Byzantine, Texas

In 2015, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, blessed pomegranates in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin for the first time and established it as an annual tradition on New Year's Eve (or day). The Pomegranate is considered by many faith traditions to be the fruit of the tree of knowledge and a symbol of abundance and life. The custom of blessing fruits was known among the Israelites. The Jews offered to the Temple the first harvest, which included wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and honey. In nations of the East, the pomegranate is considered to be the king of all fruits, not only because of its pleasing taste and medicinal properties, but also because the top of the pomegranate resembles a crown. Some believe that the design of ancient royal crowns was based on the pomegranate "crown". The pomegranate has been known in the East from the 12th to the 7th centuries BC. Because Cartagena was known for its pomegranates, th...

BOSTON, MA ( TNH ) – His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios Geron of America sent to the Ecumenical Patriarchate the List of Candidates for Election to the Episcopacy or to be eligible for election to the Metropolis of Chicago, exactly as Patriarch Bartholomew and the Synod had requested. The List is divided into four categories: the first consists of the archimandrites, the second of widower priests, the third of active metropolitans of the Archdiocese and the fourth of those who previously served the Archdiocese and now are metropolitans in Ecclesiastical Eparchies of the Ecumenical Patriarchate abroad, namely, Sotirios of Toronto and All Canada, Nikitas of Dardanelles, Athenagoras of Mexico, and Cleopas of Sweden. The next step is that the List will be approved by the Synod at its regular meeting on January 9. It will be returned to the Archdiocese where the archbishop will convene the Holy Eparchial Synod to select the triprosopon – the three-person ballot that will be sent to the ...

( The Guardian ) - At least two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire outside a Coptic church south of Cairo on Friday, killing at least nine people in the latest attack on the country’s Christian minority. The attack happened at the Marmina church in the Helwan City district on the capital’s southern outskirts. The dead include members of the congregation and a police officer killed in a shootout at the security post guarding the building. Several others were wounded. One of the gunmen was killed after an exchange of fire with security forces, while another was arrested as he tried to escape to a narrower street across the road from the church, interior ministry sources told the Guardian. The source said at least four of the casualties were officers from the special forces squad guarding the church. “After the attack, explosive experts dismantled two IEDs [improvised explosive devices], near the church,” he said. The interior ministry however said in an official statement that ...

( Mull Monastery ) - St Thaney became pregnant after being raped when she was very much still a child. She was so innocent in her youth that her abuser was able to make her believe that he was in fact a woman and that his act of violence was normal behaviour among women. When the pregnancy became visible, her family rejected the young mother and threw her from a cliff to die. By God’s care, Thaney survived the fall and she sailed in a coracle across the Firth of Forth to St Serf’s community in Culross, where she gave birth to a little boy, the future St Mungo (Kentigern). In this icon, the saint is in her small coracle [a small boat used in Britain from ancient times and made of a frame (as of wicker) covered usually with hide or tarpaulin] , her arms protecting the innocent new life she carries in her womb. Christ’s presence is not marked in any way, as a symbol of how abuse is actually experienced - when the world hits us with its hatred, we project its violence unto Christ, ...

( ROC-Sourozh ) - By the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of 28th December, 2018, His Grace Bishop Matthew (Andreev) is appointed Ruling Bishop of the Diocese of Sourozh. The Holy Synod expressed gratitude to His Eminence Archbishop Elisey for his labours in building up church life in the Diocese of Sourozh and gave him a new position of service as Ruling Bishop of the Diocese of The Hague and the Netherlands of the Russian Orthodox Church. MINUTE No. 116 CONSIDERED: The communication of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia concerning the appointment of bishops abroad. RESOLVED: Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk is relieved of the position of Administrator of the Dioceses of Vienna and Austria and Budapest and Hungary and is appointed Administrator of the Diocese of Berlin and Gemany, retaining for the time being the title of Podolsk. Bishop Anthony of Zvenigorod is appointed Administrator of the Dioceses of Vienna and Austria and Budapest and Hungary, w...

As I said when I posted on the rumors and then substantiated claims by the Greek Archdiocese, when the mainstream news gets wind of the work stoppage, it's going to be front page news. It now is. I hope that the GOA can get the finances in order soon or there will be a whole other round of articles if work doesn't resume in a few months. This is a black eye on all of American Orthodoxy and mars what could have been some positive, high profile exposure (and I am aware of the many people who don't like the design itself). NEW YORK ( CBSNewYork ) — Construction is on hold at the massive Greek Orthodox church, replacing the one destroyed in Lower Manhattan in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. As WCBS 880’s Ethan Harp reported, financial problems are catching up to the project. At a blessing ceremony in 2014, former New York Gov. George Pataki spoke of the St. Nicholas National Shrine he had championed, going up next to One World Trade Center. “We had remembrance. We had c...

( Dumbarton Oaks ) - An ongoing project to record the 17,000 Byzantine lead seals held by Dumbarton Oaks and publish them online. Browse the collection, learn about sigillography, and download tools to introduce sigillography to students. For centuries the Byzantines, from humble monks and laymen to highly placed grandees and emperors, used lead seals to “lock” official and private correspondence and to validate or authenticate documents. The details contained on the thousands of seals preserved shed light on many aspects of the Byzantine world, principally the structure of its civil, military, and ecclesiastical administrations, the careers and locations of its officials, and the responses to the ever-changing fortunes of the empire over its millennial existence. The inscriptions on the seals echo, as their images reflect, the beliefs and perspectives of people who but for the survival of their seals would be lost to history. The seals often provide the key evidence needed to ...

The Christ-child lay on Mary's lap, His hair was like a light. (O weary, weary were the world, But here is all aright.) The Christ-child lay on Mary's breast His hair was like a star. (O stern and cunning are the kings, But here the true hearts are.) The Christ-child lay on Mary's heart, His hair was like a fire. (O weary, weary is the world, But here the world's desire.) The Christ-child stood on Mary's knee, His hair was like a crown, And all the flowers looked up at Him, And all the stars looked down - " A Christmas Carol " by G. K. Chesterton

A seminarian friend of mine posted this homily this morning. Enjoy! Christ is born, glorify Him! Christ from heaven, go out to meet Him! Christ on earth, be exalted! Sing to the Lord all the whole earth; and that I may join both in one word, let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, for Him who is of heaven and then of earth. Christ in the flesh, rejoice with trembling and with joy; with trembling because of your sins, with joy because of your hope. Again, the darkness is past; again Light is made; again Egypt is punished with darkness; again Israel is enlightened by a pillar. The people who sat in the darkness of ignorance, let them see the great Light full of knowledge. Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new. The letter gives way, the Spirit comes to the front. The shadows flee away, the truth comes in on them. Melchizedek is concluded. He who was without Mother becomes without Father (without mother of His former state, without father of ...

From the Orthodox Metropolinate of Hong Kong ... The Cave Due to sin, many of us struggle with doubt or disbelief. This cave represents our struggle. The Cave represents the world, dark with sin through man’s fault. It is now illuminated by the Light of the Incarnation. Within this cave, Christ, “the Sun of Truth,” enters into the world He created for us, clothed in the flesh of Mary’s body through natural birth, the same way all of His children are born. “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.” (Saint John the Evangelist) The ox and the ass The ox and the ass fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah. “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” (Isaiah 1:3) The Most Holy Theotokos and Virgin Mary The main focus of this icon is the Christ-child and His mother, the Theotokos and Mother of Light. Archangel Gabriel told her that she will bear the Son of God. He then led her to Bethle...

I post this hagiography both because it is her New Calendar commemoration (sometimes I accede to modernity) and because it's hard to ignore an epithet as great as Alleviatrix-of-Captives. She is also called Anastasia the Widow and Deliverer-of-Potions. Greatmartyr Anastasia, the Deliverer from Bondage, Troparion, Tone IV Thy ewe-lamb Anastasia crieth out to Thee with a loud voice, O Jesus:/ "I love Thee, O my Bridegroom,/ and, seeking Thee, I pass through many strug­gles:/ I am crucified and buried with Thee in Thy baptism,/ and suffer for Thy sake, that I may reign with Thee;/ I die for Thee that I might live with Thee./ As an unblemished sacrifice accept me,/ who sacrifice myself with love for Thee// By her supplications save Thou our souls, in that Thou art merciful. Kontakion of the Great-Martyr, Tone II "Seeking the highest" When they have recourse to thy temple,/ those who find themselves in tempta­tions and sorrows/ receive precious gifts throu...

( Moscow Times ) - The head of the Russian Orthodox Church will be memorialized in a 4-meter statue in the center of Moscow along with 15 other church figures. Patriarch Kirill, a staunch supporter of President Vladimir Putin, has raised eyebrows during his eight-year tenure for sporting pricey watches, sanctioning Russia’s campaign in the Syrian war and allegedly dealing in alcohol and tobacco imports in the 1990s. Recent media reports indicated that Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin signed off on the 16 sculptures to be installed outside the Christ the Savior Cathedral earlier this month. “They’re nearly ready,” Salavat Shcherbakov, the project’s sculptor, told the RBC business portal on Friday. Three of the monuments have already been erected at the cathedral. The Russian Orthodox Church has said it has no canonical objections to its patriarch being memorialized by the sculptor. “The goal is to memorialize the history of Russia’s patriarchs,” the patriarch’s spokesman was ci...

( ROCOR Studies ) - On 18 October 2017, this very question was addressed by Deacon Andrei Psarev, a professor of the Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville. Fr Andrei, a notable expert in the history of the Russian Orthodoxy in the diaspora, has devoted more than fifteen years to research in the field of canon law and to the teaching of the subject in the seminary. Since the majority of the audience were either the parishioners of he Church of the Elijah Prophet or Moscow college students, Fr Andrei began his talk with a brief introduction into church law, emphasizing the main points in which it departs from the secular understanding of law. Church (or canon) law is a series of standards and regulations which guide both the internal life of the Church as a common body and the parish community. The relationship of the Church with the world at large also falls within the remit of canon law. “How permissible is it for a parishioner without any knowledge of canon law to reprimand ...

As I mentioned earlier, there is already a canonical Church in Macedonia and Bulgarian efforts to make canonical this uncanonical group separate from Ohrid or the Serbian Patriarchate is contrary to the way we do things. I am all for healing, but this goes against canonical order. Qatar should be a bright flashing warning sign to the Church of Bulgaria. ( orthochristian.com ) - The Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church held its December session yesterday and today, under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, at which it addressed the communiqué of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church on its decision to become the “Mother Church” of the schismatic Macedonian Orthodox Church, reports Romfea. In addressing the Bulgarian Church’s November 29 decision to assume the role of “Mother Church” of the Macedonian Church, the Greek Holy Synod expressed its concern yesterday about the fact that the Bulgarian Church is thereby intervening in the jurisdiction...

See original story here . The Greek Metropolis of Toronto has responded with a statement entitled " Greek Orthodox Metropolis Responds to False and Misleading Media Reports and Allegations Made by the Greek Community of Toronto " reposted below. ( GOA-Toronto ) - In response to recent false and misleading media reports, the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto (Canada) categorically and confidently asserts that the statement of claim filed by the Greek Community of Toronto (GCT) is baseless and wholly without merit. The latest attempt by the GCT against our Metropolis is recognized by all for what it is: yet another desperate attempt to divert attention from the issues it faces and discredit our Metropolis. The spurious allegations made against our Metropolis are not grounded in fact and we eagerly await the opportunity to zealously defend ourselves using the appropriate process through Canada’s justice system. As we prepare to celebrate the Nativity of Christ, our M...

Some of you are asking yourselves, "I want to do something to really get into the spirit of Christmas. You know, do good and help the Church, but I'm not sure what to do. I'm busy and it's hard to find the time to search out this sort of stuff, you know? Have any ideas, Father?" I do! Nothing says Christmas spirit like helping grow the Church by funding the efforts of two our our newest missionaries to Guatemala! Please consider donating by clicking here and pulling down "Thomas and Elizabeth Manuel" from the choices available. They are going to do some amazing work down there and you can be a part of it. A blessed Nativity Fast to you all and my sincere thanks in advance for your support both financial and in prayer. Prayer for our Orthodox Missions God of truth and love: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Hear our prayer for those who do not know You. That they may come to a saving knowledge of the truth, and that Your Name may be praised among ...

I find the entire idea of a non-profit owning four Orthodox churches to be weird. Separate from all the allegations, these sorts of custodial relationships are always fraught with tension. ( CBC ) - Money stolen from a church fundraiser for a sick baby, verbal and physical abuse by priests, and placements of known sex offenders in Toronto churches are all allegations being made against some of the most powerful members of Canada's Greek Orthodox community amid an ongoing Greek "turf war." The board of directors for the Greek Community of Toronto (GCT), a non-profit charity representing more than 150,000 Greek Canadians, has filed a civil lawsuit against the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto, its metropolitan — the Greek Orthodox equivalent of an archbishop — as well as four priests, several members of one priest's family, and multiple other individuals connected with the church community. It's the latest chapter in a complicated, years-long dispute betwe...

December 7-10, 2017 ( ROC ) – The Commission for Dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Syriac Orthodox Church held its first session in Cherepovets, Vologda region. The agreement to establish this commission had been reached by His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, during the visit made by the Primate of the Syriac Orthodox Church to Russia from November 9 to 13, 2015. On May 11, 2017, the joint working group for preparing the dialogue met in Washington. On July 29, the membership of the commission was approved by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church and in October of the same year, and an analogous decision was made by the Synod of the Syriac Orthodox Church. The Moscow Patriarchate membership of the commission includes Bishop Flavian of Cherepovets and Belozersk as co-chairman; Hegumen Arse...

( AINA ) - According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) supporters of ISIS in Egypt posted on Telegram.me a call for Egyptian Muslims to attack and kill Christians and burn their churches and homes in Egypt this Christmas. It reads: Oh you Muslims in Egypt, the Christians have been insolent toward you. They cursed our prophet and called each other to fight you, and you are sitting! Oh you, have you forgotten who you are? Do you not know that you are their masters and they are the ones [who should be] humbled and subdued? By Allah... if you do not rise up [against them] Allah will increase your humility. So go forth, oh worshippers of Allah, blow up their churches and monasteries, kill their priests and monks, do not show mercy toward any Christian for they are all belligerent toward Allah's religion. 'They will never approve of you until you follow their religion.' So blood for blood, killing for killing. Revive the raids of heroes in Abbasiyah, Tanta ...

( Telegraph ) - An American man who donated sperm to a lesbian couple is the legal father of their daughter and must pay child support, a court has ruled. A judge in the US state of Kansas decided that William Marotta, 47, was financially responsible for the girl who is now aged four. The couple, Jennifer Schreiner and Angela Bauer, had found Mr Marotta by advertising on the Internet and did not use a doctor in the donation process. They signed a contract agreeing that Mr Marotta would have no financial responsibility for the child. But when the couple encountered financial difficulties, and one of them applied for state benefits, the state of Kansas applied to a court to have Mr Marotta declared the child's father and made responsible for her. The ruling suggests that in Kansas a man can only legally be considered a sperm donor if he goes through a doctor. Shawnee County District Court Judge Mary Mattivi said: "A parent may not terminate parental rights by contrac...

As promised, when I received corroborating evidence of the work shutdown at the St. Nicholas Shrine at the World Trade Center in New York, I am posting it. NEW YORK ( GOARCH ) – Construction at the site of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at The World Trade Center in New York has been temporarily suspended. In light of recent financial difficulties at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and in order to make certain that all operations and funds are being correctly managed, this difficult yet necessary step has been taken. The Archdiocese is confidently hopeful that construction will recommence in the very near future and has been assured by Skanska —the construction company responsible for building the church— that they are looking forward to the rescinding of this temporary suspension to continue working together in cooperation with the Archdiocese for the completion of the building project. During the temporary suspension of construction at the...

Paramus, NJ ( SCOOCH ) – After a one year hiatus, the US Roman Catholic-Oriental Orthodox Consultation reconvened on December 6-7 at New Jersey’s Mor Aphrem Center, hosted by H.E. Archbishop Dionysios Jean Kawak and the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of the Eastern United States on behalf of the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches. The assembled clergy and lay theologians discussed a variety of issues relative to the two communions. Chief among them was the means by which each jurisdiction addresses the sad reality that in the modern day, many marriages end in divorce. Papers were presented on divorce and remarriage by Fr. Diran Bohajian of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Fr. Joseph Varghese of the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church, and Fr. Yacoub Ghaly of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Other topics discussed included the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, the efforts of Dr. Robin Darling Young and other academics to create a digital history of the Christian co...

( Christian Institute ) - A Church of England church in London has come under fire for holding a joint birthday celebration for Jesus and Mohammed. The “Milad, Advent and Christmas Celebration” took place on Sunday at All Saints Church in Kingston upon Thames. In a promotional flier, the church said the service was “Marking the birthday of Prophet Mohammed and looking forward to the birthday of Jesus”. The hour-long service included time for Islamic prayer and was followed by the cutting of a birthday cake. Prominent Christian blogger Archbishop Cranmer castigated the church for its lack of reverence for Jesus. He said the church was “rejoicing in both, eulogising both, solemnising both, glorifying both, honouring both”. Cranmer questioned this “sensitively missional” approach, saying that exalting Mohammed in churches effectively proclaims that Mohammed is greater than Jesus. He wrote: “Every time a church accords Mohammed the epithet ‘Prophet’, they are rejecting the c...

Well, belated to some, anticipatory to others.

On the lookout for corroboration. ( Pappas Post ) - Construction at the site of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox National Shrine at Ground Zero in New York City has been halted by the main construction company because the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has defaulted on payments, according to a letter sent by the company to its subcontractors working at the site. The letter from the site’s main contractor, Skanksa USA Building, notifies its subcontractors to withdraw from the building site immediately. A copy of the letter was obtained by The Pappas Post by one of the project’s subcontractors that was working under Skanksa and the validity of the letter was verified by Skanksa. St. Nicholas was the only house of worship destroyed on 9/11 when terrorists struck the World Trade Center. A massive fundraising campaign was undertaken to re-build the church, which was originally founded by Greek immigrants in the early 1900s when the Lower East Side of Manhattan was a thriving...

His Holiness Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and all Africa Theodore II has presided over the Grand Catholic Orthodox Divine Liturgy in Moscow. The Divine Worship was celebrated also by: His Holiness Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and all Palestine Theophilos III His Holiness Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Cyril His Holiness Orthodox Metropolitan of Belgrade Serbian Patriarch Irenaeus His Holiness Orthodox Archbishop of Bucharest Romanian Patriarch Daniel His Beatitude Orthodox Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and all Cyprus Chrysostom II His Beatitude Orthodox Archbishop of Tirana and all Albania Anastasios His Beatitude Orthodox Metropolitan of Warsaw and all Poland Sawa His Beatitude Orthodox Archbishop of Preshov and all Czech and Slovak Lands Rastislav His Beatitude Orthodox Archbishop of Washington and all America Tikhon Orthodox Bishops from the Moscow Patriarchate and other local Orthodox Churches.

( ROC ) - As a continuation on the topic raised in the presentation of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia at the session of the Episcopal Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and chairman of the Biblical-Theological Commission Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk spoke on the topic of the results of studying the documents of the Council of Crete (18th – 27th June 2016). The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church at its session on the 15th of July 2016 entrusted the Synodal Biblical-Theological Commission with the task of, “upon receipt of officially verified copies of the documents approved by the Council of Crete, publishing these documents and studing them, taking into account the possible responses and comments of their Graces the bishops, the religious educational institutes and schools, theologians, clerics, monks and nuns, and to present the conclusions of this tho...

Kiev, December 1 ( Interfax ) - The initiative for reconciliation with the Kiev Patriarchate was put forward by the Russian Orthodox Church with the mediation of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Filaret, head of the Kiev Patriarchate, said. "The initiative came from the Moscow Patriarchate. But not directly from Moscow to Kiev, but through New York, through Metropolitan Hilarion of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia," the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kiev Patriarchate told a press conference in Kiev on Friday.

Moscow, December 1 ( Interfax ) - Leonid Sevastyanov, executive director of the Grigory Bogoslov Foundation and permanent member of the commission of Old Believer parishes in the Moscow Patriarchate, has called on members of the Bishops Council to ordain a separate bishop for Old Believers. "I call on the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church to make a decision as soon as possible and ordain a one-faith bishop. Moreover, I support the idea of developing a Provision on the Old Rites in the Russian Orthodox Church, by which any community where a majority of members want to serve according to the old rites can do that. I am calling for the community to be brought back to the center of church life, resume elections of bishops and priests. Because a clergyman should serve the community, but the community does not have to serve the priest," Sevastyanov told Interfax-Religion. By doing so, the Bishops' Council would implement the decision made at the 1917 Coun...

( antiochian.org ) - Small church schools have unique needs. The Mustard Seed website was created several years ago as a way for the Antiochian Orthodox Department of Christian Education (AODCE) to support these needs. Through the vision and dedication of Catherine Sullivan, an Associate of the Department, materials and curriculum suitable for small church schools were selected and organized on The Mustard Seed website, with regular additions and updates. We are saddened by the passing of Elaine Victoria Sullivan "Catherine" on April 7, 2017, in Charlotte, North Carolina, after courageously battling cancer for many years. Memory Eternal! We wish to recognize all of Catherine's efforts, including the creation of The Mustard Seed which laid the groundwork for serving the needs of the small church school. The support of small church schools through the Department continues, with The Mustard Seed shifting into a new phase: social media. To read (and subscribe to) posts a...

KYIV ( RFERL ) - The head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Filaret, has said the Ukrainian church will never go back under the control of the Moscow Patriarchate. Filaret told journalists in Kyiv on December 1 that the Russian Orthodox Church was "deceptive" on November 30 when it said he had written a letter to Russian Patriarch Kirill asking for forgiveness. The Moscow Patriarchate excommunicated Filaret after he broke his Kyiv Patriarchate from Moscow in 1992. "They now want to call us again to talks on a return to the Moscow Patriarchate," Filaret said. "First of all, I want to tell the Moscow patriarch and the Russian bishops that the Ukrainian church will never go back to the Moscow Patriarchate. Why is that? Because we have our own state. Don't you see how deceptive Moscow is? One cannot trust them." Filaret added that in the letter, which was part of an exchange initiated by the Russian side, he wrote about a possible dialog...

My first thought here is that being a priest's wife is a very difficult thing. At the same time I've run into women who want to be the wife of a priest who neither know any available men or are even Orthodox! There's an image of what such a life is like that bears little resemblance to the actual experience. Just as with any endeavor, it's advisable to actually speak with women who have made this choice (and it is a choice because no good bishop lets a man become a priest without the wife's permission). I'd recommend speaking to several women because one woman's paradise is another woman's nightmare. The cost of getting out of such a life is also very high - for the parish, for the husband, for the children, and for the marriage (if it should survive which it often doesn't). A new marriage is tough. A new marriage under the attentive eye of hundreds of people can feel oppressive. Lastly, let me say that getting married to someone in the hopes tha...