From the Fathers

FROM THE FATHERS “IF ONE EXAMINES these matters and because of this de- spises whatever is held in honour among men, and longs only for the divine life, knowing that all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man as the flower of grass (1 Ptr 1:24), is he likely to think of grass which exists today and is gone tomorrow as something worth striving for? The one who has examined well things divine knows that not only do human affairs have no stability, but also that the whole world itself has not remained unchanged forever.” Saint Gregory of Nyssa, + 395 A.D.

“I PRESS on to the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14)… With this goal always set before us, therefore, our actions and thoughts are ordered to attaining it in the most direct way. If it is not constantly fixed before our eyes, not only will all our labours be rendered equally useless and shaky and be made vain and profitless, but all sorts of confusing thoughts will be aroused as well. It is inevitable that the mind which does not have a place to turn to or any stable base will undergo change from hour to hour and from minute to minute due to the variety of its distractions, and by the things that come to it from outside it will be continuously transformed into whatever occurs to it any given moment.” Ven. John Cassian the Roman, + 435 A. D. Conference with Abba Moses

1 “SOME PEOPLE living carelessly in the world have asked me: ‘We have wives and are beset with social cares, and how can we lead the solitary life?’ I replied to them: ‘Do all the good you can; do not speak evil of anyone; do not steal from anyone; do not lie to anyone; do not be arrogant towards anyone; do not hate anyone; do not be absent from the Divine services; be compassionate to the needy; do not offend anyone; do not wreck another man’s domestic happiness, and be content with what your own wives can give you. If you behave in this way, you will not be far from the Kingdom of Heaven.’” Ven. John of the Ladder, + 649 A.D.

“AS LONG as we serve the world, we do not see the dark- ness of the passions, darkening our thoughts. Being in such a state of blindness, we do not care that by pleasing the world we become violators of the Divine Commandments, and we think that by making a few minor corrections we will become true Christians; but in this way we greatly deceive ourselves, not studying the teachings of the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Ven. Macarius of Optina, + 1860 A.D.

“IN OUR TIME the majority of people, proud of their progress and claiming to be Christians who do a lot of good, have been striving for the perfection of the righteousness of fallen nature and have turned their backs with scorn on the righteousness of the Gospel. Let the majority listen to what the Lord says: This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Saint Ignatius of the Caucasus, + 1867 A.D.

2 POVERTY OF SPIRIT Saint John of Cronstadt the Wonderworker, + 1908 A.D.

BLESSED, says the Lord, are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Let us convey ourselves in thought to that Mount of the Beatitudes, on which the Lord taught those who had assembled. Before Him stood His disciples and the simple people thirsting after His word. Why did this people, along with the disciples, so persistently follow the Divine Teacher and thirst for His word? Because they sensed their own spiritual poverty, beggary and sinfulness, and from the richness of the mind and heart of Christ they desired that the destitution of their own minds and hearts might be filled; that from the riches of His kindheartedness they might receive the forgiveness of sins and peace for their souls; that His light might illumine their souls; that for their souls from the ever-flowing fountain of His life and grace they might by faith draw upon the life-creating streams of His grace. Behold, such are the poor in spirit, whom the Seer of hearts blessed, by Whom the Kingdom of Heaven was made their own. Behold, these were the humble people, to whom the Lord granted His grace!

But why is it that here there were no scribes and Pharisees, those learned ones and teachers of the Jewish people? Why were there no priests, elders, rulers? Because they did not comprehend their own spiritual poverty, their sinfulness, their blindness and spiritual nakedness. They considered themselves to be righteous men, who had no need to be instructed in the word of truth by a meek and humble of heart Teacher from Nazareth. They thought that by their own sham righteousness there were already pleasing to God, and they fantasized that they would occupy the first places in the Messiah’s kingdom. Behold, brethren, such arrogant ones! True blessedness and the Heavenly Kingdom are far from them.

3 They do not accept that all their righteousness is unclean before God, and cannot properly to be called righteousness, because it de- rives from pride and vainglory; nor that they are indeed the gen- eration of vipers (Matt. 3:7), children of the wrath of God.

BLESSED are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. But what is poverty of spirit? All of you have seen and do see physical poverty; and that is to show you an image of spiritual poverty. We will first represent physical impoverishment, in order to explain like by like. The pauper, as the word itself describes, is one who has nothing of his own, one who always and only awaits the kindheartedness of others. He does even have his own crust of bread so that he might alleviate his hunger, nor, as is common for the majority, any drink to slake his thirst. He does not have a roof under which to rest his head, unless someone gives him money for a night’s lodging. He does not have clothing unless some sym- pathetic person takes pity on him and buys some for him, or if he does happen to have clothes, they are old, dirty, threadbare, and good-for-nothing, which you wouldn’t even want to touch. He is held in disdain by everyone; he is reproached by all. He is like rub- bish, like a turd, even though in God’s eyes such a pauper might well be as gold in the smelting crucible. Lazarus in the Gospel is such an example.

Now we will transpose those marks of physical impoverishment to spiritual poverty. The poor in spirit is that person who sincerely recognizes himself to be a spiritual pauper, as having nothing of his own. He is one who always awaits the kindheartedness of God, who is convinced that he cannot think anything, or desire anything good, unless God should grant him a good thought or a good desire; that he is incapable of doing even one good deed without the grace of Jesus Christ. He considers himself sinful, worse and lower than everyone else. He always reproaches himself, and does not judge anyone. Such a one realizes that the garment of his soul is defiled, darkened, stinking, worthless, and he does not cease from begging the Lord Jesus Christ to illumine the garment of his

4 soul, to clothe him in the incorruptible garment of righteousness. Such a one continually flees to the shelter of the wings of God, having no place of security in the world besides the Lord. Such a one considers all that he possesses as the gift of God and for everything he thanks the Giver of all good things from his heart, and from his possessions he gladly gives a portion to those who ask. Behold, such are the poor in spirit, and, according to the Word of the Lord, such ones poor in spirit are blessed, because where there is humility, a recognition of one’s destitution, one’s poverty, one’s sinfulness, there also is God, and where there is God, there is the cleansing from sins, there is peace, light, freedom, contentment and blessedness.

It was to such ones poor in spirit that the Lord came to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, as it is said, He hath sent me to preach the Gospel to the poor (Luke 4:18), to the poor in spirit and not to those who consider themselves rich, because their pridefulness pushes the grace of God away from them, and they remain desolate and stinking habitations. Isn’t it a pleasing thing that people stretch out the hand of help and kindness to those who are truly poor and extremely in need through actual misfortune, and does not God likewise show mercy on the spiritually poor, in a fatherly way condescending to them and inviting them to be satis- fied with His spiritual treasures? He hath filled the hungry with good things (Luke 1:53), as it is recorded.

Are the valleys not watered abundantly with goodness? Do the valleys not flower and smell sweetly? Is it not on the mountains that there is ice and snow, making them uninhabitable? The mountains are high, as an image of the arrogant; the valleys are an image of the humble. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be humbled (Luke 3:5).

And so, blessed are the poor in spirit, that is, those who consider themselves nothing, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Originally the heavenly kingdom of God was within men, in their

5 hearts, as the Lord says: the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21); but subsequently, as a result of the disobedience of our forefathers to the will of God and their hearkening to the tempter, the devil, it departed from the human heart, and within the hearts of people sin began to reign along with its fellow culprits, chang- ing what was heavenly into that which is earthly, and occupying them with worldly vanities. From being simple people, they became guileful; from being chaste, they became impure; from being strong in all that is holy, true and good, they became strengthless with regard to everything good and energized with regard to all that is evil, so that, according to the witness of Holy Scripture, the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth (Gen. 8:21).

It is only to the poor in spirit or the humble-minded that the kingdom of God is again bestowed within the heart of the man, who had alienated himself therefrom through his self-opinion and pride, and furthermore all those who have been well-pleasing to God have been distinguished even in this life here by their profound spiritual poverty. The Apostle Paul himself, who had been caught up to the third heaven, called himself the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). The holy Apostle James also placed himself in the company of the sinners, saying, in many things we all offend(Jas. 3:2). The holy Apostle John writes: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 Jn. 1:8), thus placing himself in the number of the sinners. And who were the Apostles? Living habitations of the Holy Trinity, rational organs of the Holy Spirit, friends of Christ, holy men of the first rank. If they wisely thought so humbly of themselves, then what must we think of ourselves? Must we not, according to any just assessment, say of ourselves that we are a sinful stench, a stinking house of the passions, alien to every true virtue, wretched, poor, blind, naked; and should we not constantly pray the Lord, that He might Himself by the Holy Spirit purify our souls and fill them with the fragrance of the virtues and the holiness of the Divine Spirit? For without Him we cannot do anything good (see John 15:5).

6 We who desire to achieve true and profound humility must as often and deeply as possible enter into ourselves, bring to re- membrance all our sinful thoughts, desires, intentions and deeds, those from earliest youth up to the present time, and regard them impartially with our inner eyes; then we shall see that we are sunk in an abyss of sin.

For those who are able to read, we would advise that, besides the morning and evening prayers in which our spiritual poverty is beautifully portrayed, they read more often the Great Can- on of Saint Andrew of Crete as well, the canons and Akathist of the Saviour and Mother of God, the canon to the Guardian Angel and the canons for each day of the week; and it stands to reason that one should not leave off the Gospel and the Psalter, which are the very best learning places for humble-mindedness.

Can rich people be poor in spirit? Of course they can, if they do not account themselves great people simply because they are laden with an abundance of corruptible good things, and that with the help of that abundance they can do whatever they desire. How then can they be humble of spirit? When they sincerely realize that their riches, and the riches of the whole world, are nothing in comparison with the immortal soul, that their abundance is a gift of God not just for them but for those around them, for sur- pluses are given us to grant relief to the poor. When they come to understand that even with material treasures they are still extremely poor and impoverished in spirit, and thus do not think highmindedly of themselves and do not place their hope on riches that perish but rather on the living God, Who grants to us all abundantly for our enjoyment. When they are beneficent, enriched by good deeds, when they are compassionate and public-spirited, thus gathering for themselves a treasury, a good foundation for the future, that they might achieve eternal life. Such a one was Abra- ham; such a one was Job, and there are many others, both in the Old and in the New Testaments. Furthermore, as wealth presents many temptations for sin, so those who desire Christian perfection,

7 profound poverty of spirit and irreproachability on the path of salvation, customarily give away their possessions and distribute to the poor, and themselves go into retirement, so that they might perfectly and without distraction work for God day and night. For this reason the Lord said to one rich man: If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven: and come and follow Me (Matt. 19:21).

And so, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven; it does not say, for theirs will be the kingdom of heaven, but for theirs is, because it is already here, on earth, - in humble hearts God rests and reigns, but in the future life it will be enthroned within them unto the ages and will glorify them with a glory imperishable. g g g g g g g g g The Blessed Ascetics of Syria and Mesopotamia

By Photios Kontoglou, + 1965 A.D. A Renowned Writer and Iconographer

BLESSED is God, Who counts us worthy to sing the praises of His Saints. After having written many things and acquired no little renown for my writing, I ultimately saw that I am in posses- sion of a vain art. I liken myself to the repentant thief, or to the harlot who changed her course, or to Saint Moses the Egyptian, who robbed and murdered for many years, and in his last years found mercy. For I wrote all sorts of stories about robbers and pi- rates and murderers, and now I understand that I must put my meagre artistic talent to some good and blessed purpose: to weave a melodic encomium to the fleshless ascetics whose bodies were fragrant like cypress wood and dry grasses on the hillside.

8 Poets are wont to invoke the Muses to lend them wings. I, however, cry unto God to enlighten me, because it is with trem- bling that I take their holy names in my mouth; for their names are purer than snow, and I fear lest I become the cause for them to be besmirched by the glory of the world, from which they withdrew and sank into the depths of oblivion.

I will tell and speak in praise of those ascetics who mani- fested themselves in ancient times in the regions of Syria and Mesopotamia, and of some in Persia, and separately of Saint Isaac, that hidden treasure and sealed Paradise: I am at a loss with what words to depict him. For whatever I have undertaken with my art up until this point has been within my powers, but that which I am now attempting is, in my opinion, beyond them.

Ascetics and monastics are held in contempt in our days, but in ancient times they were greatly revered, as they still are in the East. Whenever a hermit would go to the city, the people would receive him as though he were an Angel, as one of the ancients writes.

They lived wrapped in sheepskins and goatskins, being des- titute, afflicted, tormented, wandering in deserts and mountains, and in the caves and dens of the earth. It was a great wonder to behold how rough people that lived in the gorges and ravines— there, where the wild beasts, the serpents, the scorpions, and every wild creature feed—not only did not grow fierce, but instead were the gentlest, holiest, and most innocent of all people. They did not concern themselves with food, shelter or clothing, or with the suf- ferings of the flesh, or with mother or father or siblings or friends, or with honours or with contempt. Many settled in tombs. They wore goat hair cassocks. Instead of a pillow, they would lay their head on a stone. The mountains encompassed them like fortresses. Wherever they happened to be when overtaken by the dark, there they would spend the night.

The hand of God shielded these valiant souls, and nothing could touch them. Wicked people would scoff at them and regard

9 their resolve as madness and their condition as pitiable. But they were at peace. For though they may have been scorned in the eyes of men, yet their hope was full of immortality. And as many tor- ments as they underwent, these were nothing compared to all that they gained. For God proved them, and found them worthy for Himself. When that day comes, they shall shine; and like the fire that flares up among the stubble, so shall they spring up. These humble ones shall judge the world, and the Lord will be glorified with them unto the ages. For only as many as have faith in Him shall understand the truth, and they await His arrival with love.

Such holy elders first appeared in Egypt, and from there the establishment of solitary life spread to Palestine, Syria, Mesopota- mia, Persia, and Asia Minor. In Syria and Mesopotamia appeared the toughest ascetics: “The people of the East are more keen-minded,” according to Herodian. It was as though the ancient and sinful Persian, Syrian, and Mesopotamian nations had lived many cen- turies and desired to take a rest from their passions and ascend to Heaven, after having descended into fiendishness. The wildness of soul of the ancient Assyrians—those unsmiling people with bushy beards, lion-hearted and hawk-nosed—turned in the harshest enmity on their own bodies at the time when they became Christians, as if God wanted to wash that savage race from the frightful sins they had committed when they slaughtered, blinded, impaled, and tormented their enemies with some kind of demonic fury, as is visible to this day from the fearsome carvings they left on the rocks and in their palaces…. From “The Mystical Garden” (Athens: 1944) Taken for the website of the former Synod in Resistance g g g g g g g g g

“IF A MAN does not despise all material things, all glory, all bodi- ly rest, and all claim to righteousness, he cannot cut off his own will or be delivered from anger and sorrow, or bring tranquillity to his neighbour.” Abba Dorotheus of Gaza, + c. 620 A.D.

10 Concerning the Religious Upbringing of Children

Archpriest Sergei Schukin Religious Upbringing Within the Family

IT has already been mentioned that while the infant is still small, we must exert influence chiefly with regard to his feelings. As stage by stage he grows up, we must educate his will. We need pay least attention of all to the child’s reasoning ability, which for quite a long time will still be incapable of correcting his mistakes. We will soon be convinced that a person lives mostly according to the demands of his feelings and desires. Because of this the least necessary thing of all is to burden the child with long discourses on right teaching or right judgment, striving thereby to demonstrate this “logically.” Instead of this, the most important necessity is to concentrate on his behaviour and on his inner motivation.

Upbringing within the family begins with introducing the child to obedience. The earlier the child becomes accustomed to carrying out the instructions of his parents, the easier it will be for him in his further education. Initially, the educational process often begins with prohibition: “Don’t do that,” “You mustn’t do that,” “That is not good,” etc. But the child grows up and one must also give something positive; it is necessary then to admonish and in- struct. It is here that difficulties begin, because to instil in the child the rules of conduct a word alone is not always sufficient. Usually it is here, in meeting the child’s not wanting to submit, that we run up against obstinacy in its various forms. So to surmount this, the parents must have recourse to some stronger measures.

At this juncture there are two possibilities of exerting influence. One is that the parents (it is usually them) resort to pun-

11 ishment; others follow a clearly religious path. Physical punishment, of course, leaves a mark on the child; and if it is employed frequently and becomes the principle method of education, then it will inevitably lead to unpleasant consequences. First of all, the child will become accustomed to complying with everything that is required of him but only “under the rod,” and will not be taught to do so willingly, from his inner motivation, which is what is necessary. Secondly, punishment, if it is constant, will arouse bitter- ness, secretiveness and lack of trust in the child, which it will be difficult to eradicate later, and it might well leave an unhealthy imprint throughout his character.

More successfully one might act according to the other means of educating, the one based on religious insight. Believing parents can almost always evade physical punishments, because they have other means of influencing the child’s will. They, you see, are not imposing their own particular regulations on the child, but only that which Almighty God enjoins. A believing mother teaches her child in this way: “Don’t do that - our God does not like it,” “That is not allowed - our God does not permit it,” or even, “If you do that, God will punish you!” And if the child suffers something on account of being disobedient (being hurt or burned) the mother can say, “You see, God has punished you because you did not listen to Him.” *** (see footnote)

Gradually, step by step, the parents can instil in the child the sense of his dependency upon God. If the child begins to do anything which is not allowed secretly, then they tell him, “Didn’t you think that God sees what you are doing here without me? God sees everything,” and as they say this they may show the child the icon in the corner. Once a little lad who wanted to take sugar from the sideboard, climbed up and turned the icon round with its face to the wall, so that God would not see. His mother began to explain to him that God lives on high in Heaven and from there He sees everything that is done here on earth.

But it is not only with prohibitions that we must invoke the name of God; it is even more important that the positive demands

12 upon the child’s will are founded upon Divine authority, instill- ing in the child that God helps us in every good work. When the mother teaches the child to pray, then she must instil in him that without God’s help he cannot do anything good. “Pray to our God, and He will help you to be obedient and good,” “Listen to our God, and do everything that He demands, and it will be good for you.” Furthermore, it follows that you must teach the child to thank God for everything that he has, for health, for food, for all his things and the pleasures he enjoys.

The notion of God as the Heavenly Father, Who loves all people, and upon Whom the child can place his hope, has tremen- dous significance in a child’s understanding. For instance, when the child has to leave the home, either alone or with other people, the mother may calm him: “You are not alone: our God, Who always protects you, is with you.” At a certain age, it is necessary to tell the child about his Guardian Angel, who accompanies him, and thereby to teach him not to be afraid of a dark room or of being alone. No less important for a sensitive soul is the need to impress upon him that he should love God, Whom one should not fear but love, as He is the source of every good thing. So that these feelings impressed upon the child will not be too abstract, we need to temper them using some more obviously religious things: an icon, the holy cross, the church and so on. Through these outward, visible holy things, there is loosed within the child a sense of worship and reverence before God. But, again, so that these should not be just feelings, it is essential to connect them to the fulfilment of fundamental outer disciplines: daily prayer, making the sign of the Cross, bows and prostrations, and all the rest. Through these the child is disciplined not only interiorly but also outwardly, and is induced to subjugate the body to the accepted rules, and his will becomes accustomed to defer before the will of God. To be continued … *** Note: I have use the possessive pronoun here and elsewhere to soften the expression. In the original Russian, a diminutive for God is used, but in English such expressions have no equivalent or sound rather sickeningly sweet. - Translator

13 THE COMING MONTH JULY is graced with the festivals of many beloved saints, among them:- th th The Holy Martyr Lucy the Virgin (6 / 19 ) was from the Italian region of Campania, and from the time of her youth dedi- cated herself to God and lived chastely and modestly. While still quite young, she was taken captive and carried off into a foreign land by one, Rexius, who acted as a provincial governor. He tried to compel Saint Lucy to sacrifice to the idols but, she remained firm in her faith and was ready to accept torture for the sake of Christ. Because of this Rexius came to a profound respect for her and even permitted her and her servants the use of a separate house, where they lived in solitude, spending their time in prayer. Whenever he left to go on military campaigns, Rexius reverently asked for Saint Lucy’s prayers. Some twenty years passed in this way, and then Saint Lucy learned that the Emperor Diocletian had begun a persecution against Christians, and, thirsting for martyrdom, she begged Rexius to allow her to return to Italy. Rexius, through Lucy’s prayers and admonitions, had already accepted the Faith by this time, and he also longed for martyrdom. Leaving all behind, he accompanied Lucy to Rome. The Roman prefect Aelius sentenced them to be beheaded with a sword. The holy martyrs Antoninus, Lucian, Isidore, Dion, Diodorus, Cutonis, Arnosus, Capicus and Satyrus, who were of their company, were also beheaded. In all, twenty-four martyrs suffered with Saints Lucy and Rexius. Thus Saint Lucy, through her steadfastness, brought a band of martyrs to her Saviour. There is another Virgin Martyr Lucy, from Syra- th cuse, whose feast day we celebrate on 13 December. The two were contemporaries. The one we celebrate in July was crowned as a martyr in A.D. 301, and the other three years later.

On the same day we celebrate our Venerable Mother Sexburga of Ely. She was the daughter of King Anna of the East Angles, and thus the sister of St Etheldreda of Ely, St Withburga of

14 Dereham and St Ethelburga of Brie in France, and the half-sister of St Sethryda. In her youth Sexburga was given in marriage to King Erconbert of Kent, and two of her daughters in turn were glorified as Saints, Ermingilda and Ermingota. When she was widowed, Sexburga acted as regent in Kent until the majority of her son, King Egbert. He was crowned at the Holy Trinity Church in Milton, near the River Swale. Thereafter she resolved to take up the monastic life and was tonsured in a convent in that township. Thereafter the saint undertook the foundation of a monastic community at Minster in the Isle of Sheppey, which then belonged to the Milton monastic community. Her daughter Ermingilda, having herself been widowed, joined her mother, taking up the ascetic life at Milton. Saint Sexburga was granted a vision in which she was forewarned of the disasters which were to afflict the region. She resolved to retire from being Abbess and commended her nuns to the care of St Ermingilda. She then joined the community at Ely, placing herself in obedience to her younger sister, St Etheldreda, whom in A.D. 679, she succeeded as Abbess. It was some sixteen years later that she had the joy of being present when St Etheldre- da’s incorrupt relics were taken up and placed in the church. The date of her repose in the Lord is not precisely known but it was in the last decade of the seventh century. th The holy New Hieromartyr Victor of Glazov (19 July st / 1 August) is celebrated on the same day as one of the most beloved saints of Russia, the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov. He was the son of a church chanter and took up the monastic life as a youth. Thus, he acquired also a good theological education and in 1912 published a detailed study on “The New Theologians,” criti- cizing a new theological trend that had found expression particu- larly in the book of Metropolitan (later “Patriarch”) Sergius. Af- ter the Revolution, he was consecrated vicar bishop of the Vyatka diocese, with the title of Glazov and Votkinsk. In 1922 he was arrested and was in prison until 1925. When the infamous Declara- th th tion of Metropolitan Sergius (16 / 29 July, 1927), in which he lied that “every blow against the Soviet Union is a blow against us,”

15 was published, Bishop Victor’s was the first voice of protest, and his flock joined him in separating from Metropolitan Sergius, who had allied his church administration with the theomachistic state. Bishop Victor’s denunciation of this betrayal led to his arrest and incarceration in the concentration camp of Solovki, where he was from 1928 to 1930, working as a bookkeeper at the rope factory. The hut where he was housed was located in a clearing of the forest; deep within this forest he celebrated secret church services with other members of the Catacomb Church. Initially, despite the tragic state of Soviet Russia, Bishop Victor remained optimistic and tried to induce the more realistic Bishop Maxim of Serpukhov to see some hope. But within a few years this optimism appar- ently vanished, for a witness heard him say in 1931: “Ahead there is nothing but suffering.” In the summer of the same year he was released but exiled for three years to the bank of the Onega River in the Archangelsk region, where, according to some reports, he was in contact with the catacomb hierarchs, Metropolitan Joseph and Bishop Damaskin. Late in 1933 he was sent to an even more remote exile in Siberia, and after this nothing more was ever heard of him. He is believed to have ended his earthly course as a martyr in 1934. His courageous and uncompromising spirit is set forth in the documents which he has left behind, which accuse Sergianism of being a profound error that denies the very nature of the Church of Christ. In one letter he wrote: “The Holy Church, which the Lord hath purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28) from out of this world, and which is His Body (Col. 1:24), and for all of us is the house of eternal grace-given salvation from this life of perdition — now this Divine, Holy Church of Christ is adapted to the service of interests not only foreign to her, but even completely incompat- ible with her Divinity and spiritual freedom. Many Christians step forth as enemies of the cross of Christ, says the Apostle; they mind earthly things (politics), forgetting that our dwelling is in heaven (Phil. 3:18-20)—for here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come (Heb. 13:14). And what kind of unification can there be of the Church of God with the civil authority, whatever kind it

16 may be, when the aims of the latter’s activity are exclusively in a material-economic direction, and while externally these aims might be moral but are foreign to faith in God or even hostile to God. At the same time, the aims of the Church’s activity are exclusively spiritual and moral, and through faith in God they bring a man beyond the bounds of earthly life for the acquisition of God’s grace of eternal heavenly goods. Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God (James 4:4).” In the same letter he stated: “Let everyone know that the latest Declaration of th th 16 / 29 July this year of Metropolitan Sergius is a clear betrayal of the Truth.” Under the Stalinist regime, that same Metropolitan Sergius was elevated to be Patriarch of Moscow in 1943, and his line continues to this day. th th The Holy Martyr Callinicus (29 July / 11 August) is the name saint of Archbishop Kallinikos of Athens, the first hierarch of our Synod of Bishops in Greece. The martyr was a native of Cilicia and was raised in the Christian Faith. Grieving that many misguided people would perish eternally because they worshipped idols, he went through the cities and villages to pro- claim Jesus Christ and His teachings to the pagans, and through the grace of God he converted many to Christianity. In Ancyra the holy confessor was arrested and brought to trial before a governor named Sacerdonus, a fierce persecutor of Christians. The governor, threatening tortures and death, ordered the saint to of- fer sacrifice to the idols. The saint fearlessly declared that he was not afraid of martyrdom, since every believer in Christ receives strength from Him, and through death inherits an eternal, blessed life. They cruelly tortured the saint, but he endured everything with patience and calm. This aroused still greater fury in Sacer- donus, and he ordered that sandals with sharp nails be placed on the saint’s feet, and that they should drive the martyr with whips to the city of Gangra to be burned. The way was arduous, and the soldiers who accompanied the condemned man were weak from thirst. In desperation they begged the saint to pray to the Lord for

17 water. With the help of God, the holy one, taking pity on his tor- mentors, caused a miraculous spring of water to gush forth from a stone. The astonished soldiers thereafter naturally wanted to free him. Fear of being executed themselves, however, compelled them to take the martyr on. In Gangra, Saint Callinicus joyfully offered thanks to the Lord, Who had vouchsafed him the crown of martyrdom. He went into the blazing fire and gave up his soul to God. His body, remaining unharmed, was retrieved and reverently laid to rest by the faithful. g g g g g g g g g POINTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE

“LATELY, I have been questioning myself quite a lot and keep wondering! Why is there so much difference between Churches - Romanian, Russian, Greek - in how things should be done and who is right or wrong? - pannikhida, women not to enter church, not to touch anything holy on her monthly cycle, Holy Communion, the list could go on, but I wouldn’t like to give you more trouble than I am already.” - I. A., Wembley. I SUPPOSE that, because of human weakness, it is natural that there are different customs and stresses in the various nation- al Churches. I think, - and it is only an observation, nothing wise, - that often some of the disciplines get strengthened out of proportion because everyone wants to appear stricter, more correct, and more “Orthodox” than others… a bit like the Stalinist hand-clap- ping. And, it seems, that often a particular discipline is given to one person for them alone, but then they unwisely discuss their spiritual life with others, who perhaps think that the discipline given to that one person as a healing remedy is rather a general ruling imposed on all believers. Another layer of confusion is sometimes added, that of a kind of nationalistic pride; our Church is holding fast to the true tradition, theirs have deviated. In fact, of course, the only real recourse, is not to what we do, but to the teachings of the Holy Fathers and the prescriptions of the sacred canons. I

18 think when such difficulties face us in the contemporary situation of Orthodoxy in the West today, we simply have to exercise a certain amount of “live and let live,” after all just because they all live along Acacia Avenue, it does not mean that the Horlers, the Ben- sons, the Patels, the Watkinses, the Currans, the Hussains and the Fussells all have their meals at the same time, or go to bed or get up at the same time, or always watch the same TV programmes, or drive the same cars. So with us, Romanians, Russians, Greeks, Serbs, Bulgarians live on the one “street” of Orthodoxy, but we have different usages and customs. The essential thing is that we guard the deposit of the Faith, and not let that be betrayed, which is why on the feast of the Twenty Thousand Martyrs of Nicomedia in 2006, we placed ourselves under the omophorion of Metropoli- tan Cyprian the Elder. g g g g g g g g g

“CHRIST came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15)… And so, dearly beloved, let that come to pass of which Saint Paul speaks that they that live should henceforth not live to themselves but to Him who died for all and rose again (2 Cor. 5:15). And because the old things have passed away and all things have become new, let none remain in his old carnal life, but let us all be renewed by daily progress and growth in piety. For however much a man be justified, yet so long as he remains in this life, he can always be more approved and better. And he that is not advancing is going back, and he that is gaining nothing is losing something. Let us run, then, with the steps of faith, by the works of mercy, in the love of righteousness, that keeping the day of our redemption spiritually, not in the old leaven of malice and wickedness, but in the un- leavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Cor. 5:8), we may deserve to be partakers of Christ’s resurrection.” Saint Leo the Great, Pope of Rome, + 461 A.D.

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

BISHOP SOFRONIE’S VISIT HIS GRACE, Bishop Sofronie of Suceava, paid an th th Archpastoral visit to London, during the weekend of 16 and 17 June n.s., thus immediately after the feast day of St John the New of Suceava. Arriving in England on the Friday, he celebrated the Mysterion of Holy Unction at the Convent on Saturday. It had been intended that he would serve at Saint Edward’s on Sunday, but we realized that, with the work in progress on the iconostas (see below), it would be impossible to do this. We thank Mother Vikentia and the sisters of the Convent of the Annunciation that they, at the very last moment, welcomed our transferring the celebration to the Convent. From Brookwood, Frs Alexis and Sabbas joined Fr Nicolae Capitanu in assisting the Bishop at the Liturgy. It was suggested that Fr Nicolae lead some of the litanies, as Fr Sabbas intones them in English and the vast majority of the faithful there were Romanian, but His Grace insisted that they be in English. On the Monday, the Bishop left to visit the faithful in Belgium.

TWO BAPTISMS AT SAINT EDWARD’S

st rd ON the feast of All Saints, Sunday, 21 May / 3 June, which this year coincided with the feast of the Holy Peers of the Apostles Constantine and Helena, Fr Nicolae Capitanu, who had celebrated the Divine Liturgy with us, baptized Elena, the daughter of Constantin and Diana Olaru of Leyton. Elena’s godmother is Elena Drilea, and she is, of course, named after the holy Augusta Helena, the finder of the True Cross.

20 th rd AND on Saturday, 10 / 23 June, the feast of the New Mar- tyrs of China, Maria Magdalena, the daughter of Pavel and Anamaria Amarii, of Micklefield, High Wycombe was baptized by Fr Nicolae. Her godparents are Petru and Gabriela Grigoras, and in this instance the Baptism was held in the Old Mortuary hall, as there were simultaneous attempts in the church to clean up in readiness for the Sunday Liturgy.

RE-RECEPTION INTO THE CHURCH

ON All Saints Sunday, immediately before the communion of the people, James Merritt was received back into the Church by the Mysterion of Chrismation, after lapsing for a number of years. At the Liturgy on that day, for the first time he again received the Mysteries. We ask the prayers of the faithful for him.

BURIAL IN SAINT EDWARD’S CEMETERY

A FIVE-DAY OLD BABY, Spiridon Shquti, was laid to rest st th in our cemetery on 1 / 14 June. The funeral service was chanted by Fr Christodoulos Christodoulou of the Church of Saint Nectarius in Battersea, assisted by a Romanian chanter and server, Brother John. Fr Christodoulos had baptized Spiridon during his short life in this world. After the burial, the baby’s family offered everyone refreshments. Fr Christodoulos and Br John then went to see the work in progress in the church and stayed with us talking for nearly three hours. Eternal Memory to the baby Spiridon. May our Saviour grant comfort to his bereaved parents.

GIFT TO SAINT EDWARD’S

IN ADDITION to the gifts mentioned below (see New Book), Michael and Angela Pieri have given our church a gold Cross containing a relic of Saint Lazarus the Four-Day-Dead, the

21 beloved Friend of our Saviour. This belonged to Angela’s brother, Andreas Stratis, whose recent repose we mentioned in our June issue. The Pieris thought, considering its spiritual value, it was better that it be given to the Church than being handed down in the family.

REMODELLING OF THE ICONOSTAS

WHEN we first worked on converting the church here from being an Anglican funeral chapel to Orthodox use, a local craft- man, Leslie Graham, built the iconostas for us from brick, as we could find no competent woodworkers, and we were in something of a hurry. Considering that he was working alone and had no blueprint, he made a good job of it. His work, including a picture of the iconostas, is featured at the Rural Life Centre, Tilford. They even have a picture of his receiving a gramota from Bish- op Gregory in recognition of his contribution, and the original gramota itself, signed by Saint Philaret the New Confessor of New York. However, with the addition of more icons, it became apparent that something better had to be done. After discussion of the project, on Monday, 11th June, Daniel Ciuperpcovici and his men demolished the old iconostas and started rebuilding to a design which will better incorporate the icons and echoes some of the features on the outside of the church. At the time of going to press, the basic building work has been completed. How- ever the new design will incorporate carved wooden panels below, and arches above, the four principal icons. These wood carvings will match the new Shrine of Saint Edward and, like it, will be carved in Romania. So, for some months we will have a “working” iconostas but one which will have to be fully completed. Naturally this work made a lot of mess in the church, and for two weeks we held our daily services in the Old Mortuary hall, and we were un- th th able to hold the Liturgy here on Sunday, 4 / 17 , when Bishop Sofronie was due to serve. Fortunately the Sisters at the Con- vent agreed to hold the hierarchal service there.

22 SURREY CHURCHES PRESERVATION TRUST THE AGM of the Surrey Churches Preservation Trust was held in the church room of the St Mary the Virgin Church th at Holmbury St Mary on Wednesday, 13 June. Representing our Brotherhood, which has three times benefitted from the gen- erosity of the Trust, Frs Alexis and Niphon attended. After the of- ficial business and a cup of tea, the participants were shown round the parish church by the church warden Anne Rodell.

NEW BOOK A SECOND, and much improved, edition of historian John Clarke’s “London’s Necropolis - A Guide to Brookwood Cemetery” has been published by Stenlake Publishing Ltd (ISBN 9781840337334). It sells at £40. The book, which runs to over 340 pages and is lavishly illustrated with photographs and maps, has a foreword by Dr Julian Litten, who rightly says: “John Clarke is to be congratulated for bringing the story of Brookwood to life.” The guide begins with a history of the London Necropolis Company and the Cemetery, and continues with a detailed catalogue of the principle graves and mausolea. It may be of interest to the majority of our readers that this catalogue begins with three pages (53-56) about our Brotherhood. John Clarke has kindly given us a copy and, at the same time, he gave a replica coin from the reign of King Edward the Martyr.

VISITING GROUPS ON 7th June, Malcolm Hitchcock brought the Fleet Tre- foil to visit St Edward’s. Twenty-three people were in the group, showing a very lively interest in the church, and kindly, and volun- tarily, made an impromptu collection for us, giving us £63. This is only the second time in the thirty-six years that we have been here that a visiting group has responded in this way. God bless them!

23 th ON 18 June, Runnymede University of the Third Age paid a fleeting visit to the church. They were doing a walk, led by Margaret Hobbs of the Brookwood Cemetery Society. The iconostas remodelling was underway in the church, so they simply looked in and left quickly! g g g g g g g g g

PRACTICAL TIP TRY TO MAINTAIN a sense of proportion in your spiritual life. Our Saviour called the Pharisees hypocrites, saying: Ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weight- ier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone (Matt. 23:23). There is, however, among us, the Orthodox, a tendency - and it must be admitted that it is rather more prevalent among those who are more traditionalist in conviction - to fall into a similar deception as did the Pharisees but with regard to our sins. Some will agonize because they inadvertently put milk in their tea on a Friday or forgot to slip on their head scarf when they first entered the church, but will happily judge others, gossip, enter into sinful sexual relations, join in worship with those who do not worship in spirit and in truth, be parsimonious in almsgiving, or centre their lives on their own concerns with little or no regard for others or the Church. These last are grave sins. Of course they and the lesser ones should both be left undone, but some, solely concentrating on the minor ones, seem to believe, as did the Pharisees, that they can be saved through an outer and ritual “righteousness.” g g g g g g g g g

“IF GOD is your master, go after Him; if the world, go after it (see 1 Kgs 18:21). If God is chosen, let Him be served according to His will; if the world is chosen, why does the heart pretend accom- modation to God?” Saint Quodvultdeus of Carthage, + 450 A.D.