Orthodixie

From TheDay.com

New London – “We’ve called an emergency medical team,” announced an emissary from where the bride sat with her right hand raised high, her third finger swollen from trying vainly to transfer her wedding band to her left hand.

When an EMT from the city’s fire department arrived and cut the platinum band with a special implement made just for that purpose, bridesmaids scrambled to gather the diamonds that spilled onto the floor.

“I didn’t know they had weddings on Sundays,” said the fireman.

“Just us Greeks,” replied the Koumbaros, Iranthi Anastasiou of Waterford …

Read about the life of a retiring priest H E R E.

My brother is seven years younger than me. When we were kids, I thought he was Jesus. No, he didn’t sport the beard and hair. Actually, he had a shining cotton top. He was quiet. And, most importantly, he never seemed to do anything wrong! (Mom, if you’re reading this … trust me, he really did do all those bad things I said he did and he deserved, I’m pretty sure, those spankings.) But it occurred to me around the age of 12 that, “Oh my gosh! He’s Jesus. My brother is Jesus! Oh, great!” Now, when you’re 12, having a sinless brother who is destined to be, well, IT … is not cool. I only had the fantasy for a while, but there it is.

SO … given all the hyper-heretical-hysteria of The Da Vinci Code, as tmatt says … you knew THIS was going to happen. [The THIS being that the lady pictured here has written a book … claiming to be one of Our Lord’s (bloodline) kin.]

At church camp a few weeks ago, we offered an “Ask Abouna” session each morning after Matins. I’d never given much thought to how Dan Brown’s product would affect our young people. Wow! Most questions were either about the End of Time … or The Da Vinci Code. Many of the older kids, teens, had read the DVC. One sincere young man said, “Well, I’m just not sure who to believe.” I said, “You don’t know whether to believe a novel of fiction or the 2,000 year teaching of the Church?” “Yeah,” he said, “I mean — how do you know who is telling the truth?”

Another told us, in 10 minutes or less, all the things that were to occur at the End of Time, according to the Book of Revelation, which, she said, should happen about any minute now. (Research included the Book … and a whole bunch of other books and movies. I used to be that girl.)

Perhaps their interest and knowledge in such is compounded by this kinda stuff. I dunno. I was all into the End of Time when I was a teen. But, I was Baptist, I’d read Hal Lindsey’s book, I’d read other popular fiction (The Omen, The Exorcist, etc) — even Chick Tracts! So, yeah, I was pretty knowledgeable (you could say).

PS — I don’t think I ever told my brother I thought he was Jesus. Please don’t tell him! I mean, he’s still my brother and all. Ya know?

Thanks.

For many Christians today marks the Feast of St Elias the Tishbite. In fact, especially in light of the war in the Middle East, honourable memory of the Prophet Elias (or Elijah) is also kept by Jews, Muslims, and Druze.

Through the prayers of the Holy Prophet Elias, may God have mercy and save us!

Here are some excerpts from today’s edition of DYNAMIS on St Elias …

While St. James commends all the Prophets as models of patience in suffering, naming Job in particular (Jas. 5:10-11), he recognized Elijah as one who “endured” bitter conflicts with great patience. The Lord even bestowed upon the Prophet a glorious departure (vs. 11), coming in a whirlwind and chariot of fire to take him into heaven without tasting death (2 Kngs 2:11-12).

Twice in his lifetime, the Prophet Elijah spoke the truth of God to King Ahab concerning his open promotion of idolatry. As a result, he was forced to flee into the wilderness where, as a hunted man, he suffered great privation (3 Kngs 16:29-17:3 and 3 Kngs 18:16-19:4 LXX).

In the face of the increasing moral corruption and idolatrous materialism of the contemporary western world, numbers of Christians, after the manner of Elijah, are suffering shame and rejection for speaking the truth concerning the appalling state of the world and society. St. Gregory of Sinai points out that “the envy which the innocent provoke is for their benefit, while the Lord’s schooling tests us so as to bring about our conversion, since it opens our ears when we are guilty.”

Therefore, St. Gregory adds this encouragement: “That is why the Lord has promised an eternal crown to those who endure in this manner.”

St. James exhorts the Faithful to speak plainly and directly, not swearing “either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No,’ lest you fall into judgment” (Jas. 5:12). Further, he exhorts the Faithful to confess their “trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed” (vs. 16).

Elijah was just such a man of direct communication. When Queen Jezebel and King Ahab conspired to appropriate the vineyard of their neighbor Naboth, the Prophet did not spare the King’s feelings, but plainly told him all the consequences the Lord would bring upon him: the end of his dynasty and the violent end of his entire family (1 Kngs 21:20-29). We, too, must not hold back in telling the plain truth, nor in searching out our own faults and sins before the Lord.

The Apostle also commends diligent prayer, reminding us that “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (Jas. 5:16). At this point in his Epistle, St. James actually employs the example of Elijah as one who “prayed earnestly” (Jas. 5:17,18).

Prayer surely was the source of Elijah’s honesty, patience, strength, and faith during his trials and sufferings. He did not hesitate to submit his woes and his dependency to God quite candidly. His prayer when he challenged the priests of Baal is a classic examples of trust (1 Kngs 18:30-38). His prayer for rain reveals great persistence (1 Kngs 18:41-46). His prayer in the wilderness exhibits his self-surrender to the will of God (1 Kngs 19:4). His prayer on Mt. Horeb reveals absolute obedience (1 Kngs 19:11-19). May God establish us in such a prayer life! Archimandrite Ioannikios Kotsonis presses this truth upon us: “You cannot be called a Christian, if you do not pray often. All the saints prayed continually and with ardor. Therefore, become a practitioner of unceasing prayer. It will give enlightenment to your mind.”

O Prophet Elijah, who foresaw the great acts of God, who with a word didst stop the flow of rain, intercede thou for our sake with Him Who alone is the Lover of mankind.

To enroll send email to: orthodoxdynamis-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

I realize that the following comments are controversial. But as I serve a parish filled with Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian Christians, I, for one, am glad to hear something other than Unanimous Talking Points on the current conflict in the Middle East.

The Lebanon that Israel, with Bush’s blessing, is smashing up has a pro-American government, heretofore considered a shining example of his democracy crusade. Yet, asked in St. Petersburg if he would urge Israel to use restraint in its airstrikes, Bush sounded less like the leader of the Free World than some bellicose city councilman from Brooklyn Heights.

But where are the Christians? Why is Pope Benedict virtually alone among Christian leaders to have spoken out against what is being done to Lebanese Christians and Muslims?

When al-Qaida captured two U.S. soldiers and barbarically butchered them, the U.S. Army did not smash power plants across the Sunni Triangle. Why then is Bush not only silent but openly supportive when Israelis do this?

You can reall all of Pat Buchanan’s column H E R E.

Y’all?

I …

* * sigh * *

I don’t want to say that I’m speechless — because, then, obviously I wouldn’t be.

If I said I was, that is.

I’m not. Speechless. That is.

Not only that, but I don’t want to give the wrong impression as to why I might be.

…

But, I popped by a couple of my usual haunts and found this pic here & there.

Meet Joanna Jepson, Anglican priest.

Kidding aside. We were kidding, right? Sump’n just ain’t right.

Okay …

What’s wrong with this picture?