Gospel for Saturday after Pentecost

St. Matthew 5:42-48 (6/21) The Gospel for Saturday of the Week of the Holy Spirit The Sermon on the Mount V ~ The Challenge: St. Matthew 5:43-48, especially vs. 48: "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." As it should be noted throughout the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus' aim is to free the Faithful from the dark ways of mankind, illumine us with His Light, and assist us to attain the Kingdom of heaven. The logic of fallen mankind is to love one's own neighbors, friends, and family, and to ignore or despise those who differ from and oppose us (vs. 43). Our Lord reveals a new logic, a true logic, a theo-logic: to love all men in the manner in which God loves every one of us (vss. 44, 45). St. Theophylact of Ochrid states God's new way succinctly, "To love some men, that is, one's own friends, and to hate others, is imperfection. Perfection is to love everyone." Here is The journey which the Lord invites us to take. It is an ascent to the land of peace and joy known as the Kingdom of God. The journey is long and arduous, requiring us to redefine love itself. Our Lord invites us to accept His awesome definition of love, take His challenge to learn it, and succeed by relying on Him as our Guide to show us how, where, and when to love (vss. 43-48). Christ our God's definition of love is to bless those who curse us, to do good to those who hate us, and to pray for those who persecute us or use us out of sheer spite (vs. 44). Being weak and corrupt, I beg to ask, "How can I attain to such a lofty peak? Who is capable of meeting His challenge?" Brethren, thank God for He discloses the path, provides grace to follow it, and gives us the witness of "a great cloud" of saints to go upwards with us (Heb. 12:1). In the Lord Jesus' Saints we have the testimony of many - ascetics and monastics, fools for Christ, ordinary people who combined the impossibility and the necessity of God's way of loving. Remember, the Lord's initial instruction is: "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you" (Lk. 8:39). Then, as many demons are cast out, you and I may return to "uncivilized" society as those being healed. The Faithful in Christ have a vital message to be lived among our neighbors - a life-saving effort: to deliver love as a visible, unqualified, and pure gift to our neighbors, our families, our friends, and our enemies. The parched, infertile and wasted fields of men and women around us beg even for the seeds of love, thirst for the waters of the Spirit of love, languish for the food of the loving God. The evil and the good, the just and the unjust, our friends and the scoundrels of the world wait for such love. Begin today to act like our Father and shed some warmth of love on all, but not on the basis of their worthiness. Deliberately choose to pour out a drop of the water of blessings, sow some genuine good deed, and let God nurture our neighbors' unproductive lives by our inadequate prayers (vs. 45). Can we not be like children and imitate our Father in Heaven? Disdain the fear of clumsiness, being called a hypocrite, or being rebuffed and disliked! Brethren, the Lord calls us to extend love beyond those we prefer. As children of our Father, let us love the just and the unjust, the spiteful, and abusive, as well as those we like. St. Nikolai of Zica adds his voice to the Lord Jesus' guidance: "Be like this, brother: Reckon all men as your brothers, and sick brothers at that. And if you come to feel that God has given something healthier to you than to them, know that is given through mercy, that, as a healthy man, you may serve your frailer brethren. Who could take pride in that - as if health were all your own doing rather than God's? As if a stagnant pool could clear of itself and not be cleared by some spring, deeper and purer." By the power of Thy blessing, O Lord, enable me at all times to speak and act to Thy glory with a pure spirit, with humility, patience, love, and wisdom: aware always of Thy Life-giving presence.

Wanted Orthodox Families

"It is usually easier to spend some time for God's work and then rest after work. There is no such a thing in a family. One should serve round the clock here."Interview with Auxiliary Bishop of Kyiv and Zhytomyr of the Roman Catholic Church, Stanislav SHYROKORADIUK "It is not good that the man should be alone," – said God and created the first family by giving Adam his beautiful beloved wife Eve, "multiply and be one flesh." However, contrary to God's commandment, loneliness is today one of the most painful problems of civilization. Incomplete families, abandoned children, lonely and fully neglected old people, these are all consequences of the collapse of traditional family links, the resonance of the so-called "sexual revolution." For it is in the family that the child first experiences love and faithfulness, parental wisdom and inner peace, a sense of protection and confidence about the day to come. This is not an accident. The savior of the world came into this world exactly through birth to a family of righteous people. It is known that the church has always consistently and persistently called the world and its flock to strengthen family relations, Bishop Stanislav Shyrokoradiuk explains why so much attention is paid to this issue: –A true Christian is not just a believer who attends a church and participates in certain rites. It is a person resembling Christ, who stands out for their special mercy and kindness. The Lord always cared for his family members. And the church, the body of Christ, is the spiritual school educating such a Christian. Like his teacher, he is to be a "light of the world," an example and model of service to people. And one must start with one's own family. No family can be really successful if its members do not serve each other. –Sometimes, it is easier to help others than one's own relatives. For we know them better and see their negative features, which irritate us sometimes. –Yes, it is usually easier to minister in some Christian mission, be a member of some charitable ministry and spend some time for God's work and then rest after work. There is no such a thing in a family. One should serve round the clock here. A man must be a good father and his wife must be a good mother. But most importantly, they should love each other and be a role-model for their children. For a family is happy when there is a feeling that all its members need each other. Families have suffered the most. Look how many families divorce today. We have borrowed the Western fashion of civil marriage. Why? In order to stay independent and have no responsibility for anyone. That is where bastards and social orphans come from. And these are families from which we expect to receive just politicians and judges, whom we are so badly lacking today, or good priests and faithful servants of God, whom we also lack. –Statistics say that nearly one in two marriages break up. What is the reason for that, in your opinion? –I think the main problem is that the world has lost the spirit of service. People do not wish to care for each other but serve only themselves. It is the boom of egoism and demoralization. The general moral crises penetrates even the church, for the church is composed of people. Problems snowball. No wonder that the number of orphanages is growing. Therefore, we should expect the growth of old people's homes as well. People who abandoned their children will face a lonely old age. It is like a punishment for sin, for the greatest unhappiness is when no one needs a person. –What methods of family support does your church use in addition to preaching? –We have "home church" ministry. Families of our faithful gather together, discuss family issues, help each other to settle difficult situations. There are special programs for the raising of children and teenagers. Consultations are available for young people thinking about marriage. It is very important for the family to have common interests and continuous communication. Pay attention if the tv is on when your family gets together for supper. For, very often, people next to each other do not see or hear each other, as their thoughts are occupied with anything but the family. It is a great obstacle to needed unity. If there is respect between family members, the supper will resemble Christ's supper with the apostles. It should be something holy. There should be holiness about it. And if the family finds time to read the Bible together for at least five minutes daily, it will unite them even more. An important question: Do you pray for each other? We often look for some wonder-making icons, we are prepared to travel to the most far away special places, yet we do not understand a simple thing: the prayer of parents for their children and the family is the most holy. It is a guarantee in the hands of God, for the Lord is merciful. We often realize too late that life is short. And we waste it so badly: children grow up, parents grow old, life passes. And only later do we understand that we have lost , perhaps, the best years. Interviewer: Oleksandr KOZLOVSKYI (Ukrinform) source: http://www.risu.org.ua/eng/religion.and.society/interview/article;22777/

Spiritual Perception

"Wisdom operates in a fourfold manner in the intellect. It activates not all the four virtues simultaneously, but each one individually, as is appropriate and as it determines. It activates sound understanding in the form of light, courage as clear-sighted power and ever-moving inspiration, self-restraint as a power of sanctification and purification, and justice as the dew of purity, joy-inducing and cooling the arid heat of the passions." St. Gregory of Sinai.

Iraqi displaced Christian problem and the US

SODERTALJE, Sweden - In this lakeside town, once best known as thehome of Swedish tennis hero, Bjorn Borg, neighborhoods nicknamed"Little Baghdad" and "Mesopotalje" now echo with arguments overAssyrian soccer. Along the city's tree-lined waterfront, young Iraqi families andgroups of older men chat in Arabic, enjoying long summer evenings. "Everyone here is Iraqi," said a grocer at the main supermarket inRonna, a neighborhood of tenement-style housing blocks, where two tothree families often crowd into one-family apartments. Change has come to Sweden because of the Iraq war, driven by anopen-arms refugee policy and word of mouth in Iraq. Most of the 2million externally displaced Iraqis are living in Syria and Jordan,but Sweden tops the list of Western nations that have offered a haven. In 2007, Iraqi citizens claimed asylum in 89 countries, with almosthalf those claims — 18,600 — reported in Sweden, the U.N. refugeeagency reported this week. And Sodertalje, a city of 83,000 people,took in more Iraqis than the United States and Canada combined. The welcome approach to the refugees has been a point of pride toSwedes, who were opposed to the Iraq war. But the unyielding flow istaking its toll and the country is slashing the number of asylumapprovals. "Iraq is the worst refugee disaster in the Middle East since 1948,"Sweden's Minister for Migration and Asylum Tobias Billstrom toldmsnbc.com. "We want to do as much as we can but we can't help everybody." Safe havenSince the start of the war in March 2003, Iraqi Christians fleeingpersecution from Islamic militants have set out with Sodertalje inmind, with around 100 arriving each month, according to officials. A community of Assyrians (a Christian ethnic group mostly based inIraq, Syria, Iran, and Turkey) has existed here since the late 1960s,but its numbers increased rapidly as more Iraqis sought protectionamong friends and relatives. "Everyone in Iraq knows it's the country of refuge, safety andkindness," said Nagiba Daud, who spoke after prayers at JohannesChaldean Catholic Church, explaining why she had chosen to escape toSodertalje with her two children. The city boasts two successful Assyrian soccer teams (as well as atleast one all-Iraqi high school team), an Assyrian satellitetelevision station, and churches from the main Christian denominationscommon in Iraq: Chaldean Catholic, Syriac Catholic, and Syriac Orthodox. The churches are a haven in immigrant neighborhoods that offer astartling contrast to the chaotic streetlife of Baghdad and Mosul,even before the destruction and violence of the war. In Ronna, nondescript tenement buildings are surrounded by grasslandand highways. There are no restaurants, movie theaters, kebab shops,or even fast-food outlets. Apartment blocks and sidewalks are cleanand neat, but the only remote signs of life are at the neighborhood'sonly supermarket and the church. Harrowing memoriesThe Iraqi congregation of Johannes Church has swollen from around 650families before the war to around 1000, forcing Sunday worshippers towatch the packed service on television screens set up in the basement.Dozens also come daily to pray, kneeling before a statue of the VirginMary, and fingering prayer beads as they recite verses in Aramaic andArabic. Many have painful memories of violence and intimidation in Iraq. "Someone I don't know put a letter under my door, saying we had toleave the house in 24 hours or all the people in the house would bekilled," said Daud, a former seamstress, as she described her family'sflight from Baghdad. She now may be forced to move again. Despite providing photos of herburned down home to Swedish authorities, she and her sons, 9-year-oldSaif and 21-year-old Stiven, have recently had their asylum claimrejected. "It would be better if they killed me and my family now than if theysend us back to Iraq," she said of the danger awaiting them if theircourt appeal fails. Law tightensDaud is a victim of the hardening attitudes in Sweden toward the refugees. After repeated appeals for for other nations — notably the UnitedStates and the EU nations — to share the burden, Sweden changed itsasylum requirements. In July 2007, Sweden's Supreme Court decided that armed conflict hadended in Iraq. Since then, asylum has only been granted to those whocan prove that they were singled out for persecution, not by theregion they hail from or their religion. Since the law changed, "theapproval rate has dropped from about 80 percent to 20 percent," saidMikael Ribbenvik, head of Asylum Reception and Detention at theMigration Board, a government agency. "When we deny people, we have the responsibility to return the peopleto their country — and we are currently returning people to Iraq," hesaid. Those who accept a "voluntary return" are given a plane ticket andre-establishment funds. Those who do not are forcefully returned bythe police. In 2007, 854 Iraqis were "voluntarily returned" to Iraq, up from 197the previous year. Figures were not available for involuntary returns. In a report released this week, Amnesty International said Sweden'schange of heart had resulted in Iraqis being forcibly returned toareas still considered very dangerous. The human rights organizationalso accused world governments of using terms such as "voluntaryreturns" for political gain, and said some refugees "are making thisdecision as they feel they have no other option." Left in limboThousands who arrived since the law changed have been left in limbo. "When I came to Sweden, I had a little money to give my family, butnow it's all gone," said Dawood Yousif, who was checking on the statusof his asylum case at a refugee reception center in Solna, just northof Stockholm. After paying $50,000 to men holding his brother hostage in Baghdad,and $15,000 for false papers to get to Sweden, "I thought I could getpermission to stay here and bring my family over in about three orfour months," the 48-year-old former photo librarian said. "But, it has taken so long I've had to borrow money from relatives tosend to my wife and kids in Syria," he said, adding that he has neverseen his 7-month-old son who was born in exile. Single adults here receive a stipend of 71 kroners ($11.75) a day, butin a country where a McDonald's meal costs roughly $10 and use of apublic toilet nearly $1, the allotment isn't much to live on. "They are very tough with Iraqi refugees now in Sweden," said thefather of three who now lives with an aunt. Few optionsIf his case is ultimately rejected, Yousif said he would have toreturn to Syria. Although Syria and Jordan have hundreds of thousandsof Iraqis living within their borders, the recent imposition of visarestrictions has made that option more difficult too. Meantime, Sweden has stepped up its appeals, urging the United Statesto accept more responsibility for Iraqi refugees; in April,Sodertalje's mayor, Anders Lago, spoke before the CongressionalHelsinki Commission in Washington, and in May, Prime Minister FredrikReinfeldt raised the subject with U.S. Secretary of State CondoleezzaRice. "Every country has a humanitarian obligation to respond to thesituation apart from the politics, but there's no doubt in my mindthat the [Iraq war] coalition partners bear special responsibility inthis," said Kathleen Newland, co-founder of the non-partisan MigrationPolicy Institute in Washington, D.C., adding that more assistanceshould also be given to the Middle Eastern countries shouldering theheaviest refugee burden. Under fire for its response to the crisis, the United States took in arecord number of Iraqis in May, more than 1,000, according to the Bushadministration. But, even if it meets its goal to increase its yearlyintake to 12,000, from just 1,608 in 2007, it will have taken in justtwo-thirds of the number that applied for asylum in Sweden last year. Praying for peaceThe vast majority of Iraqis who have arrived in Sweden since 2003 planto return home, according to those interviewed and migrationauthorities, but no-one can say when it will be safe and many remainanxious about the future. "Iraq is finished," said Yousif, the asylum seeker at the Solna centerwith a wife and young children in Syria. A deacon at St. John's Church, Slewa Kalka, took a more positive view,saying, "it will be a free land, but we don't know when." "It was very beautiful, we had a very good life in Iraq, but wars allthe time destroyed it all," his wife Jamila said, as they recountedthe deadly conflicts with Iran, Kuwait, and the U.S.-led invasion. "We pray every day for peace in Iraq," he said. URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25004140/

Apology for Hiatus

Dear gentle readers of our Blog. Please forgive me for the 5 day hiatus in the Blog. Sickness, Pressing Commitments, and Travel all contributed to my missing my posting schedule for a week. Thank you for reading our humble efforts. +SYMEON

Not with a shout but with a whisper - Part 3

Patriarch of Constantinople Proposes Eastern Catholicism’s Return to Orthodoxy 19.06.2008, [12:10] // Inter-Christian relations // Munich—In a recent interview with the German ecumenical journal Cyril and Methodius, the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church in Constantinople Bartholomew I invited Eastern Catholic Churches to return to Orthodoxy without breaking unity with Rome. He noted that “the Constantinople Mother-Church keeps the door open for all its sons and daughters.” According to the Orthodox hierarch, the form of coexistence of the Byzantine Church and the Roman Church in the 1st century of Christianity should be used as a model of unity. This story was posted by KATH.net on 16 June 2008. At the same time, the patriarch made positive remarks about the idea of “dual unity” proposed by the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Archbishop Lubomyr (Husar). Patriarch Bartholomew I noted in particular that this model would help to overcome the schism between the Churches. http://www.risu.org.ua/eng/news/article;22800/