From the Fathers

FROM THE FATHERS

“FASTING, while of value in itself, is not something to boast of in front of God, for it is simply a tool for training those who desire self-restraint. The struggler should not feel proud because he fasts; but with faith in God he should think only of reaching his goal. For no artist ever boasts that his accomplishment is simply due to his tools; but he waits for the work itself to give proof of his skill.” Saint Diodochus of Photiki, fifth century

“TO FAST WELL is to enjoy simple food in small amounts and to shun other people’s esteem.” Ven. Thalassius the Libyan, + c. 660 A.D.

“I URGE YOU, do not forget the fasting that slays the pas- sions, the abstinence that cleanses.” Ven. Simeon the New Theologian, + 1022 A.D.

“THE HOLY CHURCH cries out: fasting is not [just] avoid- ing food, but putting away all evil, controlling the tongue from idle- talking and gossip, forbearing from anger, and abstaining from lust, falsehood, and flattery. Whoever fasts in this way, his fast is pleasing to God.” Ven. Antony of Optina, + 1865 A.d.

1 “THE RULE of fasting is this: to remain in God with mind and heart, relinquishing all else, cutting off all pandering to self, in the spiritual as well as physical sense.” Saint Theophan the Recluse, + 1894 A.D.

g g g g g g g g g Homily on the Sunday of Orthodoxy

By the Holy New Confessor Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow, + 1925 A.D.

Given when he was Bishop of the Aleutian Islands and North America on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, 23rd February, 1903, in the Cathedral Church of San Francisco

THIS SUNDAY, brethren, begins the week of Orthodoxy, or the week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, because it is today that the Holy Orthodox Church solemnly recalls its victory over the Icono- clast heresy and other heresies, and gratefully remembers all who fought for the Orthodox Faith in word, writing, teaching, suffering, or godly living.

Keeping the day of Orthodoxy, Orthodox people ought to remember it is their sacred duty to stand firm in their Orthodox Faith and carefully to keep it. For us it is a precious treasure: in it we were born and raised; all the important events of our life are re- lated to it, and it is ever ready to give us its help and blessing in all our needs and good undertakings, however unimportant they may seem. It supplies us with strength, good cheer and consolation, it heals, purifies and saves us.

2 The Orthodox faith is also dear to us because it is the Faith of our Fathers. For its sake the Apostles bore pain and laboured; martyrs and preachers suffered for it; champions, who were like unto the saints, shed their tears and their blood; pastors and teachers fought for it; and our ancestors stood for it, whose legacy it was that to us it should be dearer than the pupil of our eyes.

And as to us, their descendants? Do we preserve the Or- thodox Faith, do we keep to its Gospels? Of old, the Prophet Elias, that great worker for the glory of God, complained that the sons of Israel had abandoned the testament of the Lord, veering away from it towards the gods of the heathen. Yet the Lord revealed to His prophet, that amongst the Israelites there still were seven thousand people who have not knelt before Baal (3 Kgs 19:18). Likewise, no doubt, in our days also there are some true followers of Christ. The Lord knoweth them that are His (2 Tim. 2:19).

We do occasionally meet sons of the Church, who are obe- dient to Her decrees, who respect their spiritual pastors, love the Church of God and the beauty of its exterior, who are eager to attend to its Divine service and to lead a good life, who recognize their human failings and sincerely repent their sins. But are there many such among us?

Are there not more people, “in whom the weeds of vanity and passion allow but little fruit to the influence of the Gospel, or even in whom it is altogether fruitless, who resist the truth of the Gospel, because of the increase of their sins, who renounce the gift of the Lord and repudiate the Grace of God” (a quotation from the service of Orthodoxy). “I have given birth to sons and have glorified them, yet they deny Me,” said the Lord in the olden days concerning Israel.

And today also there are many who were born, raised and glorified by the Lord in the Orthodox Faith, yet who deny their faith, pay no attention to the teachings of the Church, do not

3 keep its injunctions, do not listen to their spiritual pastors and remain cold towards the divine service and the Church of God. How speedily some of us lose the Orthodox faith in this country of many creeds and tribes!

They begin their apostasy with things, which in their eyes have but little importance. They judge it is “old fashioned” and “not accepted amongst educated people” to observe all such customs as: praying before and after meals, or even morning and night, to wear a cross, to keep icons in their houses and to keep church holidays and fast days. They even do not stop at this, but go further: they seldom go to church and sometimes not at all, as a man has to have some rest on a Sunday (...in a saloon); they do not go to confession, they dispense with church marriage and delay baptizing their children. And in this way their ties with the Orthodox faith are broken! They remember the Church on their deathbed, and some don’t even do that! To excuse their apostasy they naively say: “this is not the old country, this is America, and consequently (?) it is impossible to observe all the demands of the Church.” As if the word of Christ is of use for the old country only and not for the whole world. As if the Orthodox faith is not the foundation of the world. Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil doers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Is- rael into anger (Esaias 1:4). If you do not preserve the Orthodox Faith and the commandments of God, the least you can do is not to degrade your hearts by inventing false excuses for your sins! If you do not hon- our our customs, the least you can do is not to laugh at things you do not know or understand. If you do not accept the moth- erly care of the Holy Orthodox Church, the least you can do is to confess you act wrongly, that you are sinning against the Church and behave like children! If you do, the Orthodox Church, like a loving mother, may forgive you your coldness and slights, and will receive you back into her embrace, as if you were erring children.

4 Holding to the Orthodox Faith, as to something holy, loving it with all their hearts and prizing it above all, Orthodox people ought, moreover, to endeavour to spread it amongst people of other creeds. Christ the Saviour has said that neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candle stick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house (Matt. 5:15). The light of Orthodoxy was not lit to shine only on a small number of men. The Orthodox Church is universal; it remembers the words of its Founder: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Luke 16:15), go ye therefore and teach all nations (Matt. 28:19). We ought to share our spiritual wealth, our truth, light and joy with others, who are deprived of these blessings, but often are seeking them and thirsting for them.

Once a vision appeared to Paul in the night: there stood a man from Macedonia and prayed him, saying, come over into Macedonia, and help us (Acts 16:9), after which the Apostle start- ed for this country to preach Christ. We also hear a similar inviting voice. We live surrounded by people of alien creeds; in the sea of other religions, our Church is a small island of salvation, towards which some of the people plunged in the sea of life swim. “Come, hurry, help,” we sometimes hear from the heathen of far Alaska, and oftener from those who are our brothers in blood and once were our brothers in faith also, the Uniats. “Receive us into your community, give us one of your good pastors, send us a priest that we might have the Divine Service performed for us on a holy day, help us to build a church, to start a school for our children, so that they do not lose in America their faith and nationality,” those are the wails we often hear, especially of late.

And are we to remain deaf and insensible? God save us from such a lack of sympathy. Otherwise woe unto us, for we have taken away the key of knowledge, we entered not in ourselves, and them that were entering in we hindered (Luke 11:52).

But who is to work for the spread of the Orthodox Faith, for the increase of the children of the Orthodox Church? Pastors and

5 missionaries, you answer. You are right; but are they to be alone? Saint Paul wisely compares the Church of Christ to a body, and the life of a body is shared by all the members. So it ought to be in the life of the Church also. The whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love (Eph. 4:16).

At the beginning, not only pastors alone suffered for the faith of Christ, but lay people also, men, women and even children. Heresies were fought against by lay people as well. Likewise, the spread of Christ’s Faith ought to be near and precious to the heart of every Christian. In this work every member of the Church ought to take a lively and heart-felt interest. This interest may show itself in personal preaching of the Gospel of Christ.

And to our great joy, we know of such examples amongst our lay brethren. In Sitka, members of the Indian brotherhood do missionary work amongst other inhabitants of their villages. And one zealous brother took a trip to a distant village (Kilisno), and helped the local priest very much in shielding the simple and cred- ulous children of the Orthodox Church against alien influences, by his own explanations and persuasions. Moreover, in many places of the United States, those who have left Uniatism to join Ortho- doxy point out to their friends where the truth is to be found, and dispose them to enter the Orthodox Church.

Needless to say, it is not everybody among us who has the opportunity or the faculty to preach the Gospel personally. And in view of this I shall indicate to you, brethren, what every man can do for the spread of Orthodoxy and what he ought to do. The Apostolic Epistles often disclose the fact, that when the Apostles went to distant places to preach, the faithful often helped them with their prayers and their offerings. Saint Paul sought this help of the Christians especially. Consequently we can express the in- terests we take in the cause of the Gospel in praying to the Lord, that He should take this holy cause under His protection, that He

6 should give its servants the strength to do their work worthily, that He should help them to conquer difficulties and dangers, which are part of the work, that He should not allow them to grow depressed or weaken in their zeal; that He should open the hearts of the unbelieving for the hearing and acceptance of the Gospel of Christ, “that He should impart to them the word of truth, that He should unite them to the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church; that He should confirm, increase and pacify His Church, keeping it forever invincible.” We pray for all this, but mostly with lips and but seldom with the heart. Don’t we often hear such remarks as these: “What is the use of these special prayers for the newly initi- ated? They do not exist in our time, except, perhaps, in the out-of- the-way places of America and Asia; let them pray for such where there are any; as to our country such prayers only needlessly pro- long the service which is not short by any means, as it is.” Woe to our lack of wisdom! Woe to our carelessness and idleness!

Offering earnest prayers for the successful preaching of Christ, we can also show our interest by helping it materially. It was so in the primitive Church, and the Apostles lovingly accepted material help to the cause of the preaching, seeing in it an expression of Christian love and zeal. In our days, these offerings are especially needed, because for the lack of them the work often comes to a full stop. For the lack of them preachers cannot be sent out, or supported, churches cannot be built or schools founded, the needy amongst the newly converted cannot be helped. All this needs money and members of other religions always find ways of supplying it. Perhaps, you will say, that those people are richer than we are. This is true enough, but great means are accumulat- ed by small, and if everybody amongst us gave what he could towards this purpose, we also could raise considerable means. Ac- cordingly, be not ashamed of the smallness of your offering. If you have much, offer all you can, but do offer, do not lose the chance of helping the cause of the conversion of your neighbours to Christ, because by so doing, in the words of St James, you shall save your own soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins (5:20).

7 Orthodox people, in celebrating the day of Orthodoxy, you must devote yourselves to the Orthodox Faith, not in word or tongue only, but in deed and in truth. Taken form One Church, Vol. 4, No 3, March 1950 g g g g g g g g g

“We Are Unable To Do Good...” Metropolitan Cyprian I of Oropos & Fili

THIS EXCUSE is a common one. We hear it particularly from the devout Christian of our day, whom the consumer society - in which the principle of minimal effort nearly universally reigns - has rendered slothful and cold to lofty struggles: struggles which require that we give “blood” to receive the “spirit.”

What is this excuse? “I am unable to do good, if I do not manifestly receive the Grace of the Holy Spirit.” I do not have the strength to do the will of God, if Divine Grace does not sensibly help me!

That is the excuse put forward by one who is, on the one hand, ignorant of the empirical teaching of our Holy Fathers on the subject; and, on the other hand, who caresses and cultivates self-love, refusing from the outset to do good according to his strength.

Our Lord, however, has placed in our nature the desire for the good, as well as the strength that will help us to work within the measure of our endurance.

Indeed, when a person receives Holy Baptism, he is mysti- cally and freely granted Divine Grace, which henceforth continu- ously helps, strengthens, and comforts him in the good fight of the life and perfection in Christ.

The self-loving person who seeks to gain the gifts of the Holy Spirit without fulfilling the Divine commandments, or forc-

8 ing himself, resembles one who expects to have a harvest without having first ploughed, sowed, and watered.

We ought, then, to labour, in order to receive the Grace of the Holy Spirit, and we must never forget that only “Pains under- taken for the sake of piety are followed by” Divine “help” and spiritual consolation.

If we have a good disposition and struggle “according to our strength,” humbly and from our whole soul calling upon Divine aid, we will quickly perceive that the “good” is not unattainable.

May the wondrous teaching of Saint Macarius of Egypt ceaselessly rouse our slothful souls to fine spiritual struggles for the attainment of the state of “the likeness” of God:

“One who desires to approach the Lord, to be vouchsafed eternal life, to become the dwelling-place of Christ, and to be filled with the Holy Spirit, in order to bear the fruits of this Spirit and perform the commandments of Christ in a pure and blameless fashion, must begin in this manner....

“He must force himself to do good, even if his heart does not desire it, always awaiting His mercy with unwavering faith; and he must force himself to love without having love; force himself to be meek without having meekness; force himself to be compassionate and have a merciful heart; force himself to bear contempt and to be forbearing when despised, and not be indig- nant when demeaned or dishonoured; and force himself to pray without having spiritual prayer.

“And, in this way, when God sees him struggling and forc- ing himself thus, though his heart does not desire it, He will grant him the true prayer of the Holy Spirit; He will grant him genuine love, genuine meekness, a compassionate spirit, and genuine goodness; and, in a word, He will fill him with the fruits of the Holy Spirit.” Taken from the Metropolis of Oropos & Fili website

9 Concerning the Religious Upbringing of Children From Archpriest Sergei Schukin Conclusion TO SOME parents it might appear that we lay all the burden of religious upbringing on the parents. Yes, one must not hide the fact that in the diaspora almost everything depends on the parents, because we do not have educational institutions within the Church. So if parents do not wish their children simply to become “Western- ers” forgetting their spiritual heritage, they of necessity must take up this task. Of course the easiest path is to leave the children to the usual course of things, and be concerned only for their material well-being. Many act in this way, justifying themselves with the idea that they are primarily responsible only to provide material support in bringing up their children. However, such an approach is not Christian, but rather communistic, for communism holds the belief that “being” (that is, material circumstance) “determines understanding,” by which they mean one’s view of the world. Following this path parents gain material advantages, but they destroy their children’s souls. For that mess of pottage (see Gen. 24:34), Orthodox people betray the Christian legacy due to their children.

The Christian view of things is completely different; it is not external circumstances but the soul of the person which shapes his life, including its material wellbeing. Man is not an animal; he does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Our faith, that is our relationship with God, shapes our life, our work, our family and the upbringing of our children. Riches and luxury do not guarantee the proper upbringing of the children, and they often damage and destroy their souls. Saint John Chrysostom says: Begetting children is a matter of nature; but raising them and educating them in the virtues is a matter of

10 mind and will. The mind and will of the parents, strengthened by Christian faith, has greater significance here than material riches. This means that the greatest responsibility for the children lies with the parents.

Other parents say that we are demanding of them something almost impossible; living in a [spiritually] alien environment, the family cannot bring up their children in this way. But, what is impossible for man is possible for God, and we observe that there are families in the diaspora of a religious disposition who do bring up their children better than was done in their homeland. But we usu- ally compare our situation with that of the western [i.e., non-Or- thodox] families. Of course, they live in their native environment; they have one language, one school, better conditions of life, and we [immigrants***] envy them. But if we take notice, then we shall observe that the outcome of the normal western education, and especially with regard to religion, is not a success. The situation of the youth in families here is very alarming inasmuch as neither family, nor school, nor conditions can fight off the influence of cinema, television, the tabloid press, comics [internet, social media], and the rest. The best among the peoples of the West are disquieted by the moral collapse, by alcoholism, drug-taking, [self-harm] and the growth of crime among the young. One person attributes this to a crisis in religion, other to the break-up of families, and yet others to a deficiency in school instruction. A book which came out in 1963, entitled American Education, a National Failure, by Admiral Rickover, who developed the first nuclear-powered submarine, was characteristic of this point of view. In it, he writes: “Our schools attempt to alter what we teach at the family home. This is a great mis- take. I would contend that in our country, as in all free societies, the family must possess an educational pre-eminence, independently, and not under the control of the school curriculum.”

Thus, we should not take the Western family as our model and we must bear in mind why more application to the upbringing of our children is demanded of us. First of all, we, as Orthodox Christians, set ourselves higher aims with regard to religious up-

11 bringing. Secondly, here we must go against the trends, and this requires more application. Thirdly, we are living through such times as require of believing Christians the most extraordinary application to bring up our children in the True Faith. Essentially, we should speak now not just about religious education, but also about an unremitting and sacrificial battle for our children’s souls. This is why there is required of parents a two-fold and three-fold effort, so that our children do not stray away on the broad path of spiritual degeneration and lose the sanctity of their spiritual calling.

The spiritual life of our children is the greatest treasure, entrusted to us by God. As Orthodox parents, pastors and teachers, we must not waver, and must not be afraid to make certain sac- rifices for our children. For our responsibility before history, we shall have to give an answer regarding their upbringing before God. Then shall we rightly deserve to speak with the words the Prophet Esaias addressed to God: Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me (Es. 8:18)?

*** Translator’s note: Of course, in many ways converts are like immigrants, in that by becoming Orthodox they have come out from among their own people, and so these words addressed originally to Russian immigrants in America apply equally to them. g g g g g g g g g

“IT IS CLEAR that all our care should lie in the preserving of Grace, for in this Grace lies all our happiness and our salvation; without it our souls are dead, since in the Holy Spirit every soul is quickened. It is also clear that the loss of this Grace is our greatest misfortune, for which reason we ought to know by which sins chiefly we fall away from the Grace of the Holy Spirit and perish. From Holy Scripture, we know these sins to be pride, carnal sins and mercilessness.” Saint Seraphim of Sofia, +1950 A.D.

12 THE COMING MONTH THE CHURCH MONTH of March falls completely with Great Lent this year, the first Sunday in the month being the Sunday of Orthodoxy, and the last day of the month being the Saturday of the Laudation of the All-holy Mother of God.

The weekday services during Great Lent have a character all of their own. The services on Saturdays and Sundays do not have this, and so those who only attend church at weekends miss the whole liturgical experience of lent and are thus greatly impoverished. For those who live far from their parish church and for whom weekday attendance is therefore virtually impossible, something can be re- trieved by reading the services at home, but even so they should un- doubtedly try to make time and arrangements to attend at least some of the lenten services in church.

People these days willingly travel across the world to attend family celebrations and occasions, so why not take a few days leave for the much shorter journey to church? If one can fly to Poltava or Limassol and book into a hotel for a wedding, why not make the much shorter journey to a church and make arrangements to stay there a few days? Of course the reason “why not,” is that our hearts are always set on the benefits, concerns and enjoyments of this life. But one of the principal purposes of Lent is to break that servitude to “this-worldly things” and to raise our hearts and minds to heavenly things.

The “tone” of the lenten services is rather different from those outside of lent. One will notice that there is more reading of the psalms and prayers. This itself is to help us get off the roundabout of life outside, to become still. Then our concentration can be more re- flective. The period of lent is one of repentance, but repentance must needs start with coming to an understanding that we need to repent. This is something which people, even those coming to confession, often fail to fully appreciate. They use confession simply as a means of wiping the slate clean, but have little understanding that repentance demands of us that we change our lives.

13 Someone unaccustomed to the lenten services will perhaps first be struck by the fact that, within them, the people make pros- trations to the ground. These are both expressions of our repentance and instructions to ourselves of the “process” of repentance. We go down, acknowledging our sins, and we rise up immediately showing our intention forthwith to mend our ways.

A third noticeable thing is the frequent repetitions of the Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, which is made with pros- trations and bows, and is only used in Great Lent and on the Wednes- day and Friday of the week preceding the fast. The Prayer reads:

O Lord and Master of my life, a spirit of idleness, despondency, ambi- tion, or vain talking give me not (prostration).

But rather a spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love, bestow upon me, Thy servant (prostration).

Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see mine own faults and not to judge my brother; for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen (prostration).

This is sometimes followed by everyone making twelve deep bows, repeating quietly on each: O God, cleanse me a sinner. Then either the whole prayer, or in some usages only the third verse, is repeated.

Again and again this prayer reminds us of four base sins which lead us into many other sins, and counters them with four fundamental virtues, and so the prayer is itself a “prostration” - go- ing down in acknowledgement of sinfulness, and rising up through embracing virtues. Lastly it reminds us each time of that attribute so necessary for salvation: tending to ourselves.

We have in past years run through the five Sunday commemorations, and there is an excellent introduction to these in the English version of the “Lenten Triodion.” So let us go straight to the saints celebrated this month.

th Our Venerable Father Gerasimus of the Jordan (4 / 17th) was born in the province of Lycia and his parents were wealthy, prosperous people, and he became a merchant. From a very early

14 age Saint Gerasimus developed a great love of God and, as he grew older, he found he had little in common with other young people of his own age, who were only interested in enjoying themselves. He realized that the world and an attachment to it only brought many needless cares and sufferings, so he yearned to serve God and to be pleasing to Him. His work took him to Egypt and there, witness- ing and following the lives of the desert fathers, he grew in spiritual strength and wisdom. For a time he returned to his native province in Asia Minor. Later, he settled in the wilderness near the River Jor- dan. So many sought him because of his growing renown as an ascetic that he established a monastery. There novices lived in a common house and the proven monks lived in a cluster of little cells. They came to number about seventy. Five days a week each monk was to keep silent in a solitary cell, doing simple handiwork such as weaving mats or baskets out of palm leaves. During these five days no cooked food was eaten; the only food was a small amount of dried bread, roots and water. On Saturdays and Sundays all the monks went to the monastery to attend the Divine Liturgy and receive the Holy Myster- ies. Afterwards they were served cooked food and a little wine at the refectory. The work that had been completed during the week was given to the abbot. On Sunday afternoon each monk departed once again for his solitary cell in the wilderness, taking only a little bread, roots, a vessel of water and palm branches to weave baskets. Each one had only a single robe, a mat on which to sleep and a small vessel for water. Whenever the monks left their cells, the doors were left open so that anyone could enter and take whatever he wished of the monks’ few possessions. In this way they prevented any attachment to material possessions. During Great Lent the Elder Gerasimus ate nothing at all until the radiant day of Pascha. His bodily and spiritual strength was sustained solely by receiving the Holy Mysteries. One day, as Gerasimus was walking through the desert, he met a lion. The beast stretched out his paw and the saint saw that it was infected and very swollen. He discovered that a thorn had been lodged in the lion’s paw and this was the cause of his suffering. The saint carefully re- moved the thorn, cleansed the wound of all the pus and then wrapped it with a cloth. From that day the lion faithfully followed the saint like

15 a disciple. For his part Gerasimus marvelled at the lion’s intelligence, meekness and willingness to eat whatever could be found for him. The lion was given an obedience in the monastery: the monks had a donkey which carried water from the Jordan River for the brethren. The lion was entrusted with the task of accompanying the donkey to the river and guarding it while it grazed on the riverbank. One day the lion fell asleep in the sun, leaving the donkey to graze peace- fully. An Arab merchant happened to pass by with his caravan of camels and stole the donkey. The lion awoke and began to search for the donkey, but it was nowhere to be found. The beast returned to the monastery and went immediately to the Elder who, seeing his dejected expression, thought he had eaten the donkey and asked, “Where is the donkey?” The lion stood silently, hanging his head in shame. The elder praised the lion for not running away after his evil deed but gave him the obedience to do the donkey’s work from then on. The monks loaded a large barrel on the lion’s back, as they had done before with the donkey, and sent him to the river to fetch water. One day a soldier came to the monastery to pray, and seeing the lion carrying the water, took pity on him and gave the monks three gold pieces to buy another donkey. The lion once again resumed his former obedience of guarding the donkey. Some time later, the Arab merchant once again passed by the Jordan on his way to sell wheat in Jerusalem. The old donkey was still with him. That day, the lion happened to be near the river and as the caravan approached he rec- ognized the donkey. Roaring loudly, he rushed towards him, fright- ening the merchant and his companions who fled in great terror. The lion grasped the donkey’s reins and led it together with the string of camels to the saint. When he saw the saint he roared joyously at having found the lost donkey. Gerasimus smiled gently and told his monks that the lion had been blamed most unfairly. The lion was given the name Jordan and he continued to be a most faithful “disciple.” Saint Gerasimus fell asleep in the Lord in A.D. 475 and was buried by his sorrowing brethren there in his monastery. The lion was not in the monastery at that time. When later he arrived, he began to search for the saint. Father Sabbatius tried to explain why it was that the elder could not be found. “Jordan, our elder has left us orphans; he has departed to the Lord.” The lion was not to be comforted; he

16 refused the food that was offered and continued searching for his Gerasimus, roaring in great confusion. In the end, Father Sabbatius said, “If you do not believe us, then come with us: we will show you the place where the elder rests.” Jordan was led to the tomb near the church where St. Gerasimus was buried. Fr Sabbatius explained to the lion, “We have buried our elder here.” He then fell to his knees and with a heavy heart began to weep. The lion now realized what had happened. He gave one last mighty roar, struck his head on the ground and died on the elder’s grave. The lion’s love and devotion for Saint Gerasimus is an example of the love and obedience the ani- mals had for Adam before his fall into sin and his expulsion from Paradise.

th Our Venerable Father Christodoulus of Patmos (16 th / 29 ) revived the Christian heritage of the island after it had been despoiled by Arab pirates. During the reign of Emperor Domitian, the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian had been ex- iled to the island of Patmos, and during his sojourn he succeeded in converting almost the entire island to Christ. In the fourth century the island’s temple to Diana was demolished, and in its place a mag- nificent basilica was dedicated to the Apostle. Many churches were subsequently built throughout the island. For six hundred years after Christ, the island’s towns and commercial endeavours prospered until Arab pirates invaded and despoiled the island. The beautiful basilica of Saint John was destroyed and Patmos left uninhabited. However our Saviour did not leave the holy island bereft of His care. A righteous abbot from Asia Minor named Christodoulus had al- ready been forced into exile more than once by political changes and barbarian incursions. Born in Bithynia, Christodoulus, whose bap- tismal name was John prior to his monastic tonsure, first lived as a hermit on Mount Olympus and later in the Palestinian desert, finally returning to Asia Minor to serve as abbot of the monastery on Mount Lamos. In A.D. 1085, the monks of Mt. Lamos fled from the Turks and the abbot took refuge in the island of Kos, where he founded a monastery dedicated to the Mother of God. Father Christodoulus soon made the acquaintance of an ascetic hermit named Arsenius, who was the son of wealthy Kosian landowners and heir to their es-

17 tate. He became a spiritual son of Saint Christodoulus, and together they aspired to introduce monastic life again on the nearby island of Patmos. In A.D. 1088, Father Christodoulus gained an audience with the Emperor Alexius I Comnenos, and revealed his plan to re-inhabit Patmos with monastics. The Emperor granted his request, and he was given sovereignty over the entire island in exchange for lucrative holdings on Kos that were tied to Arsenius’ inheritance. In August of that same year, Fr. Christodoulus took possession of the island. Three years later, Christodoulus drafted plans for the building of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian and the construction of its defensive enclosure, which he called the fortress. On his return from Constantinople he brought masons and craftsmen with him, and they set to work. The monastery he designed still crowns the hilltop above the island’s main port, over the ruins of the original fourth century Basilica of Saint John and the earlier temple dedicated to Diana. Al- though born a peasant, Fr. Christodoulus had a passionate love of books. He was a self-taught man who had benefited much from his reading, acquiring both rock-like faith and sound judgment. His love of learning and solid common sense are revealed in an extant copy of his plans for the monastery, where he set down detailed procedures for the copying, care and safe-keeping of the library’s books. However only two years after beginning construction, the monks were forced to flee Patmos in the face of pirate raids instigated by Emir Dzaha, and Father Christodoulus took refuge on Euboea, where he reposed th on 16 May, 1093. The monks soon returned, however, and by A.D. 1100 the Monastery numbered a hundred souls. Until the seven- teenth century, Patmos was governed spiritually and administratively by the monastery, which provided for both the economy of the island and the defence of its inhabitants. Saint Christodoulus had originally envisaged Patmos as a monastic enclave exclusive of women, and it was with difficulty that the craftsmen had been able to induce him to set aside a small piece of land at the far end of the peninsula where they could build a village and settle their wives while the monastery was being constructed. Inside the catholicon there is a small chapel in the narthex dedicated to the saint. There his relics are enshrined, having been brought back to Patmos after his repose. Today, he is not only remembered as a scholar and a monastery builder, but has

18 been given the title of Wonderworker, as a testimony to the power of his prayers. Although the saint only spent a short time of his life on the island, such is the renown of his monastery and the gratitude of the pious people of the island that is he universally known as Saint Christodoulus of Patmos.

th Our Venerable Father Herbert of Derwentwater (20 nd March / 2 April) was a spiritual child of the great Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, and his feast falls on the same day as that holy Bishop. The Venerable Bede records that: “There was a certain priest, revered for his uprightness and perfect life and manners, named Herbert, who had a long time been in union with the man of God (St Cuthbert), in the bond of spiritual love and friendship. For living a solitary life in the isle of that great and extended lake, from whence proceeds the river of Derwent, he used to visit St Cuthbert every year, to receive from his lips the doctrine of eternal life. When this holy priest heard of St Cuthbert’s coming to Lugubalia (Carlisle), he came after his usual manner, desiring to be comforted more and more, with the hope of everlasting bliss, by his divine exhortations. As they sat together, and enjoyed the hopes of heaven, among other things the bishop said: ‘Remember, brother Herbert, that whatsoever you have to say and ask of me, you do it now, for after we depart hence, we shall not meet again and see one another corporally in this world; for I know well the time of my dissolution is at hand, and the laying aside of this earthly tabernacle draws on apace.’ When Herbert heard this, he fell down at his feet, and with many sighs and tears beseeched him, for the love of the Lord, that he would not forsake him, but to remember his faithful brother and associate, and make intercession with the gracious God, that they might depart hence into heaven together, to behold His grace and glory Whom they had in unity of spirit served on earth; ‘for you know I have ever studied and laboured to live according to your pious and virtuous instructions; and in whatsoever I offended or omitted, through ignorance and frailty, I straightway used my earnest efforts to amend after your spiritual counsel, will, and judgment.’ At this earnest and affectionate request of Herbert, the bishop went to prayer, and presently being confirmed in spirit that his petition to heaven would be granted, ‘Arise,’ said he, ‘my dear brother, weep not,

19 but let your rejoicing be with exceeding gladness, for the great mercy of God hath granted unto us our prayer.’ The truth of which promise and prophecy was well proved in what ensued; for their separation was the last that befell them on earth.” They reposed on the same day. g g g g g g g g g POINTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE

ACTUALLY this is a point from conversation. A parishioner pointed out that in Abbess Elisabeth’s memoir of Bishop Nicolas of London, Metropolitan Antony (Khrapovitsky) is quoted, and he speaks of the “Russian Soul” as something commendable, whereas I (Fr A.) often disparage it.

A FAIR POINT, and one which might at first seem superficial, but which I think does open up several serious points for consider- ation. But let it first be made clear, that I cannot compare myself, in- tellectually or spiritually, with people of the calibre of Metropolitan Antony. I would say that if there is any conflict between the Metro- politan and me, back the Metropolitan! However, in this instance, I think there may in fact be no conflict at all.

We have to bear in mind that words and expressions have various connotations and usages, and these are subject to variation. Just look at the English word “gay” as an example. What it means today is not at all the same as what it meant when I was a child, though both usages are perfectly legitimate.

Metropolitan Antony was speaking in the inter-war years of the twentieth century. His use of the word “Russian” was not strictly correct, but it was current among the people of the first emigration. For them it was practically synonymous with the word “Orthodox.” I remember as a young priest giving an elderly emigré lady a lift to church. On one occasion we met her neighbours and she introduced me to them, telling them that I was English but I was “their Rus- sian priest.” When pedantically I pointed out that then I must be an

20 English priest, she assured me that I was a Russian one! For her, Russian and Orthodox were one and the same thing.

There was in that generation an understandable, but not quite correct, perception that all Russians were Orthodox. The vast majority then were or had been. Now the situation is strikingly different. The present Russian Federation covers that part of the former Russian Empire which was largely Orthodox and has a popu- lation of approx. 144,000,000. A couple of years ago, the Moscow Patriarchal media triumphed over the fact that 4.1 million people there attended the Paschal Midnight Service. This is the most important service of the year, the crown of our festivals, and yet it appears that only less that 3% of the people attended, and one suspects some of them only attended because it was a glorious pageant. And so one cannot so easily now use the term “Russian Soul” to denote anything approaching Orthodox piety. Either that, or, having taken into account that many might have been unable to attend through old age, infirmity or living far from a church, one has to assume that something approaching 97% of Russians in Russia do not have Rus- sian Souls! Similarly there are an estimated quarter of a million Russians living in London, and yet they only have two churches. So one presumes that the “Russianness” of their souls now bears very little reference to the Orthodox Faith.

I mentioned that the Metropolitan’s usage was not strictly correct, because, of course, we do not have souls distinguished by our relatively modern nationalistic identities. In this regard there are probably only two nations: the one Nation named after Christ (the people of the Church, the baptised Orthodox Christians) and the others. The souls of the former have received the grace of Holy Baptism, the others have not. The Old Testament Jews understood a similar distinction, having the People of Israel and the Gentiles, and even the Ancient Greeks had something similar, distinguishing themselves from the barbarians.

Within the Church, it is not of primary concern what one’s national background is. We belong to “the new Nation called after Thee, Christ God” (contakion of the Holy Cross). Nationalism as a

21 drive against other nationalities has no place among us. Of course it is natural to love one’s country and its traditions and customs, and for those who were blessed to come from countries largely Ortho- dox this, naturally, includes Church customs and practices. But this should in no way be competitive or implying any superiority over others. As I shall mention a little further on, the modern emphasis on the “Russian Soul” appears to be concerned largely with things superficial or even with make-belief and fantasy, a puerile parody of something authentic and of worth. There is no requirement in Orthodoxy to value things groundless and unfounded, and that is especially so when they demean that which is good and true.

We must also remember the context in which the Metropol- itan spoke. He saw the people he was addressing, the Ampenoff family, as heirs of the Orthodox traditions of Old Russia. The Am- penoffs were indeed people who held fast to the piety and traditions of their forefathers, and they did so until the end of their lives. I was blessed to serve at the funerals of the mother and three daughters, and can bear witness to that. One daughter was, of course, Abbess Elisabeth herself.

But what does the term “Russian Soul” signify today? For many, even among the Russians, it is irrelevant, a relic of the past, something that does not figure much at all in lives centred only on material wellbeing. For those who do cling to the concept, more often than not, sadly, it appears to concern only “heritage” issues. They will boast about the superiority of their language (we all think our own language is the most beautiful one!); they become increas- ingly obsessed with anniversaries and commemorations of national figures; they fight and re-fight old political and religious battles; they dress in costumes and uniforms of a bygone age, wear medals that they have never been awarded, pretend to titles that are now obsolete; and balls and celebrations seem to play a greater part in this “New Russian Soul,” than the prayers, fasts, and services of the Church, or than the piety of their forebears who, albeit with many failings, strove to follow in the footsteps of the glorious assembly of the Saints who shone forth in the land of Russia (Fr A.).

22 NEWS from the Richmond Diocese of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece

FOUR BAPTISMS AT BROOKWOOD

rd th ON Tuesday, 23 January / 5 February, His Grace Bish- op Sofronie of Suceava, who was paying a short visit to the faithful in England, baptized Teodor, the infant son of Alexan- dru Rotundu and Marilena Bocanet from the Isle of Dogs at Saint Edward’s Church. Fr Nicolae Capitanu was the baby’s sponsor, and Teodor was named for the holy Great Martyr Theo- dore the Commander. rd th ON Saturday 3 / 16 February, Fr Nicolae was himself the celebrant at the Baptisms of three other infants. All the Baptisms were celebrated in Saint Edward’s Church:

Seraphim, the son of Daniel and Andreea Mitrea of Sidcup, Kent, his godparents being Nicholas and Ecaterina Coe, and his name saint the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, the Wonder- worker.

Teodora, daughter of Vasile and Roxana Feraru of Wembley, her godmother being Angela Porcosoaiei, and her name saint the Venerable Theodora of Sihla.

Miruna, the daughter of Ionut and Michaela Onofrei of Ware, Hertfordshire, the godparent being Bogdan Pista and her name saint Saint Myron of Crete.

VISITORS TWO NUNS, Maria and Ierusalima, from our Sister Church in Romania visited England recently. At the end of Janu- ary they visited the Joy of All Who Sorrow Parish in Droyls-

23 nd den. On Saturday, 2 February they attended the Divine Liturgy at the Convent of the Annunciation in Willesden. And on the following day, they attended our Parish Liturgy here at Saint Edward’s.

th ON Friday, 25 January, Archimandrite Kyril (Jen- ner), accompanied by a church reader and a parishioner, visited Saint Edward’s cemetery. They chanted a memorial service at the grave of George and Sophia Amis. Fr Kyril is the pastor of the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Bristol, where the Amises were parishioners. After the service, our guests were offered hospitality in the exhibition room of the Old Mortuary.

th rd On Saturday, 10 /23 February, the feast day of the holy Hieromartyr Haralampus, a number of the Romanian faithful from London joined us for the Liturgy, among them the Novice Ioan from the Monastery in Cucova, and Ecaterina, the mother of Bishop Evloghie. g g g g g g g g g PRACTICAL TIP

THIS YEAR two of the important celebrations for our people, the Annunciation (dedication festival of the Convent) and the Martyrdom of St Edward both fall on Sundays. These are days when many of our people would naturally have taken a weekday off work to attend church. As you are freed from that this year, why not instead make a special attempt to attend some (or at least two!) of the weekday lenten services? It is noticeable that many of the congregation never attend any of them, and more sadly that some of our youngsters have never in their life attended a weekday lenten service, mostly because their families adhere to a one-day- in-seven church affiliation. To some extent, as many live far from the church, this is understandable, but make some effort to break the habit, and this year gives us a good opportunity to attempt it.