Many Years!

Congratulations are in order! Our good friends Zac and Lindsey Wingerd are now the proud parents of the good lookin' fella to your right. May I present to y'all: Joshua Alexander Wingerd, who will, Lord willing, be baptized in May under the name Alexander and have as his patron St. Alexander Nevsky. This birth is even more joyful than just any birth for Audra and myself, for we are to be the young child's godparents! We thank God--and Joshua's parents--for granting us this honor.

Audra and Hope, who is being held here by Lindsey's mom, went to see the family while I was at school today (I'll see them tomorrow, Lord willing), and Hope was apparently puzzled as to why she could not play with her fellow munchkin. It truly does amaze me to look at pictures of babies this small and to think that only nine months ago, mine was (almost) that small and that inactive. Amazing, God's creations...how marvelous are His works; in wisdom has He made them all...

Bush/Clinton Imitation

...but mostly Bush...

This guy's talented, and funny as heck...

I Hate Them Because They're Mexican...

...or so those who protested in Dallas/Ft. Worth would have me believe.

Ridiculous protests like these just baffle me. We had students walk out of my school today (and schools around the Metroplex), joining protests, the purpose of which most of them probably didn't even understand. But aside from those who thought it was just an easy excuse to get out of class, the angry reasons shouted into TV camaras from those who took the protests seriously truly got under my skin...I paraphrase here...

"Man, these people wouldn't have anybody to wash their dishes, sweep their floors, fix their houses if it weren't for us! And now they wanna tell us we gotta leave, man, it's racist!"

"I'm proud of being Mexican! And now they tell me I'm a criminal because I'm Mexican!"

No, dear...we're telling those who completely disregard the rules of this country, who sneak in and take advantage of the free public schools, the health care system, the tax-free wages--all the while contributing nothing in return in the way of taxes--that they are, in fact, criminals, for this is what they are. Last I checked, acting as though the laws do not apply to you was the definition of a criminal. Were I, as a white man, to ignore the dreaded date of April 15th and simply not pay my taxes, I would be a criminal, for I would, in effect, be saying to the government, "I'll take all the benefits that this country gives me, but I'm above all this "contribution" stuff; why should I have to give anything back?"

No, damas y caballeros, all the arrogant slogans, the "Aquí estamos, ¡y no nos vamos!" signs ("Here we are, and we're not leaving," for you monolinguals ;-)), only point to a sickening trend in American thought that excuses an entire personality type--the mooch, be s/he Hispanic, white, black or plaid--from being held accountable for the ungrateful act of taking, taking, taking, and feeling no obligation to give anything back to a country that, wealthy though She may be, can only do so much with such a drain on Her economy.

I, for one, hope that the fence goes up and the border guard's increased. It'll save these guys from doing something the government should have been doing all along. I'll repost what I feel needs to be done (which was originally posted in the "these guys" post above)...and which, thankfully, seems to be in the process of being done! Nice surprise from Congress...

"Like I said, I'm for immigration, but done properly--Properly being comprised of two parts:

1. Tighter borders to keep out illegals--which apparently isn't (and won't) happen to an effective degree, hence the justification for civilian groups like this one to (for now, harmlessly) draw attention to it like this. Then (to continue in my dream world) once borders become heavily guarded and it becomes very difficult (at best) to come over illegally, we need to move to step two:
2. Easier, more efficient processes for admitting, registering and naturalizing legal immigrants. The complaint that they're draining the economy? Solved, as we tax their (normalized) wages, which contributes to the economy. The fact that they're stealing "our" jobs? Solved, as now there's a lot more to lose for companies to hire naturalized citizens at pennies a day...not the case when you hire a bunch of illegals who can and want to stay below Uncle Sam's radar. Now one person=one person; an immigrant fills only one position instead of a nameless mass taking over positions citizens would normally fill."

No Stinkin' Way!

Nothin' new under the sun...I can't believe the name(s) of the saint in the second entry on this page of oca.org.

Just when I thought I was being original...

A Good Good-Bye

Yeah, I know, ANOTHER post today...last one, I promise...

As some readers may know, we have, for several months, been trying to find a suitable new home for our dog, Brigid--a 90-lb. Lab-Husky mix (at least, that's as near as we can figger) with a sweet disposition. We are just not able to devote the time to her that we should, and she deserves folks who'll be able to run (not walk; she's feisty) her on a regular basis, plus give her a sizeable backyard to dominate and chase squirrels in, unlike us in our zero-lot house.

We finally had some luck with a couple down in Ft. Hood, the military base near Killeen, so after all was arranged, we drove down today after Annunciation Liturgy--2.5 hours--and introduced dog to new owners. Said our good-byes, but it was quite nice: no tears, no sentimentality (though tonight we did miss the familiar "WUFF!" that greeted us every time we came into the house), mostly because we knew that she was in a better place, with folks who not only wanted her as we did, but who would give her what she needed and deserved. She's such a good girl.

So here's to you, Brigid. Thanks for three years of great memories. We love you, sweetheart, and will miss you, but are glad to know you'll be happy.

Love,

~ Daddy (and Mama)

(::sniff:: [swallows lump])

For All (Yankee) Immigrants

Fr. Joseph Huneycutt just posted a great litany of things real Southerners know. Thought I'd share some my aunt-in-law emailed us the other day...

A man who just moved from Southern California to Georgia was, at the state line, given a list of twenty-five things that immigrants to the South should know:

If you are going to live or visit in the South, you need to know these rules.

1. That farm boy you see at the gas station did more work before breakfast than you do all week at the gym.

2. It's called a "gravel road." No matter how slow you drive, you're going to get dust on your Navigator. Drive it or get out of the way.

3. The red dirt -- it's called clay. Red clay. If you like the color don't wash your car for a couple weeks -- it'll be permanent.

4. We all started hunting and fishing when we were seven years old. Yeah, we saw Bambi. We got over it.

5. Go ahead and bring your $600 Orvis Fly Rod. Don't cry to us if a flathead breaks it off at the handle. We have a name for those little 13-inch trout you fish for -- bait.

6. Pull your pants up. You look like an idiot.

7. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of mallards are making their final approach, we will shoot it. You might want to ensure it's not up to your ear at the time.

8. No, there's no "Vegetarian Special" on the menu. Order steak. Order it rare. Or, you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the two pounds of ham and turkey.

9. Tea - yeah, we have tea. It comes in a glass over ice and is sweet. You want it hot -- sit it in the sun. You want it unsweetened -- add a lot of water.

10. You bring Coke into my house, it better be brown, wet, and served over ice.

11. So you have a sixty thousand-dollar car. We're real impressed. We have a quarter of a million-dollar combine that we only use two weeks a year.

12. Let's get this straight. We have one stoplight in town. We stop when it's red. We may even stop when it's yellow.

13. We eat dinner together with our families. We pray before we eat (yeah, even breakfast). We go to church on Wednesdays and Sundays and we go to high school football games on Friday nights. We still address our seniors with "yes, sir" and "yes, ma'am," and we sometimes still take Sunday drives around town to see friends and neighbors.

14. We don't do "hurry up" well.

15. Greens - yeah, we have greens, but you don't putt on them. You boil them with salty fatback, bacon or a ham hock.

16. Yeah, we eat catfish, bass, bream (pronounced brim) and carp. You really want sushi and caviar? It's available at the bait shop.

17. They are pigs. That's what they smell like. Get over it. Don't like it? Interstate 85 goes two ways - Interstate 40 goes the other two. Pick one.

18. Grits are corn. You put butter, salt, and maybe even some pepper on them. If you want to put milk and sugar on them, then you want Cream of Wheat - go to Kansas. That would be I-40 west.

19. The "Opener" refers to the first day of deer season or dove season. Both are holidays. You can get pancakes, cane syrup, and sausage before daylight at the church on either day.

20. So every person in every pickup waves? Yeah, it's called being friendly. Understand the concept?

21. Yeah, we have golf courses. Don't hit in the water hazards. It spooks the fish and bothers the gators - and if you hit it in the rough, we have these things called diamondbacks, and they're not baseball players.

22. That Highway Patrol Officer that just pulled you over for driving like an idiot -- his name is "Sir," no matter how young he is.

23. We have lots of pine trees. They have sap. It drips from them. You park your Navigator under them, and they'll leave a logo on your hood.

24. You burn an American flag in our state, you get beat up. No questions. The liberal contingent of our state legislature -- all four of them -- enacted a measure to stop this. There is now a $2.50 fine for beating up the flag burner.

25. No, we don't care how you do things up North. If it is so great up there, why not visit a Northern state or stay there? And no, down here, we don't have an accent: you do.

Happy Feastday!

One of my favorites of the year; so glad I don't have to miss work to attend in a few hours! Sprazdnikom!

Epistle Reading
Gospel Reading
Troparion and Kontakion

The Psalms of David -- Psalm 26

I seem to have gotten away from these...today's psalm is a goodie to come back to...

But first, a commercial!

First off--and I'm not sure how many of you will know of this band (I know at least three who read this blog will)-- but there's this Christian band called Waterdeep who put together a praise and worship album several years ago called Enter the Worship Circle, and one of the songs--Land of the Living--is based on this, so the melody invariably starts up when I read this. For those of you raising your eyebrows at an Orthodox Christian who's (still) listening to a praise and worship album, normally, yes, I eschew such things, but these guys are an exception, big time. Most of the songs' lyrics are psalms, almost verbatim, and the artistry--not to mention the singers' mystical leanings and humble hearts--is awesome.

And apparently the site doesn't feel the need to post the lyrics to ONLY this song. Sigh. Here goes...

One thing I ask of you,
This is what I seek
That I may dwell in your house
Feel Your presence wash over me

One thing I ask of You,
This is what I need
That I may hide in Your hand
Feel Your presence all over me

But I am confident
Of this one thing
That my eyes will be blessed
When they gaze upon your beauty
And my lips will be sweet
When they whisper words of praise
And my heart will be dancing
When it knows that You are with me
And I will see Your goodness
In the land of the living

So. Good stuff. Now back to our regularly sheduled program...

I always tend to see--as those of you who read can attest--the opportunity to encounter the Persons of the Holy Trinity in any situation as the ideal motive for anything we do. Seeing such as ideal and actually persuing such in one's own life are two very different things, of course, but it's a start...and I guess that's why this psalm sticks out; Prophet David knew how to encounter God, or at the very least desperately wanted to:

4One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

5For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

...

7Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

8When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

9Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

10When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

...

13I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

14Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Metr. Anthony Bloom, of blessed memory, wrote that the problem with many peoples' prayer is that they approach God in prayer wanting something other than God (I'm paraphrasing horribly; forgive me)...and this something can be anything from worldly power to healing to even holiness (because we all know how great holiness makes us look in front of other people). No, the Metropolitan exhorts us, none of these ulterior motives are legitimate substitutes for a desire for an encounter with the living God in prayer, a soul-to-soul union with the Godhead. Moreover, these other motives are the reason why some of our prayers are so fervent and others are mechanical and cold: we have moved away from the true object of our heart's desire while in prayer.

David got this. Holy Prophet, pray for me.

A Particularly Excellent Issue...

...of The Lion, the monthly newsletter of St. Mark's in Denver, the (unofficial?) flagship parish of the Western Rite in the Church here in America. Covers missions, fasting, confession. Excellent articles, all three. Read it here.

And may God grant his WR children many years; may they increase in numbers and piety.

My Conversion Story

If you've got the time, my conversion story from Protestant Evangelicalism to Orthodoxy is finally in electronic form here -- or you can click on the sidebar in the future.

Read it, then comment there (or in this post, wherever you like) if you wanna. It'll be interesting to see if it generates any conversation...

We're in! (Kinda...)

So Audra and I get back to Ft. Worth last night (at 11:30), and actually get a good night's sleep (thanks, Anza!). We go to the new building for Divine Liturgy this morning, and see THIS beautiful thing to your right!! The photo doesn't really do it justice--even the enlarged version--but the things just looks GOLD. Gorgeous, and what's even better: the A of G megachurch behind us has these two spotlights that shoot up behind it, giving off this kind of [does jazz hands and sings in high-pitched voice] "Ahhhhhhhhh!" aura. Bet they didn't know they'd be advertizing for an Orthodox Church when they did *that*. ;->

It was funny--over the phone Father Basil had said we were going to have a sort of "bare bones" liturgy--makes me think that perhaps, given our (soon to be former) mission status, most of our previous liturgies were "bare bones," as the only real difference I noticed (though this may come from having never served altar) was that today we were sans iconostas, and the rest was much the same, except for the fact that we had LOADS more elbow room.

Fr. preached today on St. Gregory Palamas--he of course, tied it in with the new building by saying that St. Gregory had a great deal of responsibility in the Church; we have a responsibility to take care of what God's given us in this building, etc--but mostly it was about making our whole lives the ceaseless prayer, the constant meditation on and abiding within the Holy Name of Jesus that St. Gregory stood for, about always making ourselves open to the divine Grace of God--which is the energies of God, and therefore God Himself, ultimately--that deifies us, truly making us as He is.


Father, as you can see, is here presenting the gifts, along with the petitions we all have individually, on the Holy Altar to become Eucharist. Was very odd actually seeing him do this, with nothing between him and us. Very western; reminded me of Catholic masses...


All in all, a wonderful Sunday... unfortunately, it was a "one-day pass" courtesy of a financial gift from an impressed contract worker--we had done so much work he wanted us to be "in" by a certain day--and therefore Presanctified tomorrow will be in the old building. Father did say, however, that there is a chance that Annunciation Liturgy this coming Saturday will be in the new facility. Drove by this afternoon and saw the dome--seen here in relation to the rest of the building--gleaming in the sunlight, as opposed to this gloomier backdrop. Quite a sight. Thanks be to God.

Previous Phases:
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 4
Phase 5
Phase 6
Phase 7
Phase 8
Phase 9

Tulsa

Spring Break is finally here, so it was a quick finishing up of mid-term grades, and here we are now in Tulsa, in my aunt and uncle's house. Anza (short for Esperanza, Hope in Spanish) and Audra are both sleeping after a particularly hard night. We got in early yesterday afternoon, and went to St. Antony's before presanctified in order to talk to Father for different reasons. Audra, to ask Fr.'s blessing to be the sponsor of a friend of ours who's a catechumen there and is slated to be chrismated on Holy Saturday (which means a BIG trip for Mommy and Baby come late April, but Audra wants to do it, so...), and I to ask Father's forgiveness for speaking badly of him during my time as a catechumen under him (his way of putting things and my way of understanding things did not always mesh, which frustrated me--a frustration I made known to many people, save Fr. himself, of course). Thanks be to God, both requests were answered positively, so Audra will be a godmother (again!) and I am restored to a clear relationship w/the priest I do owe so much to.

After the talks with Fr., presanctified, Byzantine style. But first, a bunny trail!

I've said it before, but not on here (I don't think), that I converted to Orthodoxy in spite of the Eastern Rite, not because of it, as so many did. Not knowing how the (often rather complex) services ran at the time, the added confusion of the Byzantine tones (which I inevitably tried to dissect while hearing them) made for a stumbling block of sorts, though I still enjoyed the services, more or less. I was eager to join the Western Rite church when Audra and I moved to Ft. Worth, but Audra's clear preference of Eastern Rite led us to join the OCA parish--and I have to say, I'm glad. Not because of any animosity towards the Western Rite (on the contrary, I think it's a cause in the Church whose time has definitely come and through whose presence we as a Church will be enriched), but because I was able to experience Eastern Rite sans Byzantine tones, and this Russian expression of Orthodoxy has become my home. Now that I'm much more familiar with the flow of the Eastern Rite services (much more than I ever was with the Western ones), I can go back to St. Antony's and participate SO much more fully in the services...and now I'm thinking, "Wow, what pretty music!"

Back to presanctified. Father let me chant with Reader Michael and Mrs. Saliba, and I took ison (the "drone" underneath the melody)--gorgeous, eternal music. We seemed simply to rest in the presence of the Gifts which had been prepared for us last Sunday, humbly yet consistently approaching the throne in passionless waves, in ebbs and flows of praise and repentance. Afterwards, a Lenten meal with the few who showed up (including Julie, who showed up AFTER communion--Hi, Julie, if you're reading this! ::grin and wink::). Good food, several people asking me if I've been or am going to be ordained a sub-deacon soon...sigh...must be the cassock. Sepa Dios. God knows. Glad to say that I have absolutely NO desires either to pursue anything further in the ranks of the clergy or to run away from any calling I might feel otherwise. I always tell people who ask about that, "Ask me again when I'm thirty." Why the hell anyone would want to listen to a twenty-six year old kid is beyond me.

Will go today, God willing, to meet a cousin of Audra's who lives in Arkansas and whom Audra hasn't seen in years. St. Patrick's Day party over at the house of some friends from St. Antony's on Friday. Will call St. Barbara's in Ft. Worth on Fri. night to ask about whether or not the permit for occupancy went through; if so, we'll be heading back Saturday. If not, we'll just stay and go to Liturgy on Sunday @ St. Antony's (the thought occurs to me: if we were to move back to Tulsa, I would most likely have to attend Holy Apostles (the OCA mission) or ask for a release from Vladyka if I wanted to attend St. Antony's. Huh. Different world.)

Officially an Orthodork!

Or Geek Orthodox, or whatever else you wanna call me...

Seriously, a thank-you to Stacy, whose invited me to be a contributor to The Orthodork Café. Goin' through Schmemman's Great Lent now, apparently; good sounding board for "all things Orthodorky," as the site claims.

Plowing Ground

Canon of St. Andrew last night--Audra's due to return shortly from tonight's installment of the same, the second of the four which occupy the first four evenings of our Lent--if there's one thing those canon verses remind me of, it is this: I do not take my sin as seriously as it merits being taken.

The constant prostrations, bowing with my face to the ground over and over, serves as an insistent reminder that I, though I have been reconciled to Christ in baptism, am still yet a pilgrim who is working out that reconciliation through repentance, and yet, who knows that that very repentance is wholly insufficient to solve the problem that plagues our race: the glorification of our nature. Were this not a matter of metanoia, but rather simply a matter of "doing the 'right' thing" while "avoiding the 'wrong' thing," we would not need an incarnate Savior. We acknowledge that we are, indeed, sick--the canon points out just how gravely sick we are!--and that, were it not for a divine Savior taking unto Himself our diseased flesh and healing it, thus giving us a passage out of the quickly-rotting world of fallen humanity, all our prayers would be no more than syllables passing through still-decomposing flaps of flesh, all our prostrations merely the creaking of dry bones already bowing to the earth which would forever swallow them.

Because, however, humanity and divinity are reconciled in the Body of our Lover and our Lord, our repentance actually serves a purpose, and what is impossible for man becomes possible--gloriously, miraculously, unfathomably possible!--with God. Our fasting, our abstinence, our alms, our prayers, our countless "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me"s, now serve to till the ground of hearts who no longer need to wait for the scorching wind of death to bury them, but who will now receive the warmth of Maker's sun as glorious nourishment, the draught of His rain as merciful sustenance for growth into that which His most fanciful of angels might only dream of being possible.

Let us pray, then, keeping in mind both the "the goodness and severity of God" (Rom. 11:22) which surrounds us.

Great Lent

My favorite hymn was sung tonight at Forgiveness Vespers:

"Let us begin the fast with joy! / Let us prepare ourselves for spiritual efforts! / Let us cleanse our soul and cleanse our flesh! / Let us abstain from every passion as we abstain from food! / Let us rejoice in virtues of the Spirit and fulfill them in love! / That we all may see the Passion of Christ our God, / and rejoice in spirit at the holy Pascha!

Have a joyous and fruitful Lenten season, my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Flyin' Over Ft. Worth

"And Be Thankful."

Colossians 3:15: "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."

Yesterday had to have been a record high for N. Texas--80-something at the end of February--and today is looking like the same with a high of 87! Sunny, warm weather's bound to put anybody in a good mood, but doubly so* with me because of several reminders...

First, a word from one of my vice-principals which, though they ususally be cheesy and Hallmark Card-esque, hit me right this time...he's a pastor, and from time to time puts these inspirational emails in our school conference email system. Yesterday we were greeted with this:

I am Thankful...

For the wife who says it's hot dogs tonight, because she is home with me, and not out with someone else.

For the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato, because he is home with me and not out at the bars.

For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes, because it means she is home, not on the streets.

For the taxes I pay, because it means I am employed.

For the mess to clean after a party, because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

For the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat.

For my shadow that watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine.

For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home.

For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means we have freedom of speech.

For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking and I have been blessed with transportation.

For my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm. For the lady behind me in church who sings off key, because it means I can hear.

For the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means I have clothes to wear.

For the weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been capable of working hard.

For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it means I am alive!

Not only did that put things in a better perspective (and prompt meditation on the Scripture verse above), but immediately after reading this I got a call from Audra (and Hope, of course) who wanted to go for a walk in this beautiful weather...so I went home, changed, and we walked--the four of us (large, sweet dog included)--to Sonic for ice cream. Warm breeze in the face; good conversation with a beautiful, giving woman; gigantic, two-toothed baby-smiles and squeals; thick coldness on the tongue (God bless cheese week!)--truly much to be thankful for.

And speaking of cheese week, the slightly modified, just-before-Great-Lent-really-kicks-in diet was just enough to find a connection with God, both through the asceticism of His Church, and in His creation. It's been too long since I've walked and/or run, I realized. The God who shines and sends rain--and, thanks be given to Him, He just gave us a much needed rain this past weekend--is seen every day by those who will drink in His Creation and then turn to Him in thankfulness.

*For an additional meditation on thankfulness (brought on by my use of "doubly so"), read the lyrics to Rich Mullin's song he wrote for Amy Grant called "Doubly Good to You" here.

Of Chews and Chips and Ceiling Whacks, of Cabbie Jazz and Kinks...

...Audra and I came up with that parody of a line in this poem last night...thought it an appropriate (or, rather, sufficiently-random) lead-in to this, a Shakespearean version of everybody's favorite roller-rink activity...found among various and sundry Shakespearean parodies here...

The Shokey Pokey

O proud left foot, that ventures quick within
Then soon upon a backward journey lithe.
Anon, once more the gesture, then begin:
Command sinistral pedestal to writhe.
Commence thou then the fervid Hokey-Poke,
A mad gyration, hips in wanton swirl.
To spin! A wilde release from Heavens yoke.
Blessed dervish! Surely canst go, girl.
The Hoke, the poke -- banish now thy doubt
Verily, I say, 'tis what it's all about.

-- by William Shakespeare (Jeff Brechlin, Potomac Falls)

House Blessing

Posted quite a bit after the fact--this happened on the 18th--Fr., Matushka and their son Nick were over for the blessing of our home. Some photos:

The icon (propped up on salt and pepper shakers, of course!) of the Theophany--the revelation of God as Trinity, seen in Baptism of Christ--in front of the bowl which would hold the holy water, laid out on a white tablecloth, as per Orthodox custom.


Fr. Basil and Nick with Hope--Nick's "mean-muggin'" here...






A nicer Nick w/Hope...awww...







Matushka bouncing Hope on her lap while Hope had a serious conversation with her and Father, mostly along the lines of, "AwahwahWAH!!"





Close-up of Matushka and Hope.

The Psalms of David -- Psalm 25 (and thoughts on today's DL)

VINDICATE ME, O GOD...

We are all fallen creatures. Twice in this psalm there's the idea of innocence--washing your hands in innocence, and thus returning to the innocence of Eden.

Innocence involves a purification of our relationships with those with whom we worship in the beauty of the house of God (v. 8). It also involves our relationship with God Himself. This relationship, when restored to its original, innocent position of total dependence on God for everything from our next breath to our mortgage payment, involves not only a real change on our part ("my integrity," v. 11), but an acknowledgement that, even when we do our part, we still require His help ("redeem me, O LORD," the rest of v. 11).

Or, as Fr. Patrick says, "It is from the altar of repentance that we are rendered innocent, purged by a coal so ardent that not even the firery seraph dares to take it except with tongs."

Thought of this today, btw, during Liturgy...the Holy Eucharist is likened to Isaiah's coal, yes, but an even more direct comparison is the blood over the doors of the Israelites when they left Egypt. We, when we place the Blood of the Lamb on our mouths--one of the "doors" of the body, our senses--we prepare ourselves for death, knowing that death will pass over us when it sees the Blood of the Lamb.

Persecution of Serbs in Kosovo...

Lord, have mercy...

http://www.byzantinesacredart.com/iconographer-inspiration-kosovo3.html

Students are Risen!

WARNING: The following is an attempt at humor and should not be taken seriously so...y'all chill out.

"11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature,^[a] not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead" (Col. 2:11-12).

I hate to break it to Paul, but there's something he left out in regards to things powerful enough to raise the dead. It has been my very recent experience that there is, in fact, something at least as powerful as the power of God to inspire dry bones to move.

The name of this phenomenal cosmic power? School Athletics. Seriously, now: I swear to you, I have never seen so many dead-on-their-feet kids climb all over themselves (and each other) to make sure their grades are passing so they can play. I'm lovin' life right now at school, y'all. Good times.

I Love Rustic Churches...(Chapel in St. Herman's Seminary)

This picture is cool. It would be cool to pray here.

Fr. Dan Suciu

Went with Audra yesterday to St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Euless to hear Fr. Dan speak on Salvation and Baptism (two separate talks) from an Orthodox perspective. If you EVER get a chance to hear this guy, go. It is a rare find indeed when a person is able to intelligently explain Orthodox belief while keeping it on the level that your average layman can understand.

Check back here later on--either this evening or tomorrow--for notes on what he said. Of particular note: his knowledge and expertise in using Scripture to explain himself was both refreshing and impressive. Was delighted, also, at his insistence that knowledge of the Scriptures is a key--if not the key--to the spread of Orthodoxy throughout the world and the revival thereof in places it already is found.

More later...

The Psalms of David -- Psalm 24

TO YOU, O LORD, I LIFT UP MY SOUL...

This psalm, Fr. Patrick says, is basically a reflection of this one verse, and can encompass the entirety of our day, and indeed our lives:

• We lift our soul to Him in the morning; the psalm is prayed before morning work, at Third Hour.
• We ask Him to show us His ways, snatch our feet from the snares, and guard our souls; this goes on all day.
• We ask Him to remember us in this psalm when we pray it at Compline at night, though it could just as easily fit when prayed in the nighttime of our lives, before death.

My own thoughts here:

Thought of what Fr. Patrick had said in Ps. 21, that this series of ten psalms (through 30) was prayed, we could assume, by Christ on the Cross...no doubt that those who "transgress without cause" are the demons who scrambled to have Him crucified.

vv. 10-1 show a psalmist who recognizes that mercy and truth can be had only by those who fear the LORD...and that he, the psalmist, needs the LORD's pardon, for he does not fear Him as he should.

v. 13 is glorious...Christ, the One who fears and obeys the Father, will see His seed (that's the Church!) inherit the earth. May we be meek...wheat that grows in its place--not tares which must grow with the wheat within the Church, only to be winnowed apart and burned at the last due to pride and lack of love for God and neighbor.

Yay! Church Interior Pictures!

Previous Phases:
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 4
Phase 5
Phase 6
Phase 7
Phase 8

The following pics were taken today when I went to church for choir practice -- we practiced in the new building, so I got to click around and see all the new stuff (thanks, Matushka, for facilitating the "tour" of the great new altar we've got (see below). The first picture is the approx. ten-foot cross that will go on top of the huge gold-leaf dome which will go on top of the building. It is, as you can see, wrapped in what appears to be Saran Wrap. Huh.


Next up is the pic of the doors leading from the narthex to the nave. These are nice, wooden doors that work really well with the tile that is, as you can see, stylishly covering the concrete slab that we all stood on during the Abp's blessing visit on 12/4. Yes, that's Nick again.






From inside the doors, here's a pic from the back of the nave -- actually, it's sort of a "second narthex," since the two walls there are there to mark the back of the nave and, being moveable, will help us accommodate lots of folks for Pascha, etc. We're looking at the four quarters of the gold cupola, which are still awaiting the gold leaf. Once that gets here, the dome will be leafed and placed on top of the building! In the background you see the red-carpeted amvon and the just-made, traditional wooden altar.


This is a shot of the cupola quarters from the side. The thing is huge; it's probably about 10-12 feet high from base to tip, then add another 10 feet or so for that cross that's outside...whoo, boy...





Off to the side, opposite the cupola, is our new kitchen. Huge thing, this kitchen, which is great for us; we'll be able to properly facilitate our Old Country Christmas sales, which require much preparation of baked goods and pierogi...mmm...pierogi... {drools}



Interior of the very roomy kitchen, complete with nice wooden cabinets and cabinets, sinks...







...a range, an oven, and lots of other good stuff.








This is a classroom that's on the other side of the nave from the kitchen. This'll be used for everything from Church school to Adult Education.






The amvon, with Nick and Matushka sitting on the steps, waiting for the rest of the choir to get here...altar there in the background...






And now a close-up of the altar! This altar was made for us and paid for completely by donations (thanks be to God). It's a traditionally made altar for an Orthodox Church, which--aside from the three-bar cross on front--dictates that it be made entirely out of wood. No metal parts or tools or anything. No clue why that is, but the altar's gorgeous nonetheless. One of our altar servers (Steve!) asked if there was any way we could leave this uncovered for liturgies...unfortunately, no, but I felt the same desire myself while looking at it...


Matushka is showing us the reliquary in the top of the center of the altar; each Orthodox altar must have on it a relic of some saint in order to be used--I can't remember whose relics are on our current one. Next to the hole is a plastic bag with four wooden pegs that go in the corners of the altar once it's consecrated.


This small cross is on the side of the "lid" of the altar, on the side that is to face the people.







This is a storage unit we had built into the back of the altar (facing away from the faithful). It'll just be used to store some of the Holy Vessels, I think--chalice etc.





Close-up of the reliquary, pegs, and reliquary lid (also with cross engraved into front side of lid).

The Church Fathers (long!)

The following is a reply to a friend of mine who wanted to know what I thought about this article...basically an article about what Protestants are to make of the Church Fathers. You can read my response below, or go to the post itself, read it (it's long, too) and read what's here underneath in the comments section. Anyways, enjoy!

OK, so I really liked the first part of Steve's article, where he basically sets up how to approach the Fathers: things like "The church fathers have all the potential values and limitations of any historical observer," and "the chronological distance between the historical event and the historical witness is highly germane to the quality of his historical testimony" are both very good points, w/ which I obviously agree.

I also agree with the idea that "a heretic can be...an unwitting witness to the very thing he denies," though perhaps for different reasons than the author does. I see things such as belief in apostolic succession of bishops and the Church's preservation from institutional apostasy in the writings of Tertullian, for example, both pro in the writings made when he was a Christian, and contra when he was a Montanist. By this we can see that these two doctrines were held by the early orthodox Christians and denied by heretics.

Statement #4, about Eusebius, Hippolytus, and Julius Africanus, is good. Nice to know the author is willing to give these post-apostolic fathers a place.

Using the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the author says that "the mere fact that A knew B is quite insufficient to connect a particular belief of A with a particular belief of B unless that connection is explicitly made by the party in question." This is true. However, given the extensive nature of the training all of the sub-apostolic bishops had to have received from the Apostles, it's not at all likely that every last one of them would have misunderstood such a crucial doctrine, much less that they all would have erred on the side of insisting on the Real Presence instead of some being memorialists, some being consubstantialists, etc. The uniformity of the sub-apostolic witness on this subject--hardly a family reunion with arguing siblings or a woman slapping her forehead about questions missed--is too great to dismiss with an argument from silence.

#7 is one I hear a lot -- that the apostles misunderstood Christ's teachings, and the Church misunderstood the Apostles. Christ knew the former, which is why He promised the Spirit, which would bring all things to their remembrance and guide them into all truth. He also predicted the latter, as did St. Paul, that false prophets would come...yet the prediction about the gates of hell not prevailing, that the whole Church would not be led into error, stands, largely due to the authority of the appointed leaders of the Church to teach and instruct, that error may be overcome and the Church may continue to "grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ" (Eph. 4:15). That troubles would come is seen in Revelation, in the letters to the Churches, but as long as one lampstand remained (as was obviously the case), the apostolically-ordained community of the Church would continue.

The last sentence of Steve's article, which said that "a generic appeal to the church fathers can never trump grammatico-historical exegesis on this or that verse of Scripture," is interesting because, imo, the ante-nicean fathers *are themselves* the historical half of said exegesis! I assume, then, a father-by-father breakdown regarding specific mentionings of specific doctrines would help move away from such "generic" appeals...I do, btw, agree that too many people in Catholic and Orthodox circles simply say "The Fathers say..." with about as much readiness (and as little proof) as many fundamentalist Protastants who say "The Bible says..."

Der Fuerspreche's main idea--that the well-documented institutional apostasy of OT Israel paves the way for a similar NT Church institutional apostasy--is definitely one that seems as though it could easily be true--the NT Church was made up of people no less human than those who comprised OT Israel--but I do not see that specific prophecy made anywhere in Scripture. Indeed, the Isrealites are told in advance, by Moses himself, that they would indeed betray God as a nation and go after other gods, be punished, and return to Him. The NT Church is given no such prophecy by our Lord. Instead, the NT Church is called "His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:23). Instead of doing things on behalf of all the people (as the OT Levites did), the NT priesthood (the Apostles, ordained by the Great High Priest from the line of Melchizedek) were sent out to do what only God could do: forgive and retain the sins of men, and bind and loose with divine authority. Surely this would not be given to an ekklesia who, being just as brittle as OT Israel, would fall away so soon into obvious apostasy, or merely given to one generation of men (the Apostles), with the understanding that it was to be passed no further.

Christ's rebuttal of the Pharisees and Sadducees with written Scripture is also often used as a tactic in debates to say that one can do the same with extra-biblical Catholic and Orthodox teaching. Two thoughts on this: One--Christ had the benefit of being the Logos incarnate; it's a rather safe bet that His knowledge of the proper interpretation of Scripture would be *somewhat* thorough. Two--Protestants in any age cannot claim this, as they are simply men and women who read the Bible and come to (often very different) ideas of how the Catholic and Orthodox churches have strayed from biblical truth. This is hardly the authoritative voice we hear coming from Christ. Rather, we should look at how the Scriptures were received by the earliest Christians and, if there is, as St. Vincent of Lerins said, universality, antiquity, and consent displayed in the witness of these early men with respect to a particular interpretation of said Scripture, we can ascertain with reasonable certainty the original, historical theological meaning of said passage.

A Wondrous Extrapolation...

...thanks to Stacy for bringing the following to my attention.

Most of y'all read this from me last month...now read this from sky at Now and Ever for a much more exquisite extrapolation of my initial thought than I think I could ever make...

A Strange Meeting Day

Took the day off from school to attend the Divine Liturgy at church today for the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple. A beautiful service, full of light--and a very light feeling to it, as well--it was good to take a moment out of the middle of the week and touch Heaven for a moment.

Funny how those days can turn on you...the rest of the day seemed to be a blur of futility, one of those days where nothing gets done that needs (or so we think) getting done. Audra and I went to consolidate our insurance policies (car, house, etc), and a process that should have taken fifteen minutes took an hour and a half due to a talkative (but, admittedly, very amiable) agent. Then, up to school to have a pizza party for the Whiz Quiz kids I helped coach this year. I'd made announcements for the past three days. How many kids came out of the ten or so that participated? Two. Sigh. Looks like I've got lots of leftover pizza for lunches...

Yet the part that beat all came after about 3:30, when I realized my sub hadn't come up to my room to bring back the folder I'd left with instructions, assignments, etc. (we'd been down in the library that day). This was because said folder was still in my desk!! Not only had the substitute barely shown up in time to meet the kids in the library, but she had not followed my specific instructions to come up to my room first and get the folder to use for the day. This means playing catch-up on Monday with these classes (we're on block schedule). Double sigh.

Good day. Seriously. Especially in the light of the coming Pre-Lenten and Lenten season (this Sunday is Zacchaeus Sunday, folks! Pre-Lent is almost here!)...one of those "trial" days where we have the uncomfortable opportunity to continually hold before our souls the words of St. Simeon: "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation..."

García Márquez's Quixotic Love Story

Just finished Gabriel García Márquez's first novel in ten years, Memorias de Mis Putas Tristes (see sidebar), or, in the English version, Memories of My Melancholy Whores. GGM won the Nobel Prize for Literature in '82, largely due to his short stories and Cien Años de Soledad, a circular, confusing, but breathtaking novel about love, life, death, magic realism--in all their earthiness.

Memorias is not so profound a work as it is sadly quixotic--the main character, a 90-year old, retired columnist who's spent his life going from brothel to brothel for sexual encounters, decides to celebrate his 90th birthday by spending a night with an adolescent virgin. He spends that night, however, merely looking at the nude, sleeping girl, entranced by her pure beauty. The rest of the book details his repeated requests to spend night after night--an entire year--looking at the one he considers the only girl he's ever loved. Yet it's clear he merely loves the idea of her--at one point she briefly wakes and says something, and he decides immediately that he likes her better asleep--and is determined to remain ignorant even of her real name: his ideal woman--he calls her Delgadina for lack of an actual name--is really his Dulcinea. Sadder, pues, because, unlike Quijote, it is clear that our unnamed protagonist knowingly and overtly chooses to favor his idealism over that which is in front of him, yet still reminiscent of the Don, as his choosing to escape the imposition of his age (imposed by all around him, from co-workers to total strangers) through finding youthful feelings he'd never before experienced and tenaciously clinging to this surreal fantasy, states that one truly can be only as old as one feels.

Not his best work--the description is somewhat drier than Cien Años--but the earthy theme of falling for the young, virginal (and exploited) purity is faithfully visited yet again. An overall enjoyable read.

Finally...More Building Pics....

First things first...links to the previous phases of the building program:

Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 4
Phase 5
Phase 6
Phase 7

These are actually not representative of the most recent changes (I keep forgetting to bring the camera with me to church!), so those will be forthcoming (floors tiled, etc.); this is mostly of the blessing done by the Archbishop on his recent (12/4/o5) trip to our parish.


The first thing that's noticeable is the big glass doors at the main entrance! (That's Nick, the choir director and son of Fr. Basil, giving me his always-pleasant look...;-))









Once inside there's the drywalled entrance from the narthex into the nave (with glass panel above)...










Upon entering the nave we were greeted with the icon of our parish's heavenly patroness, St. Barbara the Holy Martyr.










Table with cross and holy water for the bishop's blessing of the building, with icons of the Lord and Theotokos on the ambon.









A wide shot of the ambon w/icons, and the table.








The Archbishop and Fr. Basil prepare for the blessing.








Protodeacon Patrick bows to Vladyka to begin the blessing.








His Eminence reads the gospel.








The Archbishop proceeds around the church, sprinkling it with holy water, while the choir sings, "When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest! For the voice of the Father bore witness to Thee, and called Thee His beloved Son! And the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the truthfulness of His word. O Christ our God, Who hast revealed Thyself and hast enlightened the world, glory to Thee!"

The clergy lined up for a photo op after the blessing.

You know what's not fair?

So Audra and I are with Hope last night, in her room, doing our shortened rule for Evening Prayers with her, and I'm trying to focus on the Trisagion Prayers or whatever I happened to be on, and I notice a little snickering coming from Audra, who's holding Hope. I look over and see, basically, what you're seeing to the right here. She not only has this onery grin on her face, but has reached over and grabbed my shirt sleeve and, with all the eloquence she can muster, declares the following:

"Aaaaah? AAAAAAAah! Nnn-GUH!"

We, of course, had to fight to keep from giggling through the benediction, but I, for one, would like to know exactly how one is supposed to clear one's mind and focus on the All-Holy Trinity when this little stinker is up to stuff like this. Makes me realize why bishops and monks are childless...