His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew Visits Atlanta

29 October 2009

...and I was there!

The back of the Patriarch's head.

The Patriarch's staff blocks his face.

Another face block by the Patriarch's staff.

Now his face is blocked by both his staff and by the guy with the crosses on his shoulders.

Again, the guy with the crosses on his shoulders gets in the way.

Yet another photo opportunity blocked by the guy with the crosses on his shoulders.

Fine...if I can't get a photo of the Patriarch, I'll get one of the guy with the crosses on his shoulders.

Finally! A photo of the Patriarch.

On the Power and Influence of Good Deeds

22 October 2009

It is difficult, my brethren, to dispute with an atheist; it is difficult to converse with a stupid man; it is difficult to change an embittered man. It is only with the greatest difficulty that you will convince an atheist, a stupid man or an embittered man with words. Firstly, you must sway them by your deeds. They will come, “by your good works, which they shall behold, to glorify God” (I Pet. 2:12). Do good to him who would quarrel with you, and you will win the argument. A single act of compassion will penetrate to a stupid man and soften a bitter man more quickly than hours of discussion. If atheism and stupidity and bitterness proceed from ignorance, that ignorance is like a fury that is most easily bridled by the influence of good deeds. If you argue with an atheist on his own diabolical terms, you simply strengthen the demon of atheism. If you converse with a stupid man in a spirit of derision, the darkness of stupidity will be made the greater. If you think to change a bitter man by anger, you will merely add more fuel to the fire of bitterness. But a meek and well-intentioned act is like throwing water on the flames.

Always remember the holy apostles and their behavior towards men. If an atheist challenges you, then it is not the man that challenges you but the devil, for man is by nature devout and tends Godwards. If a stupid man scoffs at you, then it is not the man who scoffs but the devil, for man is by nature intelligent. If a bitter man persecutes you, it is not the man that is doing this but the devil, for man is by nature good and well-disposed. It is the devil that challenges us in lengthy debates and fruitless discussions, but he flees from the power of good deeds. Do good in the name of Christ, and the devil will flee. You will be working with men, men who are devout and intelligent and good. Everything, therefore, that you do, be sure that you do it in the name of Christ.

from The Prologue from Ochrid by St. Nikolai Velimirovic
HT - Michael Redmond, Orthodox Christian Group, LinkedIn

Did I Hear You Say "More Cowbell?"

15 September 2009

Grüß Gott! While I am not a reliable blog publisher under normal circumstances, I do have an excuse this time. I have been away and only returned yesterday. Mr. Dixie and I went back to Oberstaufen this year to attend another cousin's wedding and then we headed off for a few days to Salzburg in celebration of my favorite movie, The Sound of Music--but not before we celebrated Viehscheid in Oberstaufen, Allgäu, Germany.

Every Spring young bovine are taken up the mountains near Oberstaufen to feed on the rich grass of the Bavarian Alps. In September they are brought back down again and go back to their owners for the winter. Viehscheid is the celebration of the cows returning from the Alps. Note the young boy carries a sign announce the Alp where the cows were kept and the lead cow wears a lovely headdress, handmade from mountain flowers. There is a prize given for the best headdress. Also note the unusually large cowbells--these are used only for this special event and are not the same bells on the cows while they are on the mountain feeding. Some farms have to begin their journeys down the Alps as early as 3 or 4 in the morning. It is very hard work! This video clip shows the decent of the cows from Alpe Imberg, the same Alp where we celebrated my cousin's wedding.

Salzburg was a disappointment for me...Hollywood can make everything better and larger than life...but Viehscheid was an experience of a lifetime. Those big bells just reverberated in our bones. One thing I noticed was that every headdress was adorned with a cross...a tradition I really like.

More pictures will follow as soon as I get caught up with the rest of life.

The Beheading of the Venerable Head of the Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John

29 August 2009

Today the Church commemorates the beheading of St. John, the Baptist. In the Scriptures Jesus says this about John, "For this is he of whom it is written:

‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.'

“Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

This is a holy and solemn day in the Church year and is punctuated by fasting and prayer. St. John, the Baptist was the greatest prophet because John prepared the way for the advent of Christ Himself. Accordingly, Jesus says among men there was born no one greater. To this day, 2000 years later, the Orthodox Church bears witness to Christ's words in the iconostasis at the front of the Holy of Holies. The icon of Christ is at our right, the icon of the Theotokos pointing to Christ is at our left, and the icon of St. John, the Forerunner and Baptist is on our right just next to Christ, visually affirming these words from the Holy Scriptures.

One very important thing to understand about St. John is that he fully knew Christ was the Messiah. Unfortunately, sometimes people read Matthew 11:2-3 "And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” to say that John did not know and had to ask. This not correct. The Church Fathers have always taught that John did this to guide his own disciples to Christ. In fact, St. Andrew, the First Called, originally was a disciple of John!

Upon the baptism of Christ, John's unique ministry was fulfilled. (John baptized Christ, not because Christ was in need of baptismal cleansing but rather that Christ could sanctify the waters for our sakes!)

John was the last of the Old Testament prophets and served as the bridge to the New. John was a "burning and a shining lamp" (John 5:35) sent to prepare the way.

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Blessed day to you all...

Energetic Procession Relocation

15 August 2009

The blog, Energetic Procession, has relocated to the following address: http://energeticprocession.wordpress.com. Please update your subscriptions or links.

You Are Always Near

One thing I have noticed in my international travels for work is the extraordinary sense of community some cultures enjoy...extraordinary by American sensibilities, I suspect. We Americans are a culture of individuals where one is expected to "pull himself up by his boot straps". We expect the government to satisfy the needs of the community. I was in Brazil this past week. I was greeted by my Brazilian colleagues with kisses and hugs...not cold and formal handshakes. There is a sense of concern and caring that permeates the atmosphere of the workplace there. A sense of community that does not go unappreciated by this Orthodox Christian.

My husband sent me this YouTube video of this year's Ukraine's Got Talent Winner. It is easy to sense the kind of community shared in Ukraine by watching this video.

Note the importance the Church plays. I don't doubt sharing such a difficult history and struggle has shaped their sense of community.

One of the commenters provided this information:

Update: from WOSU, an American Public Radio Station:

"This incredible sand animation is performed by the 2009 winner of the Ukraine Got Talent television series, Kseniya Simonova. Apparently, it is telling the story of life during WWII, which would explain the emotional reactions of some of the audience. The text at the end where they are staring at the sailors ghost says: You are always nearby. The 24-yr-old artists prize was 1,000,000 Ukrainian hryvnia (April 2009, approx US $125,000)."