Happy New Year

Dear friends, the time has come to welcome the new year. Let us congratulate our relatives, our dearest people. Wherever you celebrate this holiday – at home, with friends, or maybe even at work, this very moment we all think about our nearest and dearest.

New Year's Eve is a time of hope. I would to wish every one of us peace, love and the fulfillment of all your wishes.

I wish you happiness! Happy New Year!

- Dmitry Medvedev

At New Year’s, normally, people reflect on the past year. For Christians, this should be a time of prayerful recollection, perhaps, asking repentance for their sins. Of course, it is a time to thank the Lord for all the good that we received in the past year and for those things we shall receive in the coming year.

- Fr Mikhail Prokopenko, Communications Service of the Department for External Church Relations

Patriarch Aleksey II (1929 – 2008)

Aleksy II, the Russian Orthodox patriarch who led a revival of the Church after the fall of Communism and built close ties to the Kremlin under Vladimir V. Putin, died Friday at his residence in Moscow, news agencies reported.

The patriarch was 79, and the Church did not disclose the cause of death. He had long suffered from heart problems.

- The New York Times, December 5, 2008

Покой, Господи, души усопших раб Твоих.

Сам един еси безсмертный, сотворивый и создавый человека. Земнии убо от земли создахомся, и в землю туюжде пойдем, якоже повелил еси, создавый мя, и рекий ми: Яко земля еси и в землю отыдеши, аможе все человецы пойдем, надгробное рыдание творяще песнь: Аллилуия, аллилуия, аллилуия.

Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy servant.

Thou alone art immortal, who didst make and mould man. But we mortals were formed from earth, and to the earth we return, as Thou who created me did command and say to me, "Thou art earth, and to the earth shall thou return," where all we mortals are going, and for a funeral dirge we make the song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

24 Hour Wonder

Despite the inclement climate, three wooden churches have been built under just 24 hours in the capitals of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus; just in time to celebrate the great feast of the Presentation of Our Lady! Слава Богу!

"Можем когда захотим! Русские - великая, сильная, но ленивая нация.", went a comment left at the video on YouTube by an impressed Russian.

"We can do anything when we want to! Russia - great, strong, but lazy nation".

1020 Years of Orthodoxy: 3 Churches, 3 Cities, 24 Hours

The Povest' Vremennykh Let (English: Primary Chronicle; Church Slavonic: Повѣсть времяньныхъ лѣтъ), a history of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110, records for us the miraculous tale of Prince Vladimir's acceptance of the true faith:

Vladimir was suffering at that moment from a disease of the eyes, and could see nothing, being in great distress. The princess declared to him that if he desired to be relieved of this disease, he should be baptised with all speed, otherwise it could not be cured. When Vladimir heard her message, he said, "If this proves true, then of a surety is the God of the Christians great," and gave order that he should be baptised.

The Bishop of Kherson, together with the princess's priests, after announcing the tidings, baptised Vladimir, and as the bishop laid his hand upon him, he straightway received his sight. Upon experiencing this miraculous cure, Vladimir glorified God, saying, "I have now perceived the one true God."

When his followers beheld this miracle, many of them were also baptised.

[...]

On the morrow the prince went forth to the Dnepr with the priests of the princess and those from Kherson, and a countless multitude assembled. They all went into the water: some stood up to their necks, others to their breasts, the younger near the bank, some of them holding children in their arms, while the adults waded farther out. The priests stood by and offered prayers.

There was joy in heaven and upon earth to behold so many souls saved. But the devil groaned, lamenting: "Woe is me! how am I driven out hence! For I thought to have my dwelling place here, since the apostolic teachings do not abide in this land. Nor did this people know God, but I rejoiced in the service they rendered unto me. But now I am vanquished by the ignorant, not by apostles and martyrs, and my reign in these regions is at an end."

Orthodoxy Arrives in Cuba

...most astonishingly, as a gift from the Communist state:

Elena Paparizou, Pro-Family

Here's a woman who has her priorities right:

I believe that family is the most natural thing, the thing I want in my life. And what is my preference? To not have kids so I can continue my career? One day it will end. I cannot be on stage everyday, like I am now at 25.

Kallipolitou, Giota & Papaioannou, Eleni. "Cover Story: Elena By Night", Celebrity Magazine, May 2007, p. 120.

One wonders if Elena's Greek upbringing has anything to do with it.

Lord Have Mercy

Serb anger has finally boiled over.

Police are using tear gas to disperse crowds of rioting people who have been attacking embassies in Belgrade. The closed US embassy building has been set on fire. The Turkish, Croatian and Bosnian legations have also come under attack. More than 30 people have been injured.

Christmas Videos!

I have procrastinated much, but they are finally uploaded! As promised some weeks ago, here are the videos from Christmas. Enjoy!

Communion

Dismissal

Sermon (Excerpt)

Antidoron, Chocolate & Icons

Prayers after Communion

Sofia & Elizaveta sing Christmas Carols: 'В день Христова Рождества'

Sofia, Elizaveta & Viktoria sing Christmas Carols: 'С Днём Христова Рождества'

Fading Rose

During a visit to Tbilisi two years ago, American president George Bush proclaimed that Georgia has "taken tough steps to reform... economy and to crack down on corruption", "building a democratic society where the rights of minorities are respected, where a free press flourishes, a vigorous opposition is welcome and unity is achieved through peace."


Today, as thousands rally in Tbilisi against President Saakashvili, calling for his resignation on charges of corruption and authoritarianism, we see heavily armed police forces descend on the protesters, closing down the opposition-leaning Imedi TV channel, arresting opposition leaders, and all TV news (except for the public broadcaster) to be suspended.

Some sources say that even the sanctity of churches are being violated, with tear gas canisters launched into them.

So much for the Rose Revolution.

And when the aforementioned methods don't seem to be working, President Saakashvili does what every US-backed Eastern European leader does in any time of crisis: blame the Russians. I quote, "Evil forces are at work from a country that has great experience in this" - if there has ever been any external forces at work in Georgia, it has been American:

The model US-funded 2003 "Rose Revolution" in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia... Like in 1989 Romania, the 2003 "democratic revolution" in Georgia was just a palace coup.

Though he was brought into office by the mob in the street, Saakashvili has since gotten some old-time religion and decided that this riff-raff demanding early elections must be beaten to a pulp.

However, this latest people power may well be yet another coup by the Inner Party masked as a "people's uprising." It can get dizzying to follow the machinations of US foreign policy.

- the LRC blog

One wonders what Mr Bush thinks of the tide turning against his poster boy in the Caucasus, Mr Saakashvili.

Park ee Partsoons!

Glory to God!

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 — A House committee voted on Wednesday to condemn the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey in World War I as an act of genocide, rebuffing an intense campaign by the White House and warnings from Turkey’s government that the vote would gravely strain its relations with the United States.

- The New York Times, October 11, 2007

Wednesday’s vote by the US Congress on the Armenian Genocide was one of those rare moments when politicians did the right thing in the face of pressure.

It's about time.

American recognition of this atrocity has been long due:

The House of Representatives finds the following:

The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, resulting in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men and women and children were killed, 500,000 survivors were expelled from their homes, and which succeeded in the elimination of the over 2,500-year presence of Armenians in their historic homeland.

Turkey's response was not entirely unexpected. Turkish president Abdullah Gul alleged that some US politicians had "closed their ears to calls to be reasonable and once again sought to sacrifice big problems for small domestic political games".

Reasonable?

Sorry, Turkey! There's no denying the truth.

It is high time that Ankara begin a process of introspection and come to terms with its own tragic past, thus gradually ending its vicious and wasteful (millions of dollars are being spent yearly by the Turkish government) campaign of denial and whitewashing of history.

50 Years of Sputnik

Engineers, military officials and former cosmonauts on Thursday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the launch of the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik, which marked the dawn of the Space Age and sparked the race to land a man on the moon.

Ceremonies were held at the Russia's cosmonaut training center, Star City, outside of Moscow and engineers were to gather at the Academy of Sciences to recall the events leading up to the Oct. 4, 1957, launch of the spikey, 184 pound (83-kilogram) metal ball that beeped as it circled the globe for some 22 days.

Military officials held a small ceremony to lay flowers at the grave of the father of the Soviet space program, Sergei Korolyov, who was buried with honors at the foot of the Kremlin walls.

The success of Soviet engineers in launching Sputnik stunned the world, and was followed just four years later by another historic achievement - the launch of Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space.

Sputnik galvanized the U.S. government to pour money into space research and technology with the goal of landing a man on the moon - an event that occurred nearly 12 years later.

"Of course speaking just for us specialists (the launch) sparked an unexpected furor around the world. No one expected this, even including our engineers," Viktor Frusmon, a co-worker of Korolyov's, said in a televised comments Thursday.

- Pravda.Ru, 10/04/2007 05:54

As a child, I was hugely fascinated by the cosmos and Man's remarkable attempts to reach even further.

The celebration of the this astonishing feat brings back happy memories; of hours spent over my picture-books on space travel. Sputnik had been one of my favourite satellites - it was not the most sophisticated nor advanced, it was certainly the cutest.

Wow, 50 years ago today. It is amazing how a little metal ball single-handedly jump started North America's science education and space programmes. We've certainly come a long way since then.

The Fiftieth Day

I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.
John 8:12

Today, fifty days after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha and ten days after the Feast of the Ascension of Christ, we celebrate the Feast of Holy Pentecost, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.

We also celebrate the establishment of the Church on this day, which saw the preaching of the Apostles and the baptism of thousands who believed in the message of salvation through Our Lord Jesus Christ. This Feast is the culmination of the revelation of the Holy Trinity.

For the Christian East, the descent of the Holy Spirit is also understood as a reversal of the events at the Tower of Babel. There, mankind was divided by the confusion of tongues; but here, mankind is united by the gift of tongues.

When the most High came down and confused the tongues,
He divided the nations;
But when he distributed the tongues of fire
He called all to unity.
Therefore, with one voice, we glorify the Most Holy Spirit!

Kontakion, Tone 8

Speaking of the Holy Spirit, I remember a Greek-Australian friend, Kosma, a theologian who has since been tonsured a monk, mention that the Anna Vissi song, "Eisai" was a favourite of the secretary to the Greek Archbishop of Sydney. Something about the lyrics being about the Holy Spirit.

Take a look at this performance from the Closing Ceremony of the 2004 Olympics and see if you agree!

Lyrics

Chorus:
Ise, sto ema, stis fleves, sta kitara mou,
Ise, ston aera, pou anapneo, sti monaksia mou

You are in my blood , in my veins, in my cells,
You are in the air that I breathe, in my loneliness.

Ise i mera mou, ise i nihta mou,
Ise to lioma mou, ke ta ksenihtia mou,
Ise o paradisos stis paresthisis mou,
Ise to karma mou, ki oles i esthisis mou.

You are my day, you are my night,
You are my intoxication, and my late nights,
You are paradise in my hallucinations,
You are my karma, and all my sensations.

Chorus:
Ise, sto ema, stis fleves, sta kitara mou,
Ise, ston aera, pou anapneo, sti monaksia mou.

You are in my blood , in my veins, in my cells,
You are in the air that I breathe, in my loneliness.

Esi, ti zoi mou orizis,
Esi, to mialo mou trelenis,
Esi, se ola iparhis,
Esi, ki as min ise edo.

You determine my life,
You confuse my mind,
You exist in everything,
You, even if you're not here.

Why I Am Not Charismatic Protestant

This video, from City Harvest Church's Easter 2007 celebration, shows one of many reasons why I have not joined the megachurch despite numerous requests by friends and classmates:

"Bad taste"

Give me the Trisagion Hymn any day.