"I am the door. By me if any man enter in he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture." - John 10:9 At every parish where I have had the pleasure of attending services, there is always a small group of people who find their way all the way up to the church building but don't actually attend services. At one parish it was a group of male gypsies who talked on cellphones or smoked cigarettes. At another it was a few Protestant husbands who, though they never attended services, opened the parish doors for people as they filed in. At yet another parish the men stood in the narthex and chatted until it was time to receive and then got in line. Latin or Greek Catholic, Eastern or Oriental Orthodox I see the same small throng of men standing next to the front door, but not standing, sitting, or kneeling amongst the people. If it were me (and I can only speak for myself here) this option would be an unsavory one. The boredom would be immediate. The anxiety of som...
Here it comes...
ReplyDeleteStill trying to remain calm, still trying to remain calm.
ReplyDeleteThe canonical incursion is small potatoes compared to the heresies put forth during the synaxis. Anathema is the only response I can think of. Bartholomew is new Arius
ReplyDeleteClearly the Rus in charge still suffer bullying tactics they received from their hellish masters while growing up under Soviet rule. Fasting to weaken their resolve, prayer to strengthen their humility is what is needed by The Church’s people. Lord, have mercy on us all.
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