Orthodixie

Spending the night in a cabin on the side of Lookout Mountain; having gotten up at 1:30 AM, and, having hit the road by 2 … all’s well.

Those of you who’ve traveled with family know how punchy peeps get on little sleep and super-sized anticipation. For instance:

We stopped for lunch at a Ryan’s food bar and, at meal’s end, having sized-up the local clientele in the Tuscaloosa establishment — and having fantasized that they would enjoy such an event — I looked at my wife and 3 children and said:

“Alright, here’s the deal: I’m gonna go over and stand by the entrance, Mary Catherine, you stay here; the rest of you spread out and, like those YouTube videos, I’ll start the Hallelujah Chorus and …

Y’all join in.”

They didn’t buy it.

Instead, we decided that we would, next outing, just walk over to a table and start clapping and singing “Happy Birthday to You”.

(We later agreed: Not without disguises and only after having learned it in Spanish.)

Anyway, we’re not there yet, so … as you were.

The angel* gave him twelve mandates:

1. Believe in God;

2. To live in simplicity and innocence; do not speak evil and give alms to all who beg;

3. Love truth and avoid falsehood;

4. Preserve chastity in your thoughts;

5. Learn patience and generosity;

6. To know that with every man, there is a good and an evil spirit;

7. To fear God and not to fear the devil;

8. To do every good and to refrain from every evil deed;

9. To pray to God from the depth of the soul with faith that our prayer will be fulfilled;

10. To guard against melancholy as the sister of doubt and anger;

11. To question true and false prophecies;

12. To guard against every evil desire.

Hermas, commemorated May 31st, was one of the Seventy Apostles. He is mentioned in the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans. “Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes and the brethren which are with them” (Romans 16:14). Hermas was a Greek by birth but lived in Rome for a long time. He was a bishop in Philippoupolis and ended his life as a martyr. He compiled a very instructive book called “The Shepherd” according to revelations from an angel of God. Hermas was a wealthy man but because of his sins and the sins of his sons, he fell into extreme poverty.

*Once while in prayer, a man appeared to him in white raiment with a staff in his hand and told him that he is an angel of repentance who was sent to be with him until the end of his life.

Image Source

Blessed is he who has illumined the eyes of his heart, and always sees the Lord in himself as in a mirror. Such a man will be relieved of passions and evil thoughts.

Blessed is he who loves good and beautiful speech but hates words that are shameful and corrupting, for he will not be taken captive by the evil one.

Blessed is he who instructs his neighbor in the fear of God and does not seduce his soul, for he is ever wary of the great Pastor’s iron staff.

Blessed is he who is obedient to his neighbor in accordance with God’s will and is not subject to condemnation as a corrupt sensualist on account of his belly, for such a man will be magnified in the Lord.

Blessed is he who does not intoxicate himself with wine, but is ever glad in remembrance of the Lord, in Whom all the saints rejoice unceasingly.

Blessed is he who manages his possessions in accordance with God’s will, and does not lay himself open to condemnation from the Savior as a miser lacking compassion for his neighbor.

Blessed is he who is vigilant in prayer, reading and good works; he will be enlightened and will not fall asleep unto death.

Blessed is he who has become a marvelous spiritual net and caught many for the good Master; greatly will he be praised in the Lord.

Blessed is he who has become a marvelous example for his neighbor and has not injured the conscience of his fellow servants with indecent acts; he will be blessed in the Lord.

From A Spiritual Psalter – or Reflections on God, by St Ephraim the Syrian, St Theophan the Recluse (editor).

Image Source

In the wee hours of Pascha, we Orthodox begin a joyful dialogue where when someone says: Christ is Risen! the reply is Indeed, He is Risen! — or, Truly, He is Risen!

In those early hours of Pascha, some folks have grown a little rusty with their Orthodox lingo.

Imagine: “Christ is Risen!”

“Glorify Him!”
(The Christmas response.)

Or … “Christ is Risen!”

And the inevitable: “Happy Easter!”

Then there’s the fun we have for 40 days in the shortened written form. Emails and letters end with just the letters XB, CA, or CR (Христос воскресе, Christos Anesti, Christ is Risen) – and the reply comes back BB, AA, or TR (воистину воскресе, Alithós anésti, Truly Risen).

We say it, “Christ is Risen – Indeed, He is Risen” at the end of our services, our family prayers, answering the telephone, and concluding the blessing over food.

I say it when I kiss my kids goodnight.

And it’s the young children that seem most disappointed when we no longer continue the Christ is Risen dialogue: “Why can’t we say it anymore?”

Well, that’s a good question.

Why CAN’T we say it any more?

The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.

Pic Source

In light of the designation of June as “internet safety month,” we exhort our priests and parishioners to raise awareness and secure appropriate protection for our children and communities from the many and diverse prevalent dangers, including pornography, cyberbullying, perils by predators, risks of geotagging, and in particular dissension in the Church. Technology is not sinful; but the abuse of technology is a sin and a crime. We encourage our faithful to disseminate relevant internet safety literature, organize internet safety classes, utilize parental controls, and take rigorous advocacy measures to pressure wireless companies and carriers to mandate protective options.

From the 2011 Message of the Assembly of Bishops