You won’t find this type of candid footage on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC or even Fox News, but it shows you what the liberal media would like to hide: New Yorkers do not want the sacred institution of marriage — ordained by God — redefined, tampered or destroyed.
Source: TFP Student Action
The Thankful Poor by Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937)
By Archbishop John (Shahovskoy) of San Francisco
Many people believe that to live according to the faith and to fulfill the will of God is very difficult. Actually — it’s very easy. One needs only attend to details, to trifles, and try to avoid evil in the slightest and most trivial things. This is the simplest and surest way to enter the world of the spirit and draw near to God. A man often thinks that the Creator demands great things of him, that the Gospel insists on complete self-sacrifice, the abolition of one’s personhood, etc., as a condition of faith. A man is so frightened by this that he begins to be afraid of becoming acquainted with God, of drawing near to God, and hides himself from God, not even wishing to look into God’s Word. “If I can’t do anything important for God, then I’d just better stay away from things spiritual, stop thinking about eternity, and live ‘in a normal way’.”
There exists at the entrance to the spiritual realm a “hypnosis of great deeds”: one must either do some big thing or do nothing. And so people do nothing at all for God or for their souls! It is very strange — the more a man is devoted to the little things of life, the less he wishes to be honest or pure or faithful to God in those same little things. And, moreover, each one must adopt a correct attitude toward little things if one wishes to come near to the kingdom of heaven.
“Wishes to come near”… In this is summed up all the difficulties of the religious life. Often one wishes to enter into the kingdom of heaven quite unexpectedly, in some miraculous and magical way, or, by right — through some kind of great feat. But neither the one nor the other is the right way to find the higher world. One does not enter God’s presence in some wondrous manner while remaining indifferent on earth to the needs of the kingdom of God and its bright eternity, nor can one purchase the treasures of the kingdom of God by some kind of eternal act, however great that act might be. Yet good deeds, holy deeds are necessary for one to grow into a higher life, a bright will, a good desire, a heavenly psychology, a heart that is both pure and fair…
“…Verily, verily I say unto you that whosoever offers one of the least of these but a cup of cold water, in the name of a disciple, shall not lose his reward.” In this saying of the Lord is the highest expression of the smallness of the good. “A glass of water” — this is not much…
…In every communication between people there must without fail be a good spirit. This spirit is Christ, openly manifest or hidden.
“In the name of a disciple” — this is the first step in communicating with another person in the name of Jesus Christ Himself. Many people, not as yet knowing the Lord and the wondrous fellowship in His Name still have among themselves an unselfish, pure and human fellowship which brings them ever closer to the Spirit of Christ…
…As a matter of fact, the lesser good is more necessary for mankind than the greater. People can get along with their lives without the greater good; without the lesser they can not exist. Mankind perishes not from a lack of the greater good, but from an insufficiency of just this lesser good. The greater good is no more than a roof, erected on the brick walls of the lesser good.
The lesser, easier good was left on this earth for man by the Creator Himself, who took all the greater good upon Himself. Whosoever does the lesser, the same creates — and through him the Creator Himself creates — the greater good. Of our little good the Creator makes His Own great good. For as our Lord is the Creator who formed all things from nothingness, so is He more able to create the greater good from the lesser…
Through such lesser, easy work, done with the greatest simplicity, a man is accustomed to the good and begins to serve it with his whole heart, sincerely, and in this way enters into an atmosphere of good, lets down the roots of his life into new soil, the soil of the good. The roots of human life quickly accommodate themselves to this good earth, and soon cannot live without it… Thus is a man saved: from the small comes the great. “Faithful in little things” turns out to be “faithful in the greater.”
Lay aside all theoretical considerations that it is forbidden to slaughter millions, women, children, and elderly; be content to manifest your moral sense by in no way killing the human dignity of your neighbor, neither by word, nor by innuendo, nor by gesture.
Do not be angry over trifles “against your brother vainly” (Matthew 5:22) or in the daily contacts of life speak untruth to your neighbor. These are trifles, small change, of no account; but just try to do this and you will see what comes of it.
It is hard to pray at night. But try in the morning. If you can’t manage to pray at home than at least as you ride to your place of employment attempt with a clear head the “Our Father” and let the words of this short prayer resound in your heart. And at night commend yourself with complete sincerity into the hands of the Heavenly Father. This indeed is very easy.
And give, give a glass of cold water to everyone who has need of it; give a glass filled to the brim with simple human companionship to everyone that lack it, the very simplest companionship…
O wondrous path of little things, I sing thee an hymn! Surround yourselves, O people, gird up yourselves with little works of good — with a chain of little, simple, easy and good feelings which cost us naught, a chain of bright thoughts, words and deeds. Let us abandon the big and the difficult. That is for them that love it and not for us for whom the Lord in His Mercy, for us who have not yet learned to love the greater, has poured forth the lesser love everywhere, free as water and air…
Patrick J. Buchanan
“The opponents (of same-sex marriage) have no case other than ignorance and misconception and prejudice.”
So writes Richard Cohen in his celebratory column about Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s role in legalizing gay marriage in New York state.
Now, given that no nation in 20 centuries of Christendom legalized homosexual marriage, and, in this century, majorities in all 31 states where it has been on the ballot have rejected it, Cohen is pretty much saying that, since the time of Christ, Western history has been an endless Dark Age dominated by moral ignoramuses and bigots.
For the belief that homosexuality is unnatural and immoral and same-sex marriage an Orwellian absurdity has always been part of the moral code of Christianity. Gen. George Washington ordered active homosexuals drummed out of his army. Thomas Jefferson equated homosexuality with rape. Not until 2003 did the Supreme Court declare homosexual acts a protected right.
What is the moral basis of the argument that homosexuality is normal, natural and healthy? In recent years, it has been associated with high levels of AIDS and enteric diseases, and from obits in gay newspapers, early death. Where is the successful society where homosexual marriage was normal?
Not until the Stonewall riots at a gay bar in Greenwich Village in 1969 was the case broadly made by anyone but the Mattachines of Frank Kameny that homosexuality deserved to be treated as a natural and normal expression of love.
Still, Cohen is not without a point when he uses the term “prejudice.”
As Albert Einstein observed, “Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age 18.” By 14, most boys have learned on the playground there is something disordered about boys sexually attracted to other boys.
Hence the need for politically correct universities to purge such ideas from young minds and indoctrinate them in the new truths of modernity.
But are we really wiser than our ancestors? As Edmund Burke wrote of the thinkers of his time:
“Many of our men of speculation, instead of exploding general prejudices, employ their sagacity to discover the latent wisdom which prevails in them. If they find what they seek and they seldom fail, they think it more wise to continue the prejudice, with the reason involved, than to cast away the coat of prejudice, and to leave nothing but the naked reason.”
Great minds once found merit in the “prejudices,” or inherited wisdom, of a people, as a spur to virtuous behavior. Again, Burke:
“Prejudice is of ready application in an emergency. It previously engages the mind in a steady course of wisdom and virtue, and does not leave the man hesitating in the moment of decision, skeptical and unresolved.”
In our new society from which traditionalists are seceding, many ruling ideas are rooted in an ideology that is at war with Burke’s “general prejudices.”
High among them is that homosexuality is natural and normal. That abortion is a woman’s right. That all voluntary sexual relations are morally equal. That women and men are equal, and if the former are not equally represented at the apex of academic, military and political life, this can only be the result of invidious discrimination that the law must correct. That all races, religions and ethnic groups are equal and all must have equal rewards.
Once a nation synonymous with freedom, the new America worships at the altar of equality.
Writing on the same Washington Post page as Cohen, a day earlier, Greg Sargent exulted in Cuomo’s law as “a huge victory … for equality … a major defeat for those self-described ‘conservatives’ who hate government except when it is enforcing a form of legalized discrimination that comports with their prejudices.”
Sargent also has a point. But behind the “prejudices” of conservatives about the moral superiority of traditional marriage are 2,000 years of history and law. What is the intellectual and moral basis of Sargent’s notion?
He claims “majorities of Americans are not prepared to assign sub-par status to the intimate relationships of gays and lesbians.”
Certainly, that is true of the Albany legislature.
But why then does Barack Obama seem so hesitant to embrace gay marriage?
In 2012, we shall find out who is right politically, when the issue goes on the ballot in battleground states. But is moral truth to be discovered at a ballot box? Do we have no superior moral compass than majority rule?
“A new kind of America is emerging in the early 21st century,” said Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver last week, “and it’s likely to be much less friendly to religious faith than anything in the nation’s past.”
He added, pointedly, “If Catholic social services should be forced to alter their Catholic beliefs on marriage, the family, social justice, sexuality (and) abortion,” they should terminate those services.
Prediction: We are entering an era where communities will secede from one another and civil disobedience on moral grounds will become as common as it was in the days of segregation.
Fr. Mark Arey
Listen here:
Committee listed below (HT: Byzantine, TX):
(Episcopal Assembly) – The Terms of Reference for each of the Assembly’s thirteen committees are now posted on the website. These documents outline the specific goals of each committee, and the means to achieve those goals; they are meant to be a guiding document for the committee members. Listed along with them are the committee descriptions, committee membership, and its recommended consultants.
In addition, there are a number of other items soon to be posted to the website. These include the addresses of the Chairman and two Vice-Chairmen, delivered at the Assembly of Bishops meeting this past May. Father Josiah Trenham has begun interviewing the bishops of the Assembly, to ask for their reflections on its work and the future of the Church in North America; as these audio interviews become available, they too will be posted on the website. Also, the website will soon provide a sample of the new Atlas of American Orthodox Christian Churches, a pivotal and pioneering work edited by Mr. Alexei Krindatch. Both Father Josiah and Mr. Krindatch are members of the Secretariat of the Assembly.
A gallery of photos from the recent meeting in May has been created and is currently available. In addition to this, the Directory of Bishops is in the process of being made into a photo directory. When finished, each listing will be accompanied by a photo of the individual hierarch.
Below is information pertaining to the committees of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America. Click on the title of any for more information.
Committee for Canonical Affairs
The Committee for Canonical Affairs will be responsible i) for creating and maintaining the registries mentioned in the Message of the Assembly of Bishops, namely: a) the registry of canonical bishops; b) the registry of canonical clergy and their status; and c) the registry of all canonical communities in the United States; ii) for recommending to the Assembly any additions or deletions from these registries; iii) for determining the canonical status of local communities that have no reference to any of the autocephalous churches and addressing issues pertaining to these bodies; and iv) for considering any canonical questions submitted to it by the other committees.
Committee for Canonical Regional Planning
The Committee for Canonical Regional Planning will formulate a proposal for a plan to organize all the Orthodox faithful of every jurisdiction in the Region on a canonical basis, in accordance with the Rules of Operation, Article 5.e of the 4th Pre-Conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conference in Chambésy. This plan is intended for presentation to the forthcoming Great and Holy Synod as per the Decision Article 1.b of the 4th Pre-Conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conference.
Committee for Church and Society
The Committee for Church and Society will develop a process to determine both the propriety and the priority of advocacy by the Assembly of issues concerning Church, government and society that are relevant to the lives of the faithful in the Region (e.g., same-sex marriage, abortion, war, etc.).
The Committee for Clergy Affairs will compile, study and compare information from each jurisdiction concerning i) respective procedures governing petitions for ordination; ii) requirements and recognized impediments for ordination; iii) processes whereby clergy are assigned and transferred; iv) policies for clergy stipends and benefits; as well as v) retirement and pension programs.
Committee for Ecumenical Relations
The Committee for Ecumenical Relations will coordinate and supervise Orthodox participation in ecumenical and inter-faith dialogues and organizations, with particular reference to the existing Bi-Lateral Theological Consultations (Orthodox-Catholic and Orthodox-Lutheran) and Joint Commissions (i.e., of Orthodox and Roman Catholic Bishops & of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches).
Committee for Financial Affairs
The Committee for Financial Affairs is i) to determine the means whereby the Assembly of Bishops and its activities will be financed; ii) to oversee fundraising and development; iii) to create a budget for the Assembly; and iv) to catalogue and compare the financial practices of the various jurisdiction, agencies, and organizations attached to the Assembly.
The Committee for Legal Affairs is to i) determine and resolve all legal issues related to the Assembly; ii) determine any legal issues related to the activity of the agencies of which the Assembly has oversight, and address those issues; iii) formulate a common approach to the legal issues facing all the jurisdictions; iv) study and develop Best Practices related to specific circumstances; and v) resolve any questions addressed to them by the other committees.
The Committee for Liturgy is expected i) to catalogue and compare various translations, rubrics, Typika, and liturgical books; and ii) to develop and suggest a common translation of basic liturgical texts (e.g. the Symbol of Faith, the Our Father, etc.).
Committee for Military Chaplaincy
The Committee for Military Chaplaincy is responsible i) for endorsing Orthodox chaplains for work with the Armed Services; and ii) for working towards a single, unified process of endorsement for military chaplains of all jurisdictions. To this end, it will determine the means by which it may assume SCOBA’s Endorsing Agency status vis-à-vis the Department of Defense.
Committee for Monastic Communities
The Committee for Monastic Communities is tasked with archiving and cataloging, as well studying and comparing the different monastic constitutions in use within the various jurisdictions and monastic communities in the Region.
Committee for Pastoral Practice
The Committee for Pastoral Practice is responsible for i) identifying the differences and inconsistencies among the various jurisdictions in their exercise of sacramental and pastoral praxis (e.g., marriage and divorce, reception of converts, etc.); and ii) for establishing a protocol to address these inconsistencies and propose models for resolution consistent with canonical practice.
Committee for Theological Education
The Committee for Theological Education is charged with i) identifying and cataloging all institutions and programs for theological learning found in the various jurisdictions in the Region; ii) cataloging the curricula in use in these institutions and programs; iii) identifying any existing programs for Orthodox theology offered by institutions of higher education; and iv) identifying special ministerial jurisdictional programs.
The Committee for Youth is charged with i) identifying and cataloging all jurisdictional youth programs (camps, age specific groups, etc.); ii) identifying and cataloging all joint youth programs (e.g. OCF); and iii) developing models for coordinating youth-oriented activities and programs that both minimize duplication and maximize the participation of young people in the life of the Church.
Chris Banescu recently launched a new blog: The Voice Crying in the Wilderness. Chris takes on a lot of sacred cows, especially from the cultural left, and shows how paltry the thinking often is behind the precepts that many people take as self-evidently true. Call it casting down the cultural idols, the assumptions that shape so much of our thinking and therefore how we see things. It’s important work because these idols appear and reappear especially in the popular media. (Read Chris’ reasons for starting the blog.)
Below Chris examines the probability that random chance could have come up with Shakespeare’s phrase, “To be or not to be…” How long would it take for, say, a computer to come up with the phrase? The answer may surprise you. (Hint: if you guessed a trillion years, you are wrong.)
Source: Voice Crying in the Wilderness
Christians believe that human beings were created by God in the image and likeness of their Creator. They proclaim that the entire universe, all matter, and all life were designed and brought into existence by an infinitely higher intelligence who exists outside of time and space. Materialists and atheists, on the other hand, assert that man is the result of a long mindless and chaotic process that randomly stumbled into producing matter, biological organisms, and eventually humans. Who is right?
Mathematics and reason offer us a way to test the materialist assumptions and shed some light into the insurmountable problem faced by atheists. A simple algebraic formula, that even high-school students can master, can help us quantify the probability of random actions giving rise to even the most basic order. To get a better idea of the odds involved, we will calculate the mathematical probability that the simple phrase “To be, or not to be: that is the question:“, from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, can occur by chance.
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Read the complete article at the Voice Crying in the Wilderness website. (Bookmark the site too.)