ones!

Если вы знаете о деревенской жизни того времени, то понимаете, что многие люди, за исключением семей священнослужителей и некоторых других, были неграмотны. Однако, несмотря на то, что его окружали те, кто умел читать, святой Иоанн с трудом справлялся со своими уроками, как и великий преподобный Сергий Радонежский. Преподобный Сергий получил особое благословение от ангела в обличье монаха. После этого он стал хорошо читать. В детстве святой Иоанн горячо молился Богу, несомненно, хорошо зная о жизни преподобного Сергия. И вот однажды, после горячей молитвы к Господу, словно чешуя упала с его умных очей, и он начал преуспевать в своих занятиях. В итоге, он стал таким хорошим учеником, что, закончив обучение на Севере, получил стипендию для обучения в Санкт-Петербургской семинарии, а затем в Санкт-Петербургской академии. Здесь мы видим, что молитва - это действительно нечто великое! Наши молитвы всегда бывают услышаны Милосердным Господом, однако, Он отвечает на них, как любящий родитель, как, когда и где нам нужен Его ответ, чтобы наилучшим образом помочь нам в нашем спасении. Давайте доверимся Богу, как это делал святой Иоанн, - зная, что Он даст нам то, что лучше для нас и для наших близких!

Many are aware of the special spiritual struggle that St. John took upon himself following his marriage and ordination to the priesthood. St. John partook of the Holy Mysteries – the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ – daily. And he served the Divine Services essentially daily as well, with some exceptions. Only at the end of his life did he cease serving the services – when his bodily weakness literally would not allow him to do so. Yet, he continued until the end of his life to partake of the Holy Mysteries on a daily basis.

Многие знают об особой духовной борьбе, которую святой Иоанн принял на себя после женитьбы и рукоположения во священники. Святой Иоанн ежедневно причащался Святых Тайн - Тела и Крови Господа нашего Иисуса Христа. И богослужения он совершал также практически ежедневно, за некоторыми исключениями. Только в конце своей жизни он перестал служить службы, когда телесная слабость никак не позволяла ему это делать. Однако до конца жизни он продолжал ежедневно причащаться Святых Тайн.

The Holy Church does not call us to this exact struggle – it is very rare for clergymen or laity to partake of the Holy Mysteries with such frequency. And this is for good reason: very few of us have the zeal of St. John to be able to prepare ourselves worthily to partake of Holy Communion with such frequency. For when we partake of Holy Communion we must prepare ourselves worthily. If we do not, then the partaking of Holy Communion is to our condemnation – not to our spiritual health, as we state in the prayer we read before communion each Sunday. Holy Communion is not magic – it is the Body and Blood of our Lord – and we must approach this sacrament, the sacrament of which we partake most often in our lives, with appropriate preparation to assure that we do not partake to our condemnation.

Святая Церковь не призывает нас к подобной борьбе - очень редко священнослужители и миряне причащаются Святых Тайн с такой частотой. И на то есть веская причина: очень немногие из нас обладают ревностью святого Иоанна, чтобы достойно подготовиться к тому, чтобы так часто причащаться Святых Тайн. Ведь когда мы принимаем Святое Причастие, мы должны достойно подготовиться. Если мы этого не сделаем, то причастие будет нам в осуждение, а не для нашего духовного здоровья, как мы говорим в молитве, которую читаем перед причастием каждое воскресенье. Святое Причастие - это не волшебство, это Тело и Кровь нашего Господа, и мы должны подходить к этому таинству, которое из всех других таинств чаще всего в нашей жизни бывает, со соответствующей подготовкой, чтобы не быть осужденным.

The next obvious question then is: how do we prepare ourselves appropriately to partake of Holy Communion? As a rule, the steps are these:

1. We attend the Divine Services the evening before we will partake of Holy Communion, praying and listening attentively to the lessons taught to us in God’s House through the Divine Services. This is the most important step in preparing worthily to partake of Holy Communion! So we will repeat this again: if we are physically able we MUST be at the Divine Services the evening before we partake of Holy Communion. 

2. While attending the evening Divine Services we confess our sins to the priest and receive absolution. One must have a clean conscience – with nothing against anyone – to partake of Holy Communion. That is, we must sincerely forgive all.

3. Before we partake of Holy Communion we read the Rule before Holy Communion from our Prayer Book. It is wise to begin reading this long rule on Monday if one plans to partake on Sunday, so that we will live an especially strict Christian Life as we prepare to partake. 

4. We fast strictly from midnight on the day we will partake of Holy Communion until after we have communed: from all liquids, foods, smoking, etc. This includes all aspects of marital life.

5. If you follow the fasts of the Church on Wednesday, Fridays, and during the longer fasting periods – as we all should unless we are children, extremely elderly, or extremely ill – it is not necessary to add any additional fast to prepare for Holy Communion. If for some reason this is not possible, then we must fast strictly for some days before partaking. This should be discussed with the priest in Confession.

Следующий очевидный вопрос: как нам подготовиться к Святому Причастию? Как правило, шаги следующие:

1. Мы посещаем богослужения вечером перед причастием, молимся и внимательно слушаем наставления, преподанные нам в Доме Божьем на богослужениях. Это самый важный шаг в достойной подготовке к Святому Причастию! Поэтому мы повторим ещё раз: если мы физически в состоянии, мы ОБЯЗАНЫ быть на Богослужениях вечером перед принятием Святого Причастия.

2. Во время вечернего богослужения мы исповедуем свои грехи священнику и получаем отпущение. Чтобы принять Святое Причастие, нужно иметь чистую совесть - ничего не иметь против кого-либо, то есть мы должны искренне простить всех.

3. Перед причастием мы читаем Правило перед Святым Причащением из нашего молитвослова. Разумно начать читать это длинное правило в понедельник, если вы планируете причаститься в воскресенье, чтобы мы жили особенно строгой христианской жизнью, готовясь к причастию.

4. Мы строго постимся с полуночи того дня, когда будем причащаться, и до того, как причастимся: от любого питья, пищи, курения и т.д. Сюда же входят и все проявления супружеской жизни.

5. Если вы соблюдаете церковные посты в среду, пятницу и во время более длительных постов - как мы все должны делать, если только мы не дети, не престарелые или не очень больные - то нет необходимости добавлять какой-либо дополнительный пост для подготовки к Святому Причастию. Если по каким-то причинам это невозможно, то перед Причастием нужно строго поститься несколько дней. Это следует обсудить со священником на исповеди.

Now that we understand how seriously we should approach the chalice, we can see that St. John lived essentially an angelic life. Almost a monastic life in the world. The key lesson I would like you to take home and put to use in your lives is this: we are not called to imitate St. John’s life in an exact manner. Trying to do so would almost certainly lead to spiritual delusion. Rather, we are called to examine St. John’s life closely, thank God for providing us such a luminary, and be motivated to at least in some small way follow the path that he has shown us by living an angelic life in the flesh. And the best way for us to do that is to be more often at Holy Communion, having prepared ourselves appropriately and worthily to partake of the Body and Blood of our Lord. St. John was transfigured by his zealous cooperation with the Lord. We too are called to be transfigured in this life into the sons and daughters of God. A huge leap in this direction will be our worthy and frequent partaking of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. May the Lord grant us, through out sincere efforts and the prayers of St. John of Kronstadt, to seriously undertake this path of struggle and transfiguration for the salvation of our souls! Amen!

Теперь, когда мы понимаем, насколько серьёзно мы должны подходить к чаше, мы видим, что святой Иоанн жил, по сути, ангельской жизнью. Он имел почти монашескую жизнь в миру. Главный урок, который я хотел бы, чтобы вы вынесли домой и применили в своей жизни, заключается в следующем: мы не призваны в точности подражать жизни святого Иоанна. Попытка сделать это почти наверняка приведёт к духовному заблуждению. Скорее, мы призваны внимательно изучать жизнь святого Иоанна, благодарить Бога за то, что Он дал нам такое светило, и иметь стремление хотя бы в малой степени следовать по пути, который он указал нам, живя ангельской жизнью во плоти. И лучший способ для нас сделать это - чаще бывать на Святой Литургии и, подготовившись должным образом и мудро, причаститься Тела и Крови нашего Господа. Святой Иоанн преобразился благодаря своему ревностному сотрудничеству с Господом. Мы тоже призваны преобразиться в этой жизни и стать сыновьями и дочерьми Божьими. Огромным скачком в этом направлении будет наше достойное и частое причастие Святых Христовых Тайн. Да дарует нам Господь искренними усилиями и молитвами святого праведного Иоанна Кронштадтского серьёзно встать на этот путь борьбы и преображения во имя спасения наших душ! Аминь!

Orthopraxis (Correct Practice) Corner: Prostrations at Liturgy

Most of us attend services on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings, when prostrations are not done. But at all the other Divine Services of week prostrations might be done – or not. :) How can you know?! Please see the flyer below – all the information is there. Questions are always welcome to Fr. Gregory or Fr. Colin!

MORE INFORMATION

Sts. Peter & Febronia of Murom ~ Препп. Петр и Феврония Муромские

Sermon given on September 5/18, 2022 at Dormition Cathedral, Ferndale, MI

Translation: Deacon Peter Longan

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!

Во имя Отца, и Сына, и Святаго Духа!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Возлюбленные о Христе братья и сестры!

Today the Holy Church commemorates the lives of the Venerable Peter and Febronia of Murom. These two ascetics undertook their spiritual struggle first as a married couple, and then, after their children had grown, they established two monasteries: one for men and one for women, and took monastic vows. They died on the same day and in the same hour, on June 25, 1228. This date falls always during the Apostles fast, and so, since these two favorites of God and Wonderworkers have become beloved patron saints of the married, just as Martyrs Adrian and Natalia, there was a cry from the faithful to establish a second date of their commemoration on which marriages could take place. As you know, marriages cannot take place on the eve of a fast or a feast, and thus, the feast we are celebrating today was established by the Holy Synod several years ago so that marriages could take place on the day of Sts. Peter and Febronia.

Сегодня Святая Церковь празднует память преподобных Петра и Февронии Муромских. Эти два подвижника начали свою духовный подвиг сначала как супружеская пара, а затем, когда их дети выросли, они основали два монастыря: мужской и женский, и приняли монашеский постриг. Они умерли в один и тот же день и час, 25 июня 1228 года. Эта дата всегда выпадает на Апостольский пост, и поэтому, поскольку эти угодники Божии и чудотворцы стали любимыми святыми покровителями женатых, как и мученики Адриан и Наталия, от верующих поступил призыв установить второй день памяти, в который можно было бы заключать браки. Как вы знаете, браки не могут заключаться накануне постного дня или праздника, и поэтому праздник, который мы отмечаем сегодня, был установлен Священным Синодом несколько лет назад, чтобы браки могли заключаться в день святых Петра и Февронии.

Today I ask that you take only one thing home with you from the church in the light of the exemplary lives of Sts. Peter and Febronia. That one thing is: marriage is ascetic struggle. Just as monasticism is ascetic struggle. Each has its benefits and its drawbacks, but neither the married life nor the monastic life is a life of leisure. As Orthodox Christians we must understand that life is work. Life is struggle. Life is asceticism. That is true in the world, and that is true in the monastery. We choose the life we lead: as married people, as monastics, or the most difficult: as single people living in the world. But no matter which life we choose, we also choose to struggle for the Heavenly Kingdom. There is no life for Orthodox Christians that is not ascetic in nature. If we live we must struggle.

Сегодня я прошу вас вынести из церкви только одну вещь в свете образцовой жизни святых Петра и Февронии: брак - это аскетическая борьба. Так же, как монашество - это аскетическая борьба. У каждого из этих жизненный путей есть свои преимущества и свои недостатки, но ни супружеская жизнь, ни монашеская жизнь не являются жизнью досуга. Как православные христиане мы должны понимать, что жизнь - это труд. Жизнь - это борьба. Жизнь - это аскетизм. Это верно в миру, и это верно в монастыре. Мы сами выбираем, какую жизнь вести: как женатые люди, как монашествующие или, что самое трудное, как одинокие люди, живущие в миру. Но какую бы жизнь мы ни выбрали, мы также выбираем борьбу за Царство Небесный. Для православных христиан нет жизни, которая не была бы аскетической по своей природе. Если мы живём, мы должны бороться.

Too often we have a worldly, overly romantic, comfort based understanding of marriage. Somehow we fall into the delusion that monastic life is struggle, but living in the world is about comfort. This is why so many marriages fail: the spouses do not understand that marriage is work. If you do not work you will not succeed. There is no other formula: success only comes before work in the dictionary. That is, if you do not work you will not have success. And if you work without God’s blessing you will not have success. 

Слишком часто мы имеем мирское, слишком романтическое, основанное на комфорте понимание брака. Почему-то мы впадаем в заблуждение, что монашеская жизнь - это борьба, а жизнь в миру - это комфорт. Вот почему так много браков терпят неудачу: супруги не понимают, что брак - это труд. Если вы не будете работать, то не добьётесь успеха. Другой формулы не существует. Если вы не будете работать, у вас не будет успеха. А если вы будете работать без Божьего благословения, то успеха не будет.

If we want to succeed in this life, that is, attain the Heavenly Kingdom as spouses, we must work diligently WITH GOD’S BLESSING. Working hard at a marriage that is not blessed by the Church is a fool’s errand. Having your marriage blessed in the Church and expecting that God will do all the work is a fool’s errand. Just as the monastic who struggles pridefully is bound to fall into delusion, so too, we who do not cooperate with God in our marriages are doomed to failure.

Если мы хотим преуспеть в этой жизни, то есть достичь Царства Небесного как супруги, мы должны усердно трудиться с Божьим благословением. Усердно трудиться над браком, который не благословлён Церковью, - пустое занятие. Благословлять свой брак в Церкви и ожидать, что Бог сделает всю работу, - это глупость. Как монашествующий, подвизающийся в гордыне, обязательно впадёт в заблуждение, так и мы, не сотрудничающие с Богом в наших браках, обречены на неудачу.

So let us go forth today from God’s House with this clear understanding: marriage is an ascetic exploit. We must work diligently for success, and we must work wisely, that is, with God’s blessing on our marriage. If you have not been married in the Church yet then let these words be a call for you to arrange this as soon as possible, whether you have been together as a couple for a year, for 10, or for 50: every marriage needs God’s blessing to be truly successful. If we work in cooperation with God, and we work diligently, we can have great hope that our marriage will lead us to His Kingdom! The Lord blessed marriage in the New Testament not only for the procreation of children (as in the Old Testament), but so that all – husband, wife, children – could attain the Heavenly Kingdom. To attain the Kingdom is our goal, whether we live in the world or in the monastery. Let us decide today that we will adopt this paradigm: of hard work with God’s help leading to success. If we do this, we can have great hope that we too will follow Sts. Peter and Febronia, whom we celebrate today, into the Heavenly Kingdom! May the Lord grant this to all of us! Amen!

Поэтому давайте сегодня выйдем из Дома Божьего с ясным пониманием того, что брак - это аскетический подвиг. Мы должны усердно трудиться для достижения успеха, и трудиться мудро, то есть с Божьим благословением на наш брак. Если вы ещё не венчались в Церкви, пусть эти слова будут для вас призывом сделать это как можно скорее, независимо от того, были ли вы вместе как пара год, 10 или 50 лет: каждый брак нуждается в Божьем благословении, чтобы быть успешным. Если мы работаем в сотрудничестве с Богом и усердно трудимся, мы можем обоснованно надеяться, что наш брак приведёт нас в Его Царство! Господь благословил брак в Новом Завете не только для рождения детей (как в Ветхом Завете), но для того, чтобы все - муж, жена, дети - могли достичь Царства Небесного. Достижение Царства - наша цель, независимо от того, живём ли мы в миру или в монастыре. Давайте сегодня примем для себя эту формулу: упорный труд с Божьей помощью приводит к успеху. Если мы сделаем это, то есть шанс, что и мы последуем за святыми Петром и Февронией, которых мы сегодня празднуем, в Небесное Царство! Пусть Господь дарует это всем нам! Аминь.