Disconnect

OUR Host confesses a total disconnect from this holiday. Even in my salad days, I was clueless as to the revelry. In my drinking days I was always the morose one in the corner. And now I'm leaving for work.

The truly happiest New Years Eves of my life have been spent in the community at SGN, where we would have a very meditative Eucharist and a "Champagne Hour" after. Then I would go home and go to bed. Interestingly, I first went to this service on 31 Dec 1999 because I was terrified. It was so very awesome that I kept going.

Hey. Have a happy.

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Muslims under our matresses

ROM LEW Rockwell Dot Com's Eric Margolis, via a post on the LOS Blog. (That's the Blog of "League of the South" for any carpetbaggers, scallywags or reconstructed sorts out there.)

As Benjamin Franklin wisely noted, government is like fire: a useful servant but a terrible master. We have now reached that point in the United States where a non-mortal threat to the nation - assorted would-be terrorists - is being allowed to endanger the world's second oldest and most admired democracy.
...

Every totalitarian state has used the bogeyman of internal or foreign threats to justify the expansion of their repressive and intrusive powers. The Soviet Cheka (secret police) was created to fight "anti-state elements." The Gestapo was unleashed after the German Reichstag was burned down by "communist terrorists." Now, Muslims Under Our Mattresses is the 2005 version of the 1950’s "Reds Under Our Beds"...

Read the whole thing.

While you're at it... have you done a Cookie Sweep lately? The NSA may be watching you surf or even the White House. Both have different versions of the same story, "oops, we didn't know."

Time to delete your cookies, clear out your cache and, if that seems like tech-speek, call your twelve year old into the room s/he knows how to do it.

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The Monastic Diurnal

OR Those readers missing the jubilation in the Blogoccident, Lancelot Andrewes Press are reprinting the Monastic Diurnal - the 1963 edition from Oxford. (Here's a PDF about the whole thing.)

Ben: put me down for at least one - although maybe two, because I'm getting tired of sharing my book when I invite people to join me in an office!

But maybe three: If you've seen my earlier posts on the whole ebay/diurnal shopping fiasco you know that the projected $50 price tag means a more than 100% profit for ebay resales. Heck, a few well placed diurnal sales on ebay could pay for a new organ or some fine statuary.

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Of all the coolnesses

HOSE of you who use the Julian Calendar may have noticed this already: the civil date of the court decision granting my name change (9/11) is 8/29 on the Church Calendar. That's my birthday.

This coincidence was just discovered by me...

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Mac OS X Hint

K, I may be a bit of a newbie discovering stuff you all already know, but here:

To set up multiple desktop pics that will change ever X number of minutes (I've seen software to do this, but why not be OS-native?)

1. Go into iPhoto and put all your desired desktop pics into one folder.
   
2. Go into that folder and select all the pics (command+A)
   
3. At the bottom of iPhoto, click "desktop"
   
4. The desktop preferences window will open up and, in the left hand column you should see "iPhoto Selection" and, depending on how many pictures you've selected, it should be slowly populating with your new desktops.
   
5. At the bottom of the preference window put a check in the box next to "change picture" and set the other two options as you will.
   
6. Close the preferences window to save your new desktop slide show.
   

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Interesting

ALENDAR differences again: on the WRite calendar, the days after Nativity are:

26 Dec, St Stephen, Protomartyr.
27 Dec, St John, Evangelist.
28 Dec, The Holy Innocents of Bethlehem.

On the ERite Calendar:

26 Dec, St Joseph, the Betrothed.
27 Dec, St Stephen, Protomartyr.
28 Dec, quite a few commemorations, but not part of this chain
29 Dec, The Holy Innocents.

Anyone know why this is? Anyone know if one is historically "first" or if they just developed differently? I've heard - even since becoming Orthodox - that the celebrations right after Nativity show Red Martyrdom in Actions (Stephen); White Martyrdom in will (St John); and, Martyrdom without will (the Holy Innocents). But now I see that, at least on the Calendar of the East, that Icon is not depicted.

Thoughts?

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Tiz Herself

RISH mothers are control freaks.

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Meddlesome Priest

ORLD Book Encyclopædia is not usually the first place I turn for my information on the lives of the Saints. But to-day, in the Roman Church, commemorates Thomas Becket. (He is not on the Eastern Calendar, nor on the Western Rite Kalendar.) I found his life illuminating.

Becket, Saint Thomas (1118?-1170), also known as Thomas a Becket, was an archbishop of Canterbury and a Christian martyr. His struggle to maintain the independence of the church in England from royal control led to his dramatic death on Dec. 29, 1170.

Becket was born in London and known during his lifetime as Thomas of London. About 1143, Becket entered the service of Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, from whom he received a variety of church offices. Tall, handsome, and charming, Thomas led the life of an ambitious cleric with many influential supporters.

More...

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unethical omnitheism

EEMS the NYTimes has it in for "ethical monotheism" now... or rather... they are giving prime interview space to those who do so. Vanderleun has posted a well-crafted and hearty reply.

All in all, any theology before monotheism was the chump change of God; a theology of chaos for chaos' sake. Men who would keep men enslaved eternally loved this sort of fractal theology. With omnitheism no inner-directed system of morals and power could arise to challenge the murderous power of the godless state. Because, make no mistake about it, when a state holds up a man as a god it has no check on its power. I give you, in passing, pharaonic Egypt, Nazi Germany and the realms of Lenin, Stalin, and Pol Pot. None of these and none of thousands of other regimes from prehistory until today that either concentrated god in one man or dispersed it to a thousand idols added anything but misery to the vast mass of people who have ever lived. Monotheism also has had its horrors and yet more lurk in the near future. But in the world we need to look not for perfection, but for which direction is better than the other. In this, monotheism trumps omnitheism every time.

(He also has a link to the original article.)

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Fritter-reading

ANDERLEUN gifts us with a repost of one of the funny ones. What did you get for Christmas?

Nothing is worse than life itself than a fully loaded new computer, and I've been using them for nearly 20 years. Setting up a new computer is like getting ready to French Kiss an elephant; you know it will be a new experience, but you know it wont taste like veal cordon blue.

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Honouring the Saints of the West

HE Orthodox Shrines of the British Isles are common enough sites to reach: Iona, Canterbury, Walsingham, Glastonbury. But let us add a more detailed itinerary of places not usually picked: Croagh Patrick, Mont St Michel, Tours, Lyons, Rome herself. A visit to the Shrines of St Augustine, St Bede, St Boniface, St Lucy, St Nicholas, St James, St David...

How would one organise such a pilgrimage? I'm just a dreamer. I can see it for one: take a prayerbook and a passport and a goodly amount of cash. Maybe starting at Antiochian Village at the Shrine of my own patron, the Western Saint Raphael, travel in the off seasons and stay in the B&Bs, avoiding the silliness of hotels. But a travelling community is needed - singing the hymns, making the stations, saying the hours together. Visiting of course with the local Orthodox and sundry as well as taking enough clergy to serve WRite liturgies at the stations as well as to have ERite services when the locals needed them. Canonical Permissions will need to be had, Government ones too (Mt St Michel is, for example, a Gov't property). Introductions will need to be written - ecumenical ones, too - to Orthodox (ROCOR, MP, Antiochian and French), Anglican and RC and Lutheran jurisdictions. Too much to imagine? Or something that can be done?

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New Home

OXOS blogs have moved to new servers. In fact, we've moved them to Our Own servers! If you have had any trouble getting to us, I'm sorry!

Everything seems to be working now. I think. I hope. Y'all click around.

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Nativity Desktop

 Christmas Reliquary. I think it comes from an Anglican parish in England.

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26 Dec

OUR HOST didn't succeed totally in avoiding politics for the Advent Fast. I confess there were some times when I wrote a good zinger of a post and then deleted it. Sometimes I let same fly but then closed it. Other times (as in the commentary on community houseing) I just let it fly. My local community blog was not saved from my blather: even the day before Christmas I let fly a post comparing favourable coverage of white supremacists on Fox with all the Favourable Coverage the Abortionists get - everywhere.

Sigh. Forgive me. I feel some part of me gets a rise out of "fighting for truth" even when I know it has nothing to do with Living for The Truth.

I have stayed away, largely, from the political fine points however. So I feel it important to just give a wee bit of a warm-up post before I come out with both fists flying.

Look: we're not "at war" in the same sense that we were in WW2. War has not been declared and, for all that I know there are battles being waged, I'm tired of this undeclared war being used as a justification for Just About Freaking Anything.

Recently the Gov't has been tapping our phones, doing covert surveillance on American soil and sending political prisoners overseas for torture.

I will leave you to make your own justifications on judgement day, but it sounds very Stalin-esque to me. It does not sound American to me at all. It sounds no more constitutional to my ears than gun control, public education or welfare. So the neocons and their fellow travellers around the blogosphere - even their supporters in the Orthoblogoslavia - have earned a new nickname: one that made me laugh for the painful, bloated-overpowering-central-government-controls-all irony of it all. Bushevicks.

Are you red? Or just a little pink?

ID.

OK, look, I don't think ID is "science". I don't think evolution is science either: both require us pretending that we can know something that we just can not ever know. I think, in some ways, Evolution is a left brained mysticism just as ID is a right brain mysticism. I'm ok with that: If you want to know how a tree got here, pull out your evolution doctrine. If you want to be amazed at the forest, pull out your ID doctrine.

Two things are missing in the recent discussion: for all the discussion of the coverage of the events (as in over at GetReligion), no one seems to notice the near daily battle in the funny papers. Wiley, Doonesbury and Burke Breathed are coming down staunchly on the evolutionary side. Wiley makes one good anti-religion joke ever week and Doonesbury has lumped all the ID supporters in with the Bushevicks. Support ID and you must support phone tapping. (Granted the Bushevicks have all latched on to ID as one of their battle flags.) B.C. and Mallard Fillmore seem to be coming out in favour of ID, but Mallard, at least, seems to take a both-and approach.

What amazes me, however, is not the lack of coverage of all parts of the discussion. Rather it is a totally wrongly-focused discussion.

No where (and I mean NO WHERE) in the Constitution does the federal gov't have any power to intervene in education. I'd go so far as to insist that it's not the state's job either, although some state constitutions may say that.

No one is discussing the real issue here which is why does a non-family agency insist it has the right to "school" your kids (ie brainwash) for 8 hours a day, five days a week, and about 180 days a year? Worse, why do they have the power to force me to pay for it? Since, largely, the poor of the world do not own property and since, largely, school are financed by property taxes, most poor people are not paying for school and most rich folks (who use private schools) are paying twice.

Socialism, pure and simple.

The ID-in-schools debate? Bushevicks and Bolsheviks fighting over your children.

I see no reason to side with either and every reason to a) homeschool and b) not pay your property taxes.

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Christmas Message

HE Annual Christmas message of Her Britannic Majesty to the peoples of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth is one of those odd holiday traditions that I love. This year's has been made available by the BBC on their website using RealPlayer. As with all Queen Elizabeth's message it is one of hope - and one of reality: she speaks of the Tsunami and the Gulf Hurricanes and so on. But she see in the people of all faiths a good bit of good.

And, when speaking of Jesus, she uses prime British understatement.

It is not always easy to accept His teaching, but I have no doubt that the new year will be all the better if we do but try.

It's worth a listen - but if the BBC site fails, the Queen's own site has the text.

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Nativity

ERE, now a sonnet by my patron, John Donne. Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

Immensity, cloister'd in thy dear womb,
Now leaves His well-beloved imprisonment.
There he hath made himself to his intent
Weak enough, now into our world to come.
But O ! for thee, for Him, hath th' inn no room ?
Yet lay Him in this stall, and from th' orient,
Stars, and wise men will travel to prevent
The effects of Herod's jealous general doom.
See'st thou, my soul, with thy faith's eye, how He
Which fills all place, yet none holds Him, doth lie ?
Was not His pity towards thee wondrous high,
That would have need to be pitied by thee ?
Kiss Him, and with Him into Egypt go,
With His kind mother, who partakes thy woe.

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Adeste Fideles

Adeste, fideles, laeti triumphantes;
Venite, venite in Bethlehem.
Natum videte Regem angelorum.

Refrain:

Venite adoremus, venite adoremus,
Venite adoremus, Dominum.

Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine,
Parturit virgo mater,
Deum verum, genitum, non factum.

En grege relicto, humiles ad cunas
Vocati pastores approperant:
Et nos ovanti gradu festinemus.

Stella duce, Magi Christum adorantes,
Aurum, thus, et myrrham dant munera.
Jesu infanti corda praebeamus.

Aeterni Parrentis splendorem aeternum
Velatum sub carne videbimus,
Deum infantem, pannis involutem.

Pro nobis egenum et foeno cubantem
Piis foveamus amplexibus;
Sic nos amantem quis non redamaret? More...

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Composite Christmas Memory Medley

T BEGINS when, prompted by the Wurtsboro Village council and "borrowing" a truck from his employer, the electric company, my grandfather puts up the village lights. Driving slowly through town in a cherry picker, Grandpa puts up the aged white candles, the green wreaths, the red lighted garlands. Snow has fallen. Trees have been placed on stands in living rooms and decorated. Houses have been lighted. I take a trip into the evergreen forest in Wilsey Valley to bring back a huge bag of greenery. Lights and boughs spiral around my parents' house and drape off the stairs.

In mad anticipation my mother cooks, my grandmother cooks, my great grandmother cooks. Aunt Linda cooks. Aunt Marie cooks. Aunt Karen cooks. Families visit from hither and yon, and friends make more attempts to be friendly than normal.

More...

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Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

N the 5199th year of the Creation of the world, from the time when in the beginning God created heaven and earth; from the Flood, the 2957th year; from the birth of Abraham, the 2015th year; from Moses and the going-out of the people of Israel from Egypt, the 1510th year; from the anointing of David as king, the 1032nd year; in the 65th week according to the prophecy of Daniel; in the 194th Olympiad; from the founding of the city of Rome, the 75nd year; in the 42nd year of the rule of Octavian Augustus, when the whole world was at peace; in the Sixth Age of the world: Jesus Christ, the eternal God and Son of the Eternal Father, desiring to sanctify the world by His most merciful Coming, having been conceived by the Holy Ghost, and nine months having passed since His conception was born in Bethlehem of Judah of the Virgin Mary, having become Man: The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.

From The Roman Martyrology.
With Props to Ben.

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Royal Hours of the Nativity

S PROMISED, the Royal Hours of the Nativity in an RTF File. I didn't get as much editing done as I would like, but there it is.

Please remember the Sinner, Raphael, in your prayers.

Senior Reader and Reader: we just swap back and forth. If you're by yourself, read them all. If you don't know the tones, just read them. If you feel silly reading them in that nearly-monotone voice join the club and read them like an Anglican - or really sing them.

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Meaning of Giving.

All I've got to say is wow. The Portland Presvytera offers us this:

Each member of the family will receive one gift from the rest of the family. The other principles we will stick to as much as possible for every gift we buy: it will be made locally, in Portland, by a real person and not in a factory, and that person will be fairly paid, and hopefully we can even forge a relationship with that person as we are buying the item from him/her, so that we actually know the person our goods came from... if you make them yourself, you can give as many gifts as you want!

I'm going to stick this in the meditation hamper for next year.

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fasting - hot caramel

HIS was a total accident. I had no decaf in the house and wanted something to warm me up after riding home this AM in the 16 degree dawn. Ask Todd: this is good stuff.

• 2 Cups Vanilla Soymilk
  
• Vanilla Caramel Coffee Mate
  

1. Nuke the milk until hot
   
2. Add the Coffee Mate
   
3. Stir
   
4. Enjoy
   

Now, nearly all "non-dairy creamers" include traces of milk so if you're into gnat straining check with Father on that. Also, I made this today with the sugar free variety of the Coffee-Mate because that's what was around: the sugared stuff may not make such a tasty drink with the soy - unless it is sugar free. Check.

Might be good with rice milk.

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Welcome Yule

 have news for you:
The stag bells, winter snows, summer has gone
Wind high and cold, the sun low, short its course
The sea running high.
Deep red the bracken; its shape is lost;
The wild goose has raised its accustomed cry,
cold has seized the birds' wings;
season of ice, this is my news.

--Anonymous, 9th Century Ireland

And so the Shortest Day came and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - listen!
All the long echoes, sing the same delight,
This Shortest Day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And now so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!

Not so ancient at all - yet, I think still Irish. The "Solstice moment" - the astronomical moment of turning - is at 18:35 GMT to-day. Now.

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Jean Racine

O-DAY is the birthday of Jean Racine, a French playwright and a translator (into French) of some beautiful poetry from the Roman Breviary.

Gabriel Fauré later sat one of these translations to music as Cantique de Jean Racine, a hauntingly beautiful song to sing (as I had the privilege of doing in High School, under Martin Banner) and an hauntingly beautiful prayer. I saw the name show up on to-day's date... and instantly enough HS French came back to sing the first stanza's bass line from memory. Can't get much further without help - so I purchased it on iTunes.

Word of God the most high, our sole hope,
eternal day of the earth and heavens
as we break the silence of the peaceful night
divine saviour, look down upon us.

Imbue us with the fire of thy great mercy
so that hell itself will flee at the sound of your voice
disperse the sleep which leads our languishing souls
to stray from the path of righteousness.

O Christ show your favour to your faithful people
who have come together to worship you
receive the praises that they offer up to your immortal glory
and may they come back laden with the gift of your grace.

(A number of various translations and some audio files for certain formats on the slow-loading ChoralWiki, here)

[3] comments (527 views) |  link

For the Solstice

UILT In to the kosmos we have here by the Creator ("Designer" is so *not* in the tradition) is the sun pillar: light reflecting off ice crystals at sunrise or sunset. I've a pre-loaded google image search for you if you've never seen 'em, or maybe want to see 'em again. Glory to God for all things.

[2] comments (487 views) |  link

She changes everything she touches

URING a phonecall more than a year ago, a friend of mine told me of attending a pan-orthodox event at St Vlad's during which Khr Frederica spoke. At some point in her talk she spoke of being thankful for having found Orthodoxy - "the Church that doesn't change". At this remark there was some respectfully quiet but very evident discomfiture on the part of the seminarians, according to my friend, because, of course, the Church does change. The issue is are the changes of the Holy Spirit or not.

More...

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School Project Poll

OUR HOST is curious - and this will help in the podvig-cast programming for the school project. I'm leaving this at the top of the blog for a while. New posts below.


More...

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On the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

APHAEL of Tennessee offers us a series of five posts as "An examination of the Orthodox story of Christ's Nativity, how and why this differs from the Western story, and what the significance is of the same."

I look forward to the series, although as I commented over there I think the problem (especially with the whole "homeless family from Nazareth" stuff) isn't so much "western" as it is modern. The Roman Church was teaching the real story of the Holy Family until Vatican II - when it adopted the whole social gospel thing that is, decidedly, Protestant and thus twice removed from the Church, sacraments and tradition.

And, as is the case with many such derailments, it's an issue of focus: the Orthodox hymns mention poverty - but in context. Any family, even the wealthiest, staying in a cave, is poor.

Heaven, calling the Magi by a star, brought the first fruits of the nations to you, an infant lying in a manger; sceptres and thrones did not astonish them, but utter poverty; for what is meaner than a cave, what humbler than swaddling clothes? In which there shone forth the wealth of your godhead. Lord, glory to you!

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Foreramble

MC broadcast Going My Way last night followed by The Bells of St Marys. I watched the one last night and the other this AM on the DVR. First off, Miss Bergman is about the most beautiful thing ever to grace any screen anywhere. Even dressed as a nun, she's devastating. And when she smiles, she's angelic. Father Bing Crosby his, generally, quite enjoyable.

But I wonder if he's true to life.

Cuz if it is, then all the things we say about the Baby Boomers and the ruination of the Roman Church are not true at all. The issues go back to at least the generation of clergy of the 1940s. Fr Bing has all the problems of a modernist without the liturgy of one. And, by the time he gets to St Mary's School he's got all the problems of a modernist educator. In one amazing scene, he tells Sister Bergman that the school is there for the children and their grades don't matter, nor do standards matter: we just can't fail them. If we fail them it will make them feel bad. He sounds so much like an educator from 2005 that I think the film writer should be named a major prophet.

Fr Greg is having a Yankee Swap tonight at 6pm. Brothers, these boys should be allowed to go home to their families and the war has been, officially, at least, over for quite some time. I know that despite the Federal Declaration that the "War is Over" many of us feel we have to keep fighting. But it's not the fault of the POWs that their gov't is, to quote President Davis, "agressive abroad and despotic at home". Anyone still holding prisoners should look into their heart for a little Holiday Amnesty.

I've been watching the traditional DVDs: the Charlie Brown Christmas, the Muppet Christmas Carol, etc. A Christmas Story and Jesus of Nazareth and maybe The Greatest Story Ever Told will come along this week to work.

The Office Christmas Party is today: but I' going to bed now as I have to work tonight.

Our tree's up.

Nighters!

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Socialist Terror

ERRORISTS have struck at NYC again, this time the damage will be financial and psychological. But it will be just as real.

With prayers for the people of NYC.

[2] comments (408 views) |  link

Antiphons of Lauds for Today

ROP DOWN, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open and bring forth a Saviour.

Send ye the Lamb, O Lord, to the ruler of the land, from the rock of the wilderness, unto the Mount of the daughter of Sion.

Be merciful unto us, O Lord, that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.

Reward thou them, O Lord, that wait for thee, and let thy prophets be found faithful.

The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

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Done! Done!! Done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ARDS all mailed out, having sat in a coffee shop sipping a soy latte while doing the annual pen-on-paper thing. the last Advent meditation has been posted. The annual pound of flesh has been sent to my Godfather (really: a pound of country ham). Shopping is done for Christmas foodage. Standing right there in the middle of the Ingles Deli section, walking away with my pound of black forest ham and Swiss Cheese, having just said my very first "Merry Christmas!" (I said three today at Ingles alone!), I got all verklempt and started to smile in spite of myself.

Some presents were mailed out last week - some should be in hand by now. I've been getting 'em too. Thanks to donations: next semester is paid for, even my books! Glory to God for all things. And the best news: that my favourite British Grandmother and her entire family may be joining us for Christmas at the monastery. We bumped into them at the gas station on Sunday... again, Glory to God for all things.

A blessed forefeast to you - may all your Christmases be white... and gold, and red and green and twinkly and bangles.

Whatever you do, don't forget the bangles.

[3] comments (544 views) |  link

Not me...

ET ME make bold to offer a correction to the English of our accepted text here... not because it's wrong in the translation, but because I think, for brevity's sake, it misses the point. It may be singable, but that's not what I want to do just now.

Try this:

The Daughters of Jerusalem say:

"O Virgin of virgins,
how shall this be?
For neither before was any like thee,
nor shall there be after."

And Our Blessed Lady responds:

"Daughters of Jerusalem,
why marvel ye at *me*?
Divine is the Mystery you discern."

More...

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Not a Real Southerner

EWSFLASH: The Editor of the League of the South's Blog Is not a real southerner.

Neocon Carpet-baggers make me laugh.

[2] comments (535 views) |  link

Zoinks!

'ALL want to give a listen to The Astonishing Christ, a series of three talks by Fr John Oliver (scroll down a little to the links). Really. You want to.

And, rather like Grace, it's free.

Thanks to Holy Cross (JimN, I assume you did it) for posting this stuff! Jim has some other wonderful things to say about Fr John, too.

[1] comments (1124 views) |  link

Ded Moroz and Snowgirl

T SEEMS (Joseph, make corrections as needed!) that the Russians don't have so much a Father Christmas (etc) tradition as they have a New Year's Tradition - Christmas being (a) a religious holiday; and (b) on the Julian rather than Gregorian calendar and so unrelated to Winter, per se. Konstantin does a short trace on the rehabilitation of Ded Moroz into a nearly exact approximation of Santy Claus (which is not St Nicholas, of course). Seems that the evil spirit of Old Man Frost has gone from Podvig (struggle) to Phat Dood.

Iz Outrage. Russian Mythology suffers from the commercialism of the west.

[1] comments (462 views) |  link

Why?

NE OF THE common themes following any recent major event (9/11, the Tsunami, the Hurricanes of this and last year, Volcanos, etc) is what could be called the "God Angle". Questions abound, "Why would God allow this" or even "why did He do this?" Platitudes then follow from all the usual camps: Jerry or Pat or someone will note God's punishment. The media will say, in glee at having a story, "he says this is God's punishment" and write articles about the evil superstition the Christians worship - or maybe the Muslims. And then someone - usually the Pope or another mainstream leader - will say "no, that's not the God we worship." Then one of the really liberal folks might jump in and say, "See? Christians need to change their theology."

And then it will all blow over - until the next major event.

More...

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Monte Christos - Where's the beef?

INNER will be at the Monastery on Christmas Day following liturgy. I have no clue what to make - Monks don't eat meat so my usual Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding is right out. Yorkshire Pudding would be ok, except there should be drippings. Maybe I'll whip up a Trifle. Either way, I'll have a talk today at lunch and see what the plans are.

I have no doubt at all what's going to be served for supper that night, however: a sandwich missing entirely from the Southern cooking repertoire, the Monte Christo. I've been craving one for a while and I think Christmas Day might just be the right day to make 'em. Just on the off chance that you, too, have never heard of these, here's the recipe as served in Greek (etc) Diners around the Big Apple and the City by the Bay (maybe elsewhere) along with a variation picked up at an opulent eatery in San Diego:

• 4-6 Eggs
  
• 1 to 1½ Cups Whole Milk or make it richer with cream.
  
• 1 Pinch each of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger and Allspice
  
• 8 Slices of Bread (Any good, firm bread will do - see below - challa is especially nice. You may also want to try with a raisin bread or even a panatone for Christmas!)
  
• Spiced Ham, Thinly Sliced (Black Forest Ham is wonderful here. Also good with a salty, "country cured" ham provided it is thinly sliced.)
  
• Swiss Cheese, Sliced
  

More...

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Russian Toast

HRISTMAS Day Supper (or Yankee Brunch, I guess, if you do such things) Option #2 is Russian Toast. It probably has as much relationship to Russia as "French Toast" does to France, but it is tasty. It's a recipe I learned eating (Yankee) Brunch at a NYC's long-lamented 14 Christopher. I've never seen it anywhere else. ("Long lamented" indeed: as far as I know it closed in 1984.)

• 4-6 Eggs
  
• 1-1½ cups milk or cream
  
• 8 slices dark pumpernickel bread
  
• Cream Cheese
  
• Strawberry Jam.
  

More...

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An Odd Source

RIGHAM Young University provides us this database of Sermons by my patron, John Donne.

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Preaching in and out of season

O-DAY'S Epistle offers an interesting counterpoint or other-side-of-coin to those who offer only St Seraphim's "acquire the Holy Spirit" as the model for Orthodox evangelism. St Paul says to St Timothy,

Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and those who hear thee.
1 Timothy IVxvi

The first part of the saying, that he should "practice what he preaches", seems pretty clear. But I think it interesting that the sentence makes it clear by the use of the word "hearers" that Timothy is not only to do the Gospel but also to say the Gospel - thus to save those who hear him.

This is another place in the Bible where it's not the faith of the followers that is important, but rather the faith of the leaders. The action of preaching the Gospel (by one who also follows it) can save thousands around you.

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Meme: An Exercise in Humility

RI ASKED me for my "10 Most Important Influences outside of God and Family" way back on 30 November. My pride tells me I have no influences. We know that's wrong. I've been thinking about it over and over: so many of my influences over the last few years - in politics, religion, morality, ethics - have not only been changed but some have been tossed right out. Most - not all - of my current influences come from so long ago as to be memories.

This list will, I think, be a scandal. This comes in no order of importance, but rather in order of how they came to me: More...

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Enslavement to the Past

EGINNING with the following quote from the Journals of Father Alexander of blessed memory and followed by a wonderful meditation by Dcn Andrew... a wonderful discussion ensues.

I keep thinking, again and again, about theological education in general, about history in particular. Ideally, the study of Church history should liberate people from enslavement to the past, which is rather typical for the Orthodox consciousness. This is only "ideally." I remember how slowly I became liberated from idealizing Byzantium, Old Russia, etc. and from fascination with that "game." A contemporary student who does not know any history, who knows no history at all, is even less able to find his own synthesis and holistic vision of the world.

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Aslan in not a tame lion.

NCARNATION is always confusing.

Imagine yourself a devout and G-d-fearing man of the tribe of Judah, living in Roman-Occupied Israel, and wondering "How long, O L-rd, for ever?" You know the law, you know the prophets. When your family and community obligations allow you go to the synagogue and pray. You make the annual trips to Jerusalem and offer sacrifice. You stand in the court of the Jews and see the glorious Levites and Cohanim offering their services before Ha Kadosh, Baruch Hu. And you know, in your heart, that He will come to save His people. More...

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So this is Christmas

HIS just came in on a mailing list that I recently joined. It has no link or parish address, but the poster indicated this was his parish's (unknown denomination) service schedule on the 24th and 25th. No time off here:

Christmas Eve
0900 Prime, Terce, Sext, and None
1000 Low Mass of the Vigil
1200 First Vespers of Christmas
2130 Compline
2200 Matins (and Veneration of the Bambino)
0000 Solemn Mass
0130 Lauds

Christmas Day
0730 Prime
0800 Low Mass
1015 Terce
1100 Solemn Mass (and Veneration of the Relic of the Crib)
1230 Sext, None, and Vespers

Now, that's a Christmas done WRite! (although I could handle a Lessons and Carols and a Live Nativity thrown in.)

OK... nap time.

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Twould be Nice

S A SORT of prequel to the American Orthodox Holy Grail of Administrative Unity, I think a little move towards liturgical unity would be nice.

St Herman, on the Greek Calendar, was on Monday and thus, somewhat sensibly, overshadowed by the feast of St Spyridon. On the OCA calendar, his feast was Tuesday. I assume, since he has a magnification, that it was a "Fish Day" but maybe not: the Greek day was only a Wine and Oil day. Although in the AOA I know the feast day is 13 Dec, I can't find him on the Antiochian Calendar I own - but that's not an issue: there are many calendars printed by many people... that's the issue. St Raphael's repose is on 27 Feb, but the AOA celebrates him in November. (I think having two or more feasts for him would be nice, but I'm biased.) All of this is further complicated by the addition of the Western Rite (13 December is St Lucy day there). I don't expect the WRite to have the same calendar as the ERite, but in America, shouldn't all American Saints, at least, have the same feast days? Should not Tuesday have been (in the US and Canada) St Herman's day with a commemoration at Lauds of St Lucy, the Octave and the Feria?

It's complicated again by the addition of the Julian calendar: all modern saints are supposed to be observed on the same day, but even so, we can't seem to agree, did St Herman die on the 12th (N/S) or on the 25th (N/S)? Fr Seraphim reposed in early September (2 Sep, N/S), but some folks add 13 days just out of habit.

It's the Church Geeky Anal-retentive in me, but it would be nice if we all just knew that Day X was the feast of St Y.

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Close, but: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

N MONDAY I went to see The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I went for a matinee on a Monday because I assumed the number of tiny children present would be small. I was correct: there was one in the entire theatre, but more on that in a moment. When I returned home, T-M asked how it was and I replied, "It's a good children's movie." I've had time to rethink that now...

More...

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Paris Down Under

ERE'S One for the Other Religion of Peace, Secularised, MultiCultural, Inclusively educated Western Civilisation, (props to Lucas Costi)

On Sunday a mob of 5,000 white men, many of them drunk, attacked men they believed were of Middle Eastern descent in retaliation for the assault a week earlier of two volunteer lifeguards.

The really scary thing is Lucas begins his post by saying "I'm sure everyone knows..." and, no, really everyone doesn't. See when Arabs Riot in Paris, it serves our point... but either Australia is just too far away, or else White Riots don't sound too good in the spin cycle: and given the coverage we had for Paris as well as for the Bali Bombings, I'm guessing it's the spin issue. Your events are not even showing up on my Yahoo news - which uses a lot of European sources as well as American.

With prayers for Australia.

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MEME! Metrosexual. But Not Surprising.

NDROGYNOUS



You scored 63 masculinity and 60 femininity!
You scored high on both masculinity and femininity. You have a strong personality exhibiting characteristics of both traditional sex roles.



My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 47% on masculinity
You scored higher than 41% on femininity
Link: The Bem Sex Role Inventory Test written by weirdscience on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Comments: Thing is, the test doesn't score anything that would be considered "male" or "female" - I think even certain military commanders (of either sex) would be able to get through this test as androgynous.

Even here, in the land of Stereotypical Baptist Housewives and wife-beaters, take a trip to Wal*Mart to see men being honest and women being unfeeling. Only a troglodyte or a rabid feminist could read "nurturing" as a stereotypically feminine (think Francis of Assisi or John of Kronstat or Czar Martyr Nicholas, or Jesus) trait or "leadership" as a male one (think New Martyr Elizabeth or Mary of Egypt, Joan of Arc or the BVM at Cana). Even in our own culture, (considered historically) it's not as if these traits were somehow linked to genetics rather than schooling. But ok.

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Royal Hours

HE ROYAL HOURS of the Nativity arranged for reading although the language is a little, um... Modern. And it's arranged for serving with a priest. It's easy enough to "transpose" that if you know how: Fr John's Reader Service Horologion provides a link to this page on Reader's Services.

I have a text-only edition of the Royal Hours arranged for a Readers Service that is from a hodge-podge of liturgical sources. I'm working on a decent edit: I sent it out last year at the last moment for members of St Raphael's. As soon as I get the editing done, I'll post the revised copy. The language will be a bit more uniform and, reasonably, traditional. This year, as Christmas falls on a Sunday, the Royal Hours are appointed for the service on Friday (the 23rd) - so we've got a little time.

Asking your prayers.

Update: Hours Posted now...

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Stone Tossing

HILE there seems to be a sort of dog-pile on the megachurches for closing on Christmas Sunday (GetReligion has been covering various angles), it's interesting to note that the Liturgical Guide on the Antiochian website permits, in this case, local option: The Liturgical Guide for the Weekend of the 25th says:

December 23, Friday Morning: The Hours of the Nativity are served. (The troparion of the Hours will be "Get read O Bethlahem..."[sic])
December 24, Saturday afternoon: Great Vespers is served, as we do on Good Friday.
December 24,Saturday evening: Orthros (Matins) and Liturgy of St. Basil the Great instead of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.
OR December 25, Sunday Morning: Orthros (Matins) and Liturgy of St. Basil the Great instead of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.

Bold and underline as in the original. It makes it clear that, in the AOA there is a choice: Saturday night or Sunday morning. (At St Raphael's, in past years, we tried it both ways - depending on the needs of the community.)

As I commented in a parallel discussion on LiveJournal, the Western Tradition is Midnight Mass, another Mass at dawn and another mass in the daytime. St Mark's, Denver, has quite the schedule!

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24 –
Matins, 8:30 AM
Mass of Christmass Eve, 5 PM
Evensong, 9 PM
Lessons and Carols, 10 PM
Midnight Mass of the Nativity, 10:30 PM
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25 –
Matins, 7:30 AM
Low Mass, 8 AM
Church School, 9:10 AM
High Mass, 10 AM
Evensong (and Benediction), 4 PM

(Oh, to be in Denver for Christmas!)

I think one version of the Byzantine and Slavic traditions are close to that in a close parallel Pascha: Royal Hours, a Vigil and liturgy on the Eve and a Vigil and Liturgy on the Feast Day. Like what's happening at the cathedral in SF:

23) Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ, Royal Hours, 6 p.m.
24) Eve of the Nativity of Christ, Divine Liturgy and Vespers, 10 a.m.; Great Compline and Matins, 6 p.m.
25) The Nativity according to the flesh of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Festal Divine Liturgy, 10 a.m.

There isn't an overlapping "real" tradition - the tradition doesn't live on paper: it lives in the parishes of real live people. There are canons and there are people: tradition is where the twain meet.

Anyway: Let he who is with a full liturgical compliment on this weekend cast the first stone.

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Something has happened

RAYERS are asked for the people of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK. Something has happened there.

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Inclusify

There is this curious article by Philip Turner that showed up in First Things last June and still surfaces every once in a while. It surfaced most recently on a friend's live journal.

Like many such things it posits to tell "What is really wrong with the Episcopal Church" and launches into a rant about liberal theology. There is a radically new theology being taught in ECUSA, goes the line. It's the death knell of Christianity as we know it. There is the fully descriptive quote describing this theology:

The Episcopal sermon, at its most fulsome, begins with a statement to the effect that the incarnation is to be understood as merely a manifestation of divine love. From this starting point, several conclusions are drawn. The first is that God is love pure and simple. Thus, one is to see in Christ's death no judgment upon the human condition. Rather, one is to see an affirmation of creation and the persons we are. The life and death of Jesus reveal the fact that God accepts and affirms us. From this revelation, we can draw a further conclusion: God wants us to love one another, and such love requires of us both acceptance and affirmation of the other. From this point we can derive yet another: Accepting love requires a form of justice that is inclusive of all people, particularly those who in some way have been marginalized by oppressive social practice. The mission of the Church is, therefore, to see that those who have been rejected are included-for justice as inclusion defines public policy. The result is a practical equivalence between the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and a particular form of social justice.

But we need to see that quote with a backdrop of light cast by today's verse: Christ is the One "who makes both peoples one". Saint Paul's epistles are filled with this message of "both peoples one". In Christ all of us are made one. It really is a message of radical inclusion such as we have no human concept of how to manifest it. More...

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T-shirts

HILE I have no doubt that the Guardian, the New York Times and a tonne of other liberal trashy sorts will be pounding out their drivel in the coming weeks, not only about Narnia, but about Christmas and the sort of folk who celebrate such things (see here, the GetReligion article) I think all of us, as we gladly shovel our money over to the local theatre, should be wearing t-shirts that admit - openly - that the Guardian is correct:

Narnia represents everything that is most hateful about religion
- to Satan and his minions, that is

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Community Housing for the Rich

HICKEN HILL is a Co-operative Housing Project being built here in Asheville. It was good to find such a project being built inside the city limits, as well as "inside the city": anyone familiar with Asheville Geography will understand that East of the French Broad River and West of Town Mountain is more "in the city" than Oteen or Biltmore or even West Asheville. Our "down town" is all on the side and top of a bluff overlooking the river. Anything off that bluff may well be in town, but it's not really "inside" - especially for pedestrians.

Anyway, so there is Chicken Hill - a Mill Town. Here's a page on the history of the community. Mill Towns are common in the South: a Mill would buy up surrounding land and build small houses. These houses would be sold to the workers, including the management and sometimes the owners - the mortgage payments coming out of their pay. A company store would be set up, and land donated for churches. A community would be built out of shared land, time and work.

Chicken Hill is an attempt to revive the body of such a place without the soul: the houses are being rebuilt, but there is no common work, only a club house.

While the area has an "arts district" the reconstructed houses are being priced at +$200k - certainly not housing for any artist I know. Nor is it housing for any of the people I know in town: singles, small low-income families, etc. I'm not advocating any kind of socialism here: noting that a small family doesn't care so much for radiant heating, a shared hot tub (!!!!!) and "edible landscaping" as they do for a safe place for their kids and maybe a community vegetable garden that will help them raise their own food. More...

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?s in RE: Conception of the BVM

INDFUL that there is no need for the "Immaculate" Conception in Orthodoxy, I'm wondering: what are the Propers like for today in the Western Rite? Are there useable extant propers from prior to the Papal Fugue of Innovation on this feast?

Having not yet received my Kalendar for the month of December, does the WR observe the ER date of the Feast (the 9th) or is it on the 8th? (Found the answer to that question!: it's today.) Is the difference in dates a recent (post "immaculate") issue or have east and west always had different dates for this one?

The propers in the Anglican Breviary seem *near* to OK (outside of Matins, see also the breviary Online. What's the Collect supposed to look like? Even the lines about Mary being sinless are according to Orthodox Theology, so do they just stand as they are?

A Church geek waits to know.

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Fasting - Really Amazing Hot Chocolate

OUND this stuff at the local food co-op... mixed with Soy.... WOW. (Seems to be easier for our UK readers to get it)

Our Maya Gold chocolate bar - the first ever product to carry the Fairtrade Mark - was inspired by a drink of chocolate, orange and spices made by the Maya Indians in Belize. In our own luxurious version of this drink, you'll feel the tiny bits of organic orange peel infuse their zesty flavour, creating a cocoa-rich and aromatic drink, with a deliciously creamy froth.[/url] (Most pre-packaged hot chocolates have milk in 'em...)

Posted by: Huw Raphael on 2005.12.07:2152 (@203) | Profile

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Podcast Project Proposal

 HAVE just received approval for my first project (to be produced next semester). As promised, I now post it here.

Goal: Produce a series of Lenten meditations (3-5 mins in length) based on the Sunday Lectionary for Eastern Rite Orthodox and share them, via the internet, to a wide audience for purposes of education and community building.

More...

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Apocalyptic Silence

ESSIAH, by Handel, one can not deny, is a masterwork of glorious praise. But at the end of the final movement, following a several-minutes long fugue on the word "Amen" there is a sustained whole beat of rest : easily five seconds of silence. Then two more Amens.

May God find me in that silence...

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Memory Eternal!

AIKU:

December's Seventh
brings us tropical summer
of death at sunrise

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Just a Ramble

 NUMBER of odd things today, from the coolish to the foolish.

Prey unceasingly.

We've been feeding the birds and squirrels in the front yard: old bread, bird feeders, seeds, etc. One of the side benefits is there seems to be bird song in the front yard nearly all the time now - didn't even stop when it got cold. And the Mourning Doves have moved in for the winter. Another "benefit" is seeing really fat squirrels standing on the scooter looking longingly at the bird feeders.

Of course, all the fauna bring the larger creatures: today there was a hawk. I first saw it when I went out in the early AM to shake out a towel that was covered in flour (post-bread baking). It was on the roof of the house and flew away. But then, about 3 hours later, if flew over my head letting out one of those high-pitched hawk cries/whistles. EEEEEEEEEEEERRRKH. A sign of good fortunes, I think, pardon my lapse into pre-Christianity. But either way, a wonderful sign that the food chain is linking into our front lawn.

Speaking of which, Caedmon has a wonderful post on the "Puerility of Newage Neo-Paganism". He's also reposting his series on Love +BT, which isn't so wonderful at all. I wish other Bps would show up cyberspace!

Say unceasingly.

Work travels in circles: a man asked me for gossip, wondering if I'd heard my boss was leaving... turns out that, possibly, it is our in-take counsellor who is leaving after a year of Chaotic Mismanagement of that particular function. Deo Gratias. All of this gossip reached me during my "weekend" which means, somehow, I'm more plugged in to work, now. Of course, I don't really need to be that plugged in: I'm likely enough to eat my coworkers behind their backs. I don't need more information. I'd been trying to stay above it all - just because after 10 years at the Church Center in NYC, I know how to back-stab.

Pray unceasingly.

I've been worried about a friend with whom I can't make contact. Only now do I realise his initials are the same as my former pastor (and Blogchild :-) ), Fr J! Anyway, I was sitting in Church on Sunday when Heirodeacon Nicholas preaching, mentioned, of course, his patronal feast day. It came to me to turn the matter of my AWOL friend over to St Nicholas. As today (as I write) is his feast day, I take that as a cool thing. The Saints can pray rather a lot more than me! St Nicholas, Wonderworker, pray for us!

Shop unceasingly.

All the Christmas Shopping is done - although I still wait shipping confirmation on the final order. I mailed out the first batch of gifts today and will take care of the rest over the next couple of weeks. The postman asked "When do you want this to get there by?" And I said, "January 6th". There is a level of un-tension around a 12 Day Feast, no? Cards... still have to do them.

Shoppe unceasingly.

Arrived today my test-run of a Walsingham T-Shirt from Cafe Press. I have to say, I'm very pleased. We'll see how it survives several washings, but I've never heard anything bad about the products from Cafepress. I also got some nice "mini-buttons". Proceeds from that Walsingham Shoppe will be given to charity: it was a fun thing to do in Photoshop, but I know the seal isn't mine. I'm thinking it should help pay for the Orthodox Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, here in the USA. At least to the Monastery. (Hey! They put the bells into the new bell tower this week and Sunday it was dedicated and rung. It was Heavenly Joy to hear that - I've not heard proper Russian Style ringing since leaving SF.)

Blog ceasing.

Anyway, that's all... a longish ramble, but there it is. I've got three emails sitting in my box to answer: reasonably important ones, too. And oh... btw. So there was this copy of the Monastic Diurnal on Ebay... tattered and very used. It even had a LARGE STICKER on the front of the leather, containing the name of the monastic who used to use it. After sitting for nearly nine days at $30 it shot to $110 in the last 10 minutes of the auction! 110. American. What in the heck are people thinking?

Nighters.

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Makes the Heart Glad...

GGS CAN be an issue during the nativity fast: often called for in holiday recipes, one is made to wonder what to do. Shopping at the local Food Coop, I use 100% Vegan "Ener-G" Egg replacers:

Ingredients: Potato Starch, tapioca starch flour, leavening (calcium lactate [not derived from dairy], calcium carbonate, citric acid [corn derived]), cellulose gum, carbohydrate gum.

Well, if these are not available near you you can now get them from a very cool Orthodox Source. They have some other cool things too.

Attention, fellow first year students in St Stephens: Our text books for next semester needn't cost so much... or, at least, three of them needn't.

You can get all 3 of Dr Tarazi's books directly from St Vladimir's Seminary for only $10 each!

[5] comments (506 views) |  link

Changes afoot.

REACH it! Go, Brother NevskiCaedmon!

My cultural and ecclesial traditions are Western, more specifically Anglo-Celtic, and I am feeling that quite keenly these days, dammit.  My chief mentor in Orthodoxy once told me, "I am Christian first, catholic second, and Orthodox last."  That is also my affirmation.  But I am also a Westerner, and after about 15 years of trying, I have found it impossible to develop that quasi-gnostic mindset called "the Orthodox phronema,"  which being translated means "the Byzantine phronema."   I think like an Anglo, I pray like an Anglo, I love the sacred music of the Anglos, and one day I expect I'll be worshipping exclusively as Anglos have historically worshipped.

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Anticipation

ROWING Up, the entire month of December was spent in a fevered anticipation of Christmas: the Gift Giving Extravaganza, not the religious holiday. The Anticipation was caused by the Tree in the living room, the music, the decorations. Sometimes after dinner, I'd turn on the lights on the tree, and then the music on the HUGE stereo (it must have been 7 feet long and 4 feet deep, had a lid on it, and it played LPs, 45s and 8-track tapes). I'd put on five or six records and sit in the twinkling darkness and watch the light show. Sometimes the rest of the family would come in and we'd all watch for a while. Family, togetherness, warm glow, trees.... none of it's the incarnation: we needed a re-education. But we were getting ready for Christmas.

Anticipation was caused by singing Christmas Carols: my family would sing them in the car. We'd sing them in the mall with various choirs. We'd sing them in Church: one, maybe, at the end of the service. "Practising" for the big service at the end of the month. Fond memories, voices raised together in joy, hot chocolate afterwards: none of it was the Incarnation but we were getting ready for Christmas. We needed only a redirection.

Anticipation was caused by various social events: we knew that Santa Was Coming by the number of parties we had to dress up for with our parents. The School Christmas Pageant, the town Carol Sing, the Christmas Parade. It all happened before Christmas - but it was GETTING US READY.

I've noted that a number of people over the last few years have blogged "it doesn't feel much like Christmas is coming this year." And I humbly suggest that's because they've let their hyper-piety drain all the joy out of December. Kids know: the real party is Christmas - all this is just warm-ups. Even gift-giving in December is just a warm-up for the REAL gift-giving (ok, getting) on Christmas Morning. We don't worry about it: it's real enough - it needs to be fine-tuned to the Nativity.

It does feel very much more holy than the heathens around you, doesn't it, to do your Christmas Carolling on Jan 5 after sitting in sackcloth for 40 days: and not even looking at the neighbour's rampant light display. To be honest, the only time I've managed to celebrate the 12 Days was as an Episcopalian in NYC: I was pretty much the only guy scheduled as altar boy during the 12 Days one year at Smokey Mary's because I was the only one still in town. Mass every day does focus one! And then the Parish Epiphany Party with one of the largest Trifles I've ever seen. But NYC has it's own special "advent" which includes store Christmas windows and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Handel's Messiah at Carnegie Hall and the Sing-A-Long Messiah at Lincoln Center, the lighting of the Tree at Rockefeller Center, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. It's not the Incarnation: but everything focuses, everything comes to bear on the One Event that makes all other things possible. There would be no Season without the Reason. And lo - if St Seraphim can say "Christ is Risen" 365 days a year...

To be honest, it does feel wonderful not to have to rush out every time someone yells "Hey, we got a sale on ornaments!" And I love to blog the bit about "getting my Christmas Candy cheap because it's on sale by the time I party". Some sneaking part of me realises that there is no religious reason at all. But some part of me feels just a little bit superior. Besides, being a misanthrope, it takes an act of congress to get me to socialise with anyone at all.

A Resolution:

Hey, let's all get over our bad, pharisaical selves, all worried about times and seasons and go to the Office Christmas Party (unless, of course, you're using your religion as a reason to avoid hanging out with people you don't like - which I am doing: then it's ok).

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Not too much please!

ARKNESS is hard to escape. Unless a light is shining in the darkness (in which case, we're not in darkness) then we've no way out. Darkness is not a thing in and of itself: it is the absence of a thing. God is light, but darkness is the absence of light, the absence of God. It is the absence of (as the Anglican collect says) God "without Whom Nothing is strong": We always make a god out of what we have. There is no such thing as an atheist: either he, himself, is god, or nothing is god, or something else. We all have a god. We are all, thus, in darkness until God comes.


More...

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Saint Ephrem the Syrian Library

'ALL might really like this collection of links.

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Words! Words! Words!

HERE IS an article from Touchstone currently making the rounds in the Orthodox Blogosphere. I have, in the last year or so, been hesitant to link to TS because of their increasingly sectarian and partisan neocon politics. Having stated that caveat, I provide here a link to the article in question, "The Gay Invention" by RV Young.

More...

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