Byzantine, Texas

From the Monastery of Panagia Ypseni ... St. Basil comes and passes by He overlooks us, I know not why He comes from Caesara Town Mistress bring, mistress, bring, mistress, bring us something down He carries pen and paper white And sugar candies, sweet and bright He brings his pen and ink for writing You should see, you should see, you should see me in the fighting The pen, it jumped up with one bound And on the paper scribbled round And then the paper started speaking Yes, we swear, yes, we swear that the paper started speaking The paper said, “Tis New Year’s Eve! Oh, Mistress fair, I beg your leave; Joy be your lot the whole year round May your house, may your house, may your house be holy ground!” “The New Year follows on Christ’s birth So holy Christ who walks the earth May bless you, every girl and boy And fill all, and fill all—and fill all your hearts with joy!”

An interesting post from Bishoy's Blog entitled " Why Is The Coptic New Year called Nayrouz? " Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus The calendar of the Coptic Orthodox church begins with the beginning of the terrible reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian in 284 A.D. During his time, Christians in Egypt were tortured, massacred, and martyred in countless numbers. For early Coptic Christians, this was the “Era of the Martyrs.” As a result, the Copts based their calendar on this event, which is why the Coptic years end with “A.M.,” which is short for “Anno Martyrii” or “Year of the Martyrs.” Just as we write, for example, “2009 A.D.,” with “A.D.” representing “Anno Domini” or “Year of the Lord,” we denote the Coptic year with ”A.M.” In addition, the Coptic Church commemorates three aspects of the seasons in her prayers and liturgies throughout the year: The waters of the rivers (`Cmou niamaiou nem niarwou) The winds of the heaven (`Cmou niayr `nte `tve) The fruits...

Here's a snippet from a thought provoking post from the blog Khanya . It brings into the discussion evolution, the naturalistic fallacy , and the Christian response to both. In a recent blog post ( Nouslife: Theodicy of the naturalists ) Andii Bowsher raised a point that has puzzled me for some time: Loyal Rue , an evolutionary naturalist, says that scientists should not be too hasty in letting the rest of us in on the secret that religions are adaptive illusions that have enabled the human race to evolve and survive, because if we came to realise that we might abandon the illusions and thus lose their adaptive advantage. “If we expose our religions as the lies they really are, humanity might go extinct.” And Andii’s puzzlement, like mine, is why, on a naturalistic account, we should care whether the human race goes extinct or not? Kevin Parry, in a post on his blog a couple of years ago raises the same question in a slightly different way... Complete article here .

I think the message from the blog post quoted below is especially important to parents. From the moment children are able to understand, I think most parents teach their children the Golden Rule. This maxim extends into every facet of a child's life so that he learns to think of the feelings of others in every action he does. As a result, we often fail to remember (and often impart to our children) that sometimes vocal refusal and even - dare I say it - being impolite is called for when the thing being fought over is a righteous one. I am reminded of the famous story from the Desert Fathers I've quote before (see here ). They say about Abba Agathon that some came to him, hearing that he had great discernment, and wanting to test whether he would become angry, they say to him, Are you Agathon? We hear about you that you are a fornicator, and a proud man. But he said, Indeed, a gossip and slanderer? And he said, I am he. They say further, Are you Agathon the heretic? And he an...

( byzcath.org ) - Having participated in the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops held at the Vatican from 10-24 October 2010, on the theme of The Catholic Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness, H. B. Patriarch Gregorios III undertook a number of activities to publicise this event. Patriarch Gregorios called this Synod for the Middle East "a great gift of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the Christian East, showing his special esteem for the Eastern Catholic Churches" and "an historic initiative." Letter to Arab Heads of State The Melkite Patriarch then undertook a series of post-synodal activities, through which he spoke to the Christian faithful. But he also wanted to challenge his Muslim brothers in Arab countries. He therefore wrote a letter to the Kings and Presidents of Arab countries before the Synodal Assembly (18 June 2010) and once it had been held (24 October 2010). He gave talks especially for Muslims in Beirut a...

For more on the film, see here .

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 ( Malaysian Insider ) – Catholic church officials were told to remove crucifixes and to avoid hymns being sung when Prime Minister Najib Razak attended the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur’s Christmas tea party last Saturday. The overzealous bid to protect the prime minister’s Islamic credentials was described by sources familiar with what happened as “paranoid” and done without Najib’s knowledge. The sources also noted the actions of officials from the prime minister’s office could have jeopardised warming religious ties. The Malaysian Insider understands that Najib’s men may have been spooked by the National Fatwa Council’s recent repeated announcements over Muslims at non-Muslim celebrations and had tripped over themselves to ensure his attendance at the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur’s Christmas Day high-tea passed without a hitch. It was Najib’s first time attending a Christian function in his official role since taking over power in April last year. The Malays...

H/T: OBL News New York ( Armenian Reporter ) – In light of a recent spate of violence and persecution against Christians in Egypt, members of the Coptic Orthodox Church of America gathered at New York’s St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral for a special prayer service on December 14. Some 1,000 people took part in the service, which was organized by Coptic Orthodox Bishops in the United States. Lacking a comparable sanctuary of their own, Coptic Church leaders had requested holding the service in the dignified solemn setting of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral. The morning of worship and remarks included an address by Bishop David, the Coptic General Bishop of North America, and other Coptic bishops, as well as Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America. “Our peoples share a common experience as diaspora communities; we share a common theological and liturgical heritage as members of the Oriental Orthodox tradition; and our histories h...

For more quotes see here and here .

( HTOS ) - December 24, 2010 was the first day of the annual St. Herman's Youth Conference, which is being held at Holy Trinity Monastery until December 28. The St. Herman's Conference was started more than three decades ago at Holy Trinity Monastery so that the youth of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad could strengthen their faith and make new friends. It was named in honor of St. Herman of Alaska (feast day December 12/25), one of the first Russian Orthodox missionaries to North America. From that time, the St. Herman's Conference has been held at various venues around the Eastern American Diocese, as well as Canada. This year is the first time the St. Herman's Conference has been held at Holy Trinity Monastery since 1988. In addition to attendees from ROCOR, a delegation from Moscow belonging to the Union of Orthodox Youth Organizations is also attending. On Friday the 24th, after check-in at the Radisson Hotel in Utica, conference participants, aged 16 and u...

Bp. Nestor of Kaffa Moscow, December 27 ( Interfax ) - The Holy Synod at its Friday session appointed new head of the Korsun Diocese that unites parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in Italy, Spain, France and Switzerland. For this and other notes from the synod, see here . The diocesan vicar Bishop Nestor of Kaffa was appointed to the see, parishes in Italy were also given to his archpastoral care, the Moscow Patriarchate reported on its official website. Bishop Nestor, graduate of the Russian State University for Humanities and the Moscow Theological Academy is known as an advocate of active witness to Orthodoxy in the West. Establishing of the recently open Paris Seminary is among his achievements. Former head of the Russian Church "West-European" see Archbishop Innokenty who administered it for 11 years is transferred to the Lithuanian See instead of Metropolitan Chrysostom of Vilna and Lithuania who retired on medical grounds.

Bulgarian Patriarch Maxim, center, leads the traditional Christmas Mass at the golden-domed Alexander Nevsky cathedral in downtown Sofia, Bulgaria on Saturday Dec. 25, 2010. ( AP Photo / Valentina Petrova)

( MSNBC ) - People look down at a crypt museum, set to open for the public on Jan. 3, 2011, at Saint George Orthodox Cathedral in Beirut, Dec. 27, 2010. Eight layers of occupation from the Hellenistic period to the present, including the remains of five, possibly six successive churches were found during the excavation process, conducted by the Archaelogical Museum of the American University of Beirut, and the ruins are being preserved in the crypt museum.

Christianity must remain eternally unchanging, in no way being dependent on or guided by the spirit of each age. Instead, Christianity is meant to govern and direct the spirit of the age for anyone who obeys its teachings." - St. Theophan the Recluse The complete teaching is available from the Preachers Institute here . It's rather long, but St. Theophan is very readable.

Troparion - Tone 2 Proclaim the wonder, O Joseph, to David, the ancestor of God: you saw a Virgin great with Child, you gave glory with the shepherds, you worshipped with the Magi, you received the news from the angel. Pray to Christ God to save our souls! Kontakion - Tone 3 Today godly David is filled with joy; Joseph and James offer praise. The glorious crown of their kinship with Christ fills them with great joy. They sing praises to the One ineffably born on earth, and they cry out: "O Compassionate One, save those who honor You!"

Dallas, TX ( OCA-DOS ) - His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) will visit here on the weekend of February 12-13, 2011. As part of his itinerary, Metropolitan Hilarion will be at St. Seraphim Cathedral for the Vigil service. He is scheduled to make a presentation after the Saturday evening Vigil. “We are extremely honored to have His Eminence with us at St. Seraphim Cathedral and look forward to his visit” stated Archpriest Joseph Fester, Dean of St. Seraphim Cathedral and Chancellor of the Diocese of the South. “I first met Metropolitan Hilarion when he was attached as a priest to our OCA Representation Church in Moscow. He was a tremendous asset to our Representation Church in its formative years.” Metropolitan Hilarion will be in Dallas for a series of talks and for the performance of his music at Highland Park Presbyterian Church on Sunday, February 13th. His "St Matthew Passion" , grand oratorio for soloists, choir and orchestra, received standing ovatio...

Christ is born! Glorify Him! Rod of the root of Jesse, and flower that blossomed from his stem, O Christ, Thou hast sprung from the Virgin. From the Mountain overshadowed by the forest Thou hast come, made flesh from her that knew not wedlock, O God who art not formed from matter. Glory to Thy power, O Lord. - Canon of Nativity, Ode 4

A Christian pilgrim is reflected in an icon at the Church of the Nativity, where many Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Thursday. So far this year, 1.4 million tourists have visited the traditional birthplace of Jesus and 90,000 are expected during the Christmas season, a significant increase over last year, according to Israeli government figures. The numbers of visitors have been rising steadily in recent years.( AP Photo /Nasser Shiyoukhi)

( NPR ) - In Begat, David Crystal sets out to prove that the King James Bible has contributed more to the English language than any other literary source. If you've ever "fought the good fight" or chuckled at "what comes out of the mouths of babes," you just might agree with him. Phrases with roots in the King James Bible are everywhere. Crystal tells NPR's Neal Conan that writing Begat began with his curiosity about a simple question: How many English language idioms come from the King James Bible? When Crystal posed this question to people, they guessed a wide range of answers — anywhere from 50 to 1,000. So he decided he'd better read the Bible and figure it out. "I went through it and looked for every instance of an expression that I thought was current in modern English," Crystal says. "And then I thought: I'd better read it again, just to make sure I haven't missed any." And after that second reading, he had a ...

Fr. Ted's blog has an excellent series that "look[ed] at the Scriptures focusing on some methods and means by which the Patristic writers interpreted our Scriptures." Here's a snippet from the final posting. If this whets your appetite, I suggest reading them from the beginning here . In reading through some of the Patristic Biblical commentators, we do see the variety of meanings they felt were put into the text by God Himself. Their goal was always to come to the full revelation of God – to completely understand the text as God intended us to comprehend it – and to get all the possible meanings that God had put into the text. Theodoret of Cyrus (d. 457AD) was a bishop in the Antiochian tradition of biblical studies. Generally the Antiochians downplayed the use of allegory in their interpretation of Scripture, but in their writings we also can see that the differences between a typological reading and an allegorical reading can sometimes be slim. They knew ...

KIRKUK, Iraq ( AP ) – Iraqi Christians on Wednesday called off Christmas festivities across the country as al-Qaida insurgents threatened more attacks on a beleaguered community still terrified from a bloody siege at a Baghdad church two months earlier. That and the continued murders and beatings going on daily. A council representing Christian denominations across Iraq advised its followers to cancel public Christmas celebrations out of concern over new terror attacks and as a show of mourning for the victims of the church siege and other violence. Church officials in the northern cities of Kirkuk and Mosul, the southern city of Basra and in the capital confirmed they will not put up Christmas decorations or hold evening Mass and have urged worshippers to refrain from decorating their homes. Even an appearance by Santa Claus was called off. "Nobody can ignore the threats of al-Qaida against Iraqi Christians," said Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako in Kirkuk. "We ca...

JOHNSTOWN, PA ( ACROD ) - In anticipation of the coming Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, audio files of selected traditional Carpatho-Rusyn Christmas as sung By St. John's Male Chorus of Bridgeport Connecticut, and St. Michael's Choir of Binghamton, NY are now available for your listening pleasure. Please click here to listen.

( Nativity Monastery ) - It is our pleasure to announce to you that His Beatitude Jonah, Metropolitan of all America and Canada, Locum Tenens of the Diocese of the South, will be visiting the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ Monastery on Thursday December 23, 2010 to celebrate the first anniversary of the monastery at its new location in Kemp TX. As a part of the Archpastoral visit, is Beatitude Jonah will bless the grounds where we will begin the construction of a new Chapel this next year. He will then celebrate the anniversary Divine Liturgy with other visiting clergy and the faithful. The choir from St. John of Damascus Orthodox Church, in Tyler TX, will sing for the Divine Liturgy. A reception and luncheon will follow. Parents are encouraged to bring your children to this special event. When you RSVP, please let Sister Barbara know how many children will be attending with you. Schedule of Events (all times are approximate): 9:30 AM - Blessing of the grounds for the new C...

... time to pull a tree into the house.

NEW YORK ( TNH via pokrov.org ) - Bishop Vikentios of Apameia has made stunning allegations about Metropolitan Paisios of Tyana tenure at the Saint Irene Chrysovalantou Monastery and its Dependencies in Astoria, N.Y., including charges that the Metropolitan sexually abused the Bishop’s brother, Spyros Malamatenios, who was 17 at the time. In a long interview with The National Herald, Bishop Vikentios (Malamatenios), a close associate of Metropolitan Paisios (Loulourgas) for 40 years and co-founder of the Monastery, outlined a sordid tale of sex and other alleged wrongdoings. In the lengthy interview - which was taken on tape - live and unconditionally at the Headquarters of TNH in New York, Bishop Vikentios made revelations of alleged serious excesses by the Metropolitan, including that he was involved with people of both sexes, including the young nun, Christonymphi, who now has given up the Monastic vows and talked to the police. Bishop Vikentios also revealed that, according to hi...

From the blog Gladsome Light Dialogues a post entitled "How Santa stole Christmas or Resisting the de-Christianization of Christianity"... “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” (Mt. 13:33) Christ came into the world as one of us, to change us from within. He is the leaven of a new world, and although born as a little babe, in a humble and forgotten manger he starts a chain reaction that will reach the entire earth. The apostles were the first to react to this catalyst and they were changed into something better, from humble fishermen into fishers of men, becoming themselves agents of change for the world. Through their missionary work entire populations were converted to Christianity, temples were changed into churches, pagan holidays were changed into Christian ones, all transfigured by grace, going back to the fullness of serving the One and True God. . Today we see a reversed phen...

Constantinople ( AsiaNews ) - On the eve of the holiday season, Bartholomew I delivered a major address before an highly qualified audience from the Orthodox world, defending the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s choice for inter-faith dialogue. "We will insist on dialogue, despite the criticism that we suffer," he said. "There is, unfortunately, a certain religious fundamentalism, a tragic phenomenon, which can be found among Orthodox and Catholics, among Muslims and Jews. These are people who think they alone have the right to exist on earth, almost as if they alone have the right to rule on this our planet according to the Old Testament. And they say there is no room for anyone else, and are therefore opposed to any dialogue." The Patriarch continued: "We are subject to criticism and attack because we maintain relations with the Pope (because we are strong supporters of the ecumenical dialogue between Orthodox and Catholics), with Islam and the Jewish world. But w...

H/T: Choosing to Look East!

The good people developing for Blogger just released a knob to enable a more mobile-friendly version of the blog. I've enabled it and it seems to be quite a smart enhancement. Please do tell me if a problem should arise.

I've been watching the site slowly coalesce for the past few months, but it looks like they are now officially announcing it. I played with the find-a-parish functionality just yesterday and it seems to work well. I'm fond of Orthodoxy in America , but hope the functionality and design flair of that site makes its way onto the official parish roster tool on the assembly site. NEW YORK, NY ( OCA ) - The web site of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America -- formerly known as the Episcopal Assembly of North and Central America -- made its debut on Friday, December 17, 2010. It may be accessed here . In addition to information on the Assembly's history, establishment, and current activities, the site provides comprehensive lists of all member Churches and hierarchs; a wealth of informative documents, statements, and addresses highlighting its inaugural meeting; directories of Assembly agencies, endorsed organizations, commissions, consultat...

H/T: Pithless Thoughts

( ARCHONS ) - A major motion-picture about divine wisdom, timeless insight, silence and prayer, entitled, “Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer” will premiere for three-months on Comcast and Verizon Fios Video-On-Demand, beginning on December 15, 2010. His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew offers a foreword and introduction to this story as it travels to the far reaches of the east, discovering the Jesus Prayer firsthand with Emmy award winning theologian and author, Dr. Norris J. Chumley, and renowned historian and priest, Very Rev. Dr. John A. McGuckin. They take a modern exodus to the ancient lands where Christianity and the Church began, witnessing the Jesus Prayer directly in monasteries and chapels, many places that are off-limits to the outside world.

H/T: Opuscula Theologica ( orthodoxytoday.org ) - In the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian churches of the West, the several weeks prior to Christmas are known as Advent, a name from a Latin word meaning "coming." It happens that the beginning of Advent always falls on the Sunday closest to November 30, the ancient feast day (in both East and West) of the Apostle Andrew. Among Christians in the West, this preparatory season, which tends to be slightly less rigorous than Lent and often involves no special fasting at all, always begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Thus, from year to year it will vary in length between 3 and 4 weeks, but always with four Sundays. It is worth noting that many of the Eastern Catholic Churches in the US have severely curtailed their involvement in the Nativity Fast. The Ruthenian Church in particular has almost completed removed observance of it, only leaving an optional day of fasting on Fridays. There is some thought of returni...

Troparion - Tone 2 Great are the accomplishments of faith, for the Three Holy Youths rejoiced in the fountain of flames as though in the waters of rest; and the prophet Daniel appeared, a shepherd to the lions as though they were sheep. So by their prayers, O Christ God, save our souls! Kontakion - Tone 3 When your pure heart was purged by the Spirit you became a vessel of clear prophecy; you saw things far away as though they were near at hand. When cast into their den you tamed the lions. Therefore, we honor you, blessed prophet, glorious Daniel.

From the blog Orthodox Way of Life ... God, having formed man with His own hands in His own image He in his love allowed man free will to follow his own initiative. Because of the deceit of the devil man was not strong enough to withstand his temptations and separated himself from God. God then through the incarnation set about to recreate man anew. Saint Gregory Palamas puts it this way, So now God not only forms human nature anew by His own hand in a mysterious way, but also keeps it near Him. Not only does He assume this nature and raise it up from the fall, but He inexpressibly clothes Himself in it an unites Himself inseparable with it and born as both God and man: from a woman, in the first instance, that He might take upon Himself the same nature which He formed in our forefathers; and from a woman who was a virgin, in the second, so that He might make man anew. The Incarnation is an integral part of God's plan for mankind. With free will, so man could mature in...

( AFR ) - On December 7-9, clergy from all over the west gathered for their second annual retreat at the Holy Monastery of the Theotokos, the Life Giving Spring, in Dunlap, California. Led by four bishops, His Eminence, Metropolitan Gerasimos [Greek Archdiocese]; His Grace, Bishop Joseph [Antiochian Archdiocese]; His Grace, Bishop Benjamin [OCA]; and His Grace, Bishop Maxim [Serbian Patriarchate], clergy of all jurisdictions enjoyed the beautiful facilities of the St. Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center, listened to speakers, and worshipped together. Clergy came back to their parishes refreshed and edified by the teaching on the topic "Physician Heal Thyself--Orthodox steps of spiritual transformation" with Retreat Master Archimandrite Meletios (Webber), Abbot of the St. John the Wonderworker Monastery in Manton, CA.