Christ the Savior Orthodox Church – Page 7 – A Parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia located in Wayne, WV

Homily on the Sunday of All Saints of Russia

On June 17, 2012

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Congratulations, Brothers and Sisters, on the feast of All Saints of Russia, on which we commemorate all those saints who have shone forth in the Russian land.

We know from sacred history that Russia was not always a land united in its love for God and for the Holy Orthodox Church. Ancient Russia was a pagan land, devoid of the light of the Gospel. It was a land in which war between the various princedoms was common as there was no common faith, no sense of unity among the people. Lamenting this situation, St. Vladimir, the prince of Kiev, understood that the people of Kievan Rus’ were in need of a faith to unite them first to God and, thus, to one another as well.

As we have no doubt heard, St. Vladimir sent his emissaries out from Kiev to find the true faith, the faith that would unite Russia. The emissaries of St. Vladimir examined the faith of the Muslims, of the Jews… they came also to Germany and learned of the Latin faith. Finally, they came to the Church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople were they encountered Holy Orthodoxy. So moved were the emissaries that, upon their return, they recounted the following to St. Vladimir:

“When we journeyed among the Bulgars, we beheld how they worship in their temple, called a mosque, while they stand ungirt. The Bulgarian bows, sits down, looks hither and thither like one possessed, and there is no happiness among them, but instead only sorrow and a dreadful stench. Their religion is not good. Then we went among the Germans, and saw them performing many ceremonies in their temples; but we beheld no glory there. Then we went on to Greece, and the Greeks led us to the edifices where they worship their God, and we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth. For on earth there is no such splendour or such beauty, and we are at a loss how to describe it. We know only that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations. For we cannot forget that beauty. Every man, after tasting something sweet, is afterward unwilling to accept that which is bitter, and therefore we can no longer dwell here.”

-From the “Primary Chronicle”

The envoy’s impression of Orthodox Christianity was so profound that they not only advised St. Vladimir to adopt Orthodoxy as the faith of Russia, they announced that, having fulfilled their mission, they would now return to Constantinople to live where God dwells with men.

At this report, we understand that Prince Vladimir eventually decided to accept Orthodox Christianity himself and requested that priests and bishops be sent from Byzantium to baptize his people. This event was truly a turning point, a new beginning for Kievan Rus’, a new beginning that led to such a flowering of holiness that to now recount all the saints of Russia is not at all an easy task.

Referring to the first flowering of Christianity in the ancient Roman empire, the Church father Tertullian famously said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church”, and what was true in Ancient Rome turned out to be equally true in Russia. Beginning with the martyrdom of Sts. Boris and Gleb, and continuing on to the countless Russian ascetics who were martyrs of a different type, those who became dead to their passions through a life of spiritual struggle, the land of Russia became a spiritual meadow, with radiant examples of holiness appearing everywhere. As with the flowering of monasticism in ancient Egypt, the wilderness areas of the Russian North became filled with hermits and ascetics who shone as examples of holiness inspiring the faithful in their own struggles.

In turn, churches and monasteries appeared everywhere, lanterns set on the hill of Russia calling all the faithful to the life of holiness. This entire edifice was led by princes, and eventually tsars, who took the words of the Savior to heart, “if you would be great, you must become the servant of all”. Indeed, many rulers, such as the great St. Alexander Nevsky, were also great examples of piety and holiness, showing the example of Christ by sacrificing themselves for their people.

When we look back at the sacred history of Russia, it is sometimes tempting to think that there was something very different between their circumstances and ours… Of course, we can’t be expected to become holy like they did, because everything has changed, modern life is so complicated, we are all busy and preoccupied with the complexities of modern life, whereas they had simple lives with nothing to do to occupy themselves except prayer and fasting…

If we fall prey to such a manner of thinking, we are surely deceiving ourselves. Without a doubt, the saints of Russia tread the narrow path of struggle against their passions, but this narrow path is equally open to us today. There is no great mystery as to how so many people acquired holiness within the Russian Church… those who became holy were, very simply, those who acknowledged their sinfulness, turned to God in repentance and truly embraced the life of the Church, the life of struggling against the passions. The saints of Russia devoted themselves to Christ considering that the cares of this life will soon pass away, but to live in Christ is to live forever.

Has this changed? Is it not possible for us to imitate their example?

While it is true that our society is not an “Orthodox” society: there is no tsar setting the example of piety, we are not surrounded by Orthodox churches and monasteries, our culture is, in fact, clearly at odds with the principles of Orthodoxy. Nevertheless, each one of us still has the opportunity to choose to struggle against our passions and to unite ourselves to Christ.

Through the prayers of all the saints of Russia, may God bring us to our senses and establish us firmly on the path of salvation. May we decide from this day to come frequently to Holy Confession and Communion, to perform good deeds for our neighbors, to struggle against sinful thoughts and to build the sure foundation of our spiritual lives by remembering God throughout the day, by praying to Him in the morning and evening and by humbly accepting whatever crosses God allows for our salvation. In this way, brothers and sisters, we truly honor the saints of Russia, not by simply remembering their feast day once a year, but by imitating their example of spiritual struggle for the sake of Christ.

Through the prayers of All the Saints of Russia, may God have mercy on us.

Amen.

Sermon by Fr Jonah Campbell
Delivered at Christ the Savior Orthodox Church, Sunday of All Saints of Russia, 2012

Akathist Tonight at 6:30pm

By Fr. Jonah Campbell

On June 13, 2012

In Parish News, Reminder

As announced on Sunday, an Akathist to the Mother of God will be served tonight at 6:30pm, followed by the continuation of our class on “The Unseen Warfare”. Hope to see you this evening!

Modern Orthodox Saints and Holy Fathers & Mothers: Ivan Michailovich Kontzevitch

By Fr. Jonah Campbell

On June 7, 2012

In Saints Lives, The Royal Path

Ivan and Helen Kontzevitch in their icon corner in Paris, 1948

Ivan Michailovich Kontzevitch was born in 1893 in Poltava, Ukraine. He was the eldest of five children. His father, Michael Ivanovich, graduated from the Department of Natural Sciences in Warsaw University and became a tax inspector. Ivan’s mother, Alexandra Ivanovna Lisenevskaya was a Carpatho-Russian and the daughter of a judge. Alexandra finished secondary school and then married at a young age. She is described as a “born teacher” and she knew how to bring up her children without punishments “unless a deliberately evil will” was revealed.[1] Ivan related that his mother was able to explain to the children the harm of smoking and none of them ever did smoke.

In the early part of his childhood he lived in Latvia until the family moved to Mirgorod which was near Ivan’s birth place. At the end of his childhood the time came for further education but no suitable institution was found in the near vicinity so he was sent off to the Poltava Imperial Gymnasium. He graduated in 1914 and went on to study in the Mathematics Department at the University of Kiev.

As a young man, Ivan was far from the church and had taken up the study of yoga and developing the “hidden powers” of man. This lasted until the death of his brother, Vladimir, whom he was very close to. Vladimir was nineteen (Ivan was two years younger than he) and had enlisted in the army. While in the Carpathian Mountains his company came under enemy attack. Straws were drawn as to who would cut the enemy lines of communication. Vladimir did not draw the shortest straw but offered to be the one to take on such a mission. All of the men knew that it was certain death. Vladimir valiantly went and was killed. His death left the Kontzevitch family in indescribable grief. Alexandra Ivanovna became numb following her son’s death. Later she contacted a certain occultist by the name of Vladimir Bykov in hopes of being able to communicate with her deceased son. At that time Bykov was the publisher of one of the most influential periodicals of the time called The Spiritist. When Bykov replied to her letter he informed her that he had renounced his former views and now had

Alexandra Ivanovna Kontzevitch with her two eldest sons: Ivan (left) and Vladimir (right)

published a book about Orthodox monasteries. He wrote to her saying:

Dear Madam,

I received your letter, and with great happiness I’m hastening to write you a reply. I fully understand your grief, and sympathize with you. And I have an answer for you, in order for you to benefit and have future contact with your son.

Spiritism is demonic! Orthodox Christianity is your answer. I’m sending you my book, called Calm Havens for the Respite of a Suffering Soul. It is mostly about Optina Monastery. I have just converted from the demonic path to the only path whereby we obtain a future life in heaven with those we love. I strongly urge you to visit Optina.[2]

Alexandra did not know what to expect from the book she received but began to read it anyway. At the same time, Ivan was sent to Optina in order to report back to his mother what he found there. His first stay lasted for two months. He wrote back to his mother saying: “All the monks here walk as if on tiptoe before God. The Elders are wonderful. Take the children and come to Optina at once.”[3] The following summer Alexandra packed up the remaining three children and headed off for Optina remaining in the guesthouse for the summer. Here the family would read spiritual books, roam the woods, pick berries and mushrooms and, above all else, wait whole days to have talks with Elder Anatole the Younger and Elder Nektary. The impression that the elders made on Alexandra was so strong that she dedicated the rest of her life in obedience to the spiritual instruction of the elders and also ended her life as a tonsured nun.[4]

At another time, Ivan wrote about his initial experience in Optina saying: “The Monastery and the Elders… produced on me an unexpected, irresistible impression, which is impossible to communicate in words; it can only be understood by experiencing it.

“Here one could clearly sense the grace of God, the sanctity of the place, the presence of God. This evoked a feeling of reverence and of responsibility for one’s every thought, word, and action, a fear to fall into error, into deception, into self-trust and self-reliance.

“Such a state might be called ‘walking before God.’

“Here for the first time the spiritual world was opened up to me, and as the antithesis to it I was shown the ‘depths of Satan.’

“Here I was spiritually reborn.”[5]

Every day Ivan visited the skete of the Elders and listened to the instructions that the elders gave to those present. As often as he listened to the answers of the questions of those he was there with, Ivan himself did not receive any special time from the elders. Instead, he was given to Fr. Joseph, a man experienced in the spiritual life who had lived in Optina for decades.[6] In the world Fr. Joseph had been a banker and a man of broad education. For the course of two months, following the church services, Ivan would be invited over to Fr. Joseph’s cell where he would have the spiritual world opened up to him.

Following the liquidation of Optina and the eviction of Elder Nektary to Holmische, Ivan would stay in contact with the Elder through his mother who visited Elder Nektary often until his repose. His mother’s letters served as material for Ivan’s compilation of the life of Elder Nektary which he would write later on in life.[7]

Ivan left the Mathematics Department to join the White Army (to fight against the Communists). Later he enrolled in the Nicholas-

Ivan Michailovich as a student at the Sorbonne University, in his cell

Alexis Military Engineering School where he received “straight A’s”. He was promoted to officer and was transferred to Bulgaria and then to France where he studied at the Sorbonne in the École Supérieure d’Electricité and then at the St. Sergius Theological Institute. While there he worked as an unloader in a merchandise station.[8]

In France he was in constant correspondence with his mother to seek counsel of Elder Nektary for his life. The Elder guided his every step. Regarding Ivan’s schooling, the Elder suggested to him that he should go to school without fail. Elder Nektary even allowed him, in case of necessity, to be absent from the Divine services, except for the twelve major feasts.[9] At the same time he was strictly forbidden by the Elder to have any thoughts of accepting the monastic tonsure, quite unlike the case of his mother, whom the Elder ordered to prepare herself for the tonsure, and also of his younger brother, who became a bishop (Bishop Nektary of Seattle, who reposed in 1983).[10]

While studying at the Sorbonne Elder Nektary advised Ivan to combine his studies with attendance at the lectures at the St. Sergius Theological Institute. He was not able to do this immediately but soon enrolled and in time completed another degree here. During this time he grew in his theological understanding and in his abilities to write. Upon finishing at the Institute Ivan submitted a two-part dissertation explaining what “Eldership” is and the path to it. At that time he was unable to offer an exhaustive answer to his theses but later, in 1952, he was able to elaborate further on the topic in a book that he wrote entitled, The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit in Ancient Russia. In this work he set forth the history between Russia and Byzantium, the sharing and growth of the Orthodox tradition in Russia from the later and how the ascetics in Russia came from Byzantium or, in some cases, were from Russia and traveled back and forth maintaining that spiritual life between the two. This union of Orthodox cultures was broken with the invasion of the Turks.

More specifically, Ivan described the role of Eldership noting that in the early centuries of Christianity there was no need for its clear definition as it was not a secret or something that was kept from people. After the fall of Byzantium Patristic literature fell into disuse and Byzantine lands, including Russia, became more permeated by Western literature and these teachings were almost forgotten. During the eighteenth century the teaching on Eldership became more widely known and a resurgence of it began through such Saints as Paisius Velichkovsky, Seraphim of Sarov, Leonid of Optina, Ambrose of Optina and others. Although with the rise of the teaching on eldership and the living examples of it there also came persecution and scorn for what some thought was a novelty, what also started appearing were overly zealous priests who imagined themselves to be Elders and as a result caused much spiritual damage to those who sought them out as well as to their own souls.

Ivan found that he still was unable to give an exhaustive answer to his question of Eldership and it was only a year after the publication of his book that he was finally able to do so in another book that he wrote which was the biography of Elder Nektary of Optina. In its first chapter Ivan was able to be more succinct in his description and elucidation of Eldership. In a condensed form it can be stated thusly: “According to the word of St. Paul, God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues (1 Cor. 12:28). This apostolic decree is unwavering and unchangeable in the entire life of the Church, from the beginning to the end of the ages. It refers first of all to the apostolic ministry, in other words, the sanctifying service of the Church. This ministry of service is apparent for all to see. The second ministry is prophetic, and has also been permanently instituted by the Apostle. Although it does not have visual demarcations, it nevertheless has just as inviolable a place in the Church and a firm foundation in ecclesiastical life. The prophets, under the name of eldership, always existed in the Church. The gist of eldership was acquired in asceticism and bound up with monasticism.”[11]

In 1935, while studying at the Sorbonne, attending lectures and writing his thesis, Ivan met Helen Yurievna Kartsova. Prior to their first meeting Helen was going to make her vows to enter a convent but was prevented from doing so.

Helen Yurievna was born in St. Petersburg in 1893 and was raised, after the premature death of her mother, by her aunt, Helen Ozerova-Nilus, a lady-in-waiting to Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna (the Royal Martyr Tsaritsa Alexandra). Her uncle was Sergei A. Nilus, the publisher of Nicholas Motovilov’s notes on St. Seraphim of Sarov and the “Acquisition of the Holy Spirit” and he was to have a formative influence on Helen. Sergei had spent many years living at Optina Monastery with his wife in the “Leontiev House.” Here he was given access to the Optina archives and published many works that incorporated them and also expressed the life of Optina. His most famous work during that time was the publication of his journal entitled, On the Banks of God’s River. Another uncle was David Ozerov, the chief assistant to St. John of Kronstadt in the work of organizing the latter’s ‘House of Industry.’[12] Thus both Ivan Mikhailovich and Helen Yurievna were influenced by Optina monastery and together devoted their lives to the teaching of its Elders and its life.

In June 1935, Ivan and Helen were married and the first purchase they made was a twelve-volume set of the Lives of the Saints written by Saint Demetrius of Rostov and then visas in order to travel to the Holy Land. It just so happened that due to immigration laws Helen was not able to go and so they planned for Ivan to go alone to Mount Athos.

Together Ivan and Helen coloborated on The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit in Ancient Russia. While he was working as an engineer, Helen would be researching in the theological libraries of Paris in order to compile resources for their work. They lived in the south of France where Ivan was busy bringing electricity to various remote areas. Throughout this time they would pilgrimage to the ancient catacombs, monasteries and caves of 6^th century Gaul.

In 1952, after the publishing of their book Ivan accepted a position of Chair of Patrology at Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY. For the publication of their book they had to sell their property, all of their possessions and even do the proof-reading themselves as they could not afford to pay for someone to do it. They left for America with barely more than the boxes of their newly printed book.

It is while being a Professor at the Holy Trinity Seminary that Ivan wrote the Prima Vita of Elder Nektary of Optina. He also wrote the abstract for the Patrology courses and many monographs of saints.

In 1954, Ivan and Helen moved to San Francisco and lived in an apartment with Ivan’s brother, Nektary Bishop of Seattle. This was a very difficult environment for them in comparison to France and it took its toll on their creativity. The home was small, there was a lot of traffic and it was generally noisy due to the city life. They moved into their own home eight years later in Berkeley and in that same year Ivan wrote a book entitled The Sources of the Spiritual Catastrophe of Leo Tolstoy that articulated Tolstoy’s life and it’s transformation as being reflective of the transformation and movement away from the Christian heritage of modern Russia. During this time Ivan also gave many lectures at the local St. Vladimir’s Youth Organization. Here the Kontzevitchs met and became friends with Eugene Rose and Gleb Podmoshensky, the future Frs. Seraphim and Herman. From the beginning of the publication of The Orthodox Word, Helen was an active contributor. She submitted articles and comments and every week she sent detailed letters.[13]

In 1964 Ivan had an operation which left him weak and after Pascha in 1965 he began to waste away. In this last year Frs. Seraphim and Herman promised that they would look after his widow. For the last two weeks of his life he received communion everyday. “’Will I suffer long?’ – the words burst from him on his death bed; but he answered himself immediately: ‘Let me suffer longer, that it might be better for me in the Kingdom of Heaven.’ Surrounded by the icons with which he had been blessed by Elders Nektary and Anatole, and by his wife, his brother and his sister, Ivan Michailovich quietly, as if falling asleep, departed to the other world. A barely noticeable smile was impressed on his lips. A humble man who always kept himself outside the center of attention, he was granted a triumphant burial: his funeral service was celebrated by three bishops (Archbishop John Maximovitch, Bishop Nektary, and Bishop Savva) and six other clergymen.”[14]

[1] Frs. Seraphim and Herman, “Our Links with the Holy Fathers: The Definition of Eldership; In Memoriam: Ivan M. Kontzevitch,” The Orthodox Word (1980), 275.

[2] I.M. Kontzevitch, Elder Nektary of Optina (Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1998), 310. Bykov’s book includes a testimony of his conversion and the role of Optina and especially of Elder Nektary in his life and has been translated into English in part and can be found on pages 287-305.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid., 312.

[5] Our Links, 277.

[6] Not the Saint Joseph of Optina who is commemorated on May 9.

[7] Ibid., 278.

[8] Ibid., 280.

[9] Ibid., 281.

[10] Ibid.

[11] I.M. Kontzevitch, The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit in Ancient Russia (Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1988), 16.

[12] Abbot Herman, “Helen Yurievna Kontzevitch: Righteous Orthodox Writer,” The Orthodox Word (1999), 270.

[13] Ibid., 272.

[14] Our Links, 290.

Pentecost 2012 – Photo Report

By Fr. Jonah Campbell

On June 4, 2012

In Parish News, Photos

Photos from our festive celebration of Pentecost have now been uploaded to our parish photo album.

Sermon on Holy Pentecost by St John of San Francisco

By Fr. Jonah Campbell

On June 4, 2012

In Sermons, The Royal Path

Source: fatheralexander.org

God is a holy Trinity. A Trinity consubstantial and indivisible. Consubstantial, that is, one essence, one nature. A Trinity indivisible: the Son has never been divided from the Father, nor the Holy Spirit from the Father or the Son, and never will be divided.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three gods, but one God, since They have one nature. But not only because of this. People also have one nature, one essence. But with people one cannot say that two or three persons are one person, no matter how close and amicable they may be. People not only have separate bodies, but each one also has his own will, his own tastes, his own moods. No matter how similar people may be in body and character, it still never happens that everything is in common or that everything is the same.

With the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity everything is in common. The boundless love of the Father for the Son, of the Son for the Father, and the same love between them and the Holy Spirit make Their will and all of Their actions to be common. They have one will, and everything is performed by Them together. Whatever pleases the Father also pleases the Son and the Holy Spirit. Whatever displeases the Holy Spirit also displeases the Father. Whatever the Son loves, the Father and the Holy Spirit love also.

Everything is accomplished jointly by the Holy Trinity. At the creation of the world it says in the Bible: And God said, Let there be light: and there was light (Gen. 1:3). What does “said” mean? It means that God the Father created by His Word, by that Word of which the Gospel says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1) and which is the Only-begotten Son of God.

God the Father created everything by His Word; in other words, He accomplished everything through His Son. The Father does not create anything without the Son, just as the Son does not create anything without the Father, and the Holy Spirit always assists the Father and the Son. It is said in the Bible about the creation of the world: And the Spirit of God moved over the waters (Gen. 1:2). It “moved” over creation, but did not merely move over it—the word in the Hebrew original, which lacks an exact equivalent in Slavonic, signifies “to cover,” “to warm,” just as a brood-hen sitting on her eggs gives life to them by her warmth, and from them come forth living creatures.

By the Word of the Lord were the heavens established, and all the might of them by the Spirit of His mouth (Ps. 32:6). All that exists was created by God the Father through the Son and was brought to life by the Holy Spirit. In other words, everything the Father wanted or wants, immediately was or is fulfilled by the Son and is animated by the Holy Spirit. Thus was the world created, thus was all accomplished by the providence of God concerning the world and mankind.

In order to save man, who through sin had fallen away from God and became mortal, the Son of God, in accordance with the pre-eternal counsel of the Holy Trinity, obeying the will of the Father, came down to earth, was born of the Ever-Virgin Mary through the action of the Holy Spirit, proclaimed to the people the True God the Father and His Divine will, and taught the true worship of God. Having suffered for our sins, He descended in soul into hades, and, having freed the souls of the dead, He rose from the dead.

Even before His sufferings, Christ promised His Apostles, chosen by Him from among His disciples, to give them the power to loose and to bind—to remit people’s sins or to leave them in their sins. After His Resurrection the Lord bestowed this gift of Grace not on any of the Apostles separately, but on all of them together: He established His Church, the repository of that Grace, and united in her all those who believe in Him and love Him.

Having promised His Apostles that He would invest them with power from on high, having sent them the Holy Spirit, and having accomplished all for which He came to earth, the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, receiving in His humanity that glory and honor which He had as the Son of God since before the creation of the world.

In descending upon the disciples of Christ, according to the promise, the Holy Spirit confirmed them in the faith of Christ and through His Grace poured out upon them the gifts of God. He strengthened them for the preaching and fulfilment in life of Christ’s teachings, for the building up of the Church established by Christ and put into action by the Holy Spirit.

The Church, standing on her foundation on earth and headed by the Son of God seated at the right hand of the Father, is mysteriously guided by the Holy Spirit. She inwardly links together all of her children and unites them with God. Through the Church, God’s gifts of Grace are poured out on those striving to follow the way of Christ; they sanctify and fortify all good in them, and cleanse them from sin and every defilement, making them able to become receptacles of the radiance of the glory and power of God.

Through the Church man is made a partaker of the Divine nature, and he enters into the closest relationship with the Holy Trinity.

Not only the soul, but also man’s body is sanctified and communes with God by partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, through which he is united with the entire Holy Trinity. Through Divine Grace, with the participation of his own will and effort, man becomes a new creature, a participant in the eternal Kingdom of God.

Nature, too, is being prepared for the coming Kingdom of God, for the coming purification by fire of the consequences of man’s sin and the curse that lies on her. She receives the first fruits of sanctification through the descent of the Holy Spirit on her at Theophany in the blessing of the waters and in many other Church rites, so that she may later become a new earth and a new heaven.

This will be accomplished at the time appointed by God the Father, and the Son of God will come in glory to pronounce judgment on the world.

Then those who have loved God and have been united with Him will shine with the rays of Divine light and will eternally delight in the uncreated light of the Triune Godhead of the Consubstantial, Life-creating, and Indivisible Trinity.

To God, our Creator and Saviour, be glory, honor, and worship unto everlasting ages:

“Come, O ye people, let us worship the Godhead in Three Hypostases: the Son in the Father, with the Holy Spirit; for the Father timelessly begat the Son Who is Co-ever-existing and Coenthroned, and the Holy Spirit was in the Father, glorified together with the Son; One Might, One Essence, One Godhead. In worshipping Whom let us all say: O Holy God, Who madest all things by the Son, through the cooperation of the Holy Spirit; Holy Mighty, through Whom we have known the Father, and through Whom the Holy Spirit came into the world; Holy Immortal, the Comforting Spirit, Who proceedest from the Father, and restest in the Son: O Holy Trinity, glory be to Thee” (Dogmaticon of Great Vespers of Pentecost).

Tonight’s Akathist with Class has been cancelled

By Fr. Jonah Campbell

On May 30, 2012

In Service Update

Tonight’s akathist and the continuation of the class on “The Unseen Warfare” has necessarily been postponed due to choir constraints and updates from those usually attending the class indicating that they will not be able to be present tonight. For those of you who wish to attend services this evening, I strongly recommend attending the Vigil tonight at the monastery for Sts. Constantine and Helen, transferred to tomorrow due to Pentecost.

“The Light Always With Us”, An Interview with Archpriest Alexey Ohotin

By Fr. Jonah Campbell

On May 29, 2012

In Interviews, The Royal Path

A very interesting interview with Archpriest Alexey Ohotin, the rector of Holy Annunciation Church in Flushing, NY (ROCOR). I found it especially interesting that his great uncle was the Spiritual Father and Confessor of St. Elizabeth (Feodorovna) the New Martyr and Grand Duchess of Russia.

Natalia Volkova, Archpriest Alexey OkhotinThe Light Always With UsIn the Mystery of confession, a person opens his soul, and God forgives him through the priest. Sometimes even after absolution from a sin, a person is tormented by his conscience, and I suggest that this is not bad for the sinner himself. This is a form of expiation. When a person feels profound pain from his sin, he is not likely to repeat it.

Optina Elders Word Finder for Church School Use

By Fr. Jonah Campbell

On May 26, 2012

In Kids Corner

The linked Word Finder can be printed out for use in Church School. In this edition, find the 14 Optina Elders:

Click for full-size, printable version

The Prayer of the Heart for the Faithful Living in the World

By Fr. Jonah Campbell

On May 26, 2012

In Spiritual Life, The Royal Path

By: Elder Joseph of Vatopedi
Source: orthodoxinfo.com

Elder Joseph of Vatopedi

The question is always being asked, “Is it possible for those living in the world to occupy themselves with noetic prayer?” To those who ask we answer quite affirmatively, “Yes.” In order to make this exhortation of ours comprehensible to those interested, but at the same time to make aware those who are unaware, we will briefly explain this, so that no one will be placed in a quandary by the various interpretations and definitions of noetic prayer that exist.

Generally speaking, prayer is the sole obligatory and indispensable occupation and virtue for all rational beings, both sentient and thinking, human and angelic. For this reason we are enjoined to the unceasing practice of the prayer.

Prayer is not divided dogmatically into types and methods but, according to our Fathers, every type and method of prayer is beneficial, as long as it is not of diabolic delusion and influence. The goal of this all-virtuous work is to turn and keep the mind of man on God. For this purpose our Fathers devised easier methods and simplified the prayer, so that the mind might more easily and more firmly turn to and remain in God. With the rest of the virtues other parts of man’s body come into play and senses intervene, whereas in blessed prayer the mind alone is fully active; thus much effort is needed to incite the mind and to bridle it, in order that the prayer may become fruitful and acceptable. Our most holy Fathers, who loved God in the fullest, had as their chief study uniting with God and remaining continuously in Him; thus they turned all of their efforts to prayer as the most efficient means to this end.

There are other forms of prayer which are known and common to almost all Christians which we will not speak about now; rather we will limit ourselves to that which is called “noetic prayer”, which we are always being asked about. It is a subject that engages the multitude of the faithful since next to nothing is known regarding it, and it is often misconstrued and described rather fantastically. The precise way of putting it into practice as well as the results of this deifying virtue, which leads from purification to sanctification, we will leave for the Fathers to tell. We paupers will only mention those things which are sufficient to clarify the matter and to convince our brethren living in the world that they need to occupy themselves with the prayer.

The Fathers call it noetic because it is done with the mind, the “nous”, but they also call it “sober watchfulness” which means nearly the same thing. Our Fathers describe the mind as a free and inquiring being which does not tolerate confinement and is not persuaded by that which it can’t conceive on its own. Primarily for this reason they selected just a few words in a single, simple prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me”, so that the mind would not require a great effort in order to hold on to a long, protracted prayer. Secondly, they turned the mind within, to the center of our reason, where it resides motionless with the meaning of the divine invocation of the most sweet Name of our Lord Jesus, in order to experience as soon as possible the divine consolation. It is impossible, according to the Fathers, for our all-good Master, being thus called upon continuously, not to hear us, He Who desires so much the salvation of men.

Just as a natural virtue that is aspired to can only be achieved by the conducive means, so also this holy work requires some nearly indispensable rudiments: a degree of quiet; freedom from cares; avoidance of learning about and spreading the “news” of things going on, the “giving and taking” as the Fathers put it; self discipline in all things; and an overall silence which stems from these things. Moreover, I don’t think this persistence and habit will be unattainable for devout people who take an interest in this holy activity. The good habit of a regular prayer time, morning and evening, always about the same time, would be a good beginning.

With surety we have emphasized perseverance as the most indispensable element in prayer. Rightly it is stressed by St. Paul, “Continue steadfastly in prayer.”(Col. 4:2) In contrast to the rest of the virtues, prayer requires effort throughout our entire lifetime, and for this reason I repeat to those who are making the attempt not to feel encumbered, nor to consider the need for endurance as a failure in this sober-minded work.

In the beginning it is necessary to say the prayer in a whisper, or even louder when confronted by duress and inner resistance. When this good habit is achieved to the point that the prayer may be sustained and said with ease, then we can turn inwardly with complete outer silence. In the first part of the little book (Way of the Pilgrim) a good example is given of the initiation into the prayer. Sound persistence and effort, always with the same words of the prayer not being frequently altered, will give birth to a good habit. This will bring control of the mind, at which time the presence of Grace will be manifested.

Just as every virtue has a corresponding result, so also prayer has as a result the purification of the mind and enlightenment. It arrives at the highest and perfect good, union with God; that is to say, actual divinization (theosis). However, the Fathers also have this to say: that it lies with man to seek and strive to enter the way which leads to the city; and if by chance he doesn’t arrive at the endpoint, not having kept pace for whatever reason, God will number him with those who finished. To make myself more clear, especially on the subject of prayer, I will explain how all of us Christians must strive in prayer, particularly in that which is called monological or noetic prayer. If one arrives at such prayer he will find much profit.

By the presence of the Jesus Prayer man is not given over to temptation which he is expecting, because its presence is sober watchfulness and its essence is prayer; therefore “the one who watches and prays does not enter into temptation.” (cf. Matt. 26:41) Further, he is not given over to darkness of mind so as to become irrational and err in his judgments and decisions. He does not fall into indolence and negligence, which are the basis of many evils. Moreover, he is not overcome by passions and indulgences where he is weak, and particularly when the causes of sin are near at hand. On the contrary his zeal and devotion increase. He becomes eager for good works. He becomes meek and forgiving. He grows from day to day in his faith and love for Christ and this inflames him towards all the virtues. We have many examples in our own day of people, and particularly of young people, who with the good habit of doing the prayer have been saved from frightful dangers, from falls into great evils, or from symptoms leading toward spiritual death.

Consequently, the prayer is a duty for each one of the faithful, of every age, nationality, and status; without regard to place, time or manner. With the prayer divine Grace becomes active and provides solutions to problems and trials which trouble the faithful, so that, according to the Scriptures, “Everyone that calls on the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21)

There is no danger of delusion, as is bandied about by a few unknowledgeable people, as long as the prayer is said in a simple and humble manner. It is of the utmost importance that when the prayer is being said no image at all be portrayed in the mind; neither of our Lord Christ in any form whatever, nor of the Lady Theotokos, nor of any other person or depiction. By means of the image the mind is scattered. Likewise, by means of images the entrance for thoughts and delusions is created. The mind should remain in the meaning of the words, and with much humility the person should await divine mercy. The chance imaginations, lights, or movements, as well as noises and disturbances are unacceptable as diabolic machinations towards obstruction and deception. The manner in which Grace is manifested to initiates is by spiritual joy, by quiet and joy-producing tears, or by a peaceful and awe-inspiring fear due to the remembrance of sins, thus leading to an increase of mourning and lamentation.

Gradually Grace becomes the sense of the love of Christ, at which time the roving about of the mind ceases completely and the heart becomes so warmed in the love of Christ that it thinks it can bear no more. Still at other times one thinks and desires to remain forever exactly as one finds oneself, not seeking to see or hear anything else. All of these things, as well as various other forms of aid and comfort, are found in the initial stages by as many as try to say and maintain the prayer, in as much as it depends on them and is possible. Up to this stage, which is so simple, I think that every soul that is baptized and lives in an Orthodox manner should be able to put this into practice and to stand in this spiritual delight and joy, having at the same time the divine protection and help in all its actions and activities.

I repeat once again my exhortation to all who love God and their salvation not to put off trying this good labor and practice for the sake of the Grace and mercy which it holds out to as many as will strive a bit at this work. I say this to them for courage, that they don’t hesitate or become fainthearted due to the bit of resistance or weariness which they will encounter. Contemporary elders that we have known had many disciples living in the world, men and women, married and single, who not only arrived at the beginning state but rose to higher levels through the Grace and compassion of our Christ. “It is a trifle in the eyes of the Lord to make a poor man rich.” (Sir. 11:23) I think that in today’s chaos of such turmoil, denial and unbelief there exists no simpler and easier spiritual practice that is feasible for almost all people, with such a multitude of benefit and opportunity for success, than this small prayer.

Whenever one is seated, moving about, or working, and if need be even in bed, and generally wherever and however one finds oneself, one can say this little prayer which contains within itself faith, confession, invocation and hope. With such little labor and insignificant effort the universal command to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thes. 5:17) is fulfilled to perfection. To whatever word of our Fathers one might turn, or even in their wonderful lives, he will encounter hardly any other virtue given so much praise or applied with such zeal and persistence, so that it alone constitutes the most powerful means of our success in Christ. It is not our intention to sing the praises of this queen of virtues, or to describe it, because whatever we might say would instead rather diminish it. Our aim is to exhort and encourage every believer in the working of the prayer. Afterwards, each person will learn from his own experience what we have said so poorly.

Press forward you who are doubtful, you who are despondent, you who are distressed, you who are in ignorance, you of little faith, and you who are suffering trials of various kinds; forward to consolation and to the solution to your problems. Our sweet Jesus Christ, our Life, has proclaimed to us that “without Me you can do nothing.” (Jn. 15:5) Thus behold that, calling upon Him continuously, we are never alone; and consequently “we can and will do all things through Him.” (cf Phil. 4:13) Behold the correct meaning and application of the significant saying of the Scripture, “Call upon Me in your day of trouble and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” (Ps. 49(50):15) Let us call upon His all-holy Name not only “in the day of trouble” but continuously; so that our minds may be enlightened, that we might not enter into temptation. If anyone desires to step even higher where all-holy Grace will draw him, he will pass through this beginning point, and will be “spoken to” regarding Him, when he arrives there.

As an epilogue to that which has been written we repeat our exhortation, or rather our encouragement, to all the faithful that it is possible and it is vital that they occupy themselves with the prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me”, the so-called “noetic prayer”, with a sure faith that they will benefit greatly regardless of what level they may reach. The remembrance of death and a humble attitude, together with the other helpful things that we have mentioned, guarantee success through the grace of Christ, the invocation of Whom will be the aim of this virtuous occupation https://www.casinonorske.com/kreditt-kort-casino. Amen.

On Practicing the Jesus Prayer

By Fr. Jonah Campbell

On May 26, 2012

In Spiritual Life, The Royal Path

By: St. Ignaty Brianchaninov
Source: Orthodox Life, vol. 28, no. 5, Sept.-Oct. 1978, pp. 9-14.

St Ignaty Brianchaninov

The correct practice of the Jesus Prayer proceeds naturally from correct notions about God, about the most holy name of the Lord Jesus, and about man’s relationship to God.

God is an infinitely great and all-perfect being. God is the Creator and Renewer of men, Sovereign Master over men, angels, demons and all created things, both visible and invisible. Such a notion of God teaches us that we ought to stand prayerfully before Him in deepest reverence and in great fear and dread, directing toward Him all our attention, concentrating in our attention all the powers of the reason, heart, and soul, and rejecting distractions and vain imaginings, whereby we diminish alertness and reverence, and violate the correct manner of standing before God, as required by His majesty (John 4:23-24; Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:29-30; Luke 10:27). St. Isaac the Syrian put it marvelously: “When you turn to God in prayer, be in your thoughts as an ant, as a serpent of the earth, like a worm, like a stuttering child. Do not speak to Him something philosophical or high-sounding, but approach Him with a child’s attitude” (Homily 49). Those who have acquired genuine prayer experience an ineffable poverty of the spirit when they stand before the Lord, glorify and praise Him, confess to Him, or present to Him their entreaties. They feel as if they had turned to nothing, as if they did not exist. That is natural. For when he who is in prayer experiences the fullness of the divine presence, of Life Itself, of Life abundant and unfathomable, then his own life strikes him as a tiny drop in comparison to the boundless ocean. That is what the righteous and long-suffering Job felt as he attained the height of spiritual perfection. He felt himself to be dust and ashes; he felt that he was melting and vanishing as does snow when struck by the sun’s burning rays (Job 42:6).

“…it is impossible “to sing the Lord’s song in a strange land” (Ps. 136:5), in a heart held captive by passions.”

St Barsonphius the Great

The name of our Lord Jesus Christ is a divine name. The power and effect of that name are divine, omnipotent and salvific, and transcend our ability to comprehend it. With faith therefore, with confidence and sincerity, and with great piety and fear ought we to proceed to the doing of the great work which God has entrusted to us: to train ourselves in prayer by using the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. “The incessant invocation of God’s name,” says Barsanuphius the Great, “is a medicine which mortifies not just the passions, but even their influence. Just as the physician puts medications or dressings on a wound that it might be healed, without the patient even knowing the manner of their operation, so also the name of God, when we invoke it, mortifies all passions, though we do not know how that happens” (421st Answer).

Our ordinary condition, the condition of all mankind, is one of fallenness, of spiritual deception, of perdition. Apprehending—and to the degree that we apprehend, experiencing—that condition, let us cry out from it in prayer, let us cry in spiritual humility, let us cry with wails and sighs, let us cry for clemency! Let us turn away from all spiritual gratifications, let us renounce all lofty states of prayer of which we are unworthy and incapable! It is impossible “to sing the Lord’s song in a strange land” (Ps. 136:5), in a heart held captive by passions. Should we hear an invitation to sing, we can know surely that it emanates “from them that have taken us captive” (Ps. 136:3). “By the waters of Babylon” tears alone are possible and necessary (Ps. 136:1).

This is the general rule for practicing the Jesus Prayer, derived from the Sacred Scriptures and the works of the Holy Fathers, and from certain conversations with genuine men of prayer. Of the particular rules, especially for novices, I deem the following worthy of mention.

"The Ladder of Divine Ascent"

St. John of the Ladder counsels that the mind should be locked into the words of the prayer and should be forced back each time it departs from it (Step XXVIII, ch. 17). Such a mechanism of prayer is remarkably helpful and suitable. When the mind, in its own manner, acquires attentiveness, then the heart will join it with its own offering—compunction. The heart will empathize with the mind by means of compunction, and the prayer will be said by the mind and heart together. The words of the prayer ought to be said without the least bit of hurry, even lingering, so that the mind can lock itself into each word. St. John of the Ladder consoles and instructs the coenobitic brethren who busy themselves about monastic obediences and encourages them thus to persevere in prayerful asceticism: “From those monks who are engaged in performing obediences,” he writes, “God does not expect a pure and undistracted prayer. Despair not should inattention come over you! Be of cheerful spirit and constantly compel your mind to return to itself! For the angels alone are not subject to any distraction” (Step IV, ch. 93). “Being enslaved by passions, let us persevere in praying to the Lord: for all those who have reached the state of passionlessness did so with the help of such indomitable prayer. If, therefore, you tirelessly train your mind never to stray from the words of the prayer, it will be there even at mealtime. A great champion of perfect prayer has said: ‘I had rather speak five words with my understanding … than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue’ (I Cor. 14:19). Such prayer,” that is, the grace-given prayer of the mind in the heart, which shuns imaginings, “is not characteristic of children; wherefore we who are like children, being concerned with the perfection of our prayer,” that is, the attentiveness which is acquired by locking the mind into the words of the prayer, “must pray a great deal. Quantity is the cause of quality. The Lord gives pure prayer to him who, eschewing laziness, prays much and regularly in his own manner, even if it is marred by inattention” (The Ladder, Step XXVI11, ch. 21).

“…the Russian hieromonk Dorotheus, a great instructor in spiritual asceticism, who was in this respect very much like St. Isaac the Syrian, counsels those who are learning the Jesus Prayer to recite it aloud at first. The vocal prayer, he says, will of itself turn into the mental.”

Novices need more time in order to train themselves in prayer. It is impossible to reach this supreme virtue shortly after entering the monastery or following the first few steps in asceticism. Asceticism needs both time and gradual progress, so that the ascetic can mature for prayer in every respect. In order that a flower might bloom or the fruit grow on a tree, the tree must first be planted and left to develop; thus also does prayer grow out of the soil of other virtues and nowhere else. The monk will not quickly gain mastery of his mind, nor will he in a short time accustom it to abide in the words of the prayer as if enclosed in a prison. Pulled hither and thither by its acquired predilections, impressions, memories and worries, the novice’s mind constantly breaks its salvific chains and strays from the narrow to the wide path. It prefers to wander freely, to stroll in the regions of falsehood in association with the fallen spirits, to stray aimlessly and mindlessly over great expanses, though this be damaging to him and cause him great loss. The passions, those moral infirmities of human nature, are the principal cause of inattentiveness and absentmindedness in prayer. The more they are weakened in a man, the less is he distracted in spirit when praying. The passions are brought under control and mortified little by little by means of true obedience, as well as by self-reproach and humility—these are the virtues upon which successful prayer is built. Concentration, which is accessible to man, is granted by God in good time to every struggler in piety and asceticism who by persistence and ardor proves the sincerity of his desire to acquire prayer.

The Russian hieromonk Dorotheus, a great instructor in spiritual asceticism, who was in this respect very much like St. Isaac the Syrian, counsels those who are learning the Jesus Prayer to recite it aloud at first. The vocal prayer, he says, will of itself turn into the mental.

“All impulsive and extreme actions are but obstacles to success in prayer, which develops only when nurtured by the tranquil, quiet and pious disposition of both soul and body.” St Nilus of Sora

“Mental prayer,” he continues, “is the result of much vocal prayer, and mental prayer leads to the prayer of the heart. The Jesus Prayer should not be said in a loud voice but quietly, just audibly enough that you can hear yourself.,’ It is particularly beneficial to practice the Jesus Prayer aloud when assailed by distraction, grief, spiritual despondency and laziness. The vocal Jesus Prayer gradually awakens the soul from the deep moral slumber into which grief and spiritual despair are wont to thrust it. It is also particularly beneficial to practice the Jesus Prayer aloud when attacked by images, appetites of the flesh, and anger; when their influence causes the blood to boil. It should be practiced when peace and tranquillity vanish from the heart, and the mind hesitates, becomes weak, and—so to speak—goes into upheaval because of the multitude of unnecessary thoughts and images. The malicious princes of the air, whose presence is hidden to physical sight but who are felt by the soul through their influences upon it, hearing as they mount their attack the name of the Lord Jesus—which they dread—will become undecided and confused, and will take fright and withdraw immediately from the soul. The method of prayer which the hieromonk suggests is very simple and easy. It should be combined with the method of St. John of the Ladder: the Jesus Prayer should be recited loud enough that you can hear yourself, without any hurry, and by locking the mind into the words of the prayer. This last, the hieromonk enjoins upon all who pray by Jesus’ name.

St Nilus of Sora

The method of prayer propounded by St. John of the Ladder should be adhered to even when one is practicing the method which was explained by the divine St. Nilus of Sora, in the second homily of his monastic constitution. The divine Nilus borrowed his method from the Greek Fathers, Symeon the New Theologian and Gregory of Sinai, and simplified it somewhat. Here is what St. Nilus says: “Experience will soon confirm as correct and very beneficial for mental concentration the recommendation of these holy fathers regarding restraint in breathing, i.e. that one should not breathe with great frequency.” Some, without understanding this method, exaggerate its importance and restrain their breath beyond reasonable measure, thereby injuring their lungs and at the same time inflicting harm upon their souls by assenting to such a mistake. All impulsive and extreme actions are but obstacles to success in prayer, which develops only when nurtured by the tranquil, quiet and pious disposition of both soul and body. “Whatever is immoderate comes from the demons,” says St. Pimen the Great.

The novice who is studying the Jesus Prayer will advance greatly by observing a daily rule comprising a certain number of full prostrations and bows from the waist, depending upon the strength of each individual. These are all to be performed without any hurry, with a repentant feeling in the soul and with the Jesus Prayer on the lips during each prostration. An example of such prayer may be seen in the “Homily on Faith” by St. Symeon the New Theologian. Describing the daily evening prayers of the blessed youth George, St. Symeon says: “He imagined that he was standing before the Lord Himself and prostrating himself before His holy feet, and he tearfully implored the Lord to have mercy upon him. While praying, he stood motionless like a pillar and bade his feet and the other parts of his body to stay still, especially the eyes, which were restrained from moving curiously in all directions. He stood with great fear and trepidation and denied himself sleep, despondency and laziness.” Twelve prostrations suffice in the beginning. Depending upon one’s strength, ability and circumstances, that number can be constantly increased. But when the number of prostrations increases, one should be careful to preserve the quality of one’s prayer, so that one not be carried away by a preoccupation with the physical into fruitless, and even harmful, quantity. The bows warm up the body and somewhat exhaust it, and this condition facilitates attention and compunction. But let us be watchful, very watchful, lest the state pass into a bodily preoccupation which is foreign to spiritual sentiments and recalls our fallen nature! Quantity, useful as it is when accompanied by the proper frame of mind and the proper objective, can be just as harmful when it leads to a preoccupation with the physical. The latter is recognized by its fruits which also distinguish it from spiritual ardor. The fruits of physical preoccupation are conceit, self-assurance, intellectual arrogance: in a word, pride in its various forms, all of which are easy prey to spiritual deception. The fruits of spiritual ardor are repentance, humility, weeping and tears. The rule of prostrations is best observed before going to sleep: then, after the cares of the day have passed, it can be practiced longer and with greater concentration. But in the morning and during the day it is also useful, especially for the young’ to practice prostrations moderately—from twelve to twenty bows. Prostrations stimulate a prayerful state of the mind and mortify the body as well as support and strengthen fervor in prayer.

These suggestions are, I believe, sufficient for the beginner who is eager to acquire the Jesus Prayer. “Prayer,” said the divine St. Meletius the Confessor, “needs no teacher. It requires diligence, effort and personal ardor, and then God will be its teacher.” The Holy Fathers, who have written many works on prayer in order to impart correct notions and faithful guidance to those desiring to practice it, propose and decree that one must engage in it actively in order to gain experiential knowledge, without which verbal instruction, though derived from experience, is dead, opaque, incomprehensible and totally inadequate. Conversely, he who is carefully practicing prayer and who is already advanced in it, should refer often to the writings of the Holy Fathers about prayer in order to check and properly direct himself, remembering that even the great Paul, though possessing the highest of all testimonies for his Gospel—that of the Holy Spirit—nevertheless went to Jerusalem where he communicated to the apostles who had gathered there the Gospel that he preached to the gentiles, “lest by any means,” as he said, “I should run, or had run, in vain ” (Gal. 2:2).