The Sunday and Week of the Paralytic

Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Risen!

Happy St Mark’s Day!

On this feast of the Holy, All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist Mark, we congratulate our devoted Deacon, Father Mark, on his nameday. May God give him strength in his labours, and grant him many, blessed years!

After a rather minimal congregation, last Sunday, we were glad that the second bank-holiday weekend did not affect numbers, so that things were a little more normal, with forty adults in addition to the clergy, plus our parish children.

This was our oltarnik Oswald’s penultimate Cardiff Liturgy before leaving for the continent, on the first leg of the journeyman year of his apprenticeship.

We were very glad that after the considerable tidy-up – that we face every week – we were able to have social-time across the road in Brodie’s with him and our other young people. We will miss his icon stall in church, and I was glad that I finally remembered which icon I wanted last week, when Oswald had a bank-holiday event, at Woodchester Mansion, the home of his workshop and master.

And so, I returned home with the icon “Noli me tangere” (Do not touch me), showing the Risen Lord appearing to the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles, St Mary Magdalene. Though it was too late for the Sunday of the Myrrh-Baring Women, this icon will be ready for St Mary’s feast in July.

I have already encouraged anyone with spare or loose euros to bring them to church, as these would be most useful and welcome for our young parishioner as he starts his journey. So, please find your change and currency left-overs for Oswald.

As announced in church, we will be making a parish pilgrimage to Glastonbury on Saturday 20th May, hopefully beginning our day with a moleben to St Brigid and the saints of Glastonbury on Bride’s Mound, in Beckery, the site of an early monastic site, with Irish associations. We will then visit the abbey, before heading to the Tor and Chalice Well, possibly visiting the rural-life museum in the abbey barn, if time permits and pilgrims are so inclined! Anyone interested should email Tracy: t_sbrain@icloud.com

Today brought additions to the summer Walsingham Pilgrimage, from 24 – 27th July, and anyone others interested should contact me, Norman or Georgina asap, as I believe there are still some places left. We would love to see more parishioners join those of us who are taking advantage of Fr Dean’s kind invitation to join him and Butetown parishioners, once again.

I also announced that, unfortunately, we will be unable to celebrate our Ascension Day Liturgy in St Mary Butetown, as hoped, so I will check the possibility of celebrating in Nazareth House and make an announcement in the next few days. However, I am very glad to announce that we are able to return to St Mary’s for Friday Study Group, looking to commence on Friday 19th May at 19:00, meeting every fortnight. On these Fridays, confessions will be heard in St Mary’s before and after the sessions if needed.

This week will see confessions on Thursday, as I would like a quiet Friday before the monthly Liturgy for our Cheltenham Mission.

Those requiring confessions on Thursday should email me before noon on Wednesday.

The Cheltenham Liturgy will be celebrated in Prestbury United Reformed Church, as usual, with confessions from 09:15, and the Hours and Liturgy commencing at 10:00. Everyone is most welcome, and there will be a bring-and-share lunch after the service. We will call at Nazareth House on the way home, and any remaining confessions may be heard at that time. Email me please.

Please continue to make the celebration of the Paschal season a reality in your homes, with the joy of the season’s prayers and hymns in your daily spiritual-life. Some new parishioners are unaware of the glory of the Paschal Canon, which I encourage the faithful to continue to use throughout the season. However, the Paschal Canon in our prayerbooks is as used on the night of Pascha only, whereas after that night we also add Theotokia (troparia to the Mother of God). This full text, with the Theotokia may be found here:

https://www.stmaryofegypt.org/files/library/Bright-Week—Preparing-for-Holy-Communionb.pdf  

… an excellent ongoing addition to our prayers during Pascha.

Atgyfododd Crist!

Hieromonk Mark

Paschal Greetings – Christ is Risen!

“Come receive the light, from the never-setting light; and glorify Christ who has risen from the dead.”

Dear brothers and sisters,

Christ is Risen! Христос воскресе! Hristos a înviat! Χριστός ἀνέστη!

As we reflect on the meaning of the resurrection in the life of the Church and the lives of individual believers, we can all too easily forget the sheer confusion and uncertainty of the first Pascha for the apostles and first Christians: traumatised and confused, and mourning the Saviour’s death – especially after the wonder of the raising of Lazarus and His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

After the euphoria of Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday, their world had come crashing down around them: collapsed and swallowed in spiritual, mental and emotional darkness.

At the death of the Saviour, there was darkness over all the land as the sun was eclipsed, but we should remember that, ironically, darkness also characterised the moment of the resurrection in the last hours of the night, in which the Saviour rose from the dead in the Divine Dawn, as the “Everlasting Sun of Righteousness”.

The imagery and symbolism of Christ the Light dominates our Paschal night: as the faithful carry candles circumambulating the temple; as the priest repeatedly censes the Church with the Troitsa candlestick in his left hand and the censer in his right, making the sign of the cross with the recurring joyful cry – “Christ is Risen!”

Reflecting the miracle of the Holy Fire, in Jerusalem, in Byzantine tradition, at the end of the midnight office the priest emerges from the sanctuary into the darkened temple chanting,

“Come receive the light, from the never-setting light; and glorify Christ who has risen from the dead.”

The sustained light-symbolism is not just a poetic and allegorical detail, but presupposes that the light of Christ is desired, to illuminate those who follow Him and to bring spiritual-light to those surrounded by the darkness of the world, whatever it makes of Christ. During the Liturgy, the Prologue of the Gospel of St John was read, declaring this very point:

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

Sadly, the world still has little understanding of the Light of the World, who dawned from the tomb, but for us, as those who have been baptised into His death and resurrection, we celebrate this wondrous dawn in the feast, and are called to be light-bearers, reflecting the light of Christ.

Just as the flame of Pascha spreads around the temple from candle to candle before our symbolic processional-journey seeking the Body of Christ, so the light of Christ must be carried in our hearts and illumine our lives, so that we become participators and heralds of the Light of the World: burning with the flame of faith, hope and love.

No matter how confusing and fearful the world is, in ever-deepening darkness, with the swelling persecution of Faith, sinister socio-political agendas, growing authoritarianism unnoticed by the masses, and the wholesale violent rejection of traditional Christian values and morality, the light of the resurrection cannot be taken from those who truly believe in Him, Who has risen for the dead; despoiling Hades and trampling down death by death; bestowing life upon those in the graves.

The greater the darkness that surrounds us, the brighter even the smallest burning flame appears, and however much the looming darkness of the world grows, Christ our Light and Life is risen, and nothing can change the reality of His victory and the radiance it sheds upon the world.

As the third ode of the Paschal Canon reminds us,

“Now all things are filled with light: heaven and earth, and the nether regions. So let all creation then celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, by which it is strengthened.”

Now, walking in the light and radiance of our Paschal celebration of the resurrection, we must not only ensure that nobody and nothing is allowed to rob us of the light and joy of the resurrection, but also take the flame of Faith and the light of the Risen Christ into the surrounding darkness, so that others may be kindled and delivered from fear, hopelessness and uncertainty.

Like those passing the Paschal flame to others around them in our wonderful Paschal celebration, we must do this spiritually in our darkening, suffering world, shedding the Light of Christ upon friend, colleague, neighbour, and those whom our lives touch, through words and deeds – even if simply in unrecognised and hidden acts of kindness, generosity and love in His Name.

One of the abiding memories of Pascha will be the wonderful sight of our Greek friends in the greyness of the first light, guarding the Paschal in their lanterns as they headed homewards through the quiet streets.

As that flame went with them, may this also be the spiritual reality of Pascha for each and everyone of us, as we take Christ the Light and Life into our streets, homes, families, workplaces, schools and colleges – taking head to the Saviour’s words, recorded by St John the Theologian,

“Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

May we shed His light upon the world.

Christ is Risen!

Fr Mark

SPIRITUAL KINSHIP AND OUR GUARDIAN ANGEL

Just at the time in which it was relevant, I noticed my little book of homilies of Fr Daniel Sysoev, wedged into a gap between stacks of books in my cell – and it opened to a little homily on spiritual kinship.

In confession, I constantly encourage the faithful to labour to build their relationship and kinship with their guardian angel and the saint whose name they bear. Both are heavenly protectors who wish to be spiritual kin, and not ritual static figures in Orthodox spiritual identity.

As even a cursory glance at the canons and prayer to the Guardian Angel makes clear, our angelic companion has REAL influence over not only our actions, but also our minds, with all of their complications and problems, especially when we are afflicted by mental trials and temptations.

Just as God respects our freedom and will, and does not force or coerce us in the events and actions of life, neither do our guardian angels, but rather ever-vigilantly await our cries and calls for help, wanting us to align our will with that of God, who created both them and us. It is in this alignment and obedience to the Lord, and in knowing and pursuing our need for angelic assistance – the gift of God – that we are able to build bonds of kinship, regardless of time and space, physicality and immateriality.

Our Guardian Angel wants to be part of our life; to share in each hour day, as a sign of God’s love and care for us. But… we must want this for it to become an actualised reality.

Fr Daniel – a martyr for the Faith – wrote,

“The angels of God can be people’s friends, and, as we know, we share a friendship with our guardian angel, be it only to a small degree. I hope that we will all feel warmly toward our guardian angels, that we may try to greet them and pray to them, and that they will look after us. If we try to do good things with their help, it will give rise to that friendship that can blossom beyond the limits of time… Each person must find spiritual friendship which transcends both time and the difference between beings, between people and angels, so that we may enkindled together and glorify the Trinity, from whom we draw this strength.”

So… make sure that WITHOUT FAIL, you pray to your guardian angel EVERY day.

If you have time, don’t simply turn to the Canon to the Holy Guardian Angel when preparing for Holy Communion, but as often is possible.

If you have time to pray it every day, do so… and let each of us be mindful that we mistakenly turn to all manner of people first, in need, emergency and trouble, rather than turning to our guardian angel.

We need to correct ourselves and start reacting spiritually to the trials of life.

Our guardian angel is waiting to hear us – waiting to help in every trial and adversity.

Morning Prayer:

O Holy Angel, who standest by my wretched soul and my passionate life: do not abandon me, a sinner, neither depart from me because of my lack of self-control. Leave no room for the evil demon to gain control of me through the violence of this mortal body. Strengthen my weak and feeble hand, and instruct me in the path of salvation. O holy Angel of God, the guardian and protector of my wretched soul and body: forgive all the sorrows I have caused you, every day of my life. If I have sinned in this past night, protect me during this day. Keep me from every adverse temptation, that I may not anger God by any sin. Pray to the Lord for me, that He may establish me in His fear and make me, His servant, worthy of His goodness. Amen.

Evening Prayer:

O Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and protector of my soul and body, forgive me all wherein I have sinned this day, and deliver me from all opposing evil of mine enemy lest I anger my God by any sin. Pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant, It that thou mayest show me forth worthy of the kindness and mercy of the All-holy Trinity, and of the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ, and of all the saints. Amen.

Liturgy – the Time to Talk to God, Not One Another!

In the Liturgy and every service of the Church, we come to Church to talk: to talk to God, not to one another!

As soon as we enter the church, even if no prayers have started, we must be mindful that this place and this time are set aside for Him. They are holy to the Lord, and we must each struggle to protect that holiness. One of the major obstacles to this is habitual and needless talking and chatter.

Rather than chatting before the Liturgy in church, let us keep silence and join ourselves to the praying of the Hours with heart and mind, standing before the Lord with humility and the fear of God.

If someone we know comes and stands by us, let us be glad and joyful, but let the verbal or physical greeting wait until an appropriate time, not during prayers.

When we are waiting to commune, we do not talk in the queue, but stand in silent submission, with our arms folded – mindful of the wonder of Christ’s mercy in coming to us, despite our unworthiness and faults.

If we have communed, when we go for zapivka or stand at the front of the church before the moving of the Holy Gifts to the preparation table, we do not chatter or socialise, but rather contemplate that not only has God revealed Himself to us, but that Christ our God has entered into the very temples of our bodies, silently mindful that we have become living tabernacles of His Presence.

In the Tabernacle and the first Temple, the Ark of the Covenant only contained the manna from heaven, but when we commune, we contain the Bread of Heaven, Christ Himself. He is within us!

Even if we have not communed, we still silently honour the Lord’s self-giving and self-emptying love expressed in His Presence in the Holy Gifts, and – neither sitting nor talking – we are silently mindful that Christ our King and God is in our midst, as we stand before Him.

During the Thanksgiving Prayers, unless we are reading on the kliros, we remain in silence – mindful of our debt to the living and loving Lord for giving Himself to us, to cleanse us, heal us, and vivify us. This too is not a time for talking even if we have not received the Holy Gifts. The Church is still praying, and the Church is giving thanks for the wonder of the Liturgy and the Holy Mysteries – the great token of God’s inexhaustible love for the Church and every soul within it.

We are all stewards of the Divine Liturgy, and we must all work together to preserve its holiness and ‘otherness’, in which we have put aside all earthly cares, so that we may receive the King of all, invisibly escorted by the ranks of angels.

So… do not be shy in Liturgy. If people are talking whilst the Church is praying, turn to them and politely signal for them to be quiet. If necessary, quietly ask them to stop talking. If they persist, please approach the starosta/church-warden.

In Liturgy, we talk to God, not to one another. There is ample chance for that once Liturgy has finished.

When trapeza is blessed, this is the time for friendly, warm conversation; for greeting one another; for welcoming new faces; for catching up and socialising – and this is a blessed and cherished opportunity to enjoy one another’s company, having dedicated our words and voices during the Liturgy to God.

Confessions This Week

Dear brothers and sisters, 

As announced at Liturgy on Sunday, confessions will be heard on Thursday and Saturday this week. 

Those who confessed last weekend are blessed to commune at the Theophany Liturgy, and those preparing for communion on Sunday may confess after the Great Blessing of the Waters. 

There will be limited time before our 11:00 Liturgy, so I would appreciate an idea of how many confessions are expected. I have already received several requests, and will confess those respective parishioners first. If needed, parishioners may be confessed and communed after the service. Please let us know if you would like to confess on Thursday. 

On Saturday, we will celebrate Great Vespers with Vladika at 17:00, and I and Father Luke will be available to confess people before and after the service. 

There will be confessions before the Sunday service, but these must end by 10:55, as Vladika will be greeted at 11:00. Those confessing should be mindful of the time, and long confessions will NOT be possible. 

Whatever day works best for you, please drop us a line. 

May God bless you all! 

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

Confessions This Week

Dear brothers and sisters,

As we prepare for the coming Nativity of the Lord, we face quite a challenge with confessions as I will now be serving with only Deacon Mark, and will subsequently have to hear all of the confessions of those communing on Saturday and Sunday.

There have already been a significant number of requests for confessions on Friday, and in an effort to ease what may be a very challenging evening, I have already emailed those living locally (who have made requests) to ask if they are able to confess on Thursday.

This would ease the pressure, especially as we have people who live some distance from Cardiff requiring confession.

Given the maximum number of those who may require the Holy Mystery, it may not be possible to additionally confess all who confessed last Sunday, and who largely confess on a weekly basis.

Should this be the case, those who confessed last week are blessed to additionally receive Holy Communion on the coming weekend of the Lord’s Nativity, unless there is a pressing need for confession.

Once I know how many of this week’s requests can confess on Thursday, there may be some free time, then.

Friday could be extremely pressurised and stressful, so I would like to mitigate this, as far possible.

Those confessing, whether on Friday, Saturday or Sunday should be prepared and ready, knowing what they have  to say/confess, and be aware of others waiting their turn for confession.

Whilst the situation is far from ideal, this is unavoidable and we all need to work together to make things work.

In Christ – Fr Mark

Happy St Nicholas Day!

Dear brothers and sisters, greetings to you all for the feast of the Holy Hierarch and Wonderworker Nicholas.His life is a model of Christian living for us all – not just for our bishops, despite the fact that he is the very ideal of hierarchical life – and in his life we all see all that is holy, true and righteous. 

Despite the relative obscurity of this life, spanning the third and fourth centuries, St Nicholas quickly became the most universally loved and venerated saint of Christendom. We might ask why, as his power and influence seem so disproportionate to what we know of him in historical terms. 

Surely, this is because his life shines so brightly with the Light of Christ, and he so clearly encapsulates everything that it is to be a Christian. The central meaning of this is love, for God is absolute and perfect love, Christ is Incarnate Love and we are all called to reflect God and His love in our lives.

We are all called to be icons of Christ, struggling for the image of God to be restored and renewed in us, not simply by our baptism, but by continual prayer and repentance in which we seek perfection by struggling to reflect the Saviour, making His Gospel real in our lives.

In the Gospel for the hierarch we heard the Beatitudes and, as Father Luke pointed out in the homily of today’s Liturgy, these Beatitudes were made real and appreciable in the life of St Nicholas.

I constantly tell my spiritual children that the Beatitudes are the whole manifesto of Christian living, telling us how to make the Gospel real in our lives and how to live the lives Christ wants us to have. When this happens, we touch the world with God’s love, mercy and compassion, bringing light and life to those around us. These Beatitudes are not for our gain, for our sake and our benefit, but for the benefit of our neighbour and the world that surrounds us. They are not rules for us to gain, but rather for us to give, for us to love, for us to care, for us to respond to the needs of others – loving and serving Christ by doing so!

St Nicholas not only did this in his earthly life, but having been glorified by God among the saints on His right hand, the great saint has worked great miracles for a millennium and a half, continuing to reveal God’s glory, love and power; continuing to touch the faithful with his fatherly and archpastoral care, as a shepherd of souls and wonderworker doing God’s inscrutable works in the world.  

As Orthodox Christians, we continue to turn to him, not simply on his feasts, but day by day, week by week, and virtually every Orthodox home and church possesses an icon of St Nicholas. Apart from Holy Week and Bright Week, every Thursday of the year honours him. We celebrate his nativity, his death, the translation of his relics, and various feasts of his wonderworking icons. 

All of these acts of piety and devotion make him a great presence in our lives, as one whom we love, to whom we turn as a trusted and respected father, guide, helper and source of strength.

May we ever do so, and we pray that he may ever help us, teach us how to follow Christ and show us the way to the Kingdom of Heaven.  

But, without seeking to follow his example our devotion will be hollow, paper-thin and meaningless. St Nicholas calls us to reflect Christ and to live the Gospel. Let us honour him by doing so!
May God bless you all.
In Christ – Fr Mark

Advent: the Nativity Fast

Dear brothers and sisters,

Sunday will be the last day before the Nativity Fast, and the last day on which we eat non-fasting food.

We should be ready for the Fast from the very beginning, and spend the next few days getting ready for the season of repentance and preparation for the great feast of the Lord’s Nativity.

We offer some advice published in the past by the Diocese of Mukachevo:

  1. Find time for attentive prayer: Make it a rule not to skip or shorten morning and evening prayers. Read a portion of the Gospel and Psalter every day, and most importantly, remember the presence of God as often as possible. 
  2. Prepare for Confession and Communion: Think about and assess your actions, looking for what has harmed your soul. Prepare to receive more often, with the blessing of your spiritual father. 
  3. Forgive your enemies: It is impossible to grow spiritually as long as there is a stone in the middle of our hearts. Even if you feel the other person is to blame, find an opportunity to speak with them and to forgive them, letting go of any and all anger. 
  4. Give up the internet for a few days: “Hanging out” online takes away time that could be devoted to our families. After just a few days of abstention from the internet, you will feel an unusual surge of strength and energy. Don’t believe it? Try it! 
  5. Finishing those things you’ve been working on for half a year already: Such things speak to your responsibility as a Christian. Many believers testify that once the Fast starts, everything goes like clockwork – prayer and fasting clear your mind and enhance your thinking. 
  6. Visit social institutions, such as an old folks’ home, children’s homes, or hospitals: You can bring people in hard situations a gift, especially the warmth of your heart and good conversation. 
  7. Feed the homeless:Don’t be afraid. Separate out a portion of your groceries as food for the poor – there are plenty of them in churches and throughout cities as a whole. Do it with an awareness of what need the destitute are in. 
  8. Take stock of your clothing and shoes. Give to someone else that which you don’t wear.
  9. Do good deeds in secret:December is a time when everyone is talking about charity and mercy, although in modern times it is often bound up with publicity. Remember that our benefit for such deeds, when done in secret, comes from God Himself. 
  10. Let go of everything that bothers and worries you:Get rid of all excesses during the Fast, including the thoughts and feelings that oppress you. Do not dwell on the negative. 
  11. Prepare foods for the feast of the Nativity beforehand, so you can attend the Vigil and Liturgy in peace: The Divine services are the main preparation for the birth of the God-Man. Prepare food ahead of time so you don’t deprive yourself of the spiritual atmosphere which will allow you to truly experience Christmas. 
  12. Give thanks to God: Thank God from a sincere heart for another year that has passed, and for His unconditional love that permeates every second of our lives. 

Be prepared, be ready, and may God give you good strength in the spiritual arena of the Holy Season!

In Christ – Fr Mark

Thine Own of Thine Own: Blessing God’s Gifts

After the Liturgy on Sunday, several people asked me why we blessed honey, and this reminded me of a question from a member of Nazareth House staff: ‘Why did you bless the beehives?’

Why did we bless these things?

Why did we bless Margarita’s house a little over a week ago?

Indeed, why do we bless vestments, holy vessels, parishioner’s cars, our daily meals and so many other things? Why do we bless water at Theophany, and at other times with the Lesser Blessing?  Why do we ask blessings for journeys, for new ventures, for new jobs?

When we bless the harvest, be it honey, grains or fruits, we acknowledge the Lord’s goodness as we ‘return’ them to Him in the knowledge that He is the source of every gift, and our Sustainer, Who constantly satisfies us with His earthly blessings.

In the broadest sense of evharistia / thanksgiving, the liturgical blessing acknowledges the very fact that God’s gifts are His, not ours. We also set these things aside, and dedicate them to the Lord, particularly when we bless homes, vehicles, and objects – especially those used in sacred worship.

Just as the priest chants, ‘Thine own of Thine own do we give Thee’ when the Deacon raises the eucharistic-offerings after the words of institution in the Liturgy, so we offered Him ‘His own of His own’ in the honey-blessing, as we shall likewise do with grapes and other fruits at the end of the Transfiguration Liturgy when the words of the prayer will state this with perfect clarity:

‘O Master, Lord our God, Who commandest everyone to bring as an offering Thine own of Thine own, and grantest unto them in return Thine eternal good things…’

Beyond this recognition in various blessings, we receive the Grace of God who truly sanctifies that which is offered, and we partake of this Grace when we eat or drink that which has been blessed and sanctified, or when we are anointed with blessed oil.

At the Jordan blessing of water at Theophany, we pray,

‘Make it a fountain of immortality, a gift of sanctification, the remission of sins, the healing of infirmities, the destruction of the demons, unapproachable by hostile powers, filled with angelic might. And may it be unto all those who shall draw it, and shall partake of it unto the purification of their souls and bodies, unto the healing of their passions, unto the sanctification of their homes, and unto every expedient service.’

When we bless the artos at Pascha, we pray,

‘And count worthy we who offer this, and they that shall kiss it and taste of it, to become partakers of Thy heavenly blessing; and by Thy might drive away from us every sickness and infirmity, grant health unto all.’

When we bless cheese, butter, milk and eggs, on the same festal night, we pray

‘that, while enjoying these, Thy generously presented gifts, we may also be satisfied with Thine unspeakable grace, for the sake of the bright three-days resurrection from the dead of our Lord Jesus Christ…’

At the blessing of wheat, wine and oil at the vigil service we pray that the Lord will

‘sanctify the faithful that partake of them.’

During Sunday’s blessing of honey, we asked that

‘all tasting of it, receiving it and eating it, may find good health, and by this nourishment be satisfied and filled with all good things.’

And… when we bless the fruit offered at Friday’s Transfiguration Liturgy, we shall pray,

“… do Thou now bless this fruit of the vine lying here, and make us thy servants who eat of it, partakers of the True Vine. Keep our lives from harm and ever give us peace that none can take away…”

Through these blessings, tasting and seeing is both physical and spiritual, as the Lord communicates the spiritual gifts of His Grace through His sanctified creation: Grace that strengthens us; Grace that heals us: Grace that purifies us both physically and spiritually.

God communicates spiritual gifts through the offering of His creation to Him as ‘Thine own of Thine own…’, as through their sanctification and dedication, physical things become the communicative medium of God’s Grace.

Through the liturgical blessings in our Christian life, we live it eucharistically and doxologically, endless rendering God glory and thanksgiving and, as we enjoy His gifts, we participate in His goodness and also become spiritual participators in His manifold blessings.

In blessing His gifts and in enjoying that which is blessed we physically and spiritually commune with His love and goodness, as we experience to the invitation of the Psalmist, “O taste and see, the Lord is good.”

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

 

Last Sunday and the Week Ahead

Dear brothers and sisters,

It was wonderful to have such a well-attended Liturgy for the feast of “All the Saints who have shone forth in the lands of Rus’ ”, and good to have so many new faces. 

As I said in my homily, this feast is no doubt one which could be misrepresented by some, as some sort of representation of a ‘Russkiy Mir’ approach to the Church, holiness and the saints – but we are clear that this feast has nothing to do with ethnicity, politics or nationhood, but rather a celebration of the holiness of those whom GOD has glorified in all of the Rus’ lands: in the territory of the modern states of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, and the Carpatho-Russian region which overlaps several modern European states – and the lands of the Empire

Among the saints of Rus’, in addition to East Slavs (among whom we must not forget the Rusyn peoples of Carpatho-Russia), we celebrate the saints of the early Varangian (Norse) ruling class, Greeks, Mongol-Tartars, Germans, Finns, Latvians, Lithuanian’s, Estonians, Hungarians, Romans, native Siberian peoples and countless other nationalities – all linked by their holiness and their glorification by God in the Rus’ lands and the territory of the Empire (however we may view it). 

As we celebrate this feast, we make no differentiation between Slav, Greek of Mongol, but celebrate the memory of all of the saints who have been God-pleasing and glorified by Him.

Beyond the Rus lands, saints such as St John (Maximovich) the Wonder Worker and St Maria of Paris laboured in the spiritual-care of the exiles of the Revolution, and they together with the likes of St Seraphim of Sarov and St Silouan of Mount Athos have gained a place in the loving-hearts of people of all nations and languages, not just Orthodox faithful, but Christians from many backgrounds.

The saints we have celebrated are not just OUR saints, but EVERYBODY’S saints; the Greek saints celebrated in Greek parishes the last Sunday, Romanian saints in Romanian parishes, Serbian saints in Serbian parishes are equally OUR saints. There are no passports, borders and ethno-linguistic divisions in Heaven – and we are meant to reflect that reality here and now!

At a time of division and fragmentation, this feast must be one of unity, and a sign of hope for the Orthodox faithful across borders and battle zones, and we look to the saints as our example in these difficult and painful times.

This coming Sunday will see the celebration of All the Saints who have shone forth in the Isles of Britain, again with no differentiation according to nation, tribe and language, but a celebration of holiness and God’s grace.

In preparation for Sunday, confessions will be heard on Friday, and you are asked – as usual – to email me at otetzmark@hotmail.com, message me via Facebook or send a text. Requests by Wednesday night please.

Following confessions, we will have a catechism discussion on the Eucharist this Friday at 19:00 in the parish room at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, in Butetown. Thanks, as always, to Father Dean, and Georgina for making this possible.

To echo Deacon Mark’s comments at the end of Sunday Liturgy, any children who need to eat due to the very late time of Holy Communion should eat something simple before coming to Church on Sundays. We understand that from bedtime on Saturday to communion time on Sunday is a very long time, and we recognise pastoral necessity for some of our very young parishioners. Food can easily be postny/fasting and should be plain and functional – no animal products and no chocolate cereals are needed.

Our children need to realise that days for Holy Communion are different and should understand that mum and dad, older children and adults are fasting, and they must be helped to grow into this discipline.

Also, children over seven should be confessing before communion, and children’s clothing (like their parents) should be appropriate for Church, with head-coverings for our little girls during Liturgy. This is how children learn that we do things differently in Church to honour God.

They cannot learn Orthopraxis without the input of their parents and elders, and sacred Tradition is in adult hands of to pass on. Without transmission there is no Tradition, and we see the sad results of this in other Orthodox communities where confession before communion, fasting, modest dress, and even reverent silence and behaviour in Church seem optional.

We continue the Apostles’ Fast throughout this week…

Monday June 27 N.S. – Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Tuesday June 28 N.S. – Fast. Fish, wine and oil. St. Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow (1461).

Wednesday June 29 N.S. – Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Thursday June 30 N.S. – Fast. Wine and oil.

Friday July 1 N.S. – Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Saturday July 2 N.S. – Fast. Fish, wine and oil.

Sunday July 3 N.S. – Fast. Fish, wine and oil.

… and we look forward to the Feast of St Peter and St Paul.

Finally, your prayers are asked for Archpriest Luke, Ruth-Silouana, and Isaiah of our Swansea-Llanelli parish as they self-isolate with covid.

Wishing you a blessed week.

May God bless you.

In Christ – Fr Mark