Discount on pre-order
https://bookstore.jordanville.org/9780884655077
Preordering helps everyone.
At this discount price you want to stock up to have a stash to give as gifts or even as special hand-outs.
A story of Holy Orthodoxy from Communist Russia
About Fr. Seraphim
Ordinary Wonders
Stories of Unexpected Grace
by Olesia Nikolaeva
chapter: "Another Source"
pages: 17, 18
https://bookstore.jordanville.org/9780884654230
In spite of his constant battle with the passions, Monk Leonid still had one: he was passionate about booklets. He especially loved those that were forbidden, all kinds of forbidden booklets: simply anti-Soviet ones, spiritually beneficial ones, and ones "in support of the New Martyrs."
We were constantly taking him new booklets printed in samizdat.1 In this way, he got his hands on a booklet by Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose), the spiritual son of St. John, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, about the end of days. It was called something like The Future of Russia and the End of the World. It affected him so much that he sent me to the Lavra to ask for a blessing from the elder Archimandrite Kirill to pass it around. And when the blessing was received, he hired a typist to retype four copies of this book, which he proceeded to hand out as required reading to his many pilgrims and visitors. But he didn't know how to pray for this Hieromonk Seraphim: was he living or reposed?
1. Samizdat is literature produced and distributed without official sanction as its contents would not have been approved by the regime.
No matter how many people he asked, no one could tell him, This depressed Fr. Leonid very much — he really wanted to pray for Hieromonk Seraphim. And so he convinced my husband and his novice, the old nun Pelagia, to drive him to the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius to see Elder Kirill.
They arrived after the service had already begun, and Monk Leonid went to the altar directly to Fr. Kirill.
"Fr. Kirill, this Hieormonk Seraphim — is he living or dead? How do I commemorate him?"
Fr. Kirill became silent, lifted his gaze upward for a moment, grew still, and then crossed himself and said sorrrowfully.:
"May he rest with the saints."
The next day late in the evening, the radio station BBC, to which our radio was tuned, announced that two days ago, the famous Orthodox writer and missionary Hieromonk Seraphim Rose, had died after a long illness. [August
Elder Kirill had learned of this from another source altogether.
Related
https://startingontheroyalpath.blogspot.com/2009/08/future-of-russia-and-end-of-world.html
Book: Elder Anatoly of Optina
The best way to learn how to discern false elders is to get to know true elders.
Elder Anatoly (Zertsalov) of Optina born 1824 in Moscow
not to be confused with Elder Anatole (Potapov) the Younger of Optina born 1855 in Kaluga
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Letters of St. Anatoly to Nuns
first published in Russian by the Kozelsk Optina Hermitage of the Entry of the Theotokos,Holy Trinity – St. Sergius Lavra Press, 1910
translated by Holy Nativity Convent, Boston Massachusetts 1991
2nd printing 2003 by Jordanville
The book includes a life of St. Anatoly provided by St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos in 1908, a glossary, an index, black-white portrait-photograph of Elder Anatoly. 300 pages.
More information here.
Order book here:
https://www.holytrinitypublications.com/a-collection-of-letters-to-nuns
A few pages from the book — from the life provided by St. Panteleimon Monastery:
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. . .If someone caused him grief or trouble and he could see that that person had done it from inexperience or without thinking, and sincerely regretted it, he would forgive him and never remember the incident again. However, when under the pretense of devotion to him, someone would take advantage of his trustfulness and candor to do him an injury, and on discovering that Father Anatoly knew of it would ask his forgiveness, Batiushka would forgive him, but would no longer trust him as before. And events would in fact show afterwards that this person had only a superficial attachment to him. . .
This observation sticks out to me. There is a lot of confusion about "forgiveness." It is too similar to the confusion about judgement, and now this shows how the confusion about forgiveness and the confusion about judgment are not only similar, but also connected. We can forgive somebody who does not deserve to be forgiven, even if the offender has not asked for forgiveness. In fact we have to forgive them even if we don't want to, because God commands it. But we can not trust them again. Not if we are going to be truthful. And here, with this little bit of information about the very sober elder Anatoly, now I know I do not have to feel that I have not accomplished complete forgiveness unless I also restore (pretend) trust. This allows me to instead trust my own discernment in a sober way, not in a self-willed way — in fact my own will could dearly want to trust the offender with the same trust I had before his trespass against me. Think of the battered wife who goes back to her abusive husband because she believes him when he promises not to hit her again.... she is just believing what she wants to believe. How sober is that?
Another thing the elder said in this book: truth is what matters.
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Two of my friends are diagnosed with cancer
It helps to know that breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer are all in the class of cancers caused by mutated genes.
5 minutes, Cancer Prevention and Survival
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-and-lifestyle-for-cancer-prevention-and-survival/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwDGkdPv0rU
6 minutes, Best Diet for Cancer Patients
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-diet-for-cancer-patients/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJg5N8a_dQM
6 minutes, Fighting Cancer with Food 10 Hallmarks
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/fighting-the-ten-hallmarks-of-cancer-with-food/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcAN8BjPjuE
8 minutes, How Not to Die from Cancer
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-not-to-die-from-cancer/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VX_oZBMSd4
Summary: Cancers caused by mutated genes can be reversed with a no meat/dairy/oil diet. The closer you stick to the diet, the greater your chances of a complete cure. Results show in tests in a little as 2 weeks.
Two Lists of Videos
1. https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cancer-survival/
2. https://www.youtube.com/@NutritionFactsOrg/search?query=cancer
from Joanna's notepad
Many other people I know, some of them in the Church, are dying now or have already died. One who already died had colon cancer. Every few months another section was surgically removed from her colon. In between surgeries there was chemo and radiation alternating. I told her about this diet, and her resistance was the most stubborn I have ever met. I don't think she even looked at the material I sent her, and then finally she yelled at me: MY BODY NEEDS MEAT!" She died believing that her body needs meat. That is the 2nd worst excuse I've heard.
The 1st worse — the worst — I won't say while the patient is still alive. But, I can say this: the top 2 worst excuses are both lies. (No "body" needs meat). The top worst excuse is likewise a lie. The difference is, with the 1st worst excuse I don't know where the lie is coming from. The 2nd worse excuse I know the lie is coming from her own self, it is something she wants to believe. The undisclosed 1st worst excuse I do not know if the lie is coming from the patient or from the doctor. Either way, both of these two worst excuses are what the patients want to believe. Both refuse to look at any facts that could change their belief. Note how close belief is to religion. The words 'belief' and 'religion' are used alike, considered synonyms.
Another evidence that "belief" is a factor in accepting diet as part of a treatment for disease: About 15 years ago, while Reader Daniel Everiss was still able to get around, not in a wheel chair, I offered to buy him a 10-day program offered by Dr. McDougall, where the doctor takes patients on a cruise and monitors them daily and feeds them all their meals. I begged Daniel to let me give him this gift. It was an all-you-can-eat 10-day cruise for people with type II diabetes. The doctor would bring them back home 10 days later completely cured of diabetes and off all diabetes medications. Daniel argued with me and ran out of exucses really fast, so finally he got down to the real reason, "JOANNA! LISTEN TO ME! I don't believe in it." I continued to press, because he does not need to believe in it, it works even if you don't believe in it. Then he had no answer, so he declared the subject off limits.
See how close dietary treatment is tied up with belief like if it is a religion.
Now, for Orthodox, we understand the truth of Orthodoxy remains true for everyone who ever lived/lives. But the dietary cure many people are still very "Protestant" about it, thinking thier body's needs are unique to them. With some things, yes -- one man's medicine is another man's poison. But for other things, — like arsenic or hemlock — we are all the same in that these are deadly poisons for humans. These tests and studies are being done on humans. So far there is nothing to indicate that one human could need a carnivore diet and another human need a herbivore diet. Every species has it's own natural diet. To put an Orthodox twist into these thoughts, remember in Genesis when God reluctantly gave in to the people demanding meat. And if you still believe in the caveman theory, then do yourself a favor and read Fr. Seraphim's book: Genesis, Creation and Early Man.
This has put me into wondering how to deal with the friends who won't even try the diet. I guess all I can do is allow a distance to grow between us, since I can't pretend with them that they need to eat meat, or that it doea not matter.
~jh
Biden Does Something Good
from Joanna's notepad
contains opinion
Biden has stepped out of his usual modus operandi. For the first time he has done something paternal for our country, instead of his usual relentless sabotage on every aspect of our country's well-being.
Recently, Biden has taken steps to slow down CCP takeover of the USA.
July 5, 2024
US Increases Scrutiny Over Chinese Land Purchases Near Military Bases
State and federal governments are increasingly concerned over real estate purchases made by foreign nationals from adversarial countries.
So what gives? Is it possible to believe that Biden has suddenly shifted from being evil to being good? No. Could I believe that maybe Biden really had some good in him all along, and now it is finally coming out? No. With Biden being a servant of Antichrist, I can only believe that somehow this is self-serving. But how?
Evil people often do turn on each other, distrust each other, lie to each other. We see it in the old westerns where the band of robbers is brought to its demise because of infighting among themselves. Maybe, here, CCP has not been forthcoming enough with their fellow-globalist pal Biden about their US land purchases... I can imagine CCP saying to Biden, "but we didn't think it was important enough to tell you... we meant no ill... we are just trying to insure our own food supply... etc." But now, maybe Biden isn't buying excuses, his suspicions have been aroused, he feels a threat.
I think it's interesting, it says at the very beginning of the article, it was the public that alerted Biden to problem. Exactly what that means is not clear, but probably it was not a specifically republican or democrat person or group. It was the public, and Biden, in his conceit, assumes the public loves him. Biden has to take the alert seriously if he is going to pretend to be American, he can't just brush it off, or else he could lose the respect of the public. But first, I think he was caught off guard, I think he was not forewarned that this land take-over was happening and that someday somebody would notice. Could he have known all along and just be pretending to be surprised? That's a possibility — he could have had a plan, but it turned out that his plan was not strong enough, so Plan B would be to feign shock/surprise.
Somewhere in our more recent Church teachings about Antichrist and end times, I recall it says that all the wealth in the world will be in the hands of a few. We see that happening clearly. Something else said is about the preparations for the advent of Antichrist, which is the times we are in right now. Vl. Agafangel calls our times, "pre-apolcalyptic." The world will prepare for the advent of Antichrist, like setting up dominos. And before Antichrist sets foot on the world stage, all the dominos will be ready to fall into place. The one world government, the one world church, the global money system -- everything will all fall into place at the same time. Antichrist's servants are preparing for this day, which will be the first day of Antichrist's 7-year reign.
Antichrist's servants who are preparing for his advent are not all aware of whom they serve. A few are surely aware that Satan is their god, but most of Antichrist's servants do not realize they are working for Antichrist -- most of them think they are serving themselves. The elite, for example — who are now gathering all the wealth in the world — they think they are gathering up the world's wealth for themselves. But in the end, to their surprise, all the gatherers will hand it all over to Antichrist, willingly.
I think what we have here is Biden suddenly seeing Xi Jinping not so palsy-walsy and more of a rival or adversary. All the evil world leaders all want the one world government, but, they each want to be the ruler of it. Their common goal of globalism only goes so far — who gets to sit at the top is where they stop agreeing with each other and cooperating with each other.
An Interesting Case of Terminal Lucidity
excerpt from Epoch Times article 6/11/24
https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/terminal-lucidity-many-patients-experience-an-unexplained-return-of-mental-acuity-in-their-final-days-5648005
Terminal Lucidity:
Many Patients Experience an Unexplained Return of Mental Acuity in Their Final Days
instances have been recorded in medical literature going back to the 19th century.
The case study of Anna Katherina Ehmer is one of the most famous studies of terminal lucidity, a phenomenon that continues to baffle researchers. [Researchers are baffled, but, for us there is nothing mysterious about this. We understand the difference between the brain and the soul.]
Ms. Ehmer, known as Käthe, was a German woman born severely disabled in 1895. At 6 years of age, she was sent to a mental institution where she would live until she died at the age of 26.
“Käthe was among the patients with the most severe mental disabilities who have ever lived in our institution. From birth on, she was seriously retarded. She had never learned to speak a single word. She stared for hours on a particular spot, then she fidgeted for hours without a break. She gorged her food, fouled herself day and at night, uttered an animal-like sound, and slept. In all the time she lived with us, we have never seen that she had taken notice of her environment even for a second,” recounted Dr. Friedrich Happich, who ran the institution.
Käthe suffered from several episodes of meningitis, which were thought to have “destroyed much of the brain tissue required for intelligent reasoning.” She also had tuberculosis, which led to the amputation of her leg and was the eventual cause of her death. She had never spoken a single word.
But, as she lay dying, something unexpected happened. She began singing to herself.
She sang—clearly and in perfect German—a funeral hymn. She sang to herself for a full half hour until she passed away.
‘Come immediately to Käthe, she is dying!’
“When we entered the room together, we did not believe our eyes and ears. Käthe, who had never spoken a single word, being entirely mentally disabled from birth on, sang dying songs to herself. Specifically, she sang over and over again ‘Where does the soul find its home, its peace? Peace, peace, heavenly peace!’ For half an hour she sang. Her face, up to then so stultified, was transfigured and spiritualized. Then, she quietly passed away. Like myself and the nurse who had cared for her, the physician had tears in his eyes.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDA6cIWp1do&t=97s
Duo Transeamus Wo findet die Seele 5 minutes
I was reminded of Fr. Seraphim's favorite classical piece, also German, "Ich Have Genug." Here is an excerpt from Not of This World, p.47.
|
Remember that Eugene, at his young age, was already aware that his lifespan would be shortened. Old people face the coming of their death more naturally. A young person is seldom given much time to spiritually prepare for his death. It very well could be that this premature-facing his impending death was an important ingredient in the making of his Orthodox Life. Of course the prayers of St. John were the core of the miracle of Fr. Seraphim, but this also was likely a very important necessary ingredient. •
Related:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/epochtv/johannes-brahms-a-german-requiem-op-45-post-5655414?
Brahms German Requiem op. 45
You need to be subscribed to see this 4-hour concert, and you want to be subscribed. A digital subscription is not expensive. If you are in serious financial distress, let me gift you a subscription: email me at joannahgginbotham@runbox.com using the email address you want me to submit to Epoch Times.
There is no greater value for the money that I know of — not even the Haiti Mission can do more with this little bit of money. So, I am very happy to help you.
One comment on the Brahams requiem of special interest:
Anton Novo June 2024
This work was written when Brahms was only 33. Most composers wait until they’re old to write a requiem, if they ever write one. This is a very small orchestra for this work but it sounds very good nonetheless. Most of the musical drama, such as it is, comes in the sixth part. Brahms orchestrated this to include two harps although they are only used in the second and seventh parts. I don’t see or hear them in this performance. The second part (“Because all flesh…”) is the most recognizable of the whole piece. The concertmaster is the first violinist of the Casal Quartett, an outstanding musician. (I have one friend in Switzerland – she lives near Zurich – whom I am sure was present at this performance although I can’t prove it.)
Autobiography of Abbess Thaisia
2024Jul2
UPDATE
Part V of Abbess Thaisia's Autobiography is uploaded to Shared Library
https://app.box.com/s/q86n9mwffp3tm5doyws9oufrso36bwr6
Her contribution to literature includes some of her poems.
Hello folks! 2024Jun23
To celebrate the feast today of Pentecost, I buckled down to finish making a pdf of the out-of-print book of Abbess Thaisia's Autobiography.
2nd version uploaded 2024Jun24 noon. 1st version had pages mixed up, the first page of chapter 15 came at the end instead of the beginning of the chapter. I fixed it. Please alert me to any other problems you find. There are probably more errors... joannahigginbotham@runbox.com
It took me all day. Some of the pages I scanned myself from the book (original 1989 edition) and some pages I took from scans from Orthodox Word magazines (after 1982) wherein the book was serialized after Fr. Seraphim's death and before it was published. I included a favorite photo of my own at the end.
When Platina published this book, they added parts 2,3,4,5. -- interesting history, funeral orations and some of the abbess' poetry.
This pdf I made is only part 1 — the autobiography that St. John of Kronstadt asked her to write. I included the preface/introduction composed by Platina book, because it is helpful, and by itself nothing harmful. We can thank Platina for making this book available to us in English. But — even in those earlier years when Platina was showing evidences that they were no longer on the same path as Fr. Seraphim.
The OW magazines after Fr. Seraphims death soon started to contain what Fr. Gregory Williams called, "landmines."
Starting with issue #144 (which contains a part of the serialization of Abbess Thaisia's Autobiography), Platina starts introducing false elders. This is just the beginning of their shenanigans. In this issue Platina introduces false elder Sophrony. This NEVER would have happened if Fr. Seraphim had still been alive...
Orthodox Word magazine
Volume Twenty-Five (1989)
Issue #144, Jan.-Feb. 1989, Vol. 25, No. 1: Icon of St. Silhouan by Terhi Norres, 1981
TABLE OF CONTENTS
4 Athonite Patericon: The Discovery of Monk Silhouan by Abbot Herman
11 The Life of Our Father Among the Saints, Silhouan the Athonite, from The Monk of Mount Athos by Archimandrite Sophrony, translated by Rosemary Edmonds
25 On Saint Silhouan: an Interview with Archimandrite Sophrony, from Paix, translated by Fr. Nicholas Giroux.
29 Spiritual Counsels: Kindling the Divine Spark — A Reminder to Honorable Nuns, Chapter 10 by St. Theophan the Recluse
31 Ascetic Theology: Guidance Toward Spiritual Life, Part XI, by Sts. Barsanuphius and John, translated by Fr. Seraphim
45 Service to Our Holy and God-bearing Father, Saint Silhouan of Mount Athos, translated from French by Fr. Nicholas Giroux
55 Modern Matericon: Abbess Thaisia, Chapters 19-20
I've collected some evidence against this pseudo-elder and inserted it at the top of the pdf of the issue in question. Box might force you to download the file before they let you see it. I am able to view it in Firefox without downloading it, but not so in Safari.
The file of this OW magazine is 81MB
attached caveat updated 2024Jul2
https://app.box.com/s/hdp4z5313x0x8y6j8dqh6b6272mh7zfa
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Folder Added To Shared Library: KGB
folder added to Shared Library:
KGB
https://app.box.com/s/rlnlx0tz9xohiux2t7xcqumnz78rd3t8
If using Safari you can't view without downloading.
Firefox works fine (today July 1, 2024)
inside the folder:
Journal of Post Soviet Democratization
all back issues archived here;
https://demokratizatsiya.pub/archives.php
"Checkists in Cassocks"
https://app.box.com/s/58x2hza6im6e8rbb05aziffv47qrlzv0
"KGB Not Ended 1991"
https://app.box.com/s/0n42hecq6pm9wxo5frdkf9nn6yp486jh
On Church Divisions
St. Philaret of New York †1985
St. Basil the Great is a strict, demanding hierarch with a firm hand, an inspired defender and keeper of Church truth and Church canons. However, when it came to those who had fallen into schism and afterwards returned, the strict Luminary would open the gates of the Church enclosure to them, attenuating in every way the requirements for those wishing to return. St. Basil would modify every strictness if only it would bring the lost sheep home.
But his tone decisively changes when those who had split off persisted and remained in that state. Then St. Basil states: "A schism which persists stubbornly and at length should be viewed as approaching real heresy; therefore such schismatics must be viewed as heretics, i.e., there should be no interaction with them." Here is the judgment of St. John Chrysostom: "Nothing offends God greater than division of the church, for even if you perform a thousand good deeds, you will be subject to no lesser judgment than those who scourged the body of Christ. If we sever the wholeness of the Church, such a sin cannot be expiated even by martyric blood. What I have spoken is directed at those who indiscriminately join those who separate themselves from the Church." How difficult and sorrowful it is to hear: "I attend any church I please. It does not matter that the hierarchs and priests don't get along; it makes no difference to me since there is One God and One Church." But look what Chrysostom says: "What I have spoken is directed at those who indiscriminately join those people who have separated themselves from the Church. If those who have become separate adhere to dogmas contrary to ours, i.e., they have distorted the faith itself, then it is clear that we must no longer have any interaction with them." In some cases they say that these churches teach as we do, that we have everything in common and all of it is correct. "But if they think the same as do we, then we must avoid them all the more!" said Chrysostom. Why is this so? Because this is the infirmity of vainglory.
This was the case, for instance, in both of out schisms: Metropolitan Platon and Metropolitan Evlogy did not wish to submit to the Synod of Bishops. They say they have the same faith and according to that faith they are as Orthodox as we. If this is so, then why are they not with us? The Lord is One, there is one faith, one baptism, one truth — not two graces, not two truths: if they are in the right, then we are in the wrong; but if we are in the right, then they are in the wrong. There are not two graces, Christ did not divide the Church. If they have left us and become separate because they consider us to be incorrect, then there must be one of two outcomes: either they have lost grace by separating from us and therefore have none, or they have taken it with them and away from us in which case we are without grace. How can people not understand this? The service appears to be the same, it all looks the same, and they say: "God is One, so to us there is no difference: the service is the same as over there." Once in Harbin, someone said to a priest: "Batiushka, why shouldn't I go there? They serve the same as we do. I can pray there as well, they have absolutely the same prayers and order, and everything in general." Then the priest took two 50 cent coins from his pocket and says: "Look, they are exactly the same, but one is real and the other is counterfeit. According to you if a peasant becomes literate, he can make his own church, sew his own vestments, and begin serving the same way we do, then does that mean that those will be genuine prayers and genuine mysteries?" To this Chrysostom says: "If we are in the right, that means they are in the wrong, but if they are in the right, then we are in the wrong."
You have probably read Metropolitan Iriney's response to our address in the newspapers. This is the response of the American Metropolia to the Sobor's letter. Previously, the American Metropolia had still called itself Russian, but now they even refuse to do this, stating, "We are NOT part of the Russian Church." Metropolitan Iriney writes that we are on different paths that we have too many differences, and therefore we should just pray together, that the spirit of Christian love calls us to concelebrate and pray together. When I read all these flowery phrases it was very depressing and unpleasant — for we know the true state of affairs, while all along they have been attempting to clamber up onto a position of benefit for themselves. We are speaking about the real state of affairs, for there are still too many essential differences of opinion preventing an instant union without first resolving the differences! Yet, they say, set the differences aside and let's just concelebrate and pray together since we are of one faith! Undoubtedly many are comfortable with this, not among the faithful children of the Church Abroad since they fully understand the issue at hand, but among the silent majority.
Having received our response in which we essentially are insisting on our previous proposal to meet and deliberate the differences fundamentally, Metropolitan Iriney wrote me the following:
"Your letter of January 31st absolutely clearly indicates that our proposal to first of all restore joint prayer, thereby paving the road to overcoming church division, is rejected by you. Meanwhile, as you reject it, you place the responsibility for this on us. You call my letter to you "polemically charged" and that in and of itself it is indicative of the lack of common grounds for unity. All the while, the focus of my letter was an appeal and proposal for rapprochement: to begin not with polemicizing, but with prayer, acquiring God's grace-filled aid. I permit myself to remind you of my words: 'Our division, caused by the tragic upheaval of our era, does not justify the separation in prayer and sacrament, therefore it is precisely through sacramental unity, joining us with Christ and in Him with each other, that we see the only path toward mutual understanding and reconciliation.' There is one solution: a return to this basic unity, unity in Christ in Whom we believe, the liberating and vivifying strength and joy of common prayer have not been violated by all these divergences of opinion. Any other path, any other inception will indeed be a continuation of the old path and will lead only to a greater exacerbation of our differences."
Yet, in the holy canons, which he circumvents with pious meekness, it states that if you pray with those of incorrect dogma, you will be excommunicated from the Church. But this is not mentioned. He then continues:
"Your Eminence (addressing me), are you indeed interpreting these words conscientiously as being 'polemically charged'? If so, then what could be the content of our discussions in an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust? How will we judge others for "living a lie" unless we first re-establish simple truth within ourselves and renounce out own crooked ways? And finally, how will we arrive at this is not trough prayer, if not through meeting each other in Christ? In your initial address to us, we hears a decisiveness to make a truly new step: a seeking of new paths. And we responded with complete genuiness and readiness in two proposals to begin the healing of the most terrible and temptation-ridden wound for everyone — the division of brothers in the faith, in spirit, in blood at the Altar of God. This holy cause needs no preliminary clarification; on the contrary, this meeting, we need only this meeting in Christ, and through that very unity the Universal Church will take the next steps! Steps along a new path, instead of a torturous stomping in the same spot in an inescapable impasse."
As I was reading, I recall that finally I figured it out: the constant use of flowery phrases about how good it is to be together and close saying that's where we should being, yet stubbornly not wishing to recognize that he want to begin at the end. This is what was written in the newspapers. I respond to him:
"Your Eminence, our correspondence through the press has reached an impasse and there is no point in continuing it, but I feel it is necesary to respond to your last letter. Appealing to my conscience you cite an excerpt from your previous letter and ask which part of the excerpt do I view as 'polemically charges'? But I don't see that in this excerpt. You did not cite your entire lertter which contains completely different expressions. You persistently avoid the main issue which separates us. Which one? You know yourself which one. You insistently call for joint prayer. It goes without saying that it would be great joy to restore such interaction! But that could begin only when the differences are on a personal level; in such cases it is clear "let's make peace and not be angry!" But when it comes to differences of a principled nature, according to the words of the Church: "Let us love one another so that with one mind we may confess," it is imperative to first achieve this onenes of mind and only after it is achieved, the joy of the accomplishment is crowned by joint prayer. remember the historical hierarchial council meeting: Metropolitan Evlogy, Metropolitan Feofil, Metropolitan Anastasy, Bishop Dimitri met to discuss differences on church matters. They did not start, but ended their meeting by concelebrating. In general, throughout the history of the Church there has never been a concelebration without oneness of mind. This is a purely ecumenical, contemporary invention. In the ecumenical way of thinking, love opens its broad embrace to all. But according to the astute and profound observation of the editor of "Pravoslavnaya Rus,'" this love intends to smother true Orthodoxy to death in its embrace. It is not in vain that the very apostle of love says that a man who speaks falsely about the truth should nto be greeted or received in the home, for the one who greets him participates in his evil doings.
When I spoke on this subject with His Eminence, the wise and peace-loving Archbishop Andrew of Rockland, he spoke so vividly and persuasively on this matter that I would like to quote his words in their entirely. Vladyka Andrey says:
"I recall an episode in the life of Blessed Ksenia of Petersburg. She was particularly popular among the merchant class. The merchants noticed that every visit from the bleaased one brought them success in trade. It was the same way with St. John of Kronstadt — when he would come to a merchant for something, God would send the latter success. Once at a certain trade center, some merchants managed to acquire several fragrant varieties of the best honey from a wealthy estate. They had white honey, buckwheat honey and honey from other flowers. Each had its own distinctive taste and fragrance. When the merchants mixed all these varieties together in one barrel, the fragrance and taste which resulted were beyond imagination. Thje buyers grabbed up the honey, without care about the price. Then suddenly Blessed Ksenia appreader: "Don't take it. Don't take it," she cried. "This honey is inedible, it smells putrid!" And she started to chase the buyers off. "Matushka, have you gone crazy? Don't get in our way, just look at our profit. How can you prove that this honey is inedible?" "I'll prove it!" said the blessed one, draping herself over the barrel and tipping it over. As the honey flowed out onto the roadway, it emitted a sweet fragrance. And when all the honey had flowed out, everyone screamed in horror and jumped away: on the bottom of the barrel lay an enormous dead rat. Even those who had paid a high price for the honey and were still carrying it in jars, threw it down and scattered off. Why, continued Vladika, did I recall this case? I will readily answer why I am quoting it now: a few days ago an American interested in Orthodoxy who had visited all the Orthodox churches both in the Soviet Union and in America asked me why I, along with an entire group of Russian Orthodox people, am not participating in the reception for the Patriarchal delegation, and in general seem to be avoiding anything to do with church life in the Soviet Union, and even here in America, we avoid those Orthodox groups which have any connection with the Patriarchate? What is the matter? Are the dogmas different or the mysteries or services different? I gave it some thought and responded, says Vladika: No, that is not the issue, the faith and the services are the same. The Orthodox faith emits a fragrance of its own, like a fragrant honey, no matter where it is proclaimed. But if this fragrant honey were to be poured into a barrel in whci a dead rat is found on the bottom, would you want to taste that honey? He looked at me, horrified and said, of course not! I answered him that likewise, we avoid everything that is connected with communism. For us communism is the same as that dead rat at the bottom of the barrel. And even if this barrel were filled to the brim with the best aromatic honey — there is no way that we would wan t that honey! Honey is wonderful in and of itself, but in this case it has been infected with the poison and stench of a corpse. My interlocutor nodded his head silently — he had understood."
My rhetoric follows:
The main issue which divides us is the issue of the Soviet hierarchy, about which you are perssitenly silent. the Church Abroad will only recognize it as the lawful head of the suffering Russian Church when it will reject the shameful, terrible declaratin of Metropolitan Sergius with complete resoluteness, when it departs from its perditious path and embarks on the path of Church truth, protecting it fearlessly and openly. The shameful blemish must be washed away. Until this happens it remains under the onophorion of theomachistic regime, not daring to make a step without the regime's "blessing," particularly in its activities abroad — even a child can see this.
In concluding this letter, to follow your example, I will ask you: can your hierarchial conscience even consider the KGB servants dressed in riassas and klobuks to indeed be the true spiritual leaders and heads of the Russian Church? Can it be that you don't see that in this Soviet organization to which you have tied yourselves, a dead rat lies at the bottom? And if you don't see this, or don't wish to see it, if you prefer, as the Gospel says, "to shut your eyes and cover your ears," to somehow barricade yourselves off from this sad reality, then of course further talks would be completely pointless: there can be no discussion of unification and especially concelebration.
Translated by Eugenia Chisholm from The Sermons of Teachings of his Eminence Metropolitan Philaret First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad Volume II. 265ff.
Published by the Committee for Russian Orthdoox Youth, Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, 1989
for Living Orthodoxy magazine #156 Vol. XXXVI #3, Nov-Dec 2006. Archpriest Gregory Williams of ROCA (Agafangel), SJKP in Liberty Tennessee
pdf copy of magazine found in the LO folder in Joanna's Shared Library
note from Joanna:
it helps to understand that the American Metropolia is known today as the OCA. A full, unbiased, and carefully researched history is found in Joanna's Shared Library titled "ROCOR History HTM." In brief, the OCA originally was part of the ROCOR. In the 70s they decided they were ready for autocephaly. The Synod denied their request because they were too young. Proof of that came soon enough; after Metropolia got their autocephaly they promptly fell into renovationism and modernism. It will forever be in disobedience to the ROCOR Synod that they sought autocephaly from ROCOR's adversary: Moscow — which, with typical cold-heartedness and shrewdness, used the opportunity for its own advantage. Today the OCA remains beholden to Moscow, and Moscow remains under the leadership of KGB hierarchs.
As far as I know ROCOR (Agafangel) no longer mourns the fall of Metropolia. This generation is not even aware of what really happened, Read the history.
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