Orthodixie

Affirming the right to life

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Bishop Basil Essey

It has been brought to my attention that Planned Parenthood, a group under investigation by the U.S. Congress, is contemplating opening five new facilities in central Nebraska over the next few years, with Kearney — the city where the oldest parish in my diocese is located — is on the list of possible sites.

For 2,000 years, Orthodox Christians have been consistent in their pro-life stance and so stand in opposition to these plans by Planned Parenthood. Here follows a portion of a joint statement issued by the Orthodox-Roman Catholic Bilateral Consultation in the United States, which succinctly sets forth the pro-life position of both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches:

“We feel constrained at this point in history to affirm that the ‘right to life’ implies a right to a decent life and to full human development, not merely to a marginal existence.

“We affirm that the furthering of this goal for the unborn, the mentally retarded, the aging and the underprivileged is our duty on a global as well as a domestic scale.

“We deplore in particular the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision failing to recognize the rights of the unborn — a decision which has led to widespread indiscriminate early abortion.

“We affirm our common Christian tradition with regard to the right of the unborn to life.

“We acknowledge our responsibility to mediate the love of Christ, especially to the troubled expectant mother, and thus make possible the transmission and nurturing of new life and its fully human development.

“We urge our churches and all believers to take a concrete stand on this matter at this time and to exemplify this evangelical imperative in their personal lives and professional decisions.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: The author is the bishop of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. Founded in 1903, St. George Orthodox Church in Kearney is a part of Essey’s diocese.

Thanks to Archpriest Mark Mancuso of St Elizabeth the New Martyr Church:

The Preparatory Sundays of Great Lent

An Introduction to Great Lent

Lent in Our Life

The True Nature of Fasting by Metropolitan KALLISTOS

The Rules of Fasting

The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

Oh … then there’s the MOTHERLODE.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 2nd, 2012

Record of Protest Against the Infringement of Religious Liberty
by the Department of Health and Human Services

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, which is comprised of the 65 canonical Orthodox bishops in the United States, Canada and Mexico, join their voices with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and all those who adamantly protest the recent decision by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and call upon all the Orthodox Christian faithful to contact their elected representatives today to voice their concern in the face of this threat to the sanctity of the Church’s conscience.

In this ruling by HHS, religious hospitals, educational institutions, and other organizations will be required to pay for the full cost of contraceptives (including some abortion-inducing drugs) and sterilizations for their employees, regardless of the religious convictions of the employers.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion. This freedom is transgressed when a religious institution is required to pay for “contraceptive services” including abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization services that directly violate their religious convictions. Providing such services should not be regarded as mandated medical care. We, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops, call upon HHS Secretary Sebelius and the Obama Administration to rescind this unjust ruling and to respect the religious freedom guaranteed all Americans by the First Amendment.

# # # # #

Contact: The Office of the Secretariat
1559 North Woodlawn Street
Wichita, KS 67208-2429
Phone: 316-687-3169

Assembly Web Site: www.assemblyofbishops.org

Image Source

This year, the Missions and Evangelism Department of the Antiochian Archdiocese teamed with North Texas Orthodox Missions for a joint conference held in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex.

The speakers were Fr. Joseph Huneycutt, Fr. Evan Armatas, and Fr. Peter Gillquist. The dates were January 20-21, 2012. The conference was dedicated to the memory of His Eminence, Archbishop Dmitri. — from Ancient Faith Radio (click the link to listen).

Pictured with me: Deacon Gregory Norris of St Seraphim Cathedral.

Freshly mown grass, newly lined field, colorful band uniforms, zealous cheerleaders, the smell of hot dogs and popcorn under a Friday night sky in the fall.

Football.

Back in the day, high school football practice began on August 1st. That was the day that we all had to run 5-miles around the field – for God and all to see what kind of shape we were in.

That kind of routine marks you. It was only a few years ago that I realized August 1st had come and gone and I’d not thought of the smell of that freshly cut grass and the rigors of the game.

Time flies.

On another note, I’ve been doing the Orthodixie Podcast for almost five years now … and it’s time to take a break. But, more on that later.

Y’all? Let me just say, right at the start, God is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan — at least that’s what I’ve always thought. So this whole Tebow-Jesus thing will go nowhere. It’s a media created stir-fry which has no bearing on the salvation of souls. The NFL is big business – and if a buzz can be created, even using Evangelicalism – whatever sells! – the NFL is all for it.

Frankly, I prefer the days when the game was rough and tumble without hair extensions, sharpie marks all over the arm, girlie looking men doing fairy dances in the end zone. Yep, back in the days of Jack Lambert — when mud and blood and teeth (or not) prevailed.

Sure, I’m biased. These days, I prefer the quiet and frequent witness of Troy Polamalu’s signing of the Cross to someone who can’t complete a paragraph without mentioning “mylordandsaviourjesuschrist”.

But as a Christian, I guess I prefer that to …

The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.