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Orthodox Heritage So therefore, brethren, persevere, and grasp the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or by our epistle [2 Thess. 2:15] http://www.OrthodoxHeritage.Org Ἄρα οὖν, ἀδελφοί, στήκετε, καὶ κρατεῖτε τὰς παραδόσεις ἃς ἐδιδάχθητε, εἴτε διὰ λόγου εἴτε δι᾽ ἐπιστολῆς ἡμῶν [Θεσσ. Β´ 2:15] VOL. 18, ISSUE 05-06 MAY-JUNE 2020 BROTHERHOOD OF ST. POIMEN In This Issue: An Essential Epistle inaccurate when the faithful are pre- on the Greatest Blas- sented with the source document in • The Good Shepherd (p. 6) its totality. The faithful, on the other phemy of Our Days hand, stand aside, trying to determine • How and How Much to By George Karras, “Orthodox Heritage” the why’s and the how’s, and all in the Pray (p. 9) editor, May 27th, 2020. midst of a likely economic devastation • Timely Prophesies (p. 12) for their families. oday, at the end of the most tragic Let us examine recent and current • Orthodox Christians TLenten and Paschal season His ecclesiastical events a little closer. Are Duty-Bound to Have Bride has ever lived, we celebrate the The Closure of Churches Orthodox Bishops! (p. 21) Apodosis of Pascha and tomorrow Or- Elimination of the Eucharist for the • The Bread, the Wine, & thodoxy observes His Holy Ascension. Faithful the Mode of Being (p. 26) Sadly, most Orthodox churches shall ur Lord tells us that He is the bread • A Story from the Travels remain either closed or with limited (at O(manna) from Heaven (Jn 6:35, 38). of the Apostle Thomas best) participation, as priests all over the I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me (p. 27) western world willingly implemented shall never hunger; and he that believeth the directives of their hierarchs to “en- on me shall never thirst. (Jn 6:35). He • The Hermit and the sure the safety of the flock.” Those who also instructed us that to eat of this New Bandit (p. 29) seek to finally receive His Holy Body Bread meant never seeing death (Jn 6:49- • Expect the Impossible (p. 30) and Blood shall be exposed to the mach- 50). He says ...unless you eat the flesh of inations and blasphemous creativity of the Son of man and drink His blood, you the various hierarchs and dioceses, with have no life in you. (Jn 6:53). And, as if very few exceptions, and no spiritual to settle completely the issue, Jesus adds, basis whatsoever; as always, their jus- for my flesh is food indeed, and my tification shall remain that it is all for blood is drink indeed. (Jn 6:55). “the health and safety of the faithful.” It is the result of these divine admo- • Ὑπακοὴ στοὺς Ἀγίους καὶ This comes as even CDC declares the nitions that the Holy Church decreed στοὺς Ἥρωες (σελ. 13) mortality rate of Covid-19 to be at levels the mandatory, frequent inclusion of • Οἱ Πατερικὰ Ἀνθενωτικοὶ of any other ordinary flu virus. In the the Eucharist as well as their liturgi- θὰ Διαφυλάξουν τὸ end, once all data is gathered, a hand- cal participation of the flock into their Γένος (σελ. 15) ful of honest world leaders will inform lives. Specifically, the ninth Apostolic their citizens that this entire reaction to Canon required that: All those faithful • Ἐκθρονισμοὶ καὶ Covid-19 was not just unnecessary but who enter and listen to the Scriptures, Ἐνθρονισμοὶ (σελ. 16) completely destructive. Honest histori- but do not stay for prayer and Holy • Ὁ Δάσκαλος τοῦ Γένους ans shall catalogue it as one of human- Communion must be excommunicated, Φώτης Κόντογλου (σελ. 18) ity’s darkest pages. on the ground that they are causing the Let us return, however, to the topic Church a breach of order. As the Church at hand. As has been the case in past evolved through its early history, ecumenist-related positions, selected church attendance was also included theologians (of rather peculiar back- within the Church canons: In case any Publisher: St. POIMEN Greek ground and questionable educational Bishop, or Presbyter, or Deacon, or any- Orthodox Brotherhood reputation) will misquote one or two one else on the list of the Clergy, or any Editor: George Karras Church Fathers, or call upon the layman, without any graver necessity or Church’s history to justify whatever hi- any particular difficulty compelling him Story Editors: erarchal invention has been presented to absent himself from his own church for Markos Antoniathis & to the faithful. Such quotes are always a very long time, fails to attend church Kostas Matsourakis out of context, and, without exception, on Sundays for three consecutive weeks, Orthodox Heritage Page 2 Vol. 18, Issue 05-06 Greek Orthodox Christian PO Box 38688 Brotherhood of St. POIMEN Phoenix, AZ 85069-8688 [email protected] USA http://www.OrthodoxHeritage.Org Orthodox Heritage is published bi-monthly by the “Greek Orthodox Brotherhood of St. Poimen,” a laity brotherhood. All correspondence should be addressed to the Brotherhood at the Phoenix address or the e-mail address above. Please visit our website for our mission and other useful information. Orthodox Heritage may, at times, bring up issues or present articles that some consider controversial. Such material is presented so that a distinction is made between salvation and the 2oth century heresy of ecumenism. These are con- fusing times for the Orthodox faithful, and political correctness must be sacrificed so that His truth be brought forth. If you wish to receive this periodical, please write or e-mail us with your address. We suggest to all that share our views and wish to assist us to donate $24 per annum ($48 for those outside of the US). This amount will greatly assist us in the costs it takes to bring these articles to you, as well as to aid in our other educational and philanthropic activities. Please note that the Greek Orthodox Brotherhood of St. POIMEN is a publicly supported organization as de- scribed in section 509(a)(2) of the IRS Code and that it is exempt from federal income taxes under section 501(a) of the Code as a 501(c)(3) organization. Our supporters and donors can thus deduct contributions to the extent that they are gifts, in accordance with section 170 of the Code. Checks should be made out to “Greek Orthodox Brotherhood of St. Poimen.” PayPal users may utilize their credit card and address payments to our e-mail address, “[email protected].” Please visit our website for the applicable links. while living in the city, if he be a Cleric, let him be deposed from decision of a (geographically) local synod is never binding office; but if he be a layman, let him be removed from Commu- to the flock; the people are not obliged to follow such local nion. (Canon LXXX, “The Rudder,” p. 384). Naturally, the synodical decision. The final judge of the validity of such faithful who desired to attend and partake of the Holy Gifts, a decision is the flock, and this is 100% patristically based, during this Covid-19 crisis, bear no accountability—such throughout the long history of the Church. Let us be re- accountability is placed upon those who closed the churches minded of the many cases whereby local synods adopted and established attendance restrictions. heretical views only to be rejected by the people and reversed In spite of the aforementioned scriptural passages and in subsequent synodical gatherings. Of course, should such Church decrees, the majority of the western hierarchs will- closure be warranted indeed, then the lead hierarchs should ingly (and sadly without any opposition whatsoever) agreed have called a pan-Orthodox Synod before uniquely deciding to withhold the Holy Gifts from His flock. The admonitions and acting on their own and inflicting such great spiritual of the courageous Greek priest Fr. Vasileios Volouthakis (dur- harm upon the flock. ing his Holy Friday homily) remain available in the digital And now, after several months of longing and suffering, media to remind all of the atrocity of such decision: “The our Orthodox Church’s life enters a new phase; it comes just hierarchs and the archons of the people consented to scourge days after the multi-week shut-down of the liturgical life for and imprison Jesus, so that they can debar and boycott Him the faithful, throughout the Great Holy Lent, Pascha, and away from His flock, Shame on the hierarchs and the civil most of the post Paschal time period. Let us be reminded leaders of the people, shame on them. This shame shall never that serious pandemics, Muslim and German occupations, be erased from history; this indignation of the flock shall communism, world wars, civil wars and earthquakes never never be erased from its conscience. The wrath and the curse before resulted in the closure of churches. His flock with- of God shall come upon the heads of all those who decided stood during the last few months an event that is indeed to withhold the Body and Blood of our Lord from the faith- unique to the Church’s 2,000-year history! The clergy’s “in- ful… Shame! What has become of the Church of Greece? structions” to observe the services via live webcasts has been Shame! I am shamed and question as to why the people of ludicrous and horrific; is Orthodoxy entering the phase of God are not as astonished as I would have expected. They have televangelism now? How embarrassing and shameful to imprisoned us and closed the churches over a deception, an consider that standing in front of a television with lit Pas- obvious medical deception…” (https://www.youtube.com/ chal candles is a form of oikonomia for the celebration of watch?v=CI3cbQYchHE).