This is what our online courses teach: how to care for orphans and widows in their affliction. When we read the four Gospels, it's hard to miss that this was the main point, the major focus of Christ's ministry on earth: healing the sick, feeding the hungry, caring for the elderly and disabled. These people were His "target audience." Are they yours? Are you just "observing" in the sense of "watching" and mentally nodding your head in agreement - "Oh, yes, I believe that's true!" but not doing anything about it? Take our next online course and become a DOER!
Many of our news articles and headlines in this issue deal with the fallout of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I appointing two exarchs as representatives of Constantinople in Ukraine. Now the Russian Orthodox Church has broken communion with Constantinople and a few other national Orthodox churches are following suit. Such issues creep up occasionally because the Orthodox Church doesn't have a "pope" but rather a conciliar structure. None of the Orthodox patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops, bishops, priests or laypeople claim to be infallible, as these events amply indicate. We are all still sinners in need of healing and holiness. "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!" is our frequent prayer.
NOW, THE NEWS:
MASKED MEN ATTEMPT TO ROB BULGARIA’S ROZHEN MONASTERY
from: Sophia Globe
(19 Sep.) Six masked men attempted to rob the Rozhen Monastery in south-western Bulgaria on the night of September 18, tying up a priest and apparently looking for hidden treasure that local legend says is concealed in the monastery. However, the only thing they left with was the priest’s mobile phone.
At about 8pm, the robbers entered the monastery, tying up the priest and using picks and spades to dig into one of the walls beneath the icons. Two of the group stood guard at the entrance while the four others were digging.
After they left, the priest managed to free himself. The robbers took none of the icons, which are extremely valuable, nor the box of cash donations for the monastery. Sandanski mayor Kiril Kotev said that cameras had captured the faces of two of the group. He told local media that he expected it to be clear very soon who the thieves are. Police are investigating.
The Rozhen Monastery is the largest in Bulgaria’s Pirin mountains, in the area of the Melnik Earth Pyramids. The monastery church dates from before the 15th century. The monastery was severely damaged by fire in the 17th century, and was restored in the 18th with financial aid from wealthy Bulgarians from all over the country. [read more...]
FILM CRITICAL OF CLERGY SPARKS CONTROVERSY IN POLAND
fom: Radio Poland
(19 Sep.) A new Polish film about Roman Catholic priests has been slammed by conservatives as smearing the Church with negative stereotypes including overstated accusations of paedophilia. Clergy (Polish title Kler), the latest offering from director Wojciech Smarzowski, premiered to a full house at the Polish Film Festival in the coastal city of Gdynia on Tuesday, Poland’s PAP news agency reported.
While some hailed it as "compelling," "stunning" and "a great, important movie," others said the film offered a skewed image of priesthood and Catholicism, according to reports. Clergy tells the story of three priests, including one living in a relationship with a woman and another accused by his parishioners of being a paedophile.
The film also depicts an archbishop who lives a life of luxury, is well connected in the corridors of power and has a direct influence on domestic politics. A press conference after the film's maiden screening was rife with comments about alleged abusive practices among some clergymen, including reports of paedophilia and attempts to hush it up within the Church, PAP reported.
However, those critical of the new film, including some conservative politicians, have said it was biased and dwelled on hackneyed stereotypes. Poland’s Deputy Culture Minister Jaroslaw Sellin has described Clergy as a film harming the Roman Catholic Church and "only showing negative stereotypes overstated to the extent that after watching the movie, the viewer gets the impression that there is nothing positive about clergymen," PAP reported.[read more...]
CONSTANTINOPLE: REFUSAL OF UOC-MP REPRESENTATIVES TO ENGAGE IN DIALOGUE GETS THEM CORNERED
from: Religious Information Service of Ukraine
(20 Sep.) The representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, at the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Archbishop Job (Getcha) of Telmessos expressed regret that the clerics of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate had refused a dialogue with the representatives of Constantinople, as they thus drove themselves into a deadlock. This was stated by the hierarch in an interview with Glavkom.
"It is a pity that the representatives of the UOC-Moscow Patriarchate are still refusing dialogue with representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and other parts of the Ukrainian Churches. The claims about refusal to have such fraternal encounters and dialogue, blackmailing with the Eucharistic unity and the prohibition of concelebration with the hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate only drive them into a deadlock and further aggravate their canonical position," he said.
Archbishop Job, at the same time, expressed his hope that this refusal is only temporary. "I hope that this is only temporary and that our brothers from the UOC-Moscow Patriarchate will understand the falsehood of this way and open their hearts to dialogue and fraternal unity in Christ. Similarly, representatives of other parts of the Ukrainian Churches, which for the various reasons are not in unity with the Universal Orthodoxy.
"After all, unity in Christ must be our most important goal. Christ Himself proclaimed: 'Let all be one, as you, the Father, in me, and I in you, so that all may be one" (John 17:21). And 'By this, all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another' (John 13:35)," - emphasized the hierarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
As RISU has already reported, on September 7, the Ecumenical Patriarchate appointed two exarchs in Kyiv to prepare for the process of granting autocephaly. The Russian Orthodox Church called this appointment "an invasion of its canonical territory" and threatened to break Eucharistic communion. [read more...]
SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OPPOSES CONSTANTINOPLE'S CLAIM TO DETERMINE UKRAINIAN CHURCH'S FUTURE
from: Interfax-Religion
(21 Sep.) The Serbian Orthodox Church is of the view that Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has no right to interfere in the affairs of other Orthodox Churches purely based on his 'primus inter pares' (first among equals) status, Bishop Irinej of Backa, a cleric of the Serbian Orthodox Church, said in an article published on the Moscow Patriarchate website.
"Constantinople explains and argues its actions by the desire to eliminate schisms and restore ecclesiastical unity of the Ukrainian people based on the recently formulated teaching which says that, as the Ecumenical See and historically the mother of all Slavic Churches, the Ecumenical Patriarchate is entitled to make decisions in its own right and at its own initiative, ignoring the previously existing borders of autocephalous local churches and disregarding their position or resistance. Nevertheless, this teaching absolutely doesn't stand up to criticism," Bishop Irinej said in his article.
The Orthodox Church's organization presumes that the primacy of the Constantinople patriarch is not the same as the primacy of the Pope in the Roman Catholic Church, he said. "According to the 34th Apostolic Rule known to everyone, the Assembly is not valid without the primate, but the primate cannot exist without the Assembly, either. This means that the Ecumenical Patriarch has no right to discuss, not to mention make decisions on the status of the Ukrainian Church and, consequently, any other church all by himself, without the Assembly, autocratically," Bishop Irinej said. [read more...]
RUSSIA'S ORTHODOX CHURCH FREEZES TIES WITH CONSTANTINOPLE OVER UKRAINE SPAT
from: Reuters
(14 Sep.) Russia’s Orthodox Church said on Friday it would no longer participate in structures chaired by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, deepening a row in Orthodox Christianity over the Ukrainian Church's bid to break away from Moscow's orbit. The Russian Orthodox Church’s Holy Synod ruling body convened on Friday to consider how to respond as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has courted Constantinople to formally make it a self-governing body independent of Moscow.
Ukraine’s pro-Western political leaders have sought step by step to take the former Soviet republic out of Moscow's orbit after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and a Moscow-backed insurgency broke out in eastern Ukraine. Vladimir Legoida, a Russian Church spokesman, said the Holy Synod had decided to suspend its participation in all structures chaired or co-chaired by representatives of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
It is also suspending all services with top priests of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and will not commemorate the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in its services, Legoida wrote on social media, summarizing the outcome of the meeting. "Essentially this is a breakdown of relations. To take an example from secular life, the decision is roughly equivalent to cutting diplomatic ties," the Russian Church's Metropolitan Ilarion was quoted by RIA news agency as saying. [read more...]
UNIAN: MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE IN UKRAINE SAYS WILL NOT RECOGNIZE UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
from: Kyiv Post
(15 Sep.) Metropolitan Antoniy (Pakanych), the Chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, says that his church will not recognize the local Ukrainian Orthodox Church after it is granted a “tomos” on autocephaly by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
Speaking with the Greek news agency Romthea, Antoniy said: "Our Church will not recognize this move and will not cooperate with the new 'church." The church is a large spiritual family, which means that the majority of our believers and parishes will remain in the bosom of the canonical Church, they will not betray their pastors whom they love and follow.
Some will leave, but not many – those will mainly be people with issues. The disputes will once again arise in the families of Ukrainians, our temples will once again be seized, brothers will stand against brothers, there will be conflicts...We already witnessed such events in the early 1990s, when the split happened," the cleric said, according to the UCO-MP press service.
The press service of the Moscow-controlled church added that it is politicians who intend to rename UOC-MP into the Russian Church in Ukraine and make it "alien." As UNIAN reported earlier, any statements about the possible "seizure of temples" after the provision of Tomos on autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are an example of disinformation, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, Patriarch Filaret, said earlier. [read more...]
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Who Is the Rock, Peter or Christ?
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
This beautiful Renaissance fresco of Christ giving the keys to Peter is painted on the wall of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Obviously, it was created to reinforce the Roman Catholic doctrine of the supremacy of the Roman pope who, as that church teaches, is the successor to the Apostle Peter. Let's take a look at the Scriptures to learn what the Old Testament patriarchs and New Testament Apostles - including St. Peter himself - wrote on this subject.
When Christ asked His disciples - "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied - "'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus answered him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven'" (Matthew 16:16-19).
This passage is controversial because the Greek text uses one word, petros (meaning "little stone"), for Peter, but another word, "petra" (meaning "massive rock") for "on this rock," which, as Protestants assert, refers to Christ. A problem here is that the Gospel of Matthew was probably first written not in Greek, but rather in Aramaic (the form of Hebrew spoken at that time), and the words "Peter" and "rock" would be the same one word, "cephas" in Aramaic. So we're back to square one.
But after the Day of Pentecost, Peter himself identified this rock as being Christ - "Be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom you crucified, Whom God raised from the dead, in Him does this man stand here before you whole. He is 'the stone which was regarded as worthless by you, the builders, which has become the chief Cornerstone'" (Acts 4:10-11, quoting from Psalm 118:22).
Peter again quotes this Psalm - "...the Lord is gracious: coming to Him, the living Stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious. You also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Because it is contained in Scripture, 'Behold, I lay in Zion a chief Cornerstone, elect, precious: He who believes in him will not be disappointed.' For you therefore who believe is the honor, but for such as are disobedient, 'The Stone which the builders rejected, has become the chief Cornerstone,' and, 'A Stone of stumbling, and a Rock of offense.' For they stumble at the Word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed" (1 Peter 2:3b-8).
What about those keys and binding things on earth? In this passage, Jesus addressed those words directly to Peter because "you" is singular in Greek. But in parallel passages, Jesus uses "you" in the plural, giving all of His Apostles this authority to bind and loose: "Most assuredly I tell you, whatever things you [plural] will bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever things you [plural] will release on earth will be released in heaven" (Matthew 18:18). Also, "Whoever's sins you [plural] forgive, they are forgiven them. Whoever's sins you [plural] retain, they have been retained" (John 20:23).
There should be no doubt that Peter was the leader of the Apostles. But these passages indicate that he shared authority with the other Apostles and that their head, the Rock, the chief Cornerstone, is Christ Himself.
Several of the above quotations are free translations from the Old Testament, for example - "The Lord of hosts, Him shall you sanctify; and let Him be your fear, and let him be your dread. He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a Stone of stumbling and for a Rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a trap and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Many shall stumble thereon, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken" (Isaiah 8:13-15). So it is the Lord of hosts who is the Stone of stumbling and the Rock of offense.
Further - "Therefore thus says the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a Stone, a tried Stone, a precious Cornerstone of sure foundation: he who believes shall not be in haste" (Isaiah 28:16). Also - "Do not fear, neither be afraid: haven't I declared to you of old, and shown it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed, there is not. I do not know any other Rock" (Isaiah 44:8). It is clear from these verses that the incarnate God Himself is the Stone, the Cornerstone, and the Rock.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Chaldeans, had a vision of a huge image. The prophet Daniel interpreted the king's vision thusly - "You watched until a Stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them: and the Stone that struck the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth" (Daniel 2:34-35).
Christ referred to this passage and applied it to Himself: - "Jesus said to them, 'Did you never read in the Scriptures, "The Stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the Corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes?"'" (Matthew 21:42; see also Mark 12:10 and Luke 20:17). All three of the synoptic Gospels mention this idea, so it must have been important to the Early Church.
Now let's see what the Apostle Paul wrote on this question - "Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn't arrive at the law of righteousness. Why? Because they didn't seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling Stone; even as it is written, 'Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling Stone and a Rock of offense; And no one who believes in Him will be disappointed'" (Romans 9:31-33). It's clear from the context that he is referring to Christ.
Again, St. Paul writes - "For no one can lay any other Foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:11). Also - "...and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ" (ch. 10:4).
Finally - "So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, being built on the Foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the chief Cornerstone" (Ephesians 2:19-21). There should be no doubt remaining in anyone's mind about Who is the Rock: it is most certainly Christ Himself.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! Christ is among us! He is and ever shall be!
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, 22 Sep. 2018
