_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

New clip from my conversation with Fr. Stephen De Young. Thinking About Christ Will Shatter Your Conception of Time:

https://youtu.be/g4XeV3O2gew

Thinking About Christ Will Shatter Your Conception of Time | Fr. Stephen De Young & Jonathan Pageau

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

A blessed nameday to all Angels, Angelas, Angelos, Angelikis, Michaels, Michaelas, Mihais, Mikhails, Michelles, Mykolas, Gabriels, Gabrielles, Gabrielas, Jabras, Raphaels, Raphaelas, Saraquels, Stamatias, Stamatinas and Stamatioses (Stamatioi?)!

Today[*] is the feast day in the Orthodox Church when we celebrate the Archangels and all the bodiless powers of Heaven.

(And in case there's anyone out there named Cherubim, Seraphim, Seraphima (though most of the preceding two don't seem to be named for angels but for Seraphim of Sarov), Taxiarchis, Uriel, Selaphiel, Jehudiel, Barachiel, Raguel, Jeremiel, Anael, Jophiel or Zadkiel, many years to you, too!)

[*] Well, for most of my readers. Those on the Julian calendar will celebrate in 13 days, and WR Orthodox have a different calendar. And of course many Eastern Catholics have basically the same calendar. But it's all good.

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

Today's Readings
John 21:14-25

St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 7:26-28; 8:1-2

Luke 10:25-37

Eleventh Orthros Gospel
The Gospel According to John 21:14-25

At that time, Jesus revealed himself to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. And he said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go." (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, "Follow me." Peter turned and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved, who had lain close to his breast at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!" The saying spread abroad among the brethren that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?" This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 7:26-28; 8:1-2

Brethren, it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for all when he offered up himself. Indeed, the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect for ever. Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent which is set up not by man but by the Lord.

8th Sunday of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke 10:25-37

At that time, a lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live."

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

Exiled unjustly,
convicted without trial,
slandered without cause yet his love for people and his faith conquered all.


The St. Nektarios film "Man of God" can now be viewed for free on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldUGahNlMRk

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

I guess he is nauseated when he sees her trash

It only takes one sentence to tear someone down, but it only takes one sentence to make somebody's day better as well.
You can say all manner of things, but in the end, what is in your heart will come out.

We must be sure that what we say is really what is in our heart. If we don’t have anything good to say, then we should just leave it unsaid.
What is in your heart will come out of your mouth eventually. What is in your heart?

(Our Daily Strength)
FB

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

Welcoming the Christ-Child: Tomorrow, 11/15, begins the Nativity Fast where we begin preparing ourselves for Christ to be born anew in the Bethlehem of our hearts.
There are scripture readings for each day of the fast with a corresponding ornament for each reading.

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

This is one of my big themes. A lot of commentary out there -- even from Christians -- is designed to drive people to fear, anger and despair. Many even profit from it.
But Christianity is about hope in Christ, which yields peace and confidence. It leads to creativity.
Since sin came into the world, there has always been darkness. But the darkness is being driven out by Christ, the decisive victory already won, and His enemies the demons are in retreat.
So let us, with all hopefulness, join Him in rescuing people from their hatred and despair, to hope and joy.
A blessed feast of St. Nektarios to all.

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

“Sex,” I was pretty sure, meant whether you were a boy or girl, and “sin” made Tante Jans very angry, but what the two together meant I could not imagine. And so, seated next to Father in the train compartment, I suddenly asked, “Father, what is sexsin?”
He turned to look at me, as he always did when answering a question, but to my surprise he said nothing. At last he stood up, lifted his traveling case from the rack over our heads, and set it on the floor.
“Will you carry it off the train, Corrie?” he said.
I stood up and tugged at it. It was crammed with the watches and spare parts he had purchased that morning.
“It’s too heavy,” I said.
“Yes,” he said. “And it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It’s the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you.”
- from The Hiding Place: The Story of Corrie Ten Boom
We are asking our children to carry loads that are way too heavy for them. They should not be forced, as children, to see and feel the world through the lens of adults. Innocence is worth protecting and worth fighting for. We need to do our part as teachers, parents and caregivers to carry certain things for them until they are old enough to bear the load.

FB, Clint Bryant

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

Amen

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

Today's Readings
Matthew 28:16-20

St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 2:4-10

Luke 12:16-21

The Gospel According to Matthew 28:16-20

At that time, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age. Amen."

Prokeimenon. Mode Plagal 2.
Psalm 27.9,1
O Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance.
Verse: To you, O Lord, I have cried, O my God.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 2:4-10

Brethren, God who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God: not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

9th Sunday of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke 12:16-21

The Lord said this parable: "The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." As he said these things, he cried out: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

Amen!!!

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова

If you're convinced (or are in the business of convincing others) that the end of the world is upon us, that the Great Apostasy is coming, that your country is about to collapse, that your political system is on the verge of takeover by a hostile force, that a vast conspiracy is at work, etc., then you can justify a lot of very bad behavior for yourself and others.

But if we look at what the saints of the Church did in moments when such collapses really were happening, we don't see them engaging in that behavior.
Even the most outlandish of them -- the holy fools -- would not be harmful and cruel to people. They also did not try to break up parish communities to try to "purify" anyone who would listen to them. And most notably, they accepted with love and patience the suffering that came to them for their anti-social way of living.

Most millenarian analyses and predictions really are nonsense. Some are not, of course. But let's assume for a moment that they're all true.
If all the conspiracies are real, if all the bishops of the Church are heretics and apostates, if our government truly has become totalitarian or fascist, if the world truly is ending, what is God looking for in the midst of this?

He is not looking for the rabble rouser.
He is not looking for the one who destroys relationships within communities.
He is not looking for the pundit.
He is not looking for the revolutionary.
He is not looking for the complainer.
He is not looking for the Donatist, the Novationist, or the Puritan.
He is not looking for any such hopeless, dark spirit.

He is looking for the faithful.
He is looking for faithfulness and hope in the midst of hardship.
He is looking for the voices that see that large-scale suffering is an opportunity and means to repentance.
He is looking for the beauty amidst the destruction.
He is looking for the righteous man and woman.

He may call some to be prophets and fools for Christ. You will recognize them by their humility and their willingness to suffer. You will recognize them by the fruits of their words and deeds, that they are fruits of repentance, that they lead to increase of love, joy, peace, sobriety, and self-control. You will recognize them because they will look and sound like the saints of old, who always strove for the unity and holiness of all in Christ. They will call people to repentance, and the holiness of their lives will shine out brightly with love, joy and peace.
Most of us are not called to be prophets. But all of us are called to faithfulness. All of us are called to hope.
In other words, even if the world (or some world) really is doomed, the mission of the Christian remains exactly the same. There is never a warrant for bad behavior, because the ends do not justify the means, because an evil time does not justify evil words and deeds. Extreme circumstances may call for extreme measures, but the only truly justified extremity is an increase in our repentance. We do not battle monstrosity by becoming monsters.

Christ told us that in this world we would have trouble. And the response to that trouble that He enjoined was not to be angry, to divide, to tear down communities.
It was to be of good cheer.
Because He has overcome the world.
When the saints talk about the end of the world, they always point toward the life of the world to come. And that's why they build beauty even in this world, to draw everyone to life in Christ.
It's easy to be a critic. But let's be builders.
Look for the beauty, the humility, the creativity. And nurture more of that.
The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. So let's do what that requires.

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
Только нашей земли не разделит
На потеху себе супостат:
Богородица белый расстелет
Над скорбями великими плат».

Анна Ахматова