Making Cross More
2nd Sermon on the Cross
Festival of the Cross continues
The Festival of the Cross is also called the Exaltation or Elevation of the Cross. It is an important occasion of Holy Church. This sermons continues a focus on the history and the power of the cross.
This sermon given on Sunday September 21, 2008 by Fr John Brian Paprock at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison, Wisconsin.
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Monday, September 22, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Cross Making More
Cross Making More
Festival of the Cross begins
The Festival of the Cross is also called the Exaltation or Elevation of the Cross. It is another important occasion of Holy Church. The history and the power of the cross is the focus of this sermon - Cross Making More!
This sermon given on Sunday September 14, 2008 by Fr John Brian Paprock at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison, Wisconsin.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
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Festival of the Cross begins
The Festival of the Cross is also called the Exaltation or Elevation of the Cross. It is another important occasion of Holy Church. The history and the power of the cross is the focus of this sermon - Cross Making More!
This sermon given on Sunday September 14, 2008 by Fr John Brian Paprock at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison, Wisconsin.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
Monday, September 08, 2008
The More Things Change....
The More Things Change....
...the more we need to be Godly. This homiletic sermon rasies the question: are we ready to deal with the change from the eternal persepctive?
Scriptures:
Matthew - end of Chapter 5 (38-48); 1 Corinthians end of Chapter 3 (26-38) 1 Peter - beginning of Chapter 2 (1-6)
This sermon given on Sunday September 7, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison Wisconsin
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
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...the more we need to be Godly. This homiletic sermon rasies the question: are we ready to deal with the change from the eternal persepctive?
Scriptures:
Matthew - end of Chapter 5 (38-48); 1 Corinthians end of Chapter 3 (26-38) 1 Peter - beginning of Chapter 2 (1-6)
This sermon given on Sunday September 7, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison Wisconsin
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Reflections on Receiving the Good Neighbor Award
Reflections on Receiving the Good Neighbor Award ~ End of August 2008
By Rev Fr. John-Brian Paprock
By Rev Fr. John-Brian Paprock
[Rev. Fr. John-Brian Paprock received the "Middleton Good Neighbor Award" in a ceremony at the Good Neighbor Festival on Sunday, August 24, 2008. GNF Committee President Rich Schmidt said the committee voted "unanimously and without hesitation" to present the award to Fr. Paprock, who was nominated by retired Boy Scout Troop 940 Scoutmaster Ron Berman, with whom he worked for many years. Schmidt said Rev . Paprock "is truly an asset to our community." The GNF Committee gives three Good Neighbor awards each year. More information: http://maruroopa.blogspot.com/2008/09/orthodox-priest-wins-community-award.html ]
One of the families that live in a duplex down the street came up to congratulate me on this award. They had seen the picture in the local paper. I was pleased to see them and was honored that they took the time. I said, trying to be gracious, "Well, being a Good Neighbor requires neighbors and I am blessed you are our neighbors."
When the Good Neighbor Festival president, Rich Schmidt, called me a few weeks earlier, I was a bit surprised. I asked, "Why me?" He said that Middleton has a long tradition of recognizing exemplary voluntary service to the community and that he had several pages of an extensive history of service to the community. I was surprised that he would have such a history. Apparently, my wife had conspired with Ron Berman to make my nomination. I must have hesitated, because he asked if I would accept the award. "If it would help others to serve the community, I am honored," I said. Serving others is one of the oldest and most endearing traditions of Christianity. As Christians, we should not avoid being seen in our service, but we should do it for the glory of God and the welfare of our neighbors, that is "everyone." Service, as I was taught by my spiritual elders, is doing the right thing for the right reason. It should be action taken as an expression of our inner life, our spiritual development, our religious tradition. It should be guided by the Holy Spirit and guarded with prayer. Whom we serve and how we serve will be unique to our gifts and abilities.
Another neighbor, reading through the published list of my volunteer activities, said, "wow, you have done a lot." Only by the mercy and support of God, but also by being willing to serve God and humanity. When I was young, we were poor and often had nothing to put into the basket at church. One time, I cried to the priest and said that if I had anything I would give it. He smiled and said, "There are many ways to give to God and the church. Money is only one." He suggested many simple things that I could do, including serving around the altar. I tried them all. Later, during pastoral studies, the bishop would give me a weekly "podvich" - a spiritual chore, usually simple and humble, like cleaning the floors of the chapel or accompanying someone who needed help getting to services. I was instructed to do these things prayerfully, either singing hymns or repeating a simple prayer or even with spiritual dialogue.
This has been the mode and method of my service since I was a child. Of course, circumstances change and so I have moved from project to project, or rather podvich to podvich. Sometimes, I have asked the Lord why he led me to this or that, but even without clarity I have done the chores - from the simplest physical labor to complex organizational development and event
planning.
There is an aspect of Christian service that makes it quite different that secular or other forms of community work. It is a quality of self-emptying to allow God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) to be manifest in the midst of our labor. To be assured that whatever good has come of my activities, the credit is due to my Creator who made me, to my Savior who teaches me by His example, to the Holy Spirit who inspires me, gives me insight, courage and strength to serve.
Another aspect of Christian service is in the fundamental understanding that serving others IS serving God. God desires to be in relationship and there is no better way than to be in our neighborhoods, our homes, our cities and towns - to be everywhere we are. One of the reasons for the incarnation of Christ is to establish a living relationship with us in this world. We were
not created separated from God, but have become separated, born into this world. God joined us and walked with us and among us and left us with the commandment of love - to love one another. He challenged His followers to view everyone through His eyes. To engage us in relationship, He said, "What you have done to the least of humanity you have done to me." I have learned, although not always able to practice effectively, that this is only possible if I respond to the needs of humanity with honesty about my limitations and abilities. There is always more to do, righteous causes to join, families in need, etc.
But this is not a challenge only for clergy and monastics, it is a challenge for everyone who claims the benefits of being Christian, a member of the Church. It should be no great effort to serve, for in all our relations, we seek relationship with the divine. By honoring that, we honor God's goodness, mercy and loving-kindness. If we are recognized for doing that, let us be gracious and not hide this light under a bushel. It is all part of God's blessing to all of us - that His love be manifest in the simple things as in the great things. There is no difference between a little
miracle and a big one in Christ. We ought to be as grateful for the small miracles as we are for the big ones for no miracle, regardless of size, is deserved or earned. In serving humanity, we participate in miracles every day.
Under a green and white tent at the outdoor ceremony during Good Neighbor Festival, I bowed my head, shook Rich Schmidt's hand, said "Thank you." Then, I returned to face painting to raise funds for scouting.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Mystery at the Death of St Mary - Part 2
Mystery at the Death of St Mary - Part 2
The death of St Mary, mother of the Lord is also called her the "falling asleep" or dormition. It is also called her assumption.
Using the ancient texts upon which this festival period is based, Fr John Brian will explore the mystery and the power of the reported events surrounding her departure from this world. Much of the power of
Orthodox Christian tradition can be traced to this festive remembrance.
This sermon given on Sunday August 31, 2008 by Fr John Brian Paprock at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison, Wisconsin.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
The death of St Mary, mother of the Lord is also called her the "falling asleep" or dormition. It is also called her assumption.
Using the ancient texts upon which this festival period is based, Fr John Brian will explore the mystery and the power of the reported events surrounding her departure from this world. Much of the power of
Orthodox Christian tradition can be traced to this festive remembrance.
This sermon given on Sunday August 31, 2008 by Fr John Brian Paprock at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison, Wisconsin.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Bishop Makarios Memorial Sculpture and Scholarship at Alma College
At the six month memorial of our bishop, Met. Thomas Mar Makarios, here is an opportunity to contribute to lasting memorials in Michigan.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Alma College Initiatives To Continue Memory of Bishop Makarios
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The memory of Bishop Thomas Mar Makarios will continue at Alma College (Michigan, USA) with two campus initiatives: a memorial scholarship in his name and a campus sculpture depicting the character and values of the former religious studies faculty member.
He began teaching at the college in 1983 where he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1990. Bishop Makarios died February 23, 2008 in Newcastle, England. Traditional church services and burial took place in India March 2 and 3. An Alma College memorial service took place April 6.
Individuals who wish to donate to these memorials may contact the Alma College Advancement Office at 1-800-291-1312 (toll free).
Bishop Makarios Memorial Scholarship
Bishop Makarios Sculpture (on Alma College campus)
Alma College
614 W. Superior Street
Alma, Michigan USA 48801-1599
1-800-291-1312 Advancement Office (contact for memorial donations)
1-989-463-7327 Main Office ~ 1-989-463-7102 Fax
Alma College website - http://www.alma.edu/
Complete Press Release from Alma College (July 25, 2008) can be viewed below
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Mystery at the Death of St Mary - Part 1
Mystery at the Death of St Mary - Part 1
The death of St Mary, mother of the Lord is also called her the "falling asleep" or dormition. It is also called her assumption. Using the ancient texts upon which this festival period is based, Fr John Brian will explore the mystery and the power of the reported events surrounding her departure from this world. Much of the power of Orthodox Christian tradition can be traced to this festive remembrance.
This sermon given on Sunday August 17, 2008 by Fr John Brian Paprock
at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison, Wisconsin.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
The death of St Mary, mother of the Lord is also called her the "falling asleep" or dormition. It is also called her assumption. Using the ancient texts upon which this festival period is based, Fr John Brian will explore the mystery and the power of the reported events surrounding her departure from this world. Much of the power of Orthodox Christian tradition can be traced to this festive remembrance.
This sermon given on Sunday August 17, 2008 by Fr John Brian Paprock
at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison, Wisconsin.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Blessings of Transfiguration
Blessings of Transfiguration
The Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor has many blessings. Using the scriptures appointed for the feast, this sermon expounds upon those blessings and how to access them.
The Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor has many blessings. Using the scriptures appointed for the feast, this sermon expounds upon those blessings and how to access them.
Scriptures:
Luke 9:27-29; Deuteronomy 16:13-17; Psalm 24; Isaiah 61:1-3; Romans 11:25-236 and 1 John 2:23-3:2
This sermon given on Sunday August 10, 2008 by Fr John Brian Paprock at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison WI.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
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Monday, July 28, 2008
Acting in Faith?
Acting in Faith?
Is faith more important that works? No, James, in his epistle, speaks to a powerful synergy of faith in action - the working out of salvation in our worldly lives.
Scriptures:
James 2:14-26 ; Leviticus 19:13-18 and a verse from Joshua (23:14), starting with an apostolic reminder from Mark 6:7-13
This sermon given on Sunday July 27, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison WI.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
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Is faith more important that works? No, James, in his epistle, speaks to a powerful synergy of faith in action - the working out of salvation in our worldly lives.
Scriptures:
James 2:14-26 ; Leviticus 19:13-18 and a verse from Joshua (23:14), starting with an apostolic reminder from Mark 6:7-13
This sermon given on Sunday July 27, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison WI.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
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Monday, July 21, 2008
Who Will Stop You
Who Will Stop YOU....
...from getting into the Kingdom of God? How ready are you?
Scriptures:
Matthew 18; end of Acts, Psalm 112 and excursions into Exodus and the end of Job.
This sermon given on Sunday July 20, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison WI.
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...from getting into the Kingdom of God? How ready are you?
Scriptures:
Matthew 18; end of Acts, Psalm 112 and excursions into Exodus and the end of Job.
This sermon given on Sunday July 20, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison WI.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
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Monday, July 14, 2008
Being Apostolic
Being Apostolic: 11th Hour Apostles continue
This is the third of three sermons on the Orthodox celebration of the Apostles.
This sermon asserts that we are equally charged in this modern age as the the apostles.
It focuses on the end of the festal gospel reading and the Coptic Epistle reading for the Apostles' feast.
Scriptures:
1. Apostles' gospel: Matthew 9:36-10:16
2. Malankara-Syrian Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12:28-13:10 (first sermon)
3. Armenian Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-16
(second sermon - unrecorded)
4. Coptic Epistle: Romans 10:4-18 (third sermon - here)
This sermon given on Sunday July 13, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison WI.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
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This is the third of three sermons on the Orthodox celebration of the Apostles.
This sermon asserts that we are equally charged in this modern age as the the apostles.
It focuses on the end of the festal gospel reading and the Coptic Epistle reading for the Apostles' feast.
Scriptures:
1. Apostles' gospel: Matthew 9:36-10:16
2. Malankara-Syrian Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12:28-13:10 (first sermon)
3. Armenian Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-16
(second sermon - unrecorded)
4. Coptic Epistle: Romans 10:4-18 (third sermon - here)
This sermon given on Sunday July 13, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison WI.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
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Thursday, July 10, 2008
Come join me on Psychology Crossroads...
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Monday, June 30, 2008
11th Hour Apostles
11th Hour Apostles
This is the first of three sermons on the Orthodox celebration of the Apostles, beginning with the Malankara-Syrian lectionary readings for St Peter and St Paul.
This sermon talks about the apostles and then examines the parable of the vineyard appointed for reading at Divine Liturgy (Qurbana) :
Matthew 20:1-16
Acts 1:12-14
1 corinthians 12:28-13:10
Sermon given on Sunday June 29, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy
Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_br
ian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
This is the first of three sermons on the Orthodox celebration of the Apostles, beginning with the Malankara-Syrian lectionary readings for St Peter and St Paul.
This sermon talks about the apostles and then examines the parable of the vineyard appointed for reading at Divine Liturgy (Qurbana) :
Matthew 20:1-16
Acts 1:12-14
1 corinthians 12:28-13:10
Sermon given on Sunday June 29, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy
Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_br
ian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
Monday, June 23, 2008
Where When How to Be of Christ
Where When How to Be of Christ
How can we tell our position along our spiritual journey? When do we need to demonstrate spiritual gifts? How do we show ourselves to be ambassadors of God's kingdom here? This sermon focuses homiletics on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthian (5:14-6:10) to bring us to a greater realization of our purpose in this life.
Sermon given on Sunday June 22, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
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How can we tell our position along our spiritual journey? When do we need to demonstrate spiritual gifts? How do we show ourselves to be ambassadors of God's kingdom here? This sermon focuses homiletics on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthian (5:14-6:10) to bring us to a greater realization of our purpose in this life.
Sermon given on Sunday June 22, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Aspiring to Spirit for Inspiration
Aspiring to Spirit for Inspiration
We know God through Spirit and Truth. This sermon includes how the prophecy of Ezekiel 36:25-27 gives us inspiration in our spiritual aspirations
Sermon given on Sunday June 15, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel.
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We know God through Spirit and Truth. This sermon includes how the prophecy of Ezekiel 36:25-27 gives us inspiration in our spiritual aspirations
Sermon given on Sunday June 15, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
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http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
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Monday, June 09, 2008
With Trinity Help...
With Trinity Help...
The Trinity is revealed in the multiple triples in Ephesians Chapter 4 (1-16) to bring us to our life's purpose.
Sermon given on Sunday June 8, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel.
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ian.xml
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The Trinity is revealed in the multiple triples in Ephesians Chapter 4 (1-16) to bring us to our life's purpose.
Sermon given on Sunday June 8, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
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http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_br
ian.xml
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Sunday, June 01, 2008
God Made You For This Day
God Made You For This Day
Sermon given on Sunday June 1, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel
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Sermon given on Sunday June 1, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel
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Saturday, May 31, 2008
Orthodox Christianity: Introduction - Part 1
Orthodox Christianity: Introduction - Part 1 of 2
About a dozen from the youth class of Merrimac United Methodist Church came to Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission recently to learn a little of other churches.
Fr John Brian condenses history and theology, doctrine and practice into about 45 minutes (in two parts)
Recorded at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, May 28, 2008
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About a dozen from the youth class of Merrimac United Methodist Church came to Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission recently to learn a little of other churches.
Fr John Brian condenses history and theology, doctrine and practice into about 45 minutes (in two parts)
Recorded at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, May 28, 2008
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
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Part 2 of 2
http://frjohbrian.blogspot.com/2008/05/orthodox-christianity-introduction-part.html
Orthodox Christianity: Introduction - Part 2
Orthodox Christianity: Introduction - Part 2 of 2
About a dozen from the youth class of Merrimac United Methodist Church came to Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission recently to learn a little of other churches.
Fr John Brian condenses history and theology, doctrine and practice into about 45 minutes (in two parts)
Recorded at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, May 28, 2008
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
About a dozen from the youth class of Merrimac United Methodist Church came to Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission recently to learn a little of other churches.
Fr John Brian condenses history and theology, doctrine and practice into about 45 minutes (in two parts)
Recorded at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, May 28, 2008
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
part 1 of 2
http://frjohbrian.blogspot.com/2008/05/orthodox-christianity-introduction-part_31.html
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
a children's book!
From: Teresa KochammaGreetings, friends ... relatives ... church folks ... co-workers...
I'm sending this out to everyone I can think of that has young kids, or
grandkids, or nieces or nephews - well, anyone who enjoys a good story with
a spiritual message.
Fr. John-Brian has just published a children's book, "What the Grub Found
Out." Actually, he wrote and illustrated this book back in 1992. But now
through Lulu Press, he was able to publish it.
"What the Grub Found Out" can be can be purchased as a regular book for
$10.63, or downloaded on to your computer for $2.50. It makes a great gift
for little ones ... hint, hint. ;)
http://stores.lulu.com/transfiguration
Half (50%) of the proceeds from this book (as well as "Living in the Eighth
Day") go to mission efforts.
View or download the latest mission report, Holy Transfiguration Mission
2008, written in the words of members and those who participate and benefit
from the Madison area (Wisconsin) mission -
http://www.angelfire.com/wi/theosis/mission08bklt.pdf (large file ~2M)
Love and Blessings!
Teresa Peneguy Paprock
words&stuff freelancing
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Fulfilling the Gospel as God Made Us
Fulfilling the Gospel as God Made Us
Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday May 18, 2008
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Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday May 18, 2008
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Nueral Buddhists, Atheism and God
May 13, 2008
Op-Ed Columnist NYT
The Neural Buddhists
By DAVID BROOKS
In 1996, Tom Wolfe wrote a brilliant essay called “Sorry, but Your Soul Just Died,” in which he captured the militant materialism of some modern scientists.
To these self-confident researchers, the idea that the spirit might exist apart from the body is just ridiculous. Instead, everything arises from atoms. Genes shape temperament. Brain chemicals shape behavior. Assemblies of neurons create consciousness. Free will is an illusion. Human beings are “hard-wired” to do this or that. Religion is an accident.
In this materialist view, people perceive God’s existence because their brains have evolved to confabulate belief systems. You put a magnetic helmet around their heads and they will begin to think they are having a spiritual epiphany. If they suffer from temporal lobe epilepsy, they will show signs of hyperreligiosity, an overexcitement of the brain tissue that leads sufferers to believe they are conversing with God.
Wolfe understood the central assertion contained in this kind of thinking: Everything is material and “the soul is dead.” He anticipated the way the genetic and neuroscience revolutions would affect public debate. They would kick off another fundamental argument over whether God exists.
Lo and behold, over the past decade, a new group of assertive atheists has done battle with defenders of faith. The two sides have argued about whether it is reasonable to conceive of a soul that survives the death of the body and about whether understanding the brain explains away or merely adds to our appreciation of the entity that created it.
The atheism debate is a textbook example of how a scientific revolution can change public culture. Just as “The Origin of Species” reshaped social thinking, just as Einstein’s theory of relativity affected art, so the revolution in neuroscience is having an effect on how people see the world.
And yet my guess is that the atheism debate is going to be a sideshow. The cognitive revolution is not going to end up undermining faith in God, it’s going end up challenging faith in the Bible.
Over the past several years, the momentum has shifted away from hard-core materialism. The brain seems less like a cold machine. It does not operate like a computer. Instead, meaning, belief and consciousness seem to emerge mysteriously from idiosyncratic networks of neural firings. Those squishy things called emotions play a gigantic role in all forms of thinking. Love is vital to brain development.
Researchers now spend a lot of time trying to understand universal moral intuitions. Genes are not merely selfish, it appears. Instead, people seem to have deep instincts for fairness, empathy and attachment.
Scientists have more respect for elevated spiritual states. Andrew Newberg of the University of Pennsylvania has shown that transcendent experiences can actually be identified and measured in the brain (people experience a decrease in activity in the parietal lobe, which orients us in space). The mind seems to have the ability to transcend itself and merge with a larger presence that feels more real.
This new wave of research will not seep into the public realm in the form of militant atheism. Instead it will lead to what you might call neural Buddhism.
If you survey the literature (and I’d recommend books by Newberg, Daniel J. Siegel, Michael S. Gazzaniga, Jonathan Haidt, Antonio Damasio and Marc D. Hauser if you want to get up to speed), you can see that certain beliefs will spread into the wider discussion.
First, the self is not a fixed entity but a dynamic process of relationships. Second, underneath the patina of different religions, people around the world have common moral intuitions. Third, people are equipped to experience the sacred, to have moments of elevated experience when they transcend boundaries and overflow with love. Fourth, God can best be conceived as the nature one experiences at those moments, the unknowable total of all there is.
In their arguments with Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, the faithful have been defending the existence of God. That was the easy debate. The real challenge is going to come from people who feel the existence of the sacred, but who think that particular religions are just cultural artifacts built on top of universal human traits. It’s going to come from scientists whose beliefs overlap a bit with Buddhism.
In unexpected ways, science and mysticism are joining hands and reinforcing each other. That’s bound to lead to new movements that emphasize self-transcendence but put little stock in divine law or revelation. Orthodox believers are going to have to defend particular doctrines and particular biblical teachings. They’re going to have to defend the idea of a personal God, and explain why specific theologies are true guides for behavior day to day. I’m not qualified to take sides, believe me. I’m just trying to anticipate which way the debate is headed. We’re in the middle of a scientific revolution. It’s going to have big cultural effects.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Rev. Dr. K.M. George - 8th day
The Eighth Day
From “Easter and Ecology” by Rev. Dr. K.M. George
With scientific speculation on time becoming more and more complex in a universe "with no edge of space-time", as Stephen Hawking says in A Brief History of Time, the old image of the cycle re-emerges in the human consciousness in different ways.
Many ancient cultures represented time as turning on itself, as is shown by the cycles of the day, the week and the year.
To the early Christian theologians, the cycles of the week seemed to symbolize the meaninglessness of earthly existence taken into itself. Like the legendary Greek image of the snake swallowing its own tail, the seven day week returns to itself, repeating its cycle.
So the patristic tradition proposed "the eighth day", which broke open the cyclical chain of seven days. The seven day week represented the history of the created world; the eighth day symbolized eternity. Sunday, the day of the resurrection of Christ, was the first and the eighth day at the same time.
Sunday is the day of the sun, the source of life, the first day of the week, and symbolically the first day of creation. It is also the eighth day, the day of the new creation, the day of resurrection, which initiated all creation to eternal life.
The eighth day breaks the monotonous cycle of time and liberates time from bondage to boredom and death. There is no longer evening or morning to mark the bounds of the day, no sun or moon to determine the course of day or night.
The eighth day, outside the weekly cycle, signals the end of the fatalistic resignation to despair built into the ever-repeating cycles of history. It implies rest from the cyclical chain of work.
Industrial civilization has been marked by the assembly line, the infernal cycle of production to which human laborers are chained. The "weekend", which it invented to break the cycle and provide time to rest, is only the beginning of another week's cycle.
The eighth day of resurrection breaks the chain of birth and death. (We may note here the irony that many supermarkets are chain stores - a fitting image of the new slavery which is inescapable in industrialized societies and whose tentacles are spreading quickly to. the rest of the world.)
In the risen Christ, material creation enters the infinity of new life. There is no more recycling or bondage to the laws of time and space. Yet created matter is not annihilated but reconstituted according to a higher law. It is the untold possibilities for our life that are unfolded in this recomposition of matter, as shown by the resurrected Christ.
Matter does not now return to be recycled. It opens itself to the life of God, to the splendor of uncreated light. Time is permeated by Sunday, the day of light, life and joyful rest.
Time, the attribute of the cycle of birth, death and decay, now acquires a new quality and meaning in its open-ended hope in participation in God's own life.
Easter and Ecology
Rev. Dr. K.M. George
Complete article: http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8028.asp
Copyright: Printed by Orthdruk Orthodox Printing House, Bialystok, Poland, 1996.
Source: The Orthodoxy and Ecology Resource Book is produced by SYNDESMOS, The World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth.
Editor: Alexander Belopopsky and Dimitri Oikonomou
The author. Rev. Dr K.M. George is a priest and theologian of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church of India, and was a member of staff of the WCC Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland.
Monday, May 05, 2008
After Resurrection - Divinity and Humanity
After Resurrection - Divinity and Humanity
Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday May 4, 2008
After resurrection....now what? This sermon is further teaching about the gift of Christ Resurrection to us, for us and with us. This is more teachings about the transformative power of Orthodox Christian fasting and healing as preparation of the life to come.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
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LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday May 4, 2008
After resurrection....now what? This sermon is further teaching about the gift of Christ Resurrection to us, for us and with us. This is more teachings about the transformative power of Orthodox Christian fasting and healing as preparation of the life to come.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
Friday, May 02, 2008
Through Resurrection - Everything
Through Resurrection - Everything
Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday April 27, 2008
This short sermon is about the gift of Christ Resurrection to us, for us and with us. It is the culmination of the teachings about the transformative power of Orthodox Christian fasting and healing as preparation of the life to come. 4 minutes, 59 seconds
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE:
Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday April 27, 2008
This short sermon is about the gift of Christ Resurrection to us, for us and with us. It is the culmination of the teachings about the transformative power of Orthodox Christian fasting and healing as preparation of the life to come. 4 minutes, 59 seconds
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE:
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Preparing for Our Resurrection
Preparing for Our Resurrection
Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday April 20, 2008 and Monday April 21, 2008 (this recording)
This sermon continues the teachings about the transformative power of Orthodox Christian fasting and healing as preparation of the life to come.
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LISTEN ONLINE:
Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday April 20, 2008 and Monday April 21, 2008 (this recording)
This sermon continues the teachings about the transformative power of Orthodox Christian fasting and healing as preparation of the life to come.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
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LISTEN ONLINE:
Monday, April 14, 2008
sermon: giving giving up giving away giving way
giving giving up giving away giving way
"God loves a cheerful giver"
Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday April 13, 2008
This sermon continues the teachings about the transformative power of Orthodox Christian fasting and healing. Using the scriptures: John Chapter 9; Deutronomy 26; end of the book of Job, Malachi 3 and 2 Corinthians 9 - as well as encouraging the reading of 1 Peter 4 and the last two chapters of Malachi.
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LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
"God loves a cheerful giver"
Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday April 13, 2008
This sermon continues the teachings about the transformative power of Orthodox Christian fasting and healing. Using the scriptures: John Chapter 9; Deutronomy 26; end of the book of Job, Malachi 3 and 2 Corinthians 9 - as well as encouraging the reading of 1 Peter 4 and the last two chapters of Malachi.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
the peace question
the peace question
"How do we justify working for peace using the Bible to those who justify the opposite using the same book?" asks an Orthodox Christian woman.
Christ says: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God" In other words, like working to eradicate poverty, it is more about doing the work as individuals as response to God's love - the outcome needs to be left to God: "with men many things are impossible, but with God all things are possible."
"How do we justify working for peace using the Bible to those who justify the opposite using the same book?" asks an Orthodox Christian woman.
Christ says: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God" In other words, like working to eradicate poverty, it is more about doing the work as individuals as response to God's love - the outcome needs to be left to God: "with men many things are impossible, but with God all things are possible."
God will not judge us according to that which is outside our control, only that which is.
In one place Christ says, "The poor you will have with you always" and in another He challenges us to tend to the poor as though He was among them "Whatever you have done to the least of these, you have done to me"
In Orthodoxy, we do not see contradiction, rather we see opportunity.
As long as there are poor, we can practice compassion, generosity and other spiritual skills.
As long as there is conflict, we can practice inner peace and peace-making, repentance and prayer.
Because of the persistence of these things in this world, we can practice mercy and humility, accepting God is greater than all of this and that eternity is longer than all of this. In Orthodoxy, we trust in the greatness of that and allow for the mysteries to persist as to eventual resolution
Lord, have mercy on us all.
your servant,
Fr John Brian
Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Parish
o HEALING LIFE o DEEPENING FAITH
o ENRICHING PRACTICE o REFRESHING SPIRIT
o HEALING LIFE o DEEPENING FAITH
o ENRICHING PRACTICE o REFRESHING SPIRIT
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Mar Makarios 40day Memorial Tribute
A Tribute to Mar Makarios Thirumeni
This tribute eulogy given by Fr John Brian was recorded at Holy Transfiguration Chapel in
Madison, Wisconsin on the 40th day memorial ocassion of His Grace, Metroplolitan Thomas Mar Makarios on the evening of April 2nd, 2008.
This tribute was delivered by Fr John Brian at St Gregorios Cathderal in Chicago (Bellwood), Illinois on April 5th for the memorial gathering there.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
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OR LISTEN HERE:
OR READ THE TEXT HERE:
Memorial Tribute for Metropolitan Thomas Mar Makarios
Delivered April 5, 2008 for the 40th Day Memorial
(Mar Makarios departed this life February 23, 2008)
St Gregorios Cathedral, Bellwood (Chicago), Illinois
By Rev. Fr. John-Brian Paprock, Holy Transfiguration Mission, Madison, Wisconsin
Peace be with you.
To explain how I come to make this tribute to a beloved departed bishop of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, let me give a short introduction. I am Fr John Brian, an American priest of the Mission Society of St Gregorios of India serving Holy Transfiguration Mission in Madison, Wisconsin. I also serve as a hospital chaplain and a chaplain at the local hospice care center. I was ordained to the Orthodox priesthood in 1987 in a now defunct American mission of the Holy Synod of Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, the only church membership I had known. I took a personal and voluntary leave of absence from active priesthood in 1992 which lasted until 1999 when I was fully re-activated to the priesthood. It was then that I was mystically led (I believe) through a series of events that brought me to an American mission of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church founded by His Grace Thomas Mar Makarios. This is how I have come to address you today.
When grieving the loss of loved ones, we are reminded of the unique presence they had been in our lives. Our memories of them are activated as we walk down the hall or sit at a table. There are shared places and we can almost see them in that place and, out of the corner of our eye, there they are. We hear their voice speaking to us, singing, praying. Shared plans and promises left unfulfilled stand before us as unpainted sketches or unfinished symphonies.
There is no replacement for any of us – we are all created unique. And yet we are all intricately and intimately connected. So we miss those that depart ahead of us. We long for them to return or for us to catch up to where they are. There is a pit in our hearts and a lump in our throats. We cry. The sorrow when one dies is natural. Grieving is one of the shared experiences of humankind.
Our Holy Fathers, in meditation and experience, help us in our grief with heavenly wisdom when they draw our attention inversely. Instead of sorrow for those that have departed, it is sorrow for ourselves that remain. Instead of focusing on the loss, they tell us to focus on heaven’s gain; that there will be a reunion with those who are waiting for us in God’s love; that there is another light in the heavens to illumine the darkness of this world.
It is only through God that I am able to do anything of positive impact. I am a servant; as such the Master deserves all the credit. All glory and praise is due to God, the source of all goodness, righteousness and truth. Of myself I am nothing, it is the spirit of God within that sustains me, gives me hope and direction. I also acknowledge that my service would not be available without the kindness, pity and encouragement of His Grace Metropolitan Thomas Mar Makarios who was a reminder of God’s graciousness in the difficult times that we live.
So, I see our beloved Bishop Thomas Mar Makarios here and there; in memory and in unfinished plans; in heaven and buried in a tomb in India. I cried the night of the accident and prayed when he was in the hospital. I longed for another chance to talk with him, hear his advice, receive his blessing, and feel his love. The honor and respect Thirumeni gave to others was precious to behold. I was a humble recipient of that honor and respect – I have referred to it as “taking pity on me and my circumstance” but it was bigger and more encouraging than pity – he made me feel that we were in a partnership, a collective activity that benefited everyone. He was encouraging and empowering in our mission efforts.
Thirumeni was a willing servant of the Holy Spirit, even when it meant going somewhere he had not been before or helping someone he only knew by the Spirit. In this we shared a common bond. His face seemed to glow whenever he announced the good activities of those under his charge and I am sure I am not alone in how good it felt when he made such a compliment. When he made compliments publicly and in private, there was an authenticity. These were made more gracious by his keen understanding of human nature.
Thirumeni was able to reach a great variety of people. He was greatly respected among Keralites. He asked me to meet him once when the national meeting FOKANA was in Chicago. I was the only blonde in the entire hotel. He introduced me with graciousness to one leader and then another. I met Bishop Nicholovos there. Even when everyone else spoke Malayalee, he would interject enough English so that I could understand. It was clear that the respect given me then was only due to His Grace. Perhaps I am being too harsh, but I spent part of my youth in poor Chicago neighborhoods where I did not become accustomed to such graciousness.
Not that I should have been surprised at his ability to see the truth in me, despite cultural and age differences. I knew Thirumeni taught at a Protestant college where European-Americans were the overwhelming majority. At the 2005 family-youth conference, we got a chance to see the tremendous love and respect that the president of Alma college had for Thirumeni and heard how much they helped him during very difficult times.
Mar Makarios was an invited speaker and chair at an international and interfaith conference in Bahrain in 2002. “The Role of Religions for a Peaceful Co-existence in a Modern Society” designed to bolster understanding between Islam and Christianity. He chaired a session entitled “The New Role of Religion in a Multicultural, International Society.” I hope everyone can appreciate the expertise Thirumeni held to be included in this conference. In discussion with me, he was very proud of the acknowledgement and accomplishment on the world stage of inter-religious relations.
Thirumeni was also very proud of consecrating churches. It was one of his greatest joys. I was able to be at the consecration of St Gregorios in Bellwood (as well as its elevation to Cathedral status) and I was at the consecration of St Gregorios in Spokane, Washington – the first church of the Mission Society of St Gregorios of India whose vicar is the first American priest ordained by Thirumeni. All truly historic events.
Our Catholicos, Baselios Marthoma Didymus I, wrote in his memorial kalpana the day after Mar Makarios’ death (February 24, 2008):
“His ability to face problems with equanimity and creativity was astounding. Mar Makarios had an extraordinary capacity to act befittingly in tense and uncertain situations and influence people with his glib tongue and rare sense of humour. He took special care to maintain his personal contacts and relationships. He was also a noted scholar in church history. Let us praise our Almighty Father for gifting us with this revered father who was a multifaceted genius. The Holy Church shall always cherish his memory. May this departed father be able to offer mediation for us all before our Almighty Father from his new heavenly abode along with the holy angels and our blessed forefathers.”
* * *
“Patience John. Patience. Everything works together for good for those that love the Lord,” Mar Makarios would tell me. The first time was when we met at St Gregorios in October of 1999. And again, in 2000. He accepted our mission congregation and received me into the Mission Society at the Toronto conference in July 2001, mentioning later that he felt he was prompted by an angel to do so. He sent Mar Militios Thirumeni to bless our small picnic that summer as confirmation.
Following the example of St Gregorios of Parumala, Makarios Thirumeni ordained Americans to the priesthood. Ordination is an established ceremony of bringing servants to the priesthood. There was no ceremony for accepting an Orthodox priest who has already been ordained by an Orthodox bishop into the Malankara Church. Thirumeni told me that people wanted one, but that there wasn’t one…yet. I told him, I didn’t need fanfare or ceremony to serve and asked him what he wanted me to do. “Keep doing what you are doing. Keep working on the mission. That is service enough for now.” he would say. When a priest or member from India, the Middle East, Cleveland or Philadelphia would make a request of me, he would ask, “Who asked you to do that? Can you do it? …. Then, you should.”
Pastorally, Thirumeni would tell a favorite story of when he was a priest in Delhi. There was a young man who helped him out quite a bit, but he would only come to church two times a year. One time, Thirumeni asked, “How is it with all the faith and good things that you do that you only come to church two times a year?” The young man replied, “Thirumeni, my father used to go church only once a year, but I am going two times!” He wanted us to know not to judge others by our own standards, but try to see them with the eyes of Christ.
Thirumeni rarely told me not to serve the church in whatever capacity was requested of me. If there was any doubt, he was very clear about what I should or should not do. One time, I was asked by an Orthodox woman to perform a marriage for her to a Muslim gentleman. I initially declined, but after a discussion with the woman, I decided to meet with them. Their love for each other seemed quite genuine. I know enough about Islam to have asked him how much would he do for her (in Islam, a woman can ask anything of a future husband before marriage and he must give it or else there can be no marriage). He said, “Anything.” - As I would expect from an honest Muslim. “Even baptism?” I asked. He looked at her and then looked back at me and said, “Yes.” It was encouraging. Then he said, “But my family must never know.” That is when I said I would need to get advice and approval from my bishop. I called Makarios Thirumeni. He listened with polite encouragement and said, “It seems you covered everything with them, but it needs to be a public acknowledgement of Christ for a Christian marriage. If he agrees, then there is no deception and no problems. If he doesn’t, then there is some deception and the marriage will not succeed.” The Muslim gentleman refused to be public, citing the fear of his execution by his own family. I gave His Grace’s warning. They were married by a judge and I found out later that the marriage did not last just as Thirumeni predicted.
Very shortly after we joined the Mission Society, church issues in India began to require more of His Grace. As a good servant, he served where he was needed most. It seemed to me that he was in Kerala almost as much as he was in North America. Then last couple of years, he spent more time in England as well. In all of it, he was glorious in the struggles, invigorated by the growth of churches and missions, and always found time to speak with the youth. One time, he called my son over. Thirumeni said, “I am gathering the next generation for a cup of tea.” And there they were, more than half a dozen young boys – not one of them over 12 years old - seated at a round table with tea cups and saucers in front them. I had never seen an Orthodox hierarch with such confidence and such love for the future of the church. His vision was for our church to be more spiritually minded, culturally enlightened and inter-personally sensitive. He wanted us to be a leading example to the world of the goodness of Christian heritage, embracing the fullness of the Holy Orthodox Church and reaching out to those who do not know her.
The first American priest ordained by Mar Makarios, Chorespiscos Fr Michael Hatcher of Spokane wrote:
“The mission effort established by Bishop Makarios has already shown the potential for growth among other ethnic groups. Since Christ commanded us to go forth and baptize all people, we can have no other goal than to include everyone who wishes to embrace the faith…We have been greatly blessed, as I said from the beginning, to have had a Metropolitan of such great vision, courage and wisdom given to us by God.”
Mar Makarios Thirumeni was like an apostle. He was willing to go to the corners of the world, making missions and churches alive, right up until his final acts in this world. It was as he was leaving the consecration ceremonies for a church in England that he was struck by an automobile in the accident that ultimately took his life from this world. It also seems apostolic for him to survive long enough for the faithful in at least five continents to prayer for his recovery – five continents. From our mission in Madison, Wisconsin, I learned that there were prayers being said in Ethiopia, India, Australia/New Zealand, England and throughout North America. Thirumeni would be quick to point out that the miracle here was not that he survived seven weeks, but that all these people agreed to pray for the same thing.
Thirumeni was like that, seeing miracles in all our lives – willing to follow the Holy Spirit even when it led him away from us to that other side of the veil. He passed through that veil on the anniversary of his ordination to full deacon to share the same memorial date of one of his personal heroes, St. Dionysius our Vatteserril Thirumeni.
I have no doubt he is still working for us, praying for us, blessing us. If we see him sitting there, maybe he is only reminding us of his love – or rather God’s love that he was so willing to share.
Let me close this memorial tribute with Thirumeni’s own words.
At the 25th Jubilee Anniversary of his 1979 enthronement as the first Metropolitan of the American Diocese in 2004, he wrote:
"With utmost humility and profound gratitude, We thank the Almighty for His abundant grace showered upon Us during these years of challenges and opportunities. We also thank you, all Our beloved children in the Lord, for your support, guidance, and above all, for your love and prayers. We ask you to continue to remember Us in your prayers. God bless you all."
Mar Makarios would bless us every year in His Grace’s annual kalpana:
“With all these gifts showered upon us in abundance by the Almighty, let us join the angels and archangels and sing "glory to God on high, peace on earth and good will among humans" and pray that the peace of God, which He only can give us, dwell in our church, in our families and in our hearts always.”
Thirumeni, we miss you. Pray for us. May your memory be eternal!
This tribute eulogy given by Fr John Brian was recorded at Holy Transfiguration Chapel in
Madison, Wisconsin on the 40th day memorial ocassion of His Grace, Metroplolitan Thomas Mar Makarios on the evening of April 2nd, 2008.This tribute was delivered by Fr John Brian at St Gregorios Cathderal in Chicago (Bellwood), Illinois on April 5th for the memorial gathering there.
PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
OR LISTEN HERE:
OR READ THE TEXT HERE:
Memorial Tribute for Metropolitan Thomas Mar Makarios
Delivered April 5, 2008 for the 40th Day Memorial
(Mar Makarios departed this life February 23, 2008)
St Gregorios Cathedral, Bellwood (Chicago), Illinois
By Rev. Fr. John-Brian Paprock, Holy Transfiguration Mission, Madison, Wisconsin
Peace be with you.
To explain how I come to make this tribute to a beloved departed bishop of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, let me give a short introduction. I am Fr John Brian, an American priest of the Mission Society of St Gregorios of India serving Holy Transfiguration Mission in Madison, Wisconsin. I also serve as a hospital chaplain and a chaplain at the local hospice care center. I was ordained to the Orthodox priesthood in 1987 in a now defunct American mission of the Holy Synod of Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, the only church membership I had known. I took a personal and voluntary leave of absence from active priesthood in 1992 which lasted until 1999 when I was fully re-activated to the priesthood. It was then that I was mystically led (I believe) through a series of events that brought me to an American mission of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church founded by His Grace Thomas Mar Makarios. This is how I have come to address you today.
When grieving the loss of loved ones, we are reminded of the unique presence they had been in our lives. Our memories of them are activated as we walk down the hall or sit at a table. There are shared places and we can almost see them in that place and, out of the corner of our eye, there they are. We hear their voice speaking to us, singing, praying. Shared plans and promises left unfulfilled stand before us as unpainted sketches or unfinished symphonies.
There is no replacement for any of us – we are all created unique. And yet we are all intricately and intimately connected. So we miss those that depart ahead of us. We long for them to return or for us to catch up to where they are. There is a pit in our hearts and a lump in our throats. We cry. The sorrow when one dies is natural. Grieving is one of the shared experiences of humankind.
Our Holy Fathers, in meditation and experience, help us in our grief with heavenly wisdom when they draw our attention inversely. Instead of sorrow for those that have departed, it is sorrow for ourselves that remain. Instead of focusing on the loss, they tell us to focus on heaven’s gain; that there will be a reunion with those who are waiting for us in God’s love; that there is another light in the heavens to illumine the darkness of this world.
It is only through God that I am able to do anything of positive impact. I am a servant; as such the Master deserves all the credit. All glory and praise is due to God, the source of all goodness, righteousness and truth. Of myself I am nothing, it is the spirit of God within that sustains me, gives me hope and direction. I also acknowledge that my service would not be available without the kindness, pity and encouragement of His Grace Metropolitan Thomas Mar Makarios who was a reminder of God’s graciousness in the difficult times that we live.
So, I see our beloved Bishop Thomas Mar Makarios here and there; in memory and in unfinished plans; in heaven and buried in a tomb in India. I cried the night of the accident and prayed when he was in the hospital. I longed for another chance to talk with him, hear his advice, receive his blessing, and feel his love. The honor and respect Thirumeni gave to others was precious to behold. I was a humble recipient of that honor and respect – I have referred to it as “taking pity on me and my circumstance” but it was bigger and more encouraging than pity – he made me feel that we were in a partnership, a collective activity that benefited everyone. He was encouraging and empowering in our mission efforts.
Thirumeni was a willing servant of the Holy Spirit, even when it meant going somewhere he had not been before or helping someone he only knew by the Spirit. In this we shared a common bond. His face seemed to glow whenever he announced the good activities of those under his charge and I am sure I am not alone in how good it felt when he made such a compliment. When he made compliments publicly and in private, there was an authenticity. These were made more gracious by his keen understanding of human nature.
Thirumeni was able to reach a great variety of people. He was greatly respected among Keralites. He asked me to meet him once when the national meeting FOKANA was in Chicago. I was the only blonde in the entire hotel. He introduced me with graciousness to one leader and then another. I met Bishop Nicholovos there. Even when everyone else spoke Malayalee, he would interject enough English so that I could understand. It was clear that the respect given me then was only due to His Grace. Perhaps I am being too harsh, but I spent part of my youth in poor Chicago neighborhoods where I did not become accustomed to such graciousness.
Not that I should have been surprised at his ability to see the truth in me, despite cultural and age differences. I knew Thirumeni taught at a Protestant college where European-Americans were the overwhelming majority. At the 2005 family-youth conference, we got a chance to see the tremendous love and respect that the president of Alma college had for Thirumeni and heard how much they helped him during very difficult times.
Mar Makarios was an invited speaker and chair at an international and interfaith conference in Bahrain in 2002. “The Role of Religions for a Peaceful Co-existence in a Modern Society” designed to bolster understanding between Islam and Christianity. He chaired a session entitled “The New Role of Religion in a Multicultural, International Society.” I hope everyone can appreciate the expertise Thirumeni held to be included in this conference. In discussion with me, he was very proud of the acknowledgement and accomplishment on the world stage of inter-religious relations.
Thirumeni was also very proud of consecrating churches. It was one of his greatest joys. I was able to be at the consecration of St Gregorios in Bellwood (as well as its elevation to Cathedral status) and I was at the consecration of St Gregorios in Spokane, Washington – the first church of the Mission Society of St Gregorios of India whose vicar is the first American priest ordained by Thirumeni. All truly historic events.
Our Catholicos, Baselios Marthoma Didymus I, wrote in his memorial kalpana the day after Mar Makarios’ death (February 24, 2008):
“His ability to face problems with equanimity and creativity was astounding. Mar Makarios had an extraordinary capacity to act befittingly in tense and uncertain situations and influence people with his glib tongue and rare sense of humour. He took special care to maintain his personal contacts and relationships. He was also a noted scholar in church history. Let us praise our Almighty Father for gifting us with this revered father who was a multifaceted genius. The Holy Church shall always cherish his memory. May this departed father be able to offer mediation for us all before our Almighty Father from his new heavenly abode along with the holy angels and our blessed forefathers.”
* * *
“Patience John. Patience. Everything works together for good for those that love the Lord,” Mar Makarios would tell me. The first time was when we met at St Gregorios in October of 1999. And again, in 2000. He accepted our mission congregation and received me into the Mission Society at the Toronto conference in July 2001, mentioning later that he felt he was prompted by an angel to do so. He sent Mar Militios Thirumeni to bless our small picnic that summer as confirmation.
Following the example of St Gregorios of Parumala, Makarios Thirumeni ordained Americans to the priesthood. Ordination is an established ceremony of bringing servants to the priesthood. There was no ceremony for accepting an Orthodox priest who has already been ordained by an Orthodox bishop into the Malankara Church. Thirumeni told me that people wanted one, but that there wasn’t one…yet. I told him, I didn’t need fanfare or ceremony to serve and asked him what he wanted me to do. “Keep doing what you are doing. Keep working on the mission. That is service enough for now.” he would say. When a priest or member from India, the Middle East, Cleveland or Philadelphia would make a request of me, he would ask, “Who asked you to do that? Can you do it? …. Then, you should.”
Pastorally, Thirumeni would tell a favorite story of when he was a priest in Delhi. There was a young man who helped him out quite a bit, but he would only come to church two times a year. One time, Thirumeni asked, “How is it with all the faith and good things that you do that you only come to church two times a year?” The young man replied, “Thirumeni, my father used to go church only once a year, but I am going two times!” He wanted us to know not to judge others by our own standards, but try to see them with the eyes of Christ.
Thirumeni rarely told me not to serve the church in whatever capacity was requested of me. If there was any doubt, he was very clear about what I should or should not do. One time, I was asked by an Orthodox woman to perform a marriage for her to a Muslim gentleman. I initially declined, but after a discussion with the woman, I decided to meet with them. Their love for each other seemed quite genuine. I know enough about Islam to have asked him how much would he do for her (in Islam, a woman can ask anything of a future husband before marriage and he must give it or else there can be no marriage). He said, “Anything.” - As I would expect from an honest Muslim. “Even baptism?” I asked. He looked at her and then looked back at me and said, “Yes.” It was encouraging. Then he said, “But my family must never know.” That is when I said I would need to get advice and approval from my bishop. I called Makarios Thirumeni. He listened with polite encouragement and said, “It seems you covered everything with them, but it needs to be a public acknowledgement of Christ for a Christian marriage. If he agrees, then there is no deception and no problems. If he doesn’t, then there is some deception and the marriage will not succeed.” The Muslim gentleman refused to be public, citing the fear of his execution by his own family. I gave His Grace’s warning. They were married by a judge and I found out later that the marriage did not last just as Thirumeni predicted.
Very shortly after we joined the Mission Society, church issues in India began to require more of His Grace. As a good servant, he served where he was needed most. It seemed to me that he was in Kerala almost as much as he was in North America. Then last couple of years, he spent more time in England as well. In all of it, he was glorious in the struggles, invigorated by the growth of churches and missions, and always found time to speak with the youth. One time, he called my son over. Thirumeni said, “I am gathering the next generation for a cup of tea.” And there they were, more than half a dozen young boys – not one of them over 12 years old - seated at a round table with tea cups and saucers in front them. I had never seen an Orthodox hierarch with such confidence and such love for the future of the church. His vision was for our church to be more spiritually minded, culturally enlightened and inter-personally sensitive. He wanted us to be a leading example to the world of the goodness of Christian heritage, embracing the fullness of the Holy Orthodox Church and reaching out to those who do not know her.
The first American priest ordained by Mar Makarios, Chorespiscos Fr Michael Hatcher of Spokane wrote:
“The mission effort established by Bishop Makarios has already shown the potential for growth among other ethnic groups. Since Christ commanded us to go forth and baptize all people, we can have no other goal than to include everyone who wishes to embrace the faith…We have been greatly blessed, as I said from the beginning, to have had a Metropolitan of such great vision, courage and wisdom given to us by God.”
Mar Makarios Thirumeni was like an apostle. He was willing to go to the corners of the world, making missions and churches alive, right up until his final acts in this world. It was as he was leaving the consecration ceremonies for a church in England that he was struck by an automobile in the accident that ultimately took his life from this world. It also seems apostolic for him to survive long enough for the faithful in at least five continents to prayer for his recovery – five continents. From our mission in Madison, Wisconsin, I learned that there were prayers being said in Ethiopia, India, Australia/New Zealand, England and throughout North America. Thirumeni would be quick to point out that the miracle here was not that he survived seven weeks, but that all these people agreed to pray for the same thing.
Thirumeni was like that, seeing miracles in all our lives – willing to follow the Holy Spirit even when it led him away from us to that other side of the veil. He passed through that veil on the anniversary of his ordination to full deacon to share the same memorial date of one of his personal heroes, St. Dionysius our Vatteserril Thirumeni.
I have no doubt he is still working for us, praying for us, blessing us. If we see him sitting there, maybe he is only reminding us of his love – or rather God’s love that he was so willing to share.
Let me close this memorial tribute with Thirumeni’s own words.
At the 25th Jubilee Anniversary of his 1979 enthronement as the first Metropolitan of the American Diocese in 2004, he wrote:
"With utmost humility and profound gratitude, We thank the Almighty for His abundant grace showered upon Us during these years of challenges and opportunities. We also thank you, all Our beloved children in the Lord, for your support, guidance, and above all, for your love and prayers. We ask you to continue to remember Us in your prayers. God bless you all."
Mar Makarios would bless us every year in His Grace’s annual kalpana:
“With all these gifts showered upon us in abundance by the Almighty, let us join the angels and archangels and sing "glory to God on high, peace on earth and good will among humans" and pray that the peace of God, which He only can give us, dwell in our church, in our families and in our hearts always.”
Thirumeni, we miss you. Pray for us. May your memory be eternal!
Monday, March 31, 2008
More Than Animal Nature
More Than Animal Nature
Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday March 30, 2008
This sermon continues the teachings about the transformative power of Orthodox Christian fasting and healing. Using the scriptures: Romans 7:14-25; Matthew 15:21-31; Acts 4 and Isaiah 56. In addition Numbers 17 and 1 Samuel 7 are mentioned for further insight in rising above the lower nature.
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Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday March 30, 2008
This sermon continues the teachings about the transformative power of Orthodox Christian fasting and healing. Using the scriptures: Romans 7:14-25; Matthew 15:21-31; Acts 4 and Isaiah 56. In addition Numbers 17 and 1 Samuel 7 are mentioned for further insight in rising above the lower nature.
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Monday, March 24, 2008
Necessary Weakness
Necessary Weakness
Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday March 23, 2008
This sermon continues the teachings about the transformative power of Orthodox Christian fasting and healing. Using the scriptures: Mark 2:1-12; Exodus 4:10-17; Ezekiel 34:1-6; Isaiah 5:20-25; Romans 5:1-11; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Listeners are encouraged to read 2 Kings 20:1-11 for further insight in spiritual healing and length of days.
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Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday March 23, 2008
This sermon continues the teachings about the transformative power of Orthodox Christian fasting and healing. Using the scriptures: Mark 2:1-12; Exodus 4:10-17; Ezekiel 34:1-6; Isaiah 5:20-25; Romans 5:1-11; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Listeners are encouraged to read 2 Kings 20:1-11 for further insight in spiritual healing and length of days.
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Ancient Iconography Honors Colorful 'Windows into Heaven"
Ancient Iconography Honors Colorful ‘Windows into Heaven”
By Rev. John-Brian Paprock
For Capital Newspapers ~ Easter Worship Directory
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Worship of God has always been intentionally multi-sensory, multi-dimensional. In most of the world’s religions devotion and practice has been the driving force of sacred architecture, music, and art. These reflect the stories and symbols of spiritual teachings. This is apparent in Christianity.
Although written words have been around for thousands of years, literacy of a majority is relatively new - only a few hundred years in only a few places on earth. Yet, Christianity is 2,000 years old. The other factor was dissemination of books. Until the printing press (circa 1500 AD), copies of books, especially sacred texts, were hand written by scribes on parchment and kept in monasteries and libraries for the use of the privileged. Today’s ability to publish millions of pages and make them available is astonishing. And yet, even this is not the culmination of written words. Computers and the internet have created a cyber-space for a new multi-sensory, multidimensional life that can be shared instantaneously around the world.
In the early Christian experience, that reached so many, the main manner of communicating the spiritual teachings was experiential, reaching all levels of human experience. The church was a place and time to be surrounded by divinity through chanted hymns, scripture read aloud, architecture and religious art, especially icons.
Icons are not just antiques or historic art. They continue to enrich Orthodox Christian worship and have been growing in popularity with Catholics and Protestants as well.
The main uses of icons are devotional and instructional. Icon is from the Greek, ‘eikon,’ which means ‘a likeness, image, or picture.’ In the Middle Ages, ‘holy eikon’ meant an image used for Christian purposes. The holy images, holy pictures, with layers of symbols and depth of teaching are intended to tell sacred stories of Christianity. The stories may be historic events or parable or explaining theology. Since icons are telling stories, sometimes the painting of these holy images is called “writing an icon” and looking at them, “reading an icon.” So, one could “read” a chapel or church in similar manner.
The tradition of icons continues in the
In Eastern Christianity, it is not common to see the body of the dying or dead Jesus on the cross. The exception is during Good Friday when the story of the crucifixion is experientially incorporated into the cycle of devotion in preparation for the holiest event of the year - the resurrection of Christ. On Good Friday eve, the crucifixion icon is seen, but during that evening service, the “body” is removed from the cross and placed on a “winding sheet” (Greek = epitaphios) which is used for a ritual burial. In all Orthodox Christian churches this is re-enacted. To tell this story, there are icons of crucifixion and removing the body as well as the burial and entombment.
The icons of the Resurrection tell the stories of the women coming to anoint the body according to tradition and seeing the empty tomb or encountering an angel in white. The teachings of Christ’s “descent into hell to free the captives there” (from Orthodox hymnology) is depicted in one the favorite icons of Jesus trampling on the doors of hell (usually under His feet, with blackness and bones under that) and pulling up Adam and Eve with His hands. Often the scriptural reference how many of the dead arose is also depicted as crowds in the background.
With these sacred images, candles lit and incense wafting through the church, Orthodox sing loudly with bells ringing, as they have been for centuries, “Christ is risen from the dead trampling on death by death and on those in tombs bestowing life.”
This year Orthodox Easter will be celebrated on April 27 due to a difference in interpreting calendars that is centuries old. The author encourages non-Orthodox to use this opportunity to visit an Orthodox church during that Holy Week.
[published with three full color icons of resurrection]
Thanks to
Monday, March 17, 2008
Living Limitless Life
Living Limitless Life
Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday March 16, 2008
This sermon continues the teachings about the transformative power of Orthodox Christian fasting and healing. Using the scriptures: Luke 5 (with a couple of verses from Chapter 4) and the end of Jeremiah Chapter 15
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Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday March 16, 2008
This sermon continues the teachings about the transformative power of Orthodox Christian fasting and healing. Using the scriptures: Luke 5 (with a couple of verses from Chapter 4) and the end of Jeremiah Chapter 15
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Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Prophet Elias Award 2002
On October 20, 2002, His Grace Thomas Mar Makarios presented Rev. Fr. John Brian Paprock with the Prophet Elias Emblem "in recognition of committment to the spiritual development of Orthodox Christian young people through the programs of Scouting."
St. Gregorios Church, Bellwood, Illinois.
[Note: This is posted in honor and memory of His Grace - died February 23, 2008 - who saw community service as important to spiritual growth and mission. These pictures were finally scanned into digital form. His quick wit and deep understanding of individuals made this award very dear to my heart. - JB+]
Eternal Memory, Thirumeni - Pray for us
Monday, March 10, 2008
When Light Increases Growth - fast
When Light Increases Growth - fast
Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday March 9, 2008
Listen online here:
This sermon speaks to the transformative power of why Orthodox Christians fast and hold fast to Truth. Using the scriptures: Joel 2:12-13, Isaiah 58:5-14, Colossians 3:1-17 (with reference Exodus 20 and other scripture)
Sermon delivered by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Mission Chapel in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday March 9, 2008
Listen online here:
This sermon speaks to the transformative power of why Orthodox Christians fast and hold fast to Truth. Using the scriptures: Joel 2:12-13, Isaiah 58:5-14, Colossians 3:1-17 (with reference Exodus 20 and other scripture)
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Living Through Death on Both Sides
Living Through Death on Both Sides
Homiletic and memorial sermon delivered Sunday March 2, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission in Madison, Wisconsin.
Based on readings of the Sunday of the Departed as we continue to honor the memory of our beloved Bishop Thomas Mar Makarios who died February 23, 2008
Eternal memory!
Listen To Sermon Here:
The Lord assign the soul of our beloved bishop to where the just repose in a place of light
whence all suffering, sorrow, and sighing have fled away - life everlasting!
Thirumeni pray for us!
Homiletic and memorial sermon delivered Sunday March 2, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission in Madison, Wisconsin.
Based on readings of the Sunday of the Departed as we continue to honor the memory of our beloved Bishop Thomas Mar Makarios who died February 23, 2008
Eternal memory!
Listen To Sermon Here:
The Lord assign the soul of our beloved bishop to where the just repose in a place of light
whence all suffering, sorrow, and sighing have fled away - life everlasting!
Thirumeni pray for us!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Bishop Among the Departed Clergy
Bishop Among the Departed Clergy
Homiletic and memorial sermon delivered Sunday February 24, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission in
Madison, Wisconsin.
Based on readings of the Sunday of Departed Clergy and the memory of our beloved Bishop Thomas Mar Makarios who died February 23, 2008
Eternal memory!
The Lord assign his soul to where the just repose in a place of light whence all suffering, sorrow, and sighing have fled away - life everlasting!
Thirumeni pray for us!
Homiletic and memorial sermon delivered Sunday February 24, 2008 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission in
Madison, Wisconsin.
Based on readings of the Sunday of Departed Clergy and the memory of our beloved Bishop Thomas Mar Makarios who died February 23, 2008
Eternal memory!
The Lord assign his soul to where the just repose in a place of light whence all suffering, sorrow, and sighing have fled away - life everlasting!
Thirumeni pray for us!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Do Not Neglect the Very Things of Salvation
Do Not Neglect the Very Things of Salvation
Homiletic sermon delivered Sunday January 20, 2007 by Fr John Brian at
Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission in Madison, Wisconsin.
First, discussing the different Easter dates - then focusing on the scriptures for the day in this order: Hebrews 2; Proverbs 9; Isaiah 55; end of John 1; and 1 Peter 3.
These are among the readings appointed for the post-Epiphany period in Orthodox Syrian Church calendar year.
Pray for our mission efforts.
Homiletic sermon delivered Sunday January 20, 2007 by Fr John Brian at
Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission in Madison, Wisconsin.
First, discussing the different Easter dates - then focusing on the scriptures for the day in this order: Hebrews 2; Proverbs 9; Isaiah 55; end of John 1; and 1 Peter 3.
These are among the readings appointed for the post-Epiphany period in Orthodox Syrian Church calendar year.
Pray for our mission efforts.
Listen here:
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
The Eagle and the Grasshopper
The Eagle and the Grasshopper
As told by Mubarak Nawaz, Hyderabad
Once upon a time there was a grasshopper, who through diligent practice
became one of the best hoppers in the land. She loved hopping so much, she
began teaching other grasshoppers how to hop. She was very disciplined and
required they faithfully follow her commands. She told her students what to
eat, when to eat and how to eat. During their practice sessions, she barked
out orders telling them exactly what to do.
Soon, baby grasshoppers that had never hopped before were learning how to
hop, adults that could barely hop were hopping much better, and even those
who already were good hoppers could now hop much higher. The teacher felt
very fulfilled.
Then one day a creature showed up that she had never seen before - an eagle.
She was determined to teach the eagle how to hop, as she was certain that
hopping was the path to fulfillment and enlightenment. But every time she
approached the eagle, he just said, "There is no need." She kept trying, but
the eagle insisted, "There is no need." Finally, at a large gathering of all
the grasshoppers, she pointed to the eagle and announced angrily, "No matter
what I say or do, this stupid eagle will never learn how to hop. He does not
understand us."
The eagle looked at the grasshoppers and said, "You are content with
hopping, but I can fly."
"Stop this foolish talk of flying!" screamed the teacher. "Flying is just
imagination and fantasy." She turned to the grasshoppers and said, "Any time
such thoughts arise, immediately focus your energy back on your hopping -
this is how you will become enlightened."
"You know nothing about flying!" said the eagle with a commanding voice that
silenced the grasshopper. The eagle turned to the grasshoppers. "I can show
you a world far beyond your grass fields. If you listen to me, I will teach
you all to fly."
The eagle waited for them to respond, but when he looked around, incredibly,
all he saw were blank looks on the faces of the grasshoppers. He walked
away, very sad.
Later that day, while soaring far above the tall grass of the fields, an
insight emerged from deep within the eagle's innermost being. He realized
that to communicate with the grasshoppers, he would have to speak the
grasshopper's language - the language of hopping.
The next day, the eagle returned to the grasshoppers' world and began
hopping with them. The grasshoppers were surprised. Not only could the eagle
hop, but he could hop as well as any of them.
The teacher kept a wary eye on the eagle. She feared her grasshoppers would
get swept away by the eagle's stories.
But the grasshoppers were curious and some of them began to sneak away to
talk to the eagle. "How is it that you know how to hop and yet you talk of
flying? It goes against our teacher's orders."
"Hopping is useful, but when you can fly, it is no longer necessary."
"Tell us more," said the grasshoppers.
The eagle began describing the world beyond the grass fields, a world that
included mountains, rivers and oceans. He sensed they were nervous but
assured them was nothing to fear.
The grasshoppers asked, "What's it like to fly?"
"When you are flying, you are totally at peace. Sometimes, I feel like I am
connected with everything and watch as everything happens automatically
without any effort on my part. I am no longer an eagle flying, but I become
flying itself."
Later that day, a solitary, brave grasshopper approached the eagle and
asked, "Can you take me flying?"
The eagle nodded and gently took the grasshopper in his powerful talon. With
a few beats of his wings they were aloft. Circling overhead, the grasshopper
could see the mountains, rivers and ocean that the eagle had described, far
beyond the familiar grass fields. Careful not to go too high, the eagle soon
returned the grasshopper to the ground.
Hearing the commotion, the other grasshoppers rushed over to find out what
had happened.
"He took me flying!" announced the brave grasshopper proudly, but then
admitted, "I got dizzy. I didn't like it."
"But our teacher has told us that flying is just imagination." said another
grasshopper.
"Bless your teacher and be grateful to her, for she has taught you to hop,"
said the eagle. "But now you know the truth."
The eagle looked deep within the eyes of the brave grasshopper. Though she
was still a bit dizzy, he saw a spark within her very being. He looked at
the others and saw that the spark was already spreading to them. Soon, they
would no longer be content with just hopping - they would all want to fly.
"My work here is done," announced the eagle abruptly. "Some day you will all
learn to fly!"
"But if you leave, who will teach us?"
"Rest assured, as it has always been, when the student is ready, the teacher
will appear."
With that, the eagle unveiled his powerful wings and soared off into the
sky.
God Sees, Come and Show Yourself
God Sees, Come and Show Yourself
Homiletic sermon delivered Sunday January 13, 2007 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission in Madison, Wisconsin.
Focusing on the prophecy of Isaiah Chapter 49 in light of Acts Chapter 2, Ephesians Chapter 1 and Matthew 4:12-22.
These are among the readings appointed for the post-Epiphany period in Syrian Church calendar year.
Pray for our mission efforts.
Homiletic sermon delivered Sunday January 13, 2007 by Fr John Brian at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission in Madison, Wisconsin.
Focusing on the prophecy of Isaiah Chapter 49 in light of Acts Chapter 2, Ephesians Chapter 1 and Matthew 4:12-22.
These are among the readings appointed for the post-Epiphany period in Syrian Church calendar year.
Pray for our mission efforts.
Monday, January 07, 2008
God is Here, Where Are You?
Sermon delivered Sunday January 6, 2008 by Fr John Brian
at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission in Madison, Wisconsin.
Focusing on the meaning of Nativity and Epiphany - God's manifestation.
Pray for our mission efforts.
at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission in Madison, Wisconsin.
Focusing on the meaning of Nativity and Epiphany - God's manifestation.
Pray for our mission efforts.
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