Why Fast?

 Matthew 6:16

“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full."

Jesus did not say if you fast... he said "whenever" you fast.  He fully expected us to follow His example and fast.  In fact, Jesus says, as recorded in St. Mark chapter 6, that some things may not be accomplished except by prayer & fasting.

So why don't all Christians fast?

I've had conversations with Christians from different denominations on this topic, even people from different belief systems.   Did you know that atheists sometimes maintain a fast?  Satanists are familiar with fasting, not only as a means of detoxing the body, but as a "spiritual enhancement" in connection with their rituals.  Ramadan is one of the major fasting periods for Muslims.  

So, with people of many faiths observing a fast, why does it seem illusory to many Christians?  

"What is so different about the Christian fast?  And, why should we deny ourselves anyway?  I don't see how that gets me any closer to God", I hear people say.

Matthew 16:24  

"Then said Jesus unto His disciples,  if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. "

...emphasis mine.

Fr. Olaf, our priest, has said on more than one occasion that the first sin in the garden of Eden centered around pleasing the palate.  How fitting is it, then, for us to exert some struggle in disciplining this need, which for a lot of us becomes an indulgence every time we sit down to a meal.

Some things I've learned about fasting:

-  Every day I eat way more than my body requires to function. 

An average day for me includes a breakfast of fruit, bagel or a bowl of cold cereal.  Lunch might be a sandwich (PB & J!) , granola bar, yogurt and water.  Dinner may be a salad with spaghetti and bread.  And, considering that I'm not an athlete needing to consume x amount of calories per day, my intake is more than I need.

- Fasting, for the Christian, must include a focus on prayer and reading the Scriptures.  Otherwise, it's just a body detox or a requirement for blood work... or a recipe for grumpiness.  Fasting includes mental exercise, a training of our thoughts and focused nourishment.  

- Denying yourself palatal pleasures has spiritual rewards.

When spending a day in fasting and prayer, the intensity of the passions are subdued.   Whether you are consumed with anger, fear, resentment, bitterness, pride, jealousy...all the many pleasures and weapons of demons are shattered by prayer & fasting.

- I feel better physically, mentally and spiritually when I fast.

Once I get over that hump, that intense desire for chocolate or carbs or my favorite burger from Wendy's, I know I'll make it.  That intense desire DOES go away.  When I feel hungry, I've started asking myself, "do you want to eat an apple? a carrot?"  If not, then I'm not truly hungry, I just have a desire to please my palate.

-Fasting nourishes the new man.

St. Paul talks about the "new man" in his epistle to the Colossians (chapter 3) as compared to the "old man" and his deeds such as blasphemy, anger, wrath, and malice.  When we continually indulge in everything the flesh desires, whether it be food, tv, sex, drugs, money... we are nourishing the old man and remain weak spiritual infants.  Fasting, on the other hand, closes the door to passions so that the spiritual, or "new man" can become stronger.

-I've learned not to give up on a fast just because I slip up.

Occasionally giving into temptation is no reason to abandon a fast altogether.  The saints fall down, they get up, they fall down, they get up...

We must always begin again. 

A Thought on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

With all the headlines and discussions on the Boston Marathon bombings, the joy in capturing someone dangerous to humanity, the speculation about the legal battle to follow... all the many questions we Americans have, I'm finding myself contemplating one thing: 

Does the saving of a soul save multitudes?

I'm finding myself praying for the salvation of this young man, believed to have wrought such wickedness, alongside my prayers for the victims of devastation.    Now, lest you think I'm showing softness and mercy where none is due, consider this: 

If it's true that this wicked event was played out because of radical Islamic belief, what can we do to dismantle that power?   If Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces the death penalty, do we give radical Islam another martyr to fuel their fire?    What happens to people at large when the heart of a militant Muslim converts to Christ?

By the power of Christ, hearts can be remade... we see evidence of that in the former murderer, St. Paul.  We see it in the conversion of Roman soldiers who witnessed the miracles of Christ, people who were formerly wicked and without concern for life.  

What happens in the militant Islamic world when one of their own converts to Christ and follows his commandments?  What would happen if nurses and doctors at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center show an uncommon love of Christ in their care of this man?  How interesting to note that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's life is in the hands of an institution founded by Christian and Jewish brothers & sisters...

My prayers are for the mercy of God to grant healing to the mind, body and soul of all those who are injured in Boston, for comfort & peace for the families who lost a loved one that day...

and for the salvation of Dzhokhar Tsamaev, believing always that

 the power of God is greater than the power of wickedness.

The Long Walk Home, With Miracles Along the Way: A Book Review

By Anatole Kurdsjuk

Published by Printing and Publications, Corp. (2005) 

Softcover, 266 pages

This amazing true story of Jacob and Olga Kurdsjuk is lovingly shared by their only surviving child, Anatole Kurdsjuk.  What a treasure Mr. Kurdsjuk has given the world in chronicling his family history through Communist Russia as well as Nazi Germany and the tribulations of WWII.  

Even though Anatole Kurdsjuk admits in the preface that he lacks “formal writing skills”, I found his work so engaging I could hardly put it down.  He generously weaves old photographs, excerpts from diaries, and family documents into the story, which gifts the reader with a wonderful vision of his family’s experience in the early part of the 20th century.  

This story is one of love, survival, enduring faith in God against a bleak backdrop of Stalin’s vision for Russia.  It’s a story that will make you smile at the innocent love between a young man and woman who labored - with joy - as peasants.  But also a story that will leave you in wonderment at the zeal of the human spirit when faced with persecution.  

But there’s more.  This book belongs alongside The Diary of Anne Frank as required reading for America’s youth.  It provides the reader a cross-section of life during WWII by a family who endured imprisonment by both their native land and the occupying German forces.  The reader is given a view of America that is, in most American public schools,  completely absent.  And that’s just it.  Our children need to see America through the eyes of those who’ve endured unspeakable hardships...by those who pursued the freedom in America at all costs. 

I encourage you to read The Long Walk Home; you can only be enriched by knowing the story of Jacob and Olga Kurdsjuk.  

To God be the glory for all things †

Prayer, Like a Diamond

Whenever I get into a conversation about prayer, ultimately the question arises, “Do you really think we can change God’s mind?”  As mortals, it does seem supremely arrogant to entertain the thought that our wishes and desires move the hand of our omniscient God. We are instructed to pray “Thy will be done” but also to give our petitions to Him, as he loves us and desires to hear from us. (St. Matthew 6)

I don’t have all the answers about the incredible mystery of prayer, but what I have discovered are dimensions to prayer, like a multifaceted diamond. It's not as linear and simple as I used to think.   

One of those dimensions involves the heart of the person praying:  “The prayers of the righteous avail much.” (James 5) speaks to that aspect.  But what has been driven home for me lately is the facet of obedience as related to our prayer life.

It’s not just a matter of praying for someone or a situation; it’s the obedience of praying. It’s the praying when we don’t feel like it, when we feel dry and distant from God.  It’s the act of praying, that communion and worship of God that is both healing and cleansing to us.

I read a story recently, in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, that illustrates my point [paraphrased] :

One of the monks came to his abba and asked him saying, "Abba, I feel nothing when I read the Bible or pray." So he told the monk to go to his cell and read the Bible and pray for 40 days.   The monk returned after the 40 days and said,  “I feel nothing”.  So abba told him to read & pray for another 40 days.  After 40 days, the monk returned and said again, “I do not feel anything”.  Then abba said to take a basket, fill it up with water and return it to him.  However, because of the weave, the water would not stay in, but drain through the bottom.

The monk tried many times to fill the basket with water but it would empty completely before reaching his destination.   So he came to his abba saying, "I could not get the water to stay in the basket."  So abba asked him saying, "Was there a difference in the basket before you put in the water and after?”  And the monk replied,  “Every time I put the water in, and it would drain, the basket gets washed and becomes whiter.”

So the abba said, "This is right, every time we pray, without noticing, our souls are being cleaned and when we read the Bible, even if we do not understand it at the time,  it is purifying us without realizing it."

Hero of the Faith

Even though it’s been nearly seven years since I became Orthodox, I still receive curious glances from people when asked where I attend church.  Probably stranger still is the incredulity seen (from non-Orthodox) when I talk about Russia and the treasure trove of spirituality to be found there.   

There seems to be a belief  -if indeed anyone thinks about it at all-  that Russia is yet full of atheists, political propaganda and that if Christianity exists there at all, it must be because of American missionaries sharing the Gospel of Christ.  I don’t disparage missionaries to Russia necessarily.  I just think that, sadly, some of them haven’t a clue about Russia’s rich cultural heritage, of the saints and martyrs this land holds.  We need more missionaries from Russia to come here, to the United States.  A land untested by such fire.

The fact is, Russia has been a Christian land longer than America has been a nation. Much longer.  Christianity came to Kievan Rus in the 10th century via glorious Byzantium; a spreading of the Light just as Constantinople became that beacon after the fall of the western Roman Empire.  Looking at history in this way, one can see the amazing hand of God at work through those who love Him.  One may argue that it is thanks to Christian Russia that North America became subject to this great Light, by way of the saints traveling from Russia to what is now Alaska.   Praise God for St. Innocent and St. Herman! †

Christian Russia continues to bear witness to the great Light of Christ; we have to look no further back, for one example, to the mid twentieth century.  I want to share one of those Light-Bearers with you, as I learned his story from Archimandrite Tikhon in his excellent book, Everyday Saints and Other Stories. 

His name was Ivan Mikhailovich Voronov.  He was a decorated WWII veteran, having served for four years as a soldier on the front lines against German aggression (yes, if you’re born after 1990, did you know that Russia was an ally of the United States during WWII ?)  He told the story of being in the midst of that German fire and hellish chaos and promising God that if he survived, he would dedicate the rest of his life to God and retire to the monastery.  In his words:

 “Imagine the German tanks charging our front lines, their machine guns firing, cannon shells blazing, just cutting us down, sweeping away almost everyone in their path, and suddenly in the midst of this utter hell I saw how our battlefield commissar tore off his helmet, even as the bullets were flying around him, and fell to his knees, and began to pray... yes, indeed, somehow this ‘Communist’ was able to mutter the half-forgotten words of the prayers he used to know as a child, begging the Almighty to spare us.  And He did.  That’s when I realized:  God lives inside all of us, and one day He will make his appearance to us, some way or other...”

Ivan Mikhailovich kept his promise and after the war, after serving those years in the Red Army, he went on to become the Great Abbot of the Pskov Caves Monastery, one of only two monasteries in all of Russia that continued to operate under Soviet repression.  With the same fervor that Ivan had demonstrated on the battlefield, he next brought to the defense of a beacon of Light in a darkened land. Ivan Makhailovich Voronov became Father Alipius, as is the custom in the Orthodox Church to take on a new name when entering monasticism and the priesthood. 

Pskov Caves Monastery, located in Pechory, Pskov Oblast in Russia

Fr. Alipius, for 13 years, defended the monastery against the same regime he had given his blood for.  And he did so with such tenacity, such wit and strength that one can only conclude God blessed him to meet the challenges of his day.

By those who knew him best, he was described as:

 “a fearless spiritual warrior and the ideal of a demanding and yet loving father.”  

“brilliant and often biting wit”

“governed by conscience alone”

As I read his story I couldn’t help but think of the crusty old men I have been blessed to know who were WWII vets.  Men who somehow, by the grace of God, were able to retain gentle loving hearts even though their lives had borne witness to some of the greatest horrors of mankind.  Men who had a fierce love of America, their fellow man AND God, having gone down into the pits to wrestle demons most of us can’t even imagine. 

Fr. Alipius was practical, earthy... a man’s man.  He obviously had no fear of the Soviet state, even if during his lifetime he witnessed the widespread destruction of both churches and monasteries.  He knew priests and other men & women who came under arrest because of their belief in God, an “enemy to the state”.  Year after year he fought with intelligence and wit to keep the monastery alive and protect his monks, over half of whom were highly decorated veterans of WWII.  Others had survived Stalin’s camps.  These were not weak men. 

A recorded eye-witness account tells of how, “on one winter evening several men in plain clothes marched into the office of Father Alipius and handed him an official command:  the Pechory Monastery near Pskov was officially closed.  The abbot was hereby commanded to so inform the personnel of the monastery.  Having read the document, Father Alipius tossed the paper into a blazing fire right before the very eyes of these officers.

To the astonishment of his visitors he calmly declared: “I am willing to undergo martyrdom and death by torture if it comes to that, but I will never close the monastery.”

The paper that he had just cast into the fire was an official decree of the government of the USSR, and had been signed by Nikita Khrushchev himself.”

Photos from the book, Archimandrite Alipius on a snowy day in Pechory

Fr. Alipius ruled by conscience alone, as God gave him direction and discernment.  His example is one of many that boasts the spiritual depth of a people that have been tested through fires America cannot fathom.  He is a hero of Russia, certainly, but so much more, a hero to Christendom.  Thank you Father Alipius.

May his memory be eternal

 †

I encourage you to get the book to read the rest of Fr. Alipius' amazing story plus many more inspiring people of faith.  Proceeds from this book go toward building a cathedral in Moscow to commemorate the victims of communist repression in Russia.

Happy Feast Day!

A blessed St. Brigid's Feast Day to you!

Holy Savior Cathedral, Bruges, Belgium

keeps in reverence a wool, Irish cloak believed

to be St. Brigid's own.

†  †  †

For our feast, we'll have quiche, boxty pancakes, stuffed mushrooms and homemade bread.  And later, cake!

†  †  †

A common blessing among friends was the hope that they would be fa bhrat Bhrighde, "under Brigid's Cloak", as her mantle was long remembered as a sign of protection and generous hospitality.

The Light of Christ shines gloriously through his saints!

To Pass Along Joy...

I just had to pass this on, as discovered at one of my favorite blogs, Pithless Thoughts.    I pass it on with the hope that you, too, will experience delight through these wonderful moments!  

I've seen it three times now and have cried each time... why is that?  Could it be the people giving a gift of excellence?   The happiness written on children's faces?  ...the passersby hurrying toward the music to see what's going on?  Or the fact that there is such beauty in the world and we need to see and appreciate it every day.  

Thank you Beethoven;

God bless those who spread joy!

Loving the One You're With

In my attempt to focus on things that are beautiful and pure and noble rather than my usual ranting against everything twisted and wrong in the world, this post is for all the thirty and forty-somethings out there who have been tested by fire and held your ground.

In the rapid pace of American life and the constant dismantling of the family - even among Christians- there are those of you who have stayed the course, who have cried silent tears and wondered at the meaning of it all.  Wondered sometimes why you have stayed when marital strife and tensions have been overwhelming.  And yet, you have survived some terrible storms.  Are you the stronger for it?  Have you rejoiced for your trials? (James 1:2-4)  Are you merely surviving or are you growing into a spiritual giant and offering comfort to others as Christ has comforted you? (II Corinthians 1)  

Every week it seems I hear of another couple getting a divorce.  My daughter told me recently that she was in a minority in her class because her parents are still married.  And even though its the nonchalant trend, the path well traveled, I’m not convinced for a second that the pain incurred by all family members undergoing divorce is lessened by its popular course.  It’s no wonder to me why Americans use of antidepressants has skyrocketed over the past two decades.  

Unhappy people = take a pill.

For those of you who have been in the trenches and faced the fire, this one is for you.  I hear you.  I embrace you and pray for you.  I believe that YOU are the stuff that makes the Proverbs 31 woman or the man St. Paul speaks of that LOVES his wife in truth.  You are a rare treasure and I want you to be encouraged.  I want you to know that there is value in the trials you’ve faced or continue to face.   I want you to know that I’m one of you and that our enemy continually chides us into contemplating “you deserve better, the grass is greener over there”.  But you probably already know that.  You know better.

You know there is victory in Jesus Christ, victory in unconditional love and victory in being able to share the comfort with others as you yourself have been comforted.  You know that trials produce perseverance, character and hope (Romans 5).  You have scars that led you to a place of closeness with God or at least, I hope you know that.

The older I get the more I realize there is no such thing as a “perfect” marriage, no matter the images of bliss shared on Facebook.  How can a perfect marriage exist when we are imperfect people?  Marriage is the sacred place that God perfects us. We cannot hope to walk on paths of righteousness without gaining a glimmer of the vile stuff within, the selfishness, vanity, pride, etc.. How can we hope to gain virtue without cleaning house first?  And where better to see a true vision of your heart than through your spouse; the one who knows all things about you?

Don’t think for a second that I am writing from some lofty judgmental seat;  I’m not.  I recognize that there are just reasons for divorce.  I understand about abandonment, unfaithfulness and the destructive nature of addictions.  I value human beings and applaud the person who leaves their spouse where there is abuse involved.  

I’m speaking, rather, to the men & women who have dealt with trials in marriage because of sinfulness who have been broken spiritually and blessedly renewed... who have come to a place of repentance and reconciliation....who stood their ground in the face of fiery darts and prayed through many tears and continue to love the one they're with.

To those who are striving toward unconditional love  ~agape love~  the secret wisdom of a joyful marriage designed by God,  it is to YOU my thoughts go today.  Keep going, keep praying, keep sharing the comfort you have been given by God to comfort others.  You are an abundant blessing and a rare gem.

To God be the glory for all things †

Jesus and the Shroud of Turin: A Review and Personal Thoughts

Format:  DVD, 52 minutes

Produced by:  Questar, 1999

This short 52 minute documentary was part of my homeschooling lesson last week for our teenage son.  I was captivated within the first five minutes.  In fact, I enjoyed this documentary so much, I watched it again the following evening.

Admittedly, I knew very little about the shroud, which is believed to be the burial linen of Jesus Christ, until viewing this film.  I knew it was controversial, knew that it held a place of high esteem among christians around the world and that’s about it.  I didn’t realize it was the most studied artifact in human history. 

What I like most about this documentary is the fact that the viewer is given historical background about the Shroud of Turin as well as providing arguments for and against its authenticity.  For the faithful, it may well advance a faith affirming miracle and for the skeptics, it may provide food for thought and fascinating scientific analysis.  

For example, who knew pollen remains intact for thousands of years?  Or that centuries-old blood stains could provide modern scientists an exact type?  Who would have guessed that the invention of the camera would forever change the way pilgrims and doubters viewed the shroud?

Jesus and the Shroud of Turin presents a well documented view into the shroud's ancient and modern history, both religious and scientific.  It also addresses the more recent find (1988) of carbon dating which stated that the shroud originates in the Middle Ages.   I think viewers of  various beliefs will come away from this program moved and inspired in some way.

Personally, I believe the Shroud of Turin to be a remarkable artifact and probably the authentic burial linen of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Although I don’t necessarily view science in opposition to faith, its somewhat disconcerting to me the way in which western culture seeks knowledge.  Generally speaking of course, western man must dissect a thing in order to understand it;  understanding is achieved through reason and science, a systematic approach.   This, contrasted against an older Eastern philosophy, interlaced with history (including oral) and the experience of the item in question.  It’s the difference in comprehending a tree by the shade or protection it provides vs. cutting it down to examine the rings within.  

After watching this film, for example, my initial thoughts were captivated by the idea of the pollen study and the intricate image of the man on the cloth which allows even a casual viewer to identify teeth and the bones of the hand and wrist.  But the more lingering thoughts went to the history of the cloth(s), the verses that spoke about them in St. John (chapter 20) and the faithful who risked their lives to keep these articles of faith safe during the Crusades, Moorish invasions and natural disasters.  To the people who claimed to have been healed by touching the cloth and its place in Constantinople in the 12th century.

Cloths.  Yes there were two articles of linen found in the Tomb of Christ, as written about in St. John.  The smaller cloth came to be known as the Sudarium and is housed at a cathedral in Spain.  The relationship between the Sudarium and the Shroud of Turin is discussed in this film as it, too, has been subjected to scientific examination and has a well documented history.

It is a blessing to know these articles of faith have been preserved for centuries and are presently being cared for by the faithful, who have graciously allowed pilgrims to venerate them as well as skeptics, the study of them.

Glory to God for all things †

The Miraculous Child: A Book Review

The Miraculous Child: a Christmas Folktale from Old Russia 

A Book Review

Retold by Alvin Alexsi Currier

Illustrated by Nadezda Glazunova

Published by Conciliar Press

21 Pages, Softcover

We added this book to our shelves in 2010 at Christmastime and since then, it has become a family favorite.  The lively cadence of the story is as fun as the story of love, sacrifice and hospitality is memorable.   It’s an old tale that has passed through many generations, perhaps being told in various ways;  what a delight to read this version by Alvin Alexsi Currier.

The illustrations on each page, by Nadezda Glazunova, are whimsical, full of color and expression.  Her work complements the story at every turn and is sure to delight young children.

The Miraculous Child offers a heartwarming tale certain to be told throughout many more generations. It's probably intended for children ages 5-8 years, but the story encompasses lessons for children of all ages.  We have a teenager and a few adults who love this book at our house.