You can also read this if you're interested in a different opinion.
Moscow, March 12 (Interfax) - Press secretary of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia priest Alexander Volkov considers strange statements made by a priest of the Armenian Church Samuel Agoyan, who said that he had seen thrice how patriarchs light wax candles from an oil lamp in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, which means that there is nothing mystical in the Holy Fire.
"Such statements especially from a representative of non-Orthodox Church sound strange and make us doubt the decency of people who voice them," Father Alexander told Interfax-Religion on Monday.
The priest considers the statement strange as theoretically any events of the spiritual life can be treated with criticism and mistrust.
"Descent of the Holy Fire is a great event for millions believers that strengthens their faith and supports them, and the Russian Orthodox Church as well as other Orthodox Churches shares the joy of it," the patriarchal press secretary said reminding that the Holy Fire is delivered by a special flight to Russian Orthodox churches every year.
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I’m a recent convert, and during catechesis, my priest may have mentioned this in passing when we discussed miracles, but it doesn’t move the needle much for me honestly. Plenty of more verifiable miracles around, and to crib from Aquinas, it’ll all be as straw in the end. I hope the controversy around it doesn’t shake the faith of those who run across it mainly.
ReplyDeleteAd hominem positions deride the speaker not the priest’s declaration.
ReplyDelete1 St. John’s Chapter 4, Verse 1 does not apply in every case as well?
Pray, if a person’s faith is strengthened by such, then hope that their faith is never put to a test nor suffer tribulations.
Regarding the link given above to “another opinion”: The article is by a certain “Kostas” who attempts to bring in Fr. George Metallinos on his side of things. However, FYI: any implication that Fr. George Metallinos is a skeptic and rejects the Miracle of the Holy Light is patently wrong, as this article shows: http://www.oodegr.com/oode/asynithista/thavmata/agio_fws_skepseis1.htm
ReplyDeleteFor those really interested, please read p. 18 of "Holy Fire: The Battle for Christ's Tomb", by Victoria Clark.
ReplyDelete