19 November 2018

A prayer by Elder Sephrony

Eternal King without beginning, You who are before all worlds, my Maker, Who have summoned all things from non-being into this life: bless this day that You, in Your inscrutable goodness, give to me. By the power of Your blessing enable me at all times in this coming day to speak and act for You, to Your glory, in Your fear, according to Your will, with a pure spirit, with humility, patience, love, gentleness, peace, courage, wisdom and prayer, aware everywhere of Your presence.
Yes, Lord, in Your immense mercy, lead me by Your Holy Spirit into every good work and word, and grant me to walk all my life long in Your sight without stumbling, according to Your righteousness that You have revealed to us, that I may not add to my transgressions.
O Lord, great in mercy, spare me who am perishing in wickedness; do not hide Your face from me. And when my perverted will would lead me down other paths, do not forsake me, my Savior, but force me back to Your holy path.
O You Who are good, to Whom all hearts are open, You know my poverty and my foolishness, my blindness and my uselessness, but the sufferings of my soul are also before You. Wherefore I beseech You: hear me in my affliction and fill me with Your strength from above. Raise me up who am paralyzed with sin, and deliver me who am enslaved to the passions. Heal me from every hidden wound. Purify me from all taint of flesh and spirit. Preserve me from every inward and outward impulse that is unpleasing in Your sight and hurtful to my brother.
I beseech You: establish me in the path of Your commandments and to my last breath do not let me stray from the light of Your ordinances, so that Your commandments may become the sole law of my being in this life and in all eternity.
O God, my God, I plead with You for many and great things: do not disregard me. Do not cast me away from Your presence because of my presumption and boldness, but by the power of Your love lead me in the path of Your will. Grant me to love You as You have commanded, with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my mind, and with all my strength: with my whole being.
For You alone are the holy protection and all-powerful defender of my life, and to You I ascribe glory and offer my prayer.
Grant me to know Your truth before I depart this life. Maintain my life in this world until I may offer You true repentance. Do not take me away in the midst of my days, and when You are pleased to bring my life to an end, forewarn me of my death, so that I may prepare my soul to come before You.
Be with me then, O Lord, on my great and sacred day, and grant me the joy of Your salvation. Cleanse me from manifest and secret sins, from all iniquity hidden in me; and give me a right answer before Your dread judgment-seat.
Amen.

23 August 2018

The reasons to go/not to go east

So there are some of us that ask the question, to what are we to do? Are we to stay in an abusive situation, and risk even further damage? Should we loose faith?.....Well, let me say these things:

The Church is not a cult, and we do not guilt people into staying therein. And "leaving" for an Apostolic church, is not leaving the Church! (If you're leaving for protestantism, or to have no faith at all, that's an entirely different argument and not something I wish to address)

If you do decide to come east....

1. Come because you find Christ here! (And He IS here, the Orthodox churches have maintained valid succession, and have interned the structure of the Church, and thus have valid Holy Mysteries) The peace that comes from having Christ among us (He is and ever shall be)  and in your heart shall keep you. By no means are things perfect. Each local church is ran by a sinner just like you, just like me. There are scandals here too, and sometimes the same type of scandals too. The major difference is they are dealt with relatively quickly. As we say in the Divine Liturgy, One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ to the Glory of God the Father! Everyone else falls short ;)

2. Come because your theology/ecclesiology is Orthodox

Ultimately, as I read the various Eastern Fathers of the Church and fell in love with the expression. Going to Divine Liturgy, participating in the Liturgical life, prayer life of the East, it came to a point I could no longer say no to this. (So I didn't). Come because you realize that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, and the servants can't be greater than the Master Himself. Come because universal jurisdiction did not exist in the first centuries of the Church together and you want to live this out on a daily basis. Yes, there is infighting and various disputes about canonical territory, but these things do not prevent communion at the end of the day. Come because you believe in the social kingship of Christ. Every Orthodox prayer begins "Come let us worship our King, Come let us worship our King and God, Come let us bow down and worship Jesus Christ, our only King and Our God." Yes, Rome is 1st amongst equals, but being head of a particular patriarchy does not give authority over someone else. It's a good thing Peter didn't get his way, otherwise we'd still be eating kosher, and we would be forced to be circumcised ;)

3. Come because you wish to maintain the Holy Mysteries

Yes, we Orthodox Catholics have confession, Holy Communion, baptism, and the other sacraments. It's impossible to live in Christ without Him. Yes, being Orthodox you can still receive Our Lord, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. That said, there's much more to the Liturgical life than the Divine Liturgy which is the highest Liturgy, Orthos (Matins/Lauds) and Vespers are liturgical as well. Even the devotional life has a liturgical form. While we don't always have Daily Divine Liturgy we do have Daily Liturgy in other ways, capped off by the Highest of the High, the Divine Liturgy.

4. Come because you find the Catholic Faith of the 7 Ecumenical Councils preached and lived.

The Faith that we hear is the Faith of the Church undivided of the 7 Ecumenical Councils. Rarely do you hear an Orthodox priest quote himself, but often the Fathers of the Church, or a council of some type. (This isn't to say you don't get their opinions too) but the vast majority of the time, you hear a quote from one of the Fathers of the Church. This extends into the Liturgy after the Liturgy, which is of course the Agape meal, where, yes, we get out of our shells and talk. This isn't to say people don't have their problems, but on my road to Orthodoxy, there was a phyletistic attitude amongst a parishioner that was very quickly dealt with, and that left a major impression on me. We try well to be a family. The parishes are smaller,  so you are not lost amongst the numbers at a giant parish.

5. DO NOT Come just because the USS Francis/Rome is sinking rather quickly...*

That is to say don't bring bitterness, and just because the pope can't manage to keep his mouth shut (Except oddly specific times)....Humans suck, and you will not find that the grass is necessarily greener if you seek to nit pick everything. As I said earlier, we have our problems within Orthodoxy too, if you're seeking perfection, you will not find it here.

6. DO NOT Come just because you're a Roman Refugee TM **

That is to say, don't come just because you've experienced horrible liturgy at St Irreverent, and have seen virtually every liturgical abuse under the sun. Orthodox parishes while often times better, if you look hard enough, they have their problems too Liturgically. There are some Eastern Catholic parishes that put the Orthodox churches to shame, and vice versa. Once again, if you seek perfection, you will not find it here.

* and ** Often times these are initial reasons for curiosity towards Holy Orthodoxy, but they should not be the reason that you end up staying. You fall in love with a way of life, a way of being. Put another way if you do decide to "leave Rome" you should. do so in peace, not in bitterness or anger.

7. It is not you who left Rome, it is Rome who left you.

Rome by not doing her due diligence in keeping her house in order, and allowing you to be devoured by the wolves amongst them, have left you abandoned, and you can't be blamed for coming to seek a shelter where (for the most part) you will be better protected. You should not feel guilty for having made the decision to come to Orthodoxy, nor should you have the desire to go back.

The reality is that because The Orthodox have valid orders, and have maintained the structure of the Church, and Christ can't be divided, we are apart of the Church Universal. This is true for the Non Chalcedonian Orthodox as well. As such, technically, you're not really leaving Rome, as switching upper management. (Which seeing who art amongst them....I can't blame you for switching upper management)....One thing that everyone needs to realize that the relationships between Orthodox and Catholics have NEVER been black and white.....Something to keep in mind: The Salvation of Souls is greater than any so-called schism that exists within the Church. If you are in an Apostolic church (Catholic, Orthodox), you're in a solid ship and going in the right direction.

8. Do NOT think the road is easier:

If anything the road is harder....More Fasting, Longer Liturgies, you can get used to the fact that when someone says it will be over in 10 min, you might wish to multiply that by a factor of 3. It is not an easy way to live, but I think it's worth it. (Well, whatever pathetic attempt that I'm giving at this)

9. Do not think that you're going to escape the characters....

Beware of the Convertski, or the Hyperdox. Pretty much the Eastern equivalent of the rad trads. While there may be grains of truth in what you hear from them, the key is to be balanced. Don't let yourself be trapped in ideological corners, or manage to politicize everything.

10. Do Not burn your bridges....

Last but not least, do not burn your bridges from whence you came. Stay on good terms from wherever you come from...You never know what situation you might find yourself in. While Orthodox are in most major cities, and even minor cities, in some places they are harder to find, or a parish will be hard to find.

I will tell you that I was gone well before the scandals, and my heart was not in Rome by the time I was out of Seminary, and although I didn't formally leave for Orthodoxy until years later...By the time I did come to Orthodoxy, I was at peace, my internal peace came back after being gone for years. Although there are still up and down moments, I'm glad to be an Orthodox Catholic...(and no, I never renounced Rome)


My thoughts on the scandals in the western church

Well, I suppose I should open about the recent scandals....I suppose I shouldn't mince words....so here we go...
a. I am blessed to consider amongst my friends several great priests and bishops amongst my circle of friends who are in the church of Rome that are disgusted by the filth that has entered their ranks and who have done much to seek to out the filth, only to be ignored, brushed off, or blackmailed into silence. You are not the ones about to be ripped into....
b. One of my favorite sayings over these past years has been "With Bishops' like these, who needs enemies?" It seems that this is much more accurate than I wished for it t be. There is no excuse for allowing behavior like this to go on.. It doesn't matter whether those that committed the crimes are dead or not. There is no excuse for hiding these kinds of crimes, just to protect an image, a paycheck, or one's status within the church of Rome. I can't defend any of this
c. While a married clergy would not prevent all abuse situations, it would make it harder (note, NOT impossible) for those in the lavender mafia to hide, or use the cloak of celibacy to hide themselves. Eventually, those that are in the mafia will not find themselves to be in a situation where they are comfortable in. It would be easier to take allegations more seriously, as there would be a personal connection. (Yes, married Bishops were a thing until a council that took place in Egypt in some year that I forgot off the top of my head). There were several moments when I was at Roman indoctrination camp (aka Seminary), and the religious order that made me go "whoa" or made me quite uncomfortable (and I'm thankful that things happened as they did)....Yes, they knew, and did NOTHING about the problems. 
d. So how do the homosexuals in the priesthood, Lavender Mafia work? They find people who have been through traumatic events, or very rough events...Presuming these people would be easier to groom because they are broken and can thus be taken advantage of, and a potential victim. If those people dare show signs of standing up for themselves, they come up with "formation issues" TM or dare accuse you of something blatantly false, and send you or anyone like you on your merry way.....It takes a ton of submarining to be able to survive amongst them. Those of you that made it, purely by the grace of God did you make it through,....
e. Your Excellencies, Eminences, allow me to provide some actual solutions to the graves you have dug yourselves into.
1. Cancel ALL USCCB meetings.....
2. Cancel all fundraisers
3. Invest in some good camera equipment (you'll be needing it for the rest of this list)
4. A 40 day (The length of Lent) PUBLIC broadcast of reparation services (If you need help, I've got people that can make this happen ), falling prostrate before Our Lord in the Tabernacle (for those of you too embarrassed to show your face) or Exposed (preferred). (At a monastery, cameras on the whole time) During this time, you are NOT to celebrate Mass, receive Communion (you may make use of the sacrament of Confession, you'll need it).
5. Those parishes (whether cathedrals, monasteries, whatever) where the abuse occurred, are to be temporarily on interdict. (They have been profaned and need to be reconsecrated)....These parishes should also be doing reparation services outside of the parish grounds. Full prostrations.
6. At the end of the 40 day period, the parishes are to be re-consecrated to the Lord using the Old Ritual. (You're going to need all the help you can get).....
7. Now you are to take all the priests that you have hidden, and laicize them immediately. All those convicted of crimes, those that covered up, everyone, PURGE ALL OF THEM OUT!!!!! Leave no stone unturned.
8. Now that you've done this....you are to immediately abdicate your position as bishop (cardinal, etc. (Or if a lay person, whatever position that one has).....No waiting for Rome to accept, no making stupid committees, ain't nobody got time for these games....GET OUT!
9. You are to surrender yourselves to the proper authorities for appropriate punishment. You are to surrender all documents or evidence to the local Attorney General, and cooperate fully, freely, and with full candor to any questions that they will ask of you. I'd love for the church to punish, but well, Rome has proven it moves way to slow. You have dug your grave, it is time to lie in it.
10. (Yes, that means the guy in Rome needs to resign too)
11. Perhaps it's not possible to undo the canonizations of JPII and Paul VI, but one can remove them from the public calendar.
12. Those that are to replace the abdicated, are to be FULLY VETTED by a lay commission (not made up of those who donate the most club), for Orthodoxy, any perversions, etc. Then, and only then should those results be presented to the new pope of Rome.
Nothing Short of the above 12 steps will be enough...At least in my book. You have broken the trust (in humanity) of the lay faithful (and you will not be getting it back).......Yes, you're forgiven, but justice must be done, and certainly you have my prayers.

We do not guilt people into staying

Never, when a person is in an abusive situation do we tell them, "Stay, it's for your own good" or "Don't let the sins of so and so, cloud your judgement of the person, they are good deep inside you just have to wait out the storm" Or the equivalent of said statements, We tell them to get out, for their own safety, for their own peace of mind, we do not let them get swallowed by a wolf or a monster. We give them the tools to get away, or if they absolutely must keep a wolf or a monster involved, we give tools to keep themselves or whoever else may be involved safe. We don't guilt them into staying inside a situation that is toxic for them or anyone else. ....We do not follow the wolves down the road of perdition! By zero means do we expect the Church to be perfect, but we do expect that the Church be able to manage its own house, discipline those who endanger the Faith, and endanger the laity (of course, after any allegations are proven, just an allegation in of itself doesn't make a person guilty, I thought this wasn't necessary to say, but well, I guess I should qualify it)....If the shepherd doesn't watch for the wolves (or in some cases openly let the wolves in to devour the laity/clergy), that one would seek a shelter where one is better protected? If those that are entrusted can't do one of the few jobs they're expected to do, how in the world can one trust them for anything else? (Yes, one isn't supposed to place their trust in princes, etc...but we're speaking of the human aspect)....It seems to me impossible...

The Church is not aa cult, we can't guilt people into staying. 

15 May 2018

I'm still here!

Still alive, still praying for all of you, I will get to blogging again one of these days :)