Terrified of Risk, Enslaved to Our Own Ideas

We often hear that a problem with young people today is that we are irresponsible. We don’t have a sense of duty. We don’t have a sense of order. We’re immature. I think that the problem is actually the opposite.

I think that we are pathologically terrified of risk and I think that we have this enslavement to our own ideas of respectability, our own ideas of our life plan, our commitments, our existing duties such that something as radically changing as a new life doesn’t fit in with those existing duties. To accept that life would be the irresponsible choice, and that’s the framework from which a lot of people are operating. They see themselves as accepting consequences, as responsible. They have a semblance of a moral framework and we can’t ignore that just because it’s completely the opposite of our own. And this isn’t just about whether or not you accept a child. I think that we are so enslaved to a plan, and a routine, and a vision of our lives, we can’t embrace the unsettledness, openness, flexibility, and folly it takes to have an actually pro-life culture in every instance.

Tristyn Bloom, “Beyond the Pro-Life Pep Rally: Where Do We Go From Here?” Read the rest here.

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What is Science?

If “science” means “indubitable,” then there is no science in science. If it means “very persuasive,” then much clear and honest thinking is scientific.

Deirdre McCloskey (1985/1998), The Rhetoric of Economics, p. 72.

h/t: Cafe Hayek

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Not that I’m Likely to Ever Need It…

but still, a vampire hunter kit would make a pretty cool gift for a priest. Just sayin’!

h/t:Fr. Z’s Blog.

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Vatican Social Communications Leader Encourages Catholics to Embrace Digital Media

Source: The Catholic Voices Blog.

… the way we give the Internet a soul isn’t simply Christian presence there, but it’s by making sure that there is a “true, integral, humanity expressed on the Internet. That there is space for spirituality, for questioning, for doubt, for learning. By our receptivity to those, we create a space for the Internet to have a soul, but we’re not the soul. Every human being has deeper questions and we need to create the forum, a framework, and a lack of fear that will allow people to do that meaningfully.”

Monsignor Paul Tighe, the Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, was the keynote speaker at the Catholic New Media Conference in Boston on October 19, 2013.

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Site News

Some readers have had trouble subscribing to my blog via different newsreaders (primarily Yahoo). To correct this I added a RSS subscription link. You can find it on the right hand side of the front page. Sorry for any inconvience.

In Christ,

+Fr Gregory

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What’s Caught My Eye…

Why don’t we encourage sufferers to aim for joy? Perhaps we think of suffering and joy as a two-step process, as if what we see in Psalm 126:5-6—We go out weeping and return with shouts of joy—is the only pattern. This view sees suffering and joy as fundamentally incompatible and unable to be experienced simultaneously. But that can’t be true. Scripture indicates that life in the age of the Spirit will have the hardest suffering and the greatest joy—and both can be experienced at the same time. The Apostle Paul illustrated this as one of the many of the implications of the gospel: “in all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy” (2 Cor. 7:4).

This means that even when we are in pain, we can go in search of joy with the expectation that it will, indeed, find and surprise us. Think about the end of war and enemies defeated (1 Chron. 16:33, Ps. 27:6), water in the desert (Is. 35:6), how the Lord delights in the welfare of his servants (Ps. 35:27), how the Lord comforts his people (Is. 49:13), how the Father, Son and Spirit take joy in each other and, through Jesus, we are brought into that joy (John 15:11). Think about how forgiveness of sins has secured for us all the promises of God, which are summarized in his unceasing presence with us. This presence, and the future glory of seeing him face-to-face, is to be at the very center of our joy.

But in this search we still have a problem. The prevailing treatment and dominant metaphor today for alleviating pain is medication. We take a pill and wait for it to be effective. We give the treatment limited time to show its worth before we move on to a new prescription. Joy does not follow this pattern. It does not come quickly. In fact, if we expect quick results, we are not actually seeking joy and it will never come. Joy does counterbalance pain, but that is a side effect of joy rather than its goal.

Read the whole thing here: The Hard Pairing of Suffering and Joy.

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An Open Letter from His Eminence Metropolitan Philip to President Obama

Metropolitan Phillip

Metropolitan Philip is the leader of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese.

September 6, 2013

President Barack Obama, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC

Dear Mr. President:

We write to you with a heavy heart having heard the recent news of the attack on the ancient Christian city of Maaloula, Syria by the rebel forces. This city houses one of the oldest and most important monasteries, the Monastery of St. Thekla, which is considered a holy place by both Christians and Muslims.

This attack by the rebel forces, who are supported by the U.S. government, is an unspeakable act of terror, and speaks volumes to the viciousness of those rebel forces who seek to overthrow the Syrian government. Apparently there is nothing that is sacred to these people, and it is very disturbing that these same people are being supported by our government.

Mr. President, we appeal to your humanity, and compassion for people to halt consideration of any U.S military action against the Syrian government. This would be a deadly and costly action, and nothing can be gained by it. If indeed chemical weapons have been used (and this is still to be determined by the UN inspectors who recently returned from Syria), there is no compelling evidence which points to the use of these weapons by the Syrian government. On the contrary, there is some compelling evidence that the rebel forces had both the means and the will to launch such a heinous attack against innocent people, Christians and Muslims alike, who are all the children of God.

May our Lord and God guide you to find a peaceful solution which relies on negotiation and not bombs.

Sincerely

+Metropolitan PHILIP Saliba

Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America

h/t: AOI.

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Just Saying’…

International Buy a Priest a Beer Day! (Source)

St. Hopswald of Aleyard, the first man to take his priest our for a beer.

Did you know that this coming Monday, September 9, is International Buy a Priest a Beer Day? On this festive day, faithful Catholics all over the world take their priests out for a beer and get to know them better. It’s a beautiful Catholic tradition that goes back to the time of St. Hopswald of Aleyard, the first man to take his priest out for a beer.

Okay, if you’re getting suspicious by now, there’s a good reason. Buy a Priest a Beer Day is not a real holiday. But I would argue that it should be!

Believe it or not, priests are real people, and they enjoy socializing over good food and drink as much as anyone. They also have a thankless and difficult job, a job that we couldn’t get to heaven without. Priests are the lifeblood of the Church, and they deserve some appreciation.

So with that in mind, I would challenge you to do something concrete to show appreciation to your priest in the month ahead. Yes, it could be taking him out for a beer, or it could be inviting him over to share dinner with your family. Be creative if you want, but give back to your priest somehow, and let him know that his ministry is making a difference.

Of course, your priest may be insanely busy and unable to schedule a time for a lengthier visit. That’s okay. You could offer a rosary or a holy hour for him and his intentions (or better yet, more than one), and let him know that you are regularly praying for him. At the very least, express to him your gratitude, in person or via a note, for his faithful ministry and his answering God’s call to the priesthood.

I fully expect there to be a lot of happy, encouraged priests by the end of the month. If you want to participate, leave a comment saying, “I’m in!” Ready, set, go.

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10 Perils of Prosperity

Fan though I am of the free market and economic development, it’s still important to remember we live in a fallen world. Here’s some good reminders of that from John Teevan on Acton PowerBlog. Take a look.

In Christ,

+Fr Gregory

So Why is Sustained Prosperity a Peril? Nearly everyone on earth prefers a life free from poverty and from the need to focus on survival. Call it liberty or call it comfort, everyone prefers this life. Now nearly 2b people enjoy that level of living thanks to the growth of economic freedom. But there are problems.

1. People think that nothing can go permanently wrong.
   
   Money cures everything and there is plenty of it and always will be. Period.


2. People think that all moral issues are irrelevant.
   
   Ask Miley Cyrus…the latest casualty who is also a Disney role model: see #9.


3. People think that they can afford anything and suddenly want everything.
   
   So the richest people on earth fuel their lives with even more debt financed stuff.


4. People are dissatisfied with life and find it boring. They are also ungrateful.
   
   Mental illness, substance abuse, and suicide are ever increasing.


5. People think that all who lived before their era were deficient or foolish.
   
   In olden days people had to work hard, be moral, and watch out…what idiots!


6. People think that it is not necessary to learn, work, or stick to it to have a comfortable life.
   
   If I get a job I like, fine, otherwise I’ll just move back home with my folks. Big deal.


7. Governments believe the economy can be taxed to pay for any government program.
   
   If the rich just paid their fair share we’d all have comfortable incomes; spread it around.


8. People forget what a life of discomfort was like and are ‘spoiled’.
   
   OK, I broke the blender, but the jerks at Walmart wouldn’t take it back.


9. People adopt a new value system that is narcissistic and worships the self.
   
   How can I go to work today? It’s my birthday. All drama–all the time, for many.


10. Governments believe that the welfare state is the only compassionate use of such prosperity.
    
    Even a single dollar of reduction of social security will leave grandma out in the cold.

We must be very careful of prosperity. It has a way of deluding us into thinking that we can afford anything and that we can absorb any shock. For seven decades this has been true. But now we have changed our thinking and our planning and our savings as we ignore the possibility of real economic disaster: Beware.

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What’s caught my eye…: “Metropolitan Hilarion: Through participation in church sacraments, we partake of the Divine light

Source: A Russian Orthodox Church Website. On August 19, 2013, the Day of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations, celebrated the Divine Liturgy and the rite of the blessing of fruit at the Moscow Church of Our Lady the Joy to All the Afflicted-at-Bolshaya-Ordynka.

Among his concelebrants were Archimandrite Spiridon (Katramados), secretary of the Greek Orthodox Church’s Synodal department for pilgrims; Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), DECR vice-chairman, and other ordained staff members of the Department for External Church Relations; as well as clergy of the Church of Our Lady the Joy to All the Afflicted. Among worshippers in the sanctuary was Metropolitan Athanasios of Kyrenia, head of the Moscow representation of the

Present at the service were Mgr Andrzej Józwowicz, Apostolic Nunsiate councellor, Rev. Igor Kovalevsky, secretary-general of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in Russia, and Rev. Francesco

Deacon Alexey Dikarev, a staff member of the DECR Secretariat for Inter-Christian Relations, was

Hilarion addressed the worshippers with a homily, saying in

“I greet all of you, dear fathers, brothers and sisters, with the patronal feast of our church – the Day of the Transfiguration of our Lord. On this festive and sunny day, we should ask ourselves why the sun is shining so brightly in the sky and what it gives to us. Watching the nature life, we see that the whole cycle of nature depends on the sun, that plants, trees and everything on Earth, including

“When the sky is grey and cloudy, our soul is often mourning, and when the sun comes out, we feel joy and the life seems better. If the sun went out, life on Earth would end in the twinkling of an eye, because everything that lives and moves on our planet, exists due to solar energy.

“The spiritual world has its own Sun – it is the Lord… He is the Giver of Life and nourishes every living thing. Our world will exist because God wants it to. And when He wishes, the history of mankind and the whole universe will roll up like a scroll and will come to its end. Then God will

“His Divine life-giving presence fills our life in the Church. When the Lord Jesus Christ came in the flesh, many people thought He was an ordinary man, and it took time for His disciples to learn the mystery of God, hidden behind the veil of human flesh.

“In order to assure His disciples that He, Lord Jesus Christ, is the Sun of Truth, and in order to strengthen them in faith before His crucifixion, the Saviour took His closest disciples and led them up a high mountain. And there they saw His face transfigure and shine brighter than the sun and his garments become white as light. The disciples were so afraid that they fell to the ground and covered their faces. And then Peter, full of joy, said to the Saviour, “It is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias”, as those two great saints appeared before them and were talking to Jesus about His future passion

“Each of us partakes of the Divine light, first of all, through participation in church sacraments. Sometimes, during the services, we feel that heaven opens wide, clouds disappear and the light directs its Divine beams at our hearts. We feel it when we gather together to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, when we partake of the Eucharist. Then this light comes into us, it begins to shine within us and enlightens our human earthly nature with its Divine energy.

“It is the miracle of the Transfiguration that occurred with the Lord and that occurs with people in the Church. And this miracle comes true thanks to our participation in church sacraments.”

Source: DECR

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What’s caught my eye…

(Virtue Online) Not obscurantism but faith. We need to learn to face problems relating to the Bible as we face problems surrounding other Christian doctrines. If somebody comes to us with a biblical problem (a discrepancy, for example, between theology and science, or between two gospel accounts, or a moral dilemma), what should we do? We should not (from a mistaken integrity) suspend our belief in the truth of Scripture until we have solved the problem. Nor should we place the problem either on a shelf (indefinitely postponing its challenge) or under a carpet (permanently concealing it, even from ourselves). Instead, we should struggle conscientiously with the problem in thought, discussion and prayer. As we do so, some difficulties will be either wholly or partly cleared up, but then, in spite of those which remain, we should retain our belief about Scripture on the ground that Jesus himself taught and exhibited it. If a critic says to me, ‘You are an obscurantist to believe the Bible to be the Word of God in defiance of the problems,’ I nowadays return the compliment and say, ‘OK, if you like, I am. But then you are an obscurantist to believe in the love of God in defiance of the problems.’ Actually, however, to believe a Christian doctrine in spite of its problems, because of the acknowledged lordship of Jesus Christ, is not obscurantism (preferring darkness to light) but faith (trusting him who said he was the light of the world). It is more than faith; it is the sober, intellectual integrity of confessing Jesus as Lord.

John R.W. Stott

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What’s caught my eye…: “Job Gentrification”

As wages go up, workers with greater skill, human capital, and experience start to compete for these jobs, and, being better workers, they will beat out the kind of workers who are currently getting Walmart jobs. Call this phenomenon job gentrification. If Walmart increases its wage significantly, this will be very good for the people who end up working at Walmart. But that doesn’t mean it will be good for the kind of people who currently are getting the low-paying jobs at Walmart.

Read the rest here.

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What’s caught my eye…

From Pastor Douglas Wilson comes this…

One last thing. I would like to address a few words to those evangelicals who have been seduced by leftist economics, or who are in some way flirting with leftist economics. You may have cannonballed into the deep end, like Jim Wallis, or you may just be sidling sheepishly in that direction, with some cover provided by distributist literature. You think that the language of compassion is more biblical, and the idea of communitarian sharing makes you feel warm all over. You think that businessmen who know how to add and subtract are those who are in the grip of mammon-lust. You don’t like the hard lines of clear thinking, and the blinking sums on their calculators do nothing but harsh your mellow.

Do me a favor, and look at Detroit. Look at the failure of all the compassionate nostrums. Look at the collapse of real integrity. Look at the grasping and demented idiocy of the unions. Look at the abandonment of government’s true functions. Look at the wreckage of human lives. Look at the ruin of a once great city. Look at what aching greedlust does. Behold the handiwork of your compassion.

Look at what mammon in sheep’s clothing can do.

Read the rest here.

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What’s caught my eye…

From Pastor Douglas Wilson comes this…

One last thing. I would like to address a few words to those evangelicals who have been seduced by leftist economics, or who are in some way flirting with leftist economics. You may have cannonballed into the deep end, like Jim Wallis, or you may just be sidling sheepishly in that direction, with some cover provided by distributist literature. You think that the language of compassion is more biblical, and the idea of communitarian sharing makes you feel warm all over. You think that businessmen who know how to add and subtract are those who are in the grip of mammon-lust. You don’t like the hard lines of clear thinking, and the blinking sums on their calculators do nothing but harsh your mellow.

Do me a favor, and look at Detroit. Look at the failure of all the compassionate nostrums. Look at the collapse of real integrity. Look at the grasping and demented idiocy of the unions. Look at the abandonment of government’s true functions. Look at the wreckage of human lives. Look at the ruin of a once great city. Look at what aching greedlust does. Behold the handiwork of your compassion.

Look at what mammon in sheep’s clothing can do.

Read the rest here.

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What caught my eye…

George Will writes:

Abraham Lincoln rejected the argument of his rival Stephen Douglas, who favored “popular sovereignty in the territories.” Douglas thought slavery should expand wherever a majority favored it. Lincoln understood that unless majority rule is circumscribed by the superior claims of natural rights, majority rule is merely the doctrine of “might makes right” adapted to the age of mass participation in politics. The idea that the strong have a right to unfettered rule if their strength is numerical is just the barbarism of “might makes right” prettified by initial adherence to democratic forms. Egypt’s military despotism may be less dangerous than Morsi’s because it lacks what Morsi’s had, a democratic coloration, however superficial and evanescent.

The rest is here.

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What’s caught my eye…

Helen Alvaré, a Professor of Law at George Mason University writes:

…according to the powers-that-be, supporting killing unborn human beings is “heroic,” supporting natural familial bonds for children is “demeaning,” and forcing religious employers to insure (and really to pay for) services for their employees that they cannot in good conscience support is “respecting religious freedom.”

“Without Words to Describe | Public Discourse” http://feedly.com/k/18REG5Z

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Letter to Secretary of State John Kerry

Source (ACOB)

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Download the Letter in PDF format

The Honorable John Kerry

United States Secretary of State

Dear Secretary Kerry,

We, the Members of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, kindly bring to your attention the urgent and very serious plight of the Greek Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox Archbishops of Aleppo, Paul Yazigi and Yohanna Ibrahim, who were abducted this past week by “a terrorist group” in the village of Kfar Dael as they were carrying out humanitarian work.

Since the outbreak of the civil war in Syria, religious minorities have not only come under increasing attacks by Islamic fundamentalist rebels, but also have been caught in the crossfire of the opposing factions. As you well know, on April 22, 2013, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released a report entitled Protecting and Promoting Religious Freedom in Syria. Religious minorities, including the Christian population, have been targeted for extinction in an attempt to create an Islamic State in Syria and to impose Sharia Law as the law of the land. To that end, Christian clerics have been kidnapped and murdered, even as they tried to bring aid and comfort to their people in this war torn country, while others are still missing, taken captive by rebel forces.

We fervently beseech you to immediately call for and actively work towards the immediate release of Archbishops Paul Yazigi and Yohanna Ibrahim, especially as Orthodox Christians around the globe are preparing to celebrate the Resurrection of OurLord and Savior Jesus Christ on May 5th. We would further hope that the United States government, which has always been a champion of civil rights and religious freedom and defends the dignity and safety of every individual, would exert pressure on all parties in Syria to stop the killing of innocent people and restore freedom of religion and respect for all religious minorities.

We are indebted to you and others within the administration for your tireless efforts. As Orthodox Christians, the most appropriate way to express this appreciation is to continue to pray for all our civil authorities. May the Lord bless and keep you: The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. (OT Book of Numbers 6:24-26).

Archbishop Demetrios, Chairman of the Assembly of Bishops

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Metropolitan Philip, 1st Vice Chairman of the Assembly of Bishops

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of New York and all North America

Archbishop Justinian, 2nd Vice Chairman of the Assembly of Bishops

Russian Orthodox Church in the USA

Bishop Basil, Secretary of the Assembly of Bishops

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America

Metropolitan Antony, Treasurer of the Assembly of Bishops

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA Eastern Eparchy

Metropolitan Iakovos

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago

Metropolitan Methodios

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston

Metropolitan Isaiah

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Denver

Metropolitan Alexios

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta

Metropolitan Nicholas

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Detroit

Metropolitan Savas

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh

Metropolitan Gerasimos

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco

Metropolitan Evangelos

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey

Bishop Andonios

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Bishop Demetrios

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago

Bishop Sevastianos

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Metropolitan Athenagoras

Holy Metropolis of Mexico

Metropolitan Nikitas

Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute in Berkley, CA

Bishop Gregory

American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the USA

Bishop Daniel

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA Western Eparchy

Bishop Ilia

Albanian Orthodox Diocese

Archbishop Joseph

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Diocese of Los Angeles and the West

Bishop Antoun

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Diocese of Miami and the Southeast

Bishop Thomas

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Diocese of Charleston, Oakland and the Mid-Atlantic

Bishop Alexander

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Diocese of Ottawa, Eastern Canada & Upstate New York

Bishop John

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Diocese of Worcester and New England

Bishop Anthony

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest

Bishop Nicholas

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, Bishop of Brooklyn and Assistant to the Metropolitan

Metropolitan Hilarion

Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Eastern America and New York Diocese

Archbishop Alypy

Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Chicago and Mid-America Diocese

Archbishop Kyrill

Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, San Francisco and Western America Diocese

Bishop Peter

Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Administrator of Chicago and Mid-America

Diocese

Bishop Theodosy

Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Vicar – San Francisco and Western America Diocese

Bishop George

Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Vicar – Eastern America Diocese

Bishop Jerome

Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

Bishop John

Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Bishop-in-Charge of Old Ritualist Parishes

Bishop Longin

Serbian Orthodox Church, Chicago and Mid-America Diocese

Bishop Mitrophan

Serbian Orthodox Church, Eastern American Diocese

Bishop Maxim

Serbian Orthodox Church, Western American Diocese

Archbishop Nicolae

Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas

Bishop Ioan Casian

Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas

Metropolitan Joseph

Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church of the USA, Canada, and Australia

Bishop Daniil

Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church of the USA, Canada, and Australia

Metropolitan Dimitri

Georgian Orthodox Church, Dioceses of Batumi & Lazeti and America

Metropolitan Tikhon

Orthodox Church in America, Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

Archbishop Nathaniel

Orthodox Church in America, Romanian Orthodox Episcopate

Archbishop Nikon

Orthodox Church in America, Diocese of New England and Albanian Archdiocese

Archbishop Benjamin

Orthodox Church in America, Diocese of San Francisco and the West

Bishop Melchisedek

Orthodox Church in America, Diocese of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania

Bishop Michael

Orthodox Church in America, Diocese of New York and New Jersey

Bishop Alexander

Orthodox Church in America, Bulgarian Diocese

Bishop Irineu

Orthodox Church in America, Romanian Orthodox Episcopate

Bishop Mark

Orthodox Church in America

Metropolitan Sotirios

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto

Bishop Christoforos

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto

Metropolitan Yurij

Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada

Bishop Ilarion

Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada

Bishop Andriy

Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada

Archbishop Gabriel

Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

Bishop Iov

Russian Orthodox Church

Bishop Georgije

Serbian Orthodox Church

Bishop Irénée

Orthodox Church in America, Archdiocese of Ottawa and Canada

Bishop Pankratij

Holy Metropolis of Mexico

Metropolitan Antonio

Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Mexico, Venezuela, Central America & the Caribbean

Bishop Ignatius

Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Mexico, Venezuela, Central America & the Caribbean

Archbishop Alejo

Exarchate of Mexico Orthodox Church in America

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Metropolitan Philip II

Source, Acton Institute.

“He alone can in truth call himself sovereign who is master of himself, who is not subject to his passions and conquers by charity.”

Born Theodore Kolychev, Metropolitan Phillip II of Moscow, a saint of the Orthodox Church, took the name Philip when he was tonsured a monk at the monastery of Solovski in northern Russia, on an island in the White Sea. Though his father had been a minister in the court of Basil III, he chose instead the life of a monk at one of Russia’s most remote monasteries.

Having advanced to the point of living as a hermit in the nearby forest, Philip succeeded the abbot Alexis as head of the monastery at the latter’s request. As abbot, Philip set about to improve the monastery by encouraging a strong work ethic and developing salt production for the monastery to fund many enterprising projects. In all of these enterprises, Philip added his own physical labor to the efforts.

Meanwhile, in Moscow, a new sovereign had taken the throne: the Grand Prince Ivan IV, the first to take the title “Tsar [Caesar] of all Russia,” but better known to history as “Ivan the Terrible.” His paranoia over political intrigue led him to form a not-so-secret police, the Oprichniki, and through them to commit brutality against his own people, earning him his fearful epithet. When Athanasius, Metropolitan of Moscow, resigned his post in protest, Ivan, who despite his ruthlessness was an admirer of Philip, called Philip to fill the now vacant office of head of the Orthodox Church in Russia. Reluctant to accept, Philip requested that Ivan disband the Oprichniki, which enraged Ivan. Nonetheless, Ivan conceded to Philip the right of intercession on behalf of the Church and people.

Philip saw his role as Metropolitan of Moscow differently than Ivan, once saying to the latter, “If I do not bear witness to the truth, I render myself unworthy of my office as a bishop. If I bow to men’s will, what shall I find to answer Christ on the Day of Judgment?”

After 18 months of relative respite for the people of Moscow, Ivan the Terrible again set loose his Oprichniki after hearing rumors of a conspiracy between members of the aristocracy and the king of Poland, slaughtering countless innocents. In the face of such atrocities, Philip used his right of intercession and boldly denounced Ivan’s brutality, both privately and in public.

For Philip’s bold defense of the people and exercise of the freedom and responsibility of the Church, Ivan had him tried and convicted on false charges. He had Philip deposed of his office and imprisoned, moving him from monastery to monastery to distance him from Moscow. However, seeing how the people followed Philip out of their love for him, Ivan sent an assassin—one of his Oprichniki— under the guise of a messenger requesting Philip’s blessing for the Tsar’s expedition to Novgorod. Seeing through the charade, Philip simply said to him, “My friend, do what you have come to do,” and raised his hands in prayer. The sinister messenger took hold of Philip and suffocated him to death with a cushion, making him a martyr for his faith.

Much loved for his life of service to both Church and country, he is commemorated three times a year in the Orthodox calendar of saints: January 9, July 3, and October 5. Indeed, for his defense of the independence of the Church from the state and of human life in the face of oppression and tyranny, Metropolitan Phillip II of Moscow shines as a beacon of light at a dark time for liberty in Russia and remains a model for all those who take a stand for such freedoms today.

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American Individualism and Orthodox Asceticism

A new blog site, Ethika Politika, has published my essay exploring American individualism in light of the ascetical tradition of the Orthodox Church. Here’s the conclusion:

American individualism is not intrinsically immoral nor is it an anthropological heresy. For all America’s real faults and sins, it is founded on — and until recently preserved by — an ascetical intuition that helped Americans avoid the excessive of both the radical individualism of the Enlightenment and of pre-Modern aristocratic authority. The Puritan work ethic, the US Constitution’s separation of powers, our Bourgeois virtues, and commitment to Civil Rights all reflect that aspect of the American character that takes seriously the need to correct what is worse in us so that what is best in us can shine forth. Americans are not by any stretch of the imagination monks, but we are, in our way and when we are our best selves, an ascetical people nonetheless.

For the whole essay go here.

In Christ,

+Fr Gregory

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