As it's ever clear that our people are not one to embrace change, it is extradorinary that a chain of events took place which resulted in the election of a brand new Diocesan Council for the next 5 years...which includes me.
As I went to the Diocesan Assembly, I went with a mind of pessimism. Typically these gatherings are full of men who are more interested in using the Church as a vehicle to propel their own fame and prestige...rather than doin ganything productive. For the weeks leading up to the election, I was inundated with calls and U.S. postal mailings from individuals soliciting my vote for this election. Being relatively new to the process...I unwittingly picked up the phone the first few times to uncomfortable conversation which always ended with "Ok Moneh...I hope that you will vote for me".
This was all new territory for me. If the actual meeting is the only body which can nominate candidates for the Diocesan Council (4 lay people, 2 priests, and 1 trustee), then weren't these ppl who were calling jumping the gun and running for a position they weren't an official nominee for? Moreover, if you are actively campaigning for such a position...what does that say about your motivations? This entire process seemed more "mallu" than it did church-related.
When I arrive at the church for the meeting, I was greeted by individuals in front of the church who were actively campaigning. They were handing out flyers, business cards, shaking hands (surely they'd have kissed babies if they were there...), it just wreaked of a certain unseemly desperation to me. When inside, we were served refreshments and given a chance to mingle. It was nice to see so many priests, seminarians, and regular people who flew in from all over. However, being only 30, there were only a few of ppl in my age group...namely my comrades from the Old MGOCSM. Overall, candidates who approached us didn't know how to answer a simple question like :"what is your plan for the diocese"...and more striking was that some of them struggled with English...which you would think was a necessity if you were elected a Council member of the AMERICAN diocese...but as usual...I digress.
The meeting itself was of typical Ortho-style...priests standing up to say lofty things....lay people trying to be "bold" and get noticed....ppl talking over one another...overall the normal way we do things. When nominations came to the floor, they began naming names I had heard before (probably from the pamphlets sent to me)..and nary a one seemed to be under the age of 40. Sitting with a group of "comrades" I was asked if I wanted to be nominated. Now, these type of jobs generally fall to the "politicians" of the church. It's not one I'd typically desire, nor is the amount of work something I particularly need. However, I try to never deny the will of God in choosing you despite your insistance...so my response that day was the same as usual: "I don't want to campaign for it, but if chosen...I'd do the job." That was all one of the comrades needed....standing up and nominating me..s.econded by the other comrade from Chicago. Now...it may be my imagination...but it was verified by other ppl including priests...because when I was nominated there was a noticeable buzz on the floor. Many of the ppl there know me, so it might have just been surprising....who knows...but at that point I had about 10 minutes to put together a speech.
Never one to be shy with words...I had a few talking points in mind. One by one the other candidates spouted off the typical cliches "ask not what you country [church] can do for you..." ala JFK etc. Some seemed timid...while others were TOO proud. (Especially the gentelman who said "I won't say IF you vote for me...because if you want positive things then voting for me a certain thing..)
When my turn came, I began by saying that I had donated money towards the current Diocesan Center, seen the current Aramana...and that's when it all kind of came loose. Not really able to control the words as they went from my brain to my mouth...I launched into a tirade on how everyone talks about change..and yet every meeting is the same...little gets done..and they continuously elect ppl who are old enough that they may not see the duration of their terms (yes....I really did). Then I talked about how I was a product of this diocese...how we needed to stop building large buildings and return to God.....how I had came through the system and had worked on various levels including designing VBS curriculum, co-authoring the MGOCSM constitution, and serving on the altar since 1989. I don't really know exactly what I said...but there were several loud applauses during the 2 minutes, my "comrades", were enjoying every moment, my father in law sat with an amused look on his face, and I heard the elder bishop say to the younger "he's right! we need more young ppl...".
When I was done...I stood there realizing that I was practically at a yell and had said several things that were probably inapporpriate...and yet received a boisterous ovation. The hours concluding were filled with kind words and well wishes...and by the end of the day I became the youngest Diocesan Council member ever....and perhaps the first American Born member. The following weeks have been a whirlwind...and I'm still getting my bearings. I'm really just overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from my own generation...and by clergy members who see this as a wonderful chance. Personally, I'm not sure that I've gotten a full comprehension of how good a thing is. In time, the reality will hit me I guess. However I do know this much:...the revolution has taken another important step..and hopefully God will use me to effectuate positive change to finally bring things back to where they need to be.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Honey...meet my new wife....
One of my favorite places to go in finding peculiar pieces of news comes from the religious courts of foreign countries. On today's docket? An article entitled: "Polygamy's just fine, as long as you tell your wife". Yes you read right.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22526584-2703,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22526584-2703,00.html
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Village Bishop severely beaten; Catholicose needs a PR guy
I thought it was really sad to see the headline this week, detailing the beating of an elderly Cor Episcopa in Kerala. As if beating a man of the cloth wasn't enough, this particular priest is also 81 years old.
Now, let me be clear...I condemn violence..espcially against those not able to defend themselves...however, the article itself illustrates one of the great problems of our church.
Note:
"Persecution towards Christians and minorities are continuing with the support of government and police authorities. Mathews Cor-episcopa is one of its last victims," Catholicose of the East said.
Now am I the only one who feels that statement reeks of politics and alter agendas? If an 80 year old priest of your church is beaten...wouldn't one expect a different tone? I'm not saying that we are given the transcript of the whole interview...perhaps the quote is taken out of context. But at what point does the shepherd of our church begin insinuating government and police sanctioned violence. Even if it the implication was true...I don't feel it is the job of a Catholicose to make such a statement while the victim is still in the hospital. Won't that just make the situation worse?
A more appropriate response might have been a simple statement asking for prayers on behalf of the victim and perpetrator. Or maybe I just have this whole "christianity" part of Orthodoxy messed up in my own head??
Seems to me that there are places and times where this type of rhetoric is not needed. Sadly, I think the head of my own church fails to recognize any such distinction....
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion06382.shtml
Now, let me be clear...I condemn violence..espcially against those not able to defend themselves...however, the article itself illustrates one of the great problems of our church.
Note:
"Persecution towards Christians and minorities are continuing with the support of government and police authorities. Mathews Cor-episcopa is one of its last victims," Catholicose of the East said.
Now am I the only one who feels that statement reeks of politics and alter agendas? If an 80 year old priest of your church is beaten...wouldn't one expect a different tone? I'm not saying that we are given the transcript of the whole interview...perhaps the quote is taken out of context. But at what point does the shepherd of our church begin insinuating government and police sanctioned violence. Even if it the implication was true...I don't feel it is the job of a Catholicose to make such a statement while the victim is still in the hospital. Won't that just make the situation worse?
A more appropriate response might have been a simple statement asking for prayers on behalf of the victim and perpetrator. Or maybe I just have this whole "christianity" part of Orthodoxy messed up in my own head??
Seems to me that there are places and times where this type of rhetoric is not needed. Sadly, I think the head of my own church fails to recognize any such distinction....
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion06382.shtml
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Sermon Delivered on Feast of the Holy Cross 2007: St. Gregorios Tampa, Fl
Glory be the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…the one triune God forever and ever…Amen.
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing O Lord.
Respected Achen, distinguished elders, my brothers and sisters in Christ….
Death is never a subject that’s ever pleasant to talk about. Nobody wants to talk about their own mortality….it is something that is hard to deal with it whether it’s someone we know…or someone we don’t know. Death is an even worse subject in the context of murder…when one human being takes the life of another. Much of the repulsion that we Christians feel in regards to the idea of murder is due to the unique perspective we have on life. We believe that there is an immeasurable value on life because we believe that life is the most important gift that God himself has bestowed upon any of us.
But just for a moment if we could, let’s use our minds to go to that dark place ….and imagine the unthinkable. Imagine that someone we knew…had their life taken away from them by someone else.
How many of us…if someone we loved were killed because of clogged arteries….who would then take a jar of saturated fats…and place it in a prominent place above our fireplace?
How many of us…if a loved one were murdered by stabbing…would then take the same knife…and hang it from the wall of our home for all of our guests to see?
Finally, how many of us…if a loved one was shot…would take a single bullet…string it upon a gold necklace…and wear it upon our necks?
All of these things seem strange if not crazy…because it goes against our most basic feelings on life. That life itself is to be respected. One would think that if someone we cared about were killed…not only would we be grief stricken…but whatever it was that caused that death would become an object to be feared and avoided.
In my example….that means if a person we loved died of cardiac arrest….we ourselves would probably avoid eating unhealthy foods. If a person we loved was murdered with a knife...it might developing an apprehension around sharp objects. And in the case of our loved one being shot…it might mean that we would become adamantly opposed to guns.
That’s what one would expect…that is what we would call normal thinking. So why then as Christians…do we….so proudly hang the cross from our walls. Why do we wear crosses on our necklaces…and why would we make the sign of the cross so many times at church…when this is the same cross which tortured and killed our Lord Jesus Christ?
The answer might seem simple to us…but for the non-believer…it’s a bit strange. From the perspective of the world…this cross is a torture device used by the Roman Empire to persecute thousands. But from our perspective…we embrace the cross…we venerate the cross…and we worship before the same cross because of what it means.
Can we expect those who are non-believers to understand this? Not really. Even in the time of Paul there were issues with this…and so he wrote in his letter to the Corinthians:
St. Paul says within his first letter to the Corinthians:
18The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate
Paraphrased…that means that to those without faith…the message of the cross is foolish…but to those who believe it is everything.
The difference between the believer and non-believer in terms of the cross is that for us….we believe that the cross didn’t win. We believe that when Jesus hung on the cross…that the cross itself became the manner in which he died…but ultimately the instrument through which he defeated death. To the Christian…the cross is not a symbol of dying….but a sign of living and a sign of victory….a sanctified trophy that was won in the battle for our salvation. And that is why the cross is so prominently used and displayed by believers today. The cross did not defeat Christ…but Christ defeated death through the cross.
Last time I preached, I spoke about the connection between the old testament tree of life and the cross which is the new tree of life. I don’t wish to go much into that today.
But it’s enough to say that there is a reason behind my speaking about the cross. Do any of the youngsters know what is the significance of this day within the Church calendar?
Can someone tell me one thing that makes the service different this Sunday…than last Sunday? Kymtha -> Sleeba
Whereas kymtha is the worship of the risen Christ …sleeba is the worship of the Holy Cross…and the hopeful world.
Today we remember the feast day of the Holy Cross. It is the day in which we believe and remember that Emperess Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine…found the actual wooden cross used to crucify Jesus. Upon finding the cross, just touching it healed a deathly ill woman. After which, the patriarch of Jerusalem lifted it with both hands so that all the gathered peoples could see….and in response to the sight, the multitudes shouted “Lord have mercy upon us”.
This particular event is the origin of the worship service we use on every major feast day…on Christmas and Easter…we venerate the cross blessing the four quarters of the earth in the same manner. It is through this service of the Holy Cross we not only celebrate the historical event….but we also remember how this instrument of shame was used to overcome death and all enemies…in order to bring eternal life and salvation.
After this day, Christianity..which was once viewed by the known world as a minor religion…became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Ironically, the same Roman Empire which persecuted and martyred the early faithful of our Church….soon adorned the Holy Cross on all its flags, uniforms and shields. Through the help of St. Helena, her son Constantine not only converted to become a Christian…but became the man behind the initial ecumenical synods which our church still recognizes today.
I can only hope that everytime we see or make the sign of a cross…that we take a moment to reflect and remember the sacrafices of our holy martyrs and Jesus himself in giving this sign of victory to us through the Church. May the mercies of God the great be upon us and our Church from ages unto ages. Amen
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing O Lord.
Respected Achen, distinguished elders, my brothers and sisters in Christ….
Death is never a subject that’s ever pleasant to talk about. Nobody wants to talk about their own mortality….it is something that is hard to deal with it whether it’s someone we know…or someone we don’t know. Death is an even worse subject in the context of murder…when one human being takes the life of another. Much of the repulsion that we Christians feel in regards to the idea of murder is due to the unique perspective we have on life. We believe that there is an immeasurable value on life because we believe that life is the most important gift that God himself has bestowed upon any of us.
But just for a moment if we could, let’s use our minds to go to that dark place ….and imagine the unthinkable. Imagine that someone we knew…had their life taken away from them by someone else.
How many of us…if someone we loved were killed because of clogged arteries….who would then take a jar of saturated fats…and place it in a prominent place above our fireplace?
How many of us…if a loved one were murdered by stabbing…would then take the same knife…and hang it from the wall of our home for all of our guests to see?
Finally, how many of us…if a loved one was shot…would take a single bullet…string it upon a gold necklace…and wear it upon our necks?
All of these things seem strange if not crazy…because it goes against our most basic feelings on life. That life itself is to be respected. One would think that if someone we cared about were killed…not only would we be grief stricken…but whatever it was that caused that death would become an object to be feared and avoided.
In my example….that means if a person we loved died of cardiac arrest….we ourselves would probably avoid eating unhealthy foods. If a person we loved was murdered with a knife...it might developing an apprehension around sharp objects. And in the case of our loved one being shot…it might mean that we would become adamantly opposed to guns.
That’s what one would expect…that is what we would call normal thinking. So why then as Christians…do we….so proudly hang the cross from our walls. Why do we wear crosses on our necklaces…and why would we make the sign of the cross so many times at church…when this is the same cross which tortured and killed our Lord Jesus Christ?
The answer might seem simple to us…but for the non-believer…it’s a bit strange. From the perspective of the world…this cross is a torture device used by the Roman Empire to persecute thousands. But from our perspective…we embrace the cross…we venerate the cross…and we worship before the same cross because of what it means.
Can we expect those who are non-believers to understand this? Not really. Even in the time of Paul there were issues with this…and so he wrote in his letter to the Corinthians:
St. Paul says within his first letter to the Corinthians:
18The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate
Paraphrased…that means that to those without faith…the message of the cross is foolish…but to those who believe it is everything.
The difference between the believer and non-believer in terms of the cross is that for us….we believe that the cross didn’t win. We believe that when Jesus hung on the cross…that the cross itself became the manner in which he died…but ultimately the instrument through which he defeated death. To the Christian…the cross is not a symbol of dying….but a sign of living and a sign of victory….a sanctified trophy that was won in the battle for our salvation. And that is why the cross is so prominently used and displayed by believers today. The cross did not defeat Christ…but Christ defeated death through the cross.
Last time I preached, I spoke about the connection between the old testament tree of life and the cross which is the new tree of life. I don’t wish to go much into that today.
But it’s enough to say that there is a reason behind my speaking about the cross. Do any of the youngsters know what is the significance of this day within the Church calendar?
Can someone tell me one thing that makes the service different this Sunday…than last Sunday? Kymtha -> Sleeba
Whereas kymtha is the worship of the risen Christ …sleeba is the worship of the Holy Cross…and the hopeful world.
Today we remember the feast day of the Holy Cross. It is the day in which we believe and remember that Emperess Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine…found the actual wooden cross used to crucify Jesus. Upon finding the cross, just touching it healed a deathly ill woman. After which, the patriarch of Jerusalem lifted it with both hands so that all the gathered peoples could see….and in response to the sight, the multitudes shouted “Lord have mercy upon us”.
This particular event is the origin of the worship service we use on every major feast day…on Christmas and Easter…we venerate the cross blessing the four quarters of the earth in the same manner. It is through this service of the Holy Cross we not only celebrate the historical event….but we also remember how this instrument of shame was used to overcome death and all enemies…in order to bring eternal life and salvation.
After this day, Christianity..which was once viewed by the known world as a minor religion…became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Ironically, the same Roman Empire which persecuted and martyred the early faithful of our Church….soon adorned the Holy Cross on all its flags, uniforms and shields. Through the help of St. Helena, her son Constantine not only converted to become a Christian…but became the man behind the initial ecumenical synods which our church still recognizes today.
I can only hope that everytime we see or make the sign of a cross…that we take a moment to reflect and remember the sacrafices of our holy martyrs and Jesus himself in giving this sign of victory to us through the Church. May the mercies of God the great be upon us and our Church from ages unto ages. Amen
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
The saddest sports video on youtube...
Not sure I can say anything to do this justice. This is a promotional video for school spirit put out by Kansas State University. Aside from the fact that the mascot is weird looking, the lame "Willie" chant, and the special effects being VERY low-grade...we then realize that the saddest part of the video is that it was made in 2007! That's right...some hair-metal guy who worked his way up the Unviersity Administration thought that this would be a "radical" "totally tubular" idea (Use your best Wayne's World voice).
Even better than the video are the comments being left by ppl viewing from rival schools. My favorite (clean) message? :
"Dear Kansas State,
Seriously, what the hell you guys.
Signed,
The Rest Of the Big 12 "
Just what makes the purple towel a "POWER" towel, we're still not sure.... You decide:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A-05wPlQQ4
Even better than the video are the comments being left by ppl viewing from rival schools. My favorite (clean) message? :
"Dear Kansas State,
Seriously, what the hell you guys.
Signed,
The Rest Of the Big 12 "
Just what makes the purple towel a "POWER" towel, we're still not sure.... You decide:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A-05wPlQQ4
Honey forget buying a house...
Buying a house is no picnic. There's all the worrying about mortgages, deposits, and signing over your life for a piece of property. Then once you move in, you realize that you don't have enough furniture, things need fixing, and maybe that dream house isn't so dreamy....
But what if someone said that for the same price you could have a smaller place...where your laundry is done for you, the room is cleaned, and you never have to worry about using too much water or using too much AC. Sounds good?
That's what Mr. and Mrs. David Davidson thought as well. One catch though...they've been living that way at a Travelodge hotel...for 20 YEARS! When you first hear...they sound a bit kooky (not that I should be throwing stones or anything). But when you think about it...it's a nice little setup.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070911/od_afp/lifestylebritainhoteloffbeat
But what if someone said that for the same price you could have a smaller place...where your laundry is done for you, the room is cleaned, and you never have to worry about using too much water or using too much AC. Sounds good?
That's what Mr. and Mrs. David Davidson thought as well. One catch though...they've been living that way at a Travelodge hotel...for 20 YEARS! When you first hear...they sound a bit kooky (not that I should be throwing stones or anything). But when you think about it...it's a nice little setup.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070911/od_afp/lifestylebritainhoteloffbeat
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Raunchy Clearasil Ads
These days, the line between what is considered "adult" and what is considered "child appropriate" becomes increasingly blurred. In the past, children were allowed to be kids for some time before they were thrust with the burdens of social pressures, stress, and dealing with sexuality.
Unfortunately, we also find many cases of children being exploited whether it be at home, by pedophiles, and even by teachers. No links provided as these things are well documented. (See Mary Kay Latourneau)
So that brings me to the recent "Clearasil" pimple cream ads. Now, as an adult...I can appreciate the attempt at humor in these ads. But considering this is a product for those entering puberty, it's a little disturbing. While all the ads are a bit raunchy, the one ad I find the most alarming is the one involving a young man hitting on his friend's mother. At what point as a society did we decide it is ok to make light of physical attraction between children and adults? If I was a parent I'd be even more bothered by this, because unlike a TV show which you can pre-screen using ratings to decide if it's okay to view...commercials ambush you and your children in random spots.
take a look and decide for yourself. You may find it amusing....but how would you feel if you were in the room and your 12 or 13 year old was seeing this? I'm against censorship, but as a society we have a duty to protect those who can't defend themselves....this includes children. I think advertisers need to use more discretion or be held accountable.
Unfortunately, we also find many cases of children being exploited whether it be at home, by pedophiles, and even by teachers. No links provided as these things are well documented. (See Mary Kay Latourneau)
So that brings me to the recent "Clearasil" pimple cream ads. Now, as an adult...I can appreciate the attempt at humor in these ads. But considering this is a product for those entering puberty, it's a little disturbing. While all the ads are a bit raunchy, the one ad I find the most alarming is the one involving a young man hitting on his friend's mother. At what point as a society did we decide it is ok to make light of physical attraction between children and adults? If I was a parent I'd be even more bothered by this, because unlike a TV show which you can pre-screen using ratings to decide if it's okay to view...commercials ambush you and your children in random spots.
take a look and decide for yourself. You may find it amusing....but how would you feel if you were in the room and your 12 or 13 year old was seeing this? I'm against censorship, but as a society we have a duty to protect those who can't defend themselves....this includes children. I think advertisers need to use more discretion or be held accountable.
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