Skycop150's Blog

I found this article on MSNBC.com It presents an interesting view of how people view faith, scripture, and media. I haven't read or seen this book until I came across this article on MSNBC. I made some comments which are in bold and italics.

The article, and information therein, is the property of MSNBC.com and Copyright laws apply.


By Kerry Sanders
Correspondent
NBC News
Updated: 7:14 p.m. ET March 30, 2004MIAMI -

MIAMI - More popular than Harry Potter in some parts of America, “Glorious Appearing” is a work of fiction, based on Scriptures in the bible.

Funny but I always thought Scripture was meant to teach us about real problems not fiction.

One reader said, “They’ve taken things in the Bible that some people have a hard time sitting down and reading and made it real.”

This is telling me that we are not teaching our own people about what we should and they are seeking answers elsewhere. Often times they seek out the easy answers.

This book, the final in a series of 12, was once considered part of a niche market. But now, with more than 40 million sold, Tuesday the books went on sale at that most mainstream of stores, Wal-Mart.

And it’s not just this religious series that has gone mainstream.

The “Passion of the Christ” has now taken in $315 million and is already the 13th largest-grossing movie of all time.

This is some interesting math; 315 million/8.50(the aprox. average price of a ticket today) is equal to about 37 million(est.) tickets. That means roughly 37 million people have seen this film. Lets be generous and say 1/4 of those people are Orthodox (in the US--all jurisdictions) have seen the film. Therefore that is about 9.25 million people. Multiply that by the price of the ticket above, 8.50 and you get, 78.6 million. Imagine if we gave that much money to our churches. Fuzzy math for sure but WOW!

Why these commercial successes now? Tim LaHaye co-authored “Glorious Appearing”: “I think there’s a religious awakening in our country.”

But, from yellow pages with just Christian vendors, to gyms where members pump iron with God’s word as inspiration — in a country where at least 40 percent of Americans claim they read the Bible at least once a day — religion sells.

“There are millions of Christians who appreciate this type of materials. But also modern marketing has gotten a hold of these groups and found ways to put these materials in front of people much more efficiently,” said professor John Green of the University of Akron.

It is an audience politicians feel they can speak to as President George W. Bush did last year: “I ask God for strength and guidance. I ask God to help me be a better person.”

And presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., did just days ago, “The Scriptures say, ‘What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?’”

And now, there’s religion food for the soul, literally. The “Maker’s Diet” is No. 1 on some best-seller lists. It’s a recipe book guiding readers to eat just as Jesus did.

© 2004 MSNBC Interactive

I got this in an email and it is quite funny...


Is it just me or does anyone else find it amazing that our government can track a cow born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she sleeps in the state of Washington. Also they track her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate eleven million illegal aliens wandering around our country. The solution is to give every illegal alien a cow.

I found these questions on the Blue Canopy thanks to Sara. I though that they were kinda fun so I figured I would answer them.

These are in no particular order...

Name four bad habits you have:
1. Chewing tobbacco
2. Blowing off classes
3. Gossiping
4. Sarcasim (although not so much any more)

Name four things that you wish you had:
1. A Corvette
2. Motorcycle--Harley Sportster 1200
3. A chance to tell my Grandfather I love him one more time
4. Speak Greek fluently

Name four scents you love:
1. Roses
2. The incense they use in church
3. Obsession perfume
4. Gun powder and cleaning stuff (okay this one is left over from my military days)

Name four things you'd never wear:
1. Spandex
2. Womens clothes
3. A fur coat
4. Bell bottoms

Name four things you have done today:
1. Goto church
2. Goto class
3. Eat
4. Done homework then blog (okay that is five but who is counting ;-)

Name four of your favorite things to do:
1. Goto church
2. Hang out with good friends
3. Watch movies
4. Eat (if you knew how thin I was you would never have guessed that one)

Name the last 4 things you have bought:
1. Medicine
2. Toothpaste
3. Mouthwash
4. Toothbrush

Name four things you regularly drink: (not counting water)--(This one was easy!)
1. Coffee
2. Coke
3. Coffee
4. Coke

Name four things you are thankful for:
1. My health
2. God really loves me a lot!
3. I have actually been shot at and lived
4. The friends God gave me and my family (that's five again but oh well... :-)

It is no surprise to me that the French are still siding with Saddam... This is upsetting on so many levels!!!

This article is the property of the Associated Press, Copyright laws are applicable. Photos were obtained from Corbis.Except as other wise noted.

Potential Saddam Lawyer Criticizes Bush


By The Associated Press

PARIS (March 28) - A French lawyer who claims to be representing Saddam Hussein said Sunday he doesn't think there will be a trial for a long time and criticized President Bush for pronouncing the former dictator guilty of atrocities.

Jacques Verges said he believes the United States has violated the Geneva Conventions on several counts in its detention of Saddam, and said the world must wait for a trial to determine what Saddam did wrong.

"We know that Mr. Bush has said he's guilty,'' Verges told Associated Press Television News. "But what does that mean? Mr. Bush is not a judge. We cannot accept him as a judge. He is an enemy of Saddam Hussein.''

Verges, known for taking on clients including terrorists and a Nazi leader, said he didn't think Saddam's trial would happen "before a long time.''

By the most conservative estimates, Saddam's regime killed 300,000 men, women and children during his 23 years as president. Investigators are still sifting through millions of pages of documents and some 270 mass graves.


Lawyer for the Infamous



Corbis



Client: Klaus Barbie
AKA: Butcher of Lyon
Position: Former Nazi gestapo chief
Status: Jailed for life in 1987 for crimes against humanity; died in 1991


AP photo



Client: Illich Ramirez Sanchez
AKA: Carlos the Jackal
Position: Former international terrorist
Status: Serving a life sentence since 1997


Corbis



Client: Tariq Aziz
Position: Iraq's former deputy prime minister, in U.S. custody as of last April.
Personality: Verges told Newsweek: "I am not saying I am a close friend of his, but I met him several times. He's very courteous, distinguished even."


Corbis



Client: Khieu Samphan
Position: Ex-Khmer Rouge leader of Cambodia
Status: Expected to stand trial for genocide before a U.N.-backed tribunal this year


Sources: AP, AFP, Infoplease.com, Newsweek, Reuters


Verges said he received a letter from Saddam's family requesting that he defend the former leader, and he agreed to do so. There has been no confirmation that he will be Saddam's lawyer, and U.S. officials have not yet commented on the claim.

Verges said his most pressing work will be to ensure that Iraq's occupying forces respect the 1949 Geneva Conventions. He said Saddam's family has received no information about his health in U.S. detention. Saddam was captured in December.

Referring to the televised footage of Saddam's medical exam after his capture in December, Verges said: "It's against the Geneva Conventions to interrogate a man, examine and exhibit him like an animal at a fair, with a doctor acting more like a veterinarian - looking at his teeth, his hair, his tongue.''

President Bush has said that details still need to be worked out before Saddam can be handed over to Iraq's leaders, who have said they want a quick trial that would sentence Saddam to death.

The International Committee of the Red Cross visited Saddam in jail for the first time in February. The ICRC does not release details of such visits or the prisoner's confinement.

However, Saddam did write a letter to his family that was to be delivered once the United States confirmed it does not contain any hidden messages to his followers. Verges did not discuss that letter.

Verges also said he hopes to take Saddam's case to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.



Though the United States has not ratified the 1998 treaty establishing the court, Verges said he still believed that other nations that took part in the U.S.-led war, including Britain and Spain, could be held responsible there.

The court, however, has previously indicated that it doesn't have jurisdiction over events that occurred in Iraq, which also never ratified its founding treaty.

Verges has previously defended Klaus Barbie, a Nazi Gestapo chief in France during World War II. Last month, Khieu Samphan, a former Khmer Rouge leader, said he had picked Verges to defend him at a proposed genocide trial for surviving leaders of the group that ruled Cambodia in the 1970s.


03/28/04 15:52 EST

Recently, I have been studying the reformation in my Church History II class and I have made some personal observations. I share them here because I am curious as to how others feel concerning some of these issues.

The reformation was a period that was unavoidable in my personal opinion. The way in which the Christian West had developed was 'screaming' for reform. The way in which it took place however was not only illogical but also perverted by the devil. I realize that this is a harsh statement but I feel that it is the truth. I don't believe that those who started the reformation were consciously working to further the ends of the devil but I believe that he [the devil] saw an opportunity to create division and discord in the church and he used it to his advantage. (i.e. to create dissension, strife, and hatred)

Today in class, we discussed Martin Luther, for who, I have always had some degree of admiration. Luther led an interesting life and while the later part was 'controversial' (his marriage for example stuck me as rather strange) for some he was certainly justified in his disdain of the Papacy and the abuses of the Pope himself. (in Luther's time the Pope was Leo X) If there was ever an argument that pointed out the flaws in the idea of Papal infallibility I think that Luther's was one of the best. Luther never really intended to leave the Catholic church in my opinion. I believe that he always hoped the Papacy would come to its senses and that the remaining bishops in the church would do the same. From the Orthodox view point the reforms Luther generally was wishing for were present in the Orthodox East. The situations in Eastern Christendom (as well as politics--God forgive us) didn't allow however for the East to embrace Luther and those who were with him.

While Luther is rightly considered the first Protestant or first Reformationist (the latter being perhaps a better description of Luther and his ideals) (I mean no offense to those of the Lutheran faith when I say this) and there would not have been a reformation without him I think that shortly after his death the rest of those involved in the reformation broke with the spirit of correction that he had in mind. If you look at Protestant churches today one will not see many of Luther's ideals.

I don't agree with Luther on all his points, obviously because I am an Orthodox Christian, but he had some legitimate grievances with the Papacy. I am not comfortable with his views on scripture and how he placed it above the sacraments--even though, he still kept certain sacraments, as the West knew them in his reforms. His arguments on Church and State also don't sit well with me. Yet I must confess that he still makes valid points on this issue. I wouldn't agree with anyone who claims that Church and State should be separate. I say this because I believe that when Christianity was taken to the Gentiles, and thereby, all people which is what Christ intended; we as Christians have a responsibility to live in a Christian manner and that includes governing.

I will post more on this in the days to come...let me know what you think (click on comments and leave your opinions) in the mean time...

In light of the fact that next week is Holy Week and we will soon approach the 'bridge' {Lazzarus Saturday} to that indescribable journey I thought I would share the following reflection. This was sent to me by my spiritual father and I hope you all gain as much from it as I did...God bless and Καλο Πασχα!

"The Cross is the door to Mysteries"...St. Isaac the Syrian



God forbid that we say that the self-offering of the God-Man is to the devil --- for then the created is greater than the Creator ...God forbid that we say that the self-offering ("kenosis" -- cf. Phil II) of the God-Man was to propitiate the Father ...who would not even accept the blood of Isaac for then He who formed the Cosmos from nothing offers the blood of His Son to propitiate Himself and is monstrous...

God forbid we say that the death of the creatures of the Holy One is by His design and eternal for then He Who Is Life and Light is governed by our pathetic necessities and passions....We are in the final stages of a war with sin and it's first fruit ...we are at war with death and His entering into His beloved creation and encountering that to which He is a stranger at the tomb of Lazarus weeps in sorrow and love and the suffering of his beloved children and our frail cosmos which is in bondage ...The Vanquisher of Death, the Incarnate God-Man Jesus Christ comes to the grave of his friend and weeps encountering death ...May we who are asleep awake, may we know the Christ Who Is both Man and God, and may we join ourselves in divine freedom to His victory.

He who in the womb of the Virgin slept as a lion and Who rests in the Sabbath of the tomb shall arise as God on the third day. He who in the Six Days and Day of Rest formed and made all has redeemed and restored creation and now reigns - His Kingdom now - has been announced and established - the Unending Day has dawned.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"my children ...two things I wish you to recall of me
...when you fall down, get up. Learn the tricks of
the devil..."-- St. Anthony the Great

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"When we are reproached for anything by others, it should not irritate us nor make us despondent, but it should humble us, being morally worthless, and should make us turn to God with the fervent prayer that He may heal our infirmities and by His grace supply us with that which is wanting in us.

To grow irritated, especially when we are reproached with weaknesses, really existing in us, would be only adding one malady to another, one passion to another; it would mean that we are sick with voluntary blindness of self-love, which does not wish to see its own Dark side, and leads to voluntary destruction.

To despond is also most foolish, for by the help of God's Grace the Christian can always change for the better if he wishes; and it is for this purpose that the Lord sends us accusers, in order that they may open our spiritual eyes, and that we may see the deformity of our deeds, and seeing, correct ourselves, but not for the purpose of casting us into despondency. Despondency is itself a sin and the work of the Devil. Reproof out to produce in us the "godly sorrow, which worketh repentance to salvation," and not the sorrow of self love."

Gal:6:14: But God forbid that I should glory, save
in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

God has always (and will always) loved me...so why do I spurn Him?

God has always (and will always) provided for me...so why do I cast away what He has given me?

Let us ask ourselves why we turn away from God when He is the only one who can truly help us.

#23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me besides still waters; he restores my soul.

He leads me in right paths for His name's sake.

Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; thy rod and thy staff comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup overfloweth.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

A friend of mine sent me this through email I thought some of these were rather funny...

HOLY HUMOR

1. There was a church that had problems with outsiders parking in its
parking lots, so they put up a sign:
CHURCH CAR PARK - FOR MEMBERS ONLY Trespassers will be baptized!

2. "No God - No Peace. Know God - Know Peace."

3. "Free Trip to heaven. Details Inside!"

4. "Try our Sundays. They are better than Baskin Robbins."

5. "Searching for a new look? Have your faith lifted here!"

6. An ad for one Church has a picture of two hands holding stone tablets on
which the Ten Commandments are inscribed and a headline that reads, "For
fast, fast, fast relief, take two tablets."

7. When the restaurant next to another Church put out a big sign with red
letters that said, "Open Sundays," the church reciprocated with its own
message: "We are open on Sundays, too."

8. "People are like tea bags -- you have to put them in hot water before you
know how strong they are."

9. "Fight truth decay -- study the Bible daily."

10. "How will you spend eternity - Smoking or Nonsmoking?"

11. "Dusty Bibles lead to Dirty Lives"

12. "Come work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours are long and the
pay is low. But the retirement benfits are out of this world."

13. "It is unlikely there'll be a reduction in the wages of sin."

14. "Do not wait for the hearse to take you to church."

15. "If you're headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns."

16. "If you don't like the way you were born, try being born again."

17. "Looking at the way some people live, they ought to obtain eternal fire
insurance soon."

18. "This is a ch_ _ ch. What is missing?" (U R)

19. "In the dark? Follow the Son."

20. "Running low on faith? Step in for a fill-up."

21. "If you can't sleep, don't count sheep Talk to the Shepherd."

Well, there is one more week left in Great Lent, before Holy Week, and then on to Pascha. This Lenten journey has been a roller-coaster of sorts for me with the last 2 weeks being the crazy loop part of the ride. I feel somewhat worn out, but I am not quite ready to throw in the towel, thank God! This Sunday, today, we commerated St. Mary of Egypt. The story of this great Saint is truly amazing and after the first time I heard it I was definitely changed. Earlier in the beginning of Lent I post the story of this great Saints life in various parts on my blog. Check the archives it will be easy to find I don't have a lot of archives. If you haven't read the story do yourself the favor of reading it.

Today's Gospel, sends a powerful message which affords us the knowledge to journey through the rest of this Lenten period. We see that, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, go before Christ and ask Him to place one on the right hand and one on the left hand. The good majority of us, myself included, do this on a daily basis. We ask from God something that we can't possibly fathom nor could we deal with if our prayers were to be answered. Christ's answer to the two disciples always give me a moment of pause. "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" (Mark 10: 32-45) When I think about this statement I have to marvel at the fact that not only do I drink from the cup of Christ but I am also allowed to partake of His divine body and blood. I received His baptism and He took my sins and wiped them clean.

I particularly like the line here where Christ tells the disciples (His children) that you don't know what you are asking for. I have prayed for many things in my life. Forgiveness, health, material things, for others, for understanding, and the list could go on and on. Many times it isn't until later however that I didn't understand what I was praying for nor did I know how to use it. Thank God I never received those things. In the beginning of this post I spoke of St. Mary of Egypt. Her prayers were simple and heart felt. Her example was not to ask God for (fill in whatever here), but rather she asked for forgiveness and protection. In many ways, the rest of things sorted themselves out. St. Mary of Egypt provides me (and You) the example to stay on course for the remainder of Great Lent. If you are off course, as I am, then this Gospel message we read today provides the means for you and I to return to the straight path.

In the Gospel lesson these two Apostles are chastised by the other ten, but Christ also tells them all that they must all become servants.

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10 32-45)

What I glean from this is that we can't proceed through our lives, forget about Great Lent for a moment, lording over others or placing ourselves above others. This is one of those Gospel messages that is fairly straight forward. I also see something else Christ is speaking to in this message, and that is that, He is the sacrifice and that their is scant little time left; returning to Great Lent. As St. Mary of Egypt did so bravely, simply by making the sign of the cross, let me not worry about the remainder of my Lenten journey. It doesn't matter how harsh the desert is for Christ is my Lord and Savior, my strength and firm foundation.

Simplify your prayers and ask not for extravagant things. But rather let us cling to God as St. Mary of Egypt spoke to Zosimas about, "...And I live here clinging to my God Who saves all who turn to Him from faintheartedness and storms." (The life of St. Mary of Egypt)

As I did on the first Sunday of Great Lent, I do on the Last Sunday of Great Lent as well, I ask for forgiveness from all who read this page if they have taken offense at anything. Especially my harsher then needed sarcasm at times. If I have offended any of you please forgive me.

Let us all guard ourselves with the sign of the cross and finish this journey through the desert and make it to Pascha one and all together.

Here are the email for Sen. Edward Kennedy and Sen. John Kerry: If you live in Mass. please email them and ask them to support sending aid to Serbs in Kosovo.

Sen. Kennedy


Sen. Kerry

If you don't live in Massachusetts then find yourSenators here.

Also use this link: House of Reps.

and other information;

The more we bug them the more something might get done!

Abbess Anastasia(right) and Sister Euphemia (left)

Here are some links for new and updated information on this issue. I have decided that I will keep posting information here as long as this is going on hopefully people will do something. These people deserve more than the stone cold silence that they are getting from the rest of the world.


I put links here because I don't have the room to store all these pictures on my site.

Links at our new Info Portal

Kosovo net



Photo gallery - Destroyed holy shrines of Prizren


Albanian rioting in Prizren - photographs


March pogrom against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija

Photo story - Destruction of Devic Monastery (Part I)



Photo story - Destruction of Devic Monastery (Part II)

A small venting session for Crazy Pete...(Don't annoy the Crazy Person!)


This is how I feel about things going on lately. Everywhere I turn lately, it seems as though something new and unbelievably freakin' stupid is going on! I mean I am a reasonable guy but come on things went helter skelter this week.

First, we have the Kosovo situation which the whole world seems content to stand by and simply watch. All the while Muslims are pounding Orthodox Christian churches into dust. There is about a handful of UN troops who can't seem to stop anything more than girl scouts selling cookies, and even that might be questionable. It isn't because of their capability as soldiers it is simply because the rest of the world just won't help them. Go figure?


Secondly, (related to number 1) Russia finally weighed in on the subject although I am wondering why it took them a week to do it?


Third, I read an article this week concerning the Episcopal church and communion to pets and pets in church. None of these things go together nor do they make sense but leave it to the Episcopalians they can figure a way to get a square peg in to a round hole every time. Can someone tell me why we have dialogue with churches like this again? They haven't changed...Well I take that back they have gotten worse over the years. Hey I have a question can my homosexual pet receive communion in church...?&*^&%^^


Fourth, Secular Atheist groups want to ban everything to do with God. Of late, they are back after the pledge of allegiance. I am sorry but I am really tired of these people. Hey stupid God does exist now shut up! I admit that wasn't very cool, but UGGGGHHHHHhgghhhhhh!


Fifth, Richard Clarke came out with a book that is going to make him millions upon millions of dollars and for what? If this guy was such the white knight that he claims to have been then why wasn't he screaming to the Washington Post 2 or 3 years ago? Truth is because he is full of bupp'kiss. (bupp'kiss is a good word and doesn't quite get used enough. I am not sure though if I spelt it right?) This guy is a joke and people are buying him and his damn book while he is going to the bank with your hard earned money and again I ask for what? Truth be told folks if the guy is right they ought to bring him up on charges first for not doing his job as the Counterterrorism Chief. Hello! Mc' Fly? Is anyone home in there? If he is lying, well I say we hang him from a yard arm. Ya just don't see enough hangings from yard arms any more and I think it would be kinda cool to bring that back.


Sixth, (related to five) this Presidential race is unbelievably stupid. As much as I don't want to admit it my guy, Bush, is in hot water for a few different things, Kerry is a boob, and Nader...Who is that guy again? Oh yes and I think Al Sharpton thinks he still has a chance for the Democratic nomination. Lets all get together and write in like some really cool tough people like...Clint Eastwood and Jessie Ventura. Or Like Arnold S.(whose last name I can't spell right now) and Angelina Jolie. Oh well I know it is just a fantasy but I really would like the current group of candidates to grow up.


Finally, I have determined that stupid drunk people have no place in the dorm (mine or other dorms) and should go away. Names, and situations withheld to protect the infantilely stupid and obnoxious!

Oh my God, I just looked out my window and I see dogs, and cats, and squirrels are playing together. Holy Crap!


Okay my ranting and venting is done I have to get back to reality now...Happy, Happy, Happy, Joy Joy!!!!


God Please have mercy upon us all!

This is about the quickest I have ever seen SCOBA issue a statement...

SCOBA
The Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas
8 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10021




March 24, 2004

Dearly beloved in Christ,

As Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in
the Americas, we deplore the terrible and senseless outbreak of violence
and intolerance witnessed this past week in Kosovo.

We have heard the pleas of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian
Orthodox Church. We join them in praying for the victims who were murdered
or forced to flee from their homes while 18,000 international peacekeepers
watched this wanton violence against the minority Serbian population and
the destruction of the centuries-old cultural and spiritual heritage of the
region--including UNESCO-protected sites.More than 3,000 people have been
left homeless, 28 persons killed, and many injured. Furthermore, 30
churches and monasteries were destroyed, bringing the number of churches
destroyed in Kosovo over the past four years to approximately 145. In
addition, numerous villages were torched and leveled to the ground.

Terrorizing civilian populations, like terrorist activity in other parts of
the world, must be confronted openly and directly. Ethnic cleansing is
wrong, no matter who is doing it. Such intolerance, and hatred cannot and
must not be rewarded.

We call on the United Nations and responsible Western governments to
intervene swiftly and forcefully to restore a safe and secure environment
in Kosovo, to protect the rights and property of minorities, and to
preserve the remaining centuries-old religious sites throughout the region.

Having called upon our government to take appropriate measures, we call
upon you also, our spiritual children, to let your voices be heard in the
media and in the offices of your elected officials. We ask you, during
this Lenten season, to intensify even more your prayers for peace in the
world. Pray that our Lord will comfort and offer solace to the homeless

and eternal rest to the victims of this violence.

To learn more about this crisis, tune in our radio program "Come Receive
The Light," on Saturday, March 27, where you will hear a radio interview
with Fr. Irinej Dobrijevich at the Patriarchate of the Serbian Orthodox
Church in Belgrade. In areas not reached by the broadcast, you will find
it on www.receive.org.

For those wishing to help the immediate needs of those displaced, including
food, shelter and medical care, please know that our agency, International
Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) has been working on the ground in
Kosovo since 1993. It is providing continuous humanitarian assistance to
the refugees and persons displaced by this great tragedy. Donations can be
sent to: IOCC, P.O. Box 630225, Baltimore, MD 21263-0225; or call toll
free 1-877-803-4622.

We urge you to express in every God-pleasing way your support for our
brothers and sisters in Kosovo.


With paternal blessings and love in Christ,


+Archbishop DEMETRIOS, Chairman
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

+Metropolitan HERMAN
Orthodox Church in America

+Metropolitan PHILIP, Vice Chairman
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
of North America

+Metropolitan NICOLAE
Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in
America and Canada

+Metropolitan CHRISTOPHER, Secretary
Serbian Orthodox Church in the United States
and Canada

+Metropolitan JOSEPH
Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church

+Metropolitan NICHOLAS of Amissos, Treasurer
Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese in the USA

+Metropolitan CONSTANTINE
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA

+Bishop ILIA of Philomelion
Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America




SCOBA
The Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas
8 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10021

Letter following press release...






Press Release
March 24, 2004


SCOBA Hierarchs Call Upon UN and NATO To Restore Peace and Order in Kosovo

As Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in
the Americas, we deplore the terrible and senseless outbreak of violence
and intolerance witnessed this past week in the Serbian province of Kosovo
and Metohija.

We have heard the pleas of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian
Orthodox Church. We join them in praying for the victims who were murdered
or forced to flee from their homes while 18,000 international peacekeepers
watched this wanton violence against the minority Serbian population and
the destruction of the cultural and spiritual heritage of the region ?
including UNESCO-protected sites.

More than 3,000 people have been left homeless, 28 persons killed, and many
injured. Furthermore, 30 churches and monasteries were destroyed, bringing
the number of churches destroyed in Kosovo over the past four years to
approximately 145. In addition, numerous villages were torched and leveled
to the ground.

Terrorizing civilian populations, like terrorist activity in other parts of
the world, must be confronted openly and directly. Ethnic cleansing is
wrong, no matter who is doing it. Such intolerance, and hatred cannot and
must not be rewarded.

We call on the United Nations and responsible Western governments to
intervene swiftly and forcefully to restore a safe and secure environment
in Kosovo, to protect the rights and property of minorities, and to
preserve the remaining centuries-old religious sites throughout the region.

Russia worried by indifference to Serb churches destruction

23.03.2004, 15.20




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BELGRADE, March 23 (Itar-Tass) - Russia is perplexed over the clam reaction of the world community to the destruction of Orthodox churches in Kosovo, Russian Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting with Patriarch Pavle of the Serb Orthodox Church.

“We remember well a wave of indignation over the destruction by Taliban troops in Afghanistan of the stone statue of Buddha, because it was the destruction of cultural heritage,” he said. He stressed that the same thing had taken place in Kosovo.

In the opinion of Shoigu, the destruction of the churches “is an attempt not only to destroy the buildings, but also to wipe out from the earth, from people’s memory, all that could remind one of the people who lived on that land before.”

Russian assistance to Kosovo refugees “will not be a single act, it will be rendered on a long-term basis,” Shoigu said on Tuesday, responding to questions of Russian journalists.

“Russia regards as one of its main tasks the curbing of the exodus of the non-Albanian population from Kosovo and the building of long-term relations with the government of Serbia and Montenegro in the humanitarian sphere,” Shoigu continued.

According to his information, “the first group of Russian planes with humanitarian cargoes will fly to Serbia on March 24. The next group of planes will fly on March 26.” He said that “Russian assistance will be rendered in three stages: the building of two tent camps housing 1,000 people each, the provision of refugees with food and medicaments and the preparatory work for the creation of a settlement housing 200 families.”

From the ERP KIM news service...


Unseen acts of barbarism from the testimony of Czech peacekeepers in Kosovo

Czechs hold line in Kosovo

KFOR soldiers defend Serb enclaves against
attacks by Albanians

"Albanians smashed everything inside, including our communications center, made a big pile in front and set it on fire. Then they turned their attention to the adjacent Serb cemetery. They knocked over tombstones, dug up the coffins and scattered the bones in them", says Czech captain Jindrich Plescher - "I have never seen anything like it"



By Eva Munk
For The Prague Post
(March 25, 2004)

Captain Jindrich Plescher had never seen anything like it.

"We were defending a Serb Orthodox church in the town of Podujevo against a mob of 500 Albanians, but there were too many for us," he recalled. "When they broke through the wall [around the church], we got orders to retreat.

"They smashed everything inside, including our communications center, made a big pile in front and set it on fire. Then they turned their attention to the adjacent Serb cemetery. They knocked over tombstones, dug up the coffins and scattered the bones in them."

For the first time March 21, the professionally optimistic voice of Plescher, press spokesman for the Czech-Slovak KFOR battalion in Kosovo, sounded tired.

"Sorry, we've been on our feet since last week," he said. "Our boys have been rounding up Serb families, pulling them out of cellars and out of burning houses -- saving their lives."

Czech and Slovak soldiers have been supporting KFOR's Brigade center -- a multinational unit consisting of Finnish, Swedish and Irish troops, located around the administrative center of Pristina -- since mobs of ethnic Albanians went on a rampage against Kosovo's Serb minority March 17.

"The Serbs are very happy to see Czech and Slovak troops. They see us as keepers of the peace," Plescher said.

For most of the week, they helped defend Serb enclaves in the towns of Lipljan, Plemetina, Babin Most, Caglavica and Gracanica. By March 21 they had consolidated around the village of Obiliç, a Serb enclave northwest of Pristina, and were evacuating the remaining Serb inhabitants to military headquarters in the city. The Serb homes in the village were ransacked and burned, said unit commander Josef Kopecky.

Albanian rage

In times of peace, the 500-strong Fourth Czech-Slovak KFOR battalion keeps the peace in an area of 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) in the northeast corner of the province, including 104 kilometers (65 miles) of borderland and a long stretch of the Belgrade-Pristina highway. The area was expanded by 179 square kilometers March 22 to include more ethnically mixed villages.

Now their mission is simply to protect Serbs from enraged mobs of ethnic Albanians.

"The residents have gone to war with each other using whatever they can -- iron bars, rifles, handguns and even grenades," Kopecky said March 19. "In Serbian enclaves, Kosovo Albanians are destroying property, burning houses, chasing people away and even lynching them. The Serbs are trying to defend themselves and we are trying to keep them apart."

No Czech or Slovak soldiers have been hurt, except for one Slovak who was hit on the head with a rock, Plescher said. "He was up on his feet again the next day. Please, please tell everyone back home that all our boys are alive and well."

The Czech government had planned to withdraw 100 troops from Kosovo by May 1. But the performance of the Czech soldiers in quelling the riots has made the government change its mind about downsizing the force in the province, Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla told reporters.


FACE TO FACE


The rampage broke out March 17 after two Albanian boys were drowned in the Ibar river, reportedly chased there by Serbs. That event triggered the worst violence the province has seen since 1999. Mobs of ethnic Albanians attacked Serb enclaves and KFOR units, leaving 24 dead and about 850 more wounded, 22 of them seriously.

Mobs razed hundreds of Serb houses and 17 Orthodox churches and monasteries.

Ironically, the riots started days after UN Undersecretary General for Peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno praised evident progress in Kosovo and urged displaced persons to return to their homes.

That hardly seems likely now.

Instead, NATO plans to augment its 17,000-strong presence in the province with 2,000 more troops. UN officials and the commander of NATO forces in Southern Europe, Admiral Gregory Johnson, are now saying the riots appear to have been well-planned and organized.

In Serbia, the violence triggered anti-Albanian protests, and several mosques were burned.

Serbian Foreign Minister Goran Silvanovic said the riots prove that KFOR and UN forces have no real authority in the province and are incapable of protecting Kosovo's minorities.

Independence demand

For their part, Kosovar leaders say the only way to resolve the underlying causes of the conflict is to give the province independence. But European leaders agree that such a move could again destabilize the Balkans -- not to mention what such a move would mean for Kosovo's Serb and Romany minorities.

"Of course they would kill us or drive us out," said Romany journalist Jackie Buzoli.

So far, according to Romany activist and Kosovo correspondent Paul Polansky, the Albanians' rage has bypassed the Roma, who are merely being urged not to help the Serbs.

This is...well read it and judge for yourselves...

10 Mar 2004 04:01 GMT WSJ(3/10) Houses Of Worship Reach Out To A Flock Of Pets


Copyright © 2004, Dow Jones Newswires

(From THE WALL STREET JOURNAL)
By Elizabeth Bernstein
For the first time in 10 years, Mary Wilkinson went to church one Sunday in January. She sat in a back pew at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Stamford, Conn., flipping through a prayer book and listening intently to the priest's sermon.

What drew Ms. Wilkinson back into the fold was a new monthly program the church introduced -- Holy Communion for pets. As part of the service, the 59-year-old retired portfolio manager carried her 17-year-old tiger cat to the altar, waited in line behind three panting dogs to receive the host and had a special benediction performed for her cat, Purr Box Jr. "I like that the other parishioners are animal people," Ms. Wilkinson says.

With pews hard to fill, a small number of otherwise-traditional clergy are welcoming animals into the flock. Some are creating pet-friendly worship services, while others have started making house calls for sick animals. Some are starting to accompany pet owners to the vet when they euthanize a beloved pet. Occasionally, clergy are even officiating at pet funerals and group "bark mitzvahs." Congregants at temple Beth Shir Sholom, in Santa Monica, Calif., have an animal prayer sung to the tune of "Sabbath Prayer," a song from "Fiddler on the Roof": "May our God protect and defend you. May God always shield you from fleas."

All Saints Episcopal Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has doubled attendance at its Sunday evening service since it began last summer to invite pets once a month. It wanted to attract people who walked their dogs on the church grounds. "We call it evangelism," says Rector Sherod Mallow. "It's opening your doors to the different needs of the community."

Pet services are aiming to draw in the elderly, many of whom rely on pets as their only companions, and people who have strayed from religion because it no longer seemed relevant. The effort is part of a larger movement among houses of worship to attract worshipers by offering amenities considered important to modern lives. In recent years, churches and synagogues have added everything from in-house Starbucks cafes and sports clubs to special worship services for children and singles.

Churches such as Manhattan's Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine have long held annual services to bless everything from rabbits to elephants. Catholics have long revered Saint Francis as a protector of animals.

Rabbi Isaac Jeret, of Temple Emanu-El, in Palm Beach, Fla., recently took that tradition to a new level when he began making house calls to ailing animals. Noticing the popularity of animal benedictions in churches, Rabbi Steven Fink of Temple Oheb Shalom in Baltimore organized a similar event for his own worshipers last May. More than 100 owners and their animals showed up, including guinea pigs and a king snake. "It touched people who saw the temple as not relevant to their lives," says the rabbi, who is planning a second pet blessing in May.

Helping the trend along: the $30 billion pet-products industry, which is marketing spirituality in new ways. After pet gravestones became one of its five most-requested products, Petco introduced memorial stones in 2002. Customer requests also prompted the company to start carrying kosher dog food and Hanukkah treats last year. Hallmark, which annually ships 500,000 pet sympathy cards, introduced several with spiritual imagery last year. One features a drawing of a little bear with wings and a halo flying up to heaven and the line "Such a sweet little soul could never be forgotten."

Skylight Paths just published a book called "What Animals Can Teach Us About Spirituality." "Peace to All Beings: Veggie Soup for the Chicken's Soul," (Lantern Books) contains prayers for all sorts of creatures, including insects. (One prayer: "Peace and compassion prevails on Earth for our tiny brothers and sisters everywhere.") Pet boutiques, such as Miami Beach's Dog Bar, carry plush toy dreidels, Stars of David and St. Christopher pendants for collars, and kosher pet food (production supervised by a rabbi).

For devout pet lover Kathleen Eickwort, of Ocala, Fla., these developments are welcome. When her dog, Sarge, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in June, she made religion a part of his treatment. In addition to chemotherapy, Sarge received a 20-minute visit from the rector of Ms. Eickwort's Episcopal church, who touched him and prayed for his recovery. Sarge also went to church twice. Now, his cancer is in remission. "There is no reason why prayer healing shouldn't work for animals," says Ms. Eickwort.

Last summer, a member of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Stamford began bringing her King Charles Spaniel on Sunday mornings; soon, several other attendees were regularly bringing their dogs. "They felt that they would be welcomed, because we have long had a blessing of the animals," says Frank Baker, the church's former treasurer.

Not everyone at St. Francis was happy to share the pews with furry creatures. One longtime congregant sent an e-mail to the church saying that his son-in-law suffered an allergy attack because of the animals. The parishioner, who won't allow his name to be used for fear of backlash from the "animal people," warned that dogs at the after-church coffee hour might bite children eating cookies.

In response to the concerns, the clergy created the monthly pet-friendly service, similar to the one at All Saints in Fort Lauderdale that they had read about in an Episcopal newspaper. "We thought we could bring people in," says the Rev. Mark Lingle.

The new service, introduced in November, is abbreviated, with readings tailored to animal lovers. At the recent service that Purr Box Jr. attended, Rev. Lingle read a psalm about a ram, prayed for "all creatures everywhere" and individually blessed each animal in attendance.

Oliver, a 7-month-old Clumber Spaniel, chewed through his leash and took off after a red cardinal he spotted outside the window while Enoki, an 8-year-old black cocker spaniel, growled. Rev. Lingle took the commotion in stride, grabbing a roll of paper towels and a bottle of Nature's Miracle after the service and inspecting the altar for drool while pets and their owners milled about. "For a lot of people, the relationships they have with their pets are central to their lives," he says. "They like to be in a place that recognizes and honors that."

Mary Wilkinson was happy that she had brought Purr Box Jr. in to be blessed for his digestive problems. Now, she says she plans to come back each month, rotating her 11 other cats.

---

Journal Link: Read selected excerpts from the anthology "Herd on the Street: Animal Stories from The Wall Stret Journal," at WSJbooks.com/herd.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires

I read an article tonight about the pledge of allegiance and that atheist groups want to have "under God banned" I am beginning to wonder if these secular groups can get any more ignorant.

I have added two new links to the page. The first one is for Eleni's tours. She (Eleni) got me a great price on a ticket to Greece for the summer. If anyone is traveling I would highly recommend calling her and checking prices. She does handle trips all over the place not just to Greece. Go ahead and check out her site.

The second link, is of a more serious nature, it is an organization which tracks clergy (Orthodox and others) who have committed sexual abuse against parishioners and others. I do warn those who go to this site that some of the stories are difficult to read. (I was a cop for 8 years and the stories and cases were hard to get through) The site is primarily designed to bring about the awareness to members of the Orthodox church about our own problems with clergy abuse. The cases that are written about are all backed up with documentation. (i.e: it is not a "flimsy shim sham site") There is also a special information section for victims of abuse and how they can go about getting help. That is my main reason for placing it here. In the off chance that a victim of abuse finds the link perhaps they will be able to get help.

These are pictures and articles that I was sent and I felt the need to post them here: The source of the information comes from the ERP KIM news service.

I do not know who the photographer of these pictures is. This article and all information (including pictures) herein is the property of ERP KIM news service. I have reprinted it here without permission and not for profit. This information is here with the sole purpose of making as many people as possible aware of what is going on in Kosovo.

ERP KIM Newsletter 20-03-04

Kristallnacht in Kosovo continuing

More than 20 Serbian Orthodox churches destroyed by rampaging groups of Kosovo Albanians - the pearls of medieval art in flames and ashes

More than 20 Orthodox Christian churches have perished in flames in the last three days of pogrom orchestrated by Kosovo Albanian extremists against the remaining Kosovo Serbs and their holy sites. Most valuable works of art: holy icons, medieval books, frescoes fro the 14th and 15th centuries perish in flames while the civilized Europe is not able to stop the rampage of extremists who slowly create a society in which soon there will not be a sign of cross and any living Serbs. Kosovo Albanian leaders issue impotent statements while groups of armed extremists with machine guns, anti-tank rockets, grenades, knives and axes destroy the last traces of one people which survived here in the last several centuries. Is this a plan? Is this Europe and the world going to tolerate? Is this going to be rewarded? Mr. Schieder the president of the European Parliament wrote to Kosovo PM Barjram Rexhepi that the European and civilized society cannot be built on blood of the innocent, on ruins of centuries old Christian monuments. Weather Kosovo Albanian leaders will understand that this is not the way to build better future for their children remains to be seen in the following days.

Church of the Theotokos burnt out


List of churches destroyed in Kosovo and Metohija thus far, Mar. 17-19, 2004

"Death to Serbs"


ERP KIM Info Service
March 19, 2004, Gracanica


An Albanian girl taking out something out from the ruins of the St. George Cathedral in Prizren

I am not sure if this Albanian girl is a Christian or a Muslim. There was no other explanation with the picture.
Below is a list of churches and church buildings regarding which the Diocese has received information that they were destroyed in the riots occurring between March 17 and March 19, 2004. In process is the intensive verification of all data, especially in the area of Prizren where there are indications that all Orthodox churches have been destroyed. In Urosevac, Athens News Agency advised this morning that members of Greek KFOR have abandoned protection of three church buildings. The only thing that they were able to confirm is that the church of the Holy King Uros in Urosevac has been burned. In any case, it can be officially said that at least 16 churches have been destroyed (according to UNMIK confirmation). It is entirely possible that the number exceeds 20 (on the basis of information arriving in the Diocese of Raska and Prizren). Together with the 112 churches already destroyed or heavily damaged since the beginning of the UNMIK "peace mission" in June 1999, over 130 Orthodox holy shrines in Kosovo and Metohija have been destroyed or demolished. Two churches in Lipljan apparently have not yet been destroyed even though initial reports indicated that they were under attack.

This list will be added to or amended as needed as the Diocese receives new information regarding the destruction of Orthodox churches in Kosovo and Metohija:

1. Orthodox Cathedral of the Most Holy Mother of God of Ljevis, 14th century (Prizren)
2. Church of Holy Salvation, 14th century (Prizren)
3. Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr George, 20th century (Prizren)
4. Holy Archangels Monastery, 14th century (Prizren)
5. Church of St. George Runovic, 15th century (Prizren, courtyard of the Episcopate)
6. Church of St. John the Fore-runner and Baptist (Pec) with parish home
7. Church of the Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple 19th century (Belo Polje near Pec)
8. Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God (Djakovica) 19th century with parish home
9. Church of the Holy King Uros (Urosevac)
10. Church of St. Nicholas (Kosovo Polje)
11. Church of St. Catherine (Bresje near Kosovo Polje)
12. Church of St. Nicholas, 19th century (Pristina)
13. Church of St. Nicholas, 19th century (Gnjilane)
14. Church of St. Sava (Kosovska Mitrovica)
15. Church in Vitina (Vitina near Gnjilane)
16. Devic Monastery, 14th century (Srbica)
17. Church in Donja Slapasnica (Kosovska Kamenica)
18. Church in Brnjak near Bela Crkva (Orahovac)
19. Church of St. John the Fore-runner and Baptist (Pecka Banja)
20. Church of St. Elijah, 19th century (Vucitrn)
21. Church of St. Michael (Stimlje)
22. Church in Obilic (Obilic)
23. Church of St. Lazarus in Piskote (Djakovica), damaged in 1999, now burned
24. Church of St. Nicholas (Tutic church), 14th century (Prizren)
25. Church of St. Kyriake, 14th century (Prizren)
26. Church of St. Panteleimon 14th c. (Prizren)

24. Sts. Cyril and Methodius Seminary building , with chapel (Prizren)
25. Episcopate - seat of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren with chapel (Prizren)

- The Albanians are removing the ruins of the Church of the Holy Trinity (Djakovica) blown up in 1999
The list will be regularly updated according to the latest information and confirmations, so the above list is not still fully complete and official. The diocese is working hard to check all incoming information.

Church of Christ the Savior


Church of St. Nicholas on fire


Student protest in Belgrade against violence


Prayers for those in Kosovo:



O Holy Archangel Michael, Chief of the Heavenly Hosts, Defender of God's Holy Church, please intercede for our brothers and sisters suffering through out the world and especially at this time in Kosovo. Crush the works of the devil and preserve God's Holy Church and His people. Protect those who are suffering and oppressed, pray for them, that the Lord will be merciful to their suffering. You who stand at the throne of the Almighty God and Holy Trinity intercede for those in danger and peril of death. We ask you now O Holy Archangel of God to deal with us, showing us mercy and pity; intercede to Christ our God that He would grant us all the forgiveness of our sins. Do not deal with us as we should be, as wretched sinners, do not let thy sword fall upon us to strike us down as sinners and enemies of Christ our God. We beg thee to show us mercy and defend us as thou art the protector and defender of God's Holy Church. We ask also O Archangel of God, that you intercede for our enemies and those who would seek and bring harm to God's Holy Church, that they would come to know the Fear of God; that they might obtain a spirit of repentance, so that they would not perish but would come to know the Truth, the Way, and the Light: who is Christ our God! Please O Archangel Michael protect us now in this hour of need and at all times; through thy prayers and intercesions may Christ our God grant us great mercy!



O Blessed Theotokos, we ask that you intercede for those suffering in Kosovo and protect them under your shelter. Please O Virgin Bride of God help us all now in our time of need and always, that through your maternal boldness and prayers, Christ our True God, would grant us forgiveness of our sins and life everlasting. O Most Holy Theotokos we thank you for your showing us your loving care and gentle touch. Help those now in Kosovo who are suffering, in pain, and peril of death. Stretch forth thy loving arms and shelter them from all harm. Ask your Son, and our God to grant mercy also to those who would seek and bring harm to God's Holy Church and to His people. May your Son and our God be merciful to them that they not perish but come to the Fear of God; so that they would know a spirit of repentance and peace. O Blessed Theotokos, we beg you not to turn away from us wretched though we are; please O Virgin look to us with mercy and pity, and intercede to your Son and our God on our behalf. That through your prayers we may be saved.

More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim. Thou who with out corruption gave birth to God the Word. True Theotokos thee do we magnify!

Some additional information on the Serbian crisis


Sokolica Monastery saved - Nuns returned as KFOR guards holy shrine

ERP KIM Info Service
Gracanica, March 19, 2004 17:40

The Diocese of Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija has learned that KFOR has decided to guard Sokolica Monastery. Previous statements by some international representatives indicated that KFOR had abandoned the monastery after the forcible evacuation of Mother Makarija and the Sokolica sisterhood. Thanks to the intervention of Bishop Artemije and his monks and priests with KFOR representatives in Mitrovica, it was agreed that KFOR would stay to guard the monastery. Finally KFOR agreed to return the nuns to the monastery and with them the sisterhood of Devic Monastery, which was evacuated and destroyed yesterday.

Bishop Artemije, who personally went to Sokolica to stop the destruction of the monastery by his physical presence, is currently in northern Mitrovica and is in constant telephone contact. According to Bishop Artemije, a much firmer position on the part of KFOR can be observed today with respect to the protection of churches and monasteries than yesterday and two days ago.

Visoki Decani Monastery was visited by KFOR commander Emilio Primiceri who assured the monks that KFOR is undertaking maximum security measures. At the same time, work is being done in the political field by establishing an atmosphere of trust among representatives of local Albanians to prevent an escalation of violence. According to the Italian general a handful of Italian paratroopers heroically fought yesterday to defend the Church of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple in Djakovica after the evacuation of four elderly Serb women. However, when the church and courtyard were surrounded by an enormous crowd of Albanians armed with Kalashnikovs, Molotov cocktails and hand grenades, the Italian paratroopers were forced to evacuate despite the arrival of reinforcements. The church is difficult to defend as it is located in the very center of the city and is surrounded by houses from which guns were being fired. The church was then set on fire and everything inside it - precious icons, books and iconostasis from the 19th century - was destroyed.

I wanted to take a minute to talk about the outbreak of violence going on in Kosovo. In 1999, when the war started over there I was still serving in the military. Now I didn't quite like (or understand) what we were doing sending troops over there, but like a good Airman, I volunteered to go. The military being the military sent me to another combat zone, the Middle-East, go figure.

Now my take on what happened in 1999 is still the same today; that is that the Americans should have stayed out of that war and let Europe take the lead role in diffusing the fighting. Nonetheless, once America committed troops we had a job to do and that was understood by all. Only this time for the first time in my career my fellows in arms were going up against Orthodox Christians. I didn't like this and to be honest it made me very uncomfortable. Not because I couldn't carry out my orders but because I didn't like what the Orthodox were doing and supporting.

I remember going to talk to a priest about the whole thing, and he reminded me why we pray for those who hurt and wrong us, and do harm to others. What I am getting at here is that since this newest report of violence has come out I have heard all kinds of things being said, and some of them aren't Christian at all. Regardless of who is on what side, or who is doing what those involved in a conflict like this are wrong either way. The bottom line is that there is just no such thing as a JUST WAR. (and yes I knew that when I was in the military by the way)

I say this because, I want to encourage all who read this, to pray not only for the Serbians who are suffering but for the Albanians who are agressing right now. (tomorrow it could very well be the other way around) The fact is that this region has been torn apart by aggression for centuries and all involved need are prayers. So the next time you think about this situation remember to pray for all involved. It doesn't matter how many buildings get destroyed for they are not a part of the body of Christ. When one member of the body suffers however it is felt by the whole body. When one member of the body dies then the body dies a little bit as well.

This is another story I received about the Serb/Kosovo situation. It comes out of Reuters.


This article and the information contained therein are the property of Reuters. Copyright laws apply.

© Copyright Reuters 2004. All rights reserved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Serbs Driven Out in 'Kosovo Carve-Up'
Fri Mar 19, 2004 07:13 AM ET


By Fredrik Dahl
PRISTINA, Serbia and Montenegro (Reuters) - Another burned Serb village smoldered in Kosovo on Friday as Germany joined the rush of NATO reinforcements to quell an outbreak of ethnic violence that the alliance has blamed mainly on Albanian hard-liners.

Nearly a thousand Serbs have been driven from their homes by mobs since Wednesday and 31 people killed, in what some say is not spontaneous violence but a deliberate drive to obliterate isolated enclaves before Kosovo is carved up.

Germany joined the United States, Italy and Britain with a decision to send 600 more troops to bolster the 18,500 strong KFOR peacekeeping mission, Defense Minister Peter Struck said.

They will start deploying on Saturday, raising Germany's contingent to 3,800 troops.

About 150 British troops landed in Kosovo early on Friday, the lead party of 750 troops pledged by Britain, a Ministry of Defense spokeswoman said in London. About 150 U.S. troops and 80 Italian Carabinieri arrived on Thursday.

But some fear permanent damage has been inflicted over the past 48 hours on the post-1999 war resettlement program.

"Albanians are trying to cleanse the Serbs and create a fait accompli before any talks," said a Western source on condition of anonymity. "Anyone with some political experience can see that."

In Mitrovica, scene of the worst clashes this week, a loud blast shook a high-rise building on Friday and NATO-led troops evacuated residents, a Reuters cameraman at the scene said.

Smoke billowed from windows in the building, populated mainly by Albanians, but located in the Serb-dominated northern part of the ethnically-divided town. French NATO peacekeepers soldiers carried out two elderly people.

Earlier about 300 French troops and gendarmes of NATO's Kosovo peacekeeping force sprang a raid on Albanian high-rise apartment blocks after apparently coming under fire during the night.

Kosovo Albanian Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi was due to visit the town later in the day.

REVERSE PROCESS

It was in order to prevent Serbian ethnic cleansing of Albanians during an Albanian guerrilla uprising in 1999 that NATO bombed Serbia, compelling its forces to withdraw from Kosovo. NATO then occupied the province together with the United Nations.

In the immediate aftermath, Albanian revenge attacks, arson, killing, abduction and intimidation drove 200,000 Serbs out of Kosovo. But 80,000-100,000 stayed on, many in north Mitrovica but many others in enclaves surrounded by Albanian communities.

NATO has squarely blamed Albanians for the latest violence, which some see as a bid to clean up territory ahead of negotiations on Kosovo's final status and possible partition.

Smoke rose from burned-out houses in the Serb village of Svinjare, about five km (three miles) south of Mitrovica. A local man said Albanians had set fire to a dozen buildings in the hamlet of 50 homes the night before.

Oliver Ivanovic, Serb member of the Kosovo parliament's presidency, said he expected burning and looting to continue in the next few days, "until KFOR gets its act together."

"Ethnic cleansing of Serbs began in 1999 and it is about to be completed now. Small enclaves in central Kosovo will not be saved and Kosovo's north now becomes a clearly defined area which will have to have a strong protection," he said.

"It is very difficult to look at the future of Kosovo, but one thing's for sure -- there's no more talk about multicultural life, this is rubbish no one here even thinks about any more."

I received the following email today concerning attacks on Serbian Orthodox Churches and monasteries. There is also information on the CNN international edition web page:

Albanians shelling near Visoki Decani Orthodox Monastery, monks in prayer in church, U.S. reinforcements expected to arrive soon.

Gracanica, March 17, 2004
The Diocese of Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija wishes to inform the public that several mortar shells have fallen not far from Visoki Decani Monastery which were fired by Albanians at the monastery. Italian forces are presently protecting the Monastery. U.S. special forces are expected to arrive soon to reinforce defenses.

In the meanwhile the Monastery of Holy Archangels near Prizren has been evacuated because German forces were not ready to protect the monastery. The monks from Holy Archangels are safe in a German military base; however, according to some reports, the monastery has already been set on fire, as have numerous other churches in Prizren. We have also received information that the 14th century Church of the Holy Mother of God of Ljevis is in flames.

Redirected from ERPKIM news:

Kosovo

UN administrators flee “Kristallnacht” | 23:46 | B92

PRISTINA -- Wednesday – UN administrators have abandoned offices in the Kosovo towns of Gnjilane, Prizren and Pec, fleeing what one UNMIK official described to B92 as “Kristallnacht”.

“Kristallnacht is under way in Kosovo,” the official told B92 on condition of anonymity.

“What is happening in Kosovo must unfortunately be described as a pogrom against Serbs: churches are on fire and people are being attacked for no other reason than their ethnic background,” he added.

Serbs and UN officers have been the target of attacks by Kosovo Albanians during most of the day and night. The most dramatic withdrawal was from Belo Polje on the outskirts of Pec, where UNMIK officials, retreating with Serb residents, where forced to shoot Albanian assailants in self-defence.

The Serbian Orthodox seminary in Pec has been razed, and Albanians celebrated its destruction by setting fire to the local church., said the UN official.

This is a passage from the Screwtape letters, by C. S. Lewis:

"The best thing, where it is possible, is to keep the patient from the serious intention of praying altogether. When the patient is an adult recently reconverted to the Enemy's [i.e. God's] party, like your man, this is best done by encouraging him to remember, or to think he remembers, the parrot-like nature of his prayers in childhood. ....But of course the Enemy [i.e. God's] will not meantime be idle. Whenever there is prayer, there is danger of His [i.e. God's] own immediate action."

Guard your heart and pray often, in fact, pray ceaselessly.

"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mark 14: 38)

Since I was old enough to pick a political party I have always been a conservative republican. Now when I was growing up in the 80's that was a cool thing. In the 90's it was fashionable because after President Clinton came on the seen the conservatives were viewed as the underdogs. Do you remember Rush Limbaugh in the early Clinton years? I do.

Now I don't think that President Clinton was a particularly good President as Presidents go that is. He spent more time dodging bullets about to many countless scandals that he or his administration were involved to actually get anything done. What did get done often times was done by others and he claimed the credit. I do think however, that President Clinton is a great politician. Anyone who can have gone through all that he did and still hold the popularity that he does...well that still amazes me!

Democrats and Republicans today however may not be as different as they were when my father and grandfather were young men. I once read an article concerning political parties and the gist of the article was that most people by nature are conservative. I mean think about it not one of us really wants bigger government or big brother knocking at the door. Now I don't hate democrats although I don't really understand their train of thoughts these days on almost all the issues.

Just like the political world was different for my father and grandfather the political world today (post 911) has changed forever. No matter how much Sen. John Kerry would like to think that he can return things to the way they were it just isn't going to happen. It is a pipe dream that will never be. It is easy to blame the current President and administration for acting to hastily in the war in Iraq and for all the other problems that exist today. The problem is that if the next administration doesn't have a plan then problems will only get worse not better.

I haven't heard any plans from Sen. Kerry only what's wrong. Well duh!?! What I find incredibly ironic is that all the democrats who are bashing President Bush and the current administration are the same politicians who agreed to give him the authority to do these things in the first place. I don't remember President Bush ever saying that the war in Iraq would be quick. In fact, I remember him and his administration saying the exact opposite. Then there are the mysterious foreign leaders that Sen. Kerry claims to have spoken to. Yet he can't name them. Umm...is this kinda of like the story a little kid tells his parents when the lamp gets broken in the living room; Mother: Junior who did this! Child: I don't know... it just doesn't add up. Sen. Kerry seems to be running for President in an imaginary world.

The following are a list of dates of prior terrorist attacks. Mind you these are only from the month of October: (This list is not inclusive)

1 October - The Israeli Air Force bombed PLO Headquarters in Tunisia in 1985 (retaliation for previous terror attacks against Israel.
6 October - 1973 Arab-Israeli War begins
6 October - President Sadat assassinated in 1981
7 October - 1985 sea hijacking of the Achille Lauro by Palestinian terrorists
8 October - 1987 founding of what eventually became the FARC in Colombia
8 October - 18 Arabs die at Temple Mount in 1990
9 October - Rangoon bombing by North Korean intelligence agents in an assassination attempt on South Korean president. 21 Burmese and Korean officials die.
23 October - Bombing of Marine Barracks in Lebanon, 254 Marines Killed
25 October - US invades Grenade in 1983
26 October - Assassination of Pak Chung Hee in Korea in 1979
30 October - Middle East Peace Talk begin in Madrid in 1991
31 October - Indria Gandhi assassinated by Sikhs in 1991
12 October 2000 - Bombing of USS Cole in Yemen, killing 17 sailors.

When are we going to realize that to not deal with terrorism head on is simply not going to work. It didn't work in the past and it is not going to work in the future.

I am not happy with everything that President Bush has done in office but him and his administration have a plan and it is working. Not to mention the fact that Sen. Kerry and the democrats agreed to this plan.

As far as the WMD in Iraq I do believe that these weapons exist. I also believe that these weapons were dispersed through out Iraq and other countries (Syria and others) through out the Middle-East. Iraq (under Saddam) always supported terrorist. This is not new information. It is information that the free world has known for years.

Maybe Sen. Kerry can just call the terrorist really bad people and they will go away...I think I will continue to support the current President and administration however.

This post is in answer to a question Karl posed over on his blog. The material I have placed here comes from the Hapgood service book which is used a lot in the OCA and the AOC. (specifically see pg. 612 XII) It is an apocryphal account to be sure but it sheds a great deal of light on what happens after one dies. Karl's question made mention of a "judgement" and in the last section of this account the same type of reference is made.

The origin of the service of the dead is as follows: St. Macarius of Alexandria once inquired from the Angels who accompanied him an explanation of the Church's custom to celebrate the third, ninth, and fortieth days after a death by a religious service. And the Angel told him: "When, on the third day, the body is brought to the temple, the soul of the dead man receiveth from his Guardian Angel relief from the grief which he feeleth at parting from his body. This he recieveth because of the oblation and praise which are offered for him in God's church, whence there ariseth in him a blessed hope. For during the space of two days the soul is permitted to wander at will over the earth, with the Angels which accompany it. Therefore the soul, since it loveth its body; sometimes hovereth around the house in which the it parted from the body; sometimes around the coffin wherein its body hath been placed: and thus it passeth those days like a bird which seeketh for itself a nesting palce. But the beneficent soul wanderth through those places where it was wont to perform deeds of righteousness."

"On the third day He who rose again from the dead commandeth that every soul, in imitation of his own Resurection, shall be brought to heaven, that it may do reverence to the God of all. Wherefore the church has the blessed custom of celebrating oblation and prayers on the third day for the soul."

"After the soul hath done reverence to God, He ordereth that it shall be shown the varied and fair abodes of the saints and the beauty of Paradise. All these things the soul vieweth during the six days, marveling and glorifying God, the Creator of all. And when the soul hath beheld all these things, it is changed, and forgetteth all the sorrow which it felt in the body. But if it be guilty of sins, then, at the sight of the delights of the Saints, it beginneth to wail, and to reproach itself, saying: 'Woe is me! How vainly did I pass my time in the world! Engrossed in the satisfaction of my desires, I passed the greater part of my life in heedlessness, and obeyed not God as I ought, that I , also, might be vouchsafed these graces and glories. Woe is me, poor wretch!' After having thus viewed all the joys of the Just for the space of six days, the Angels lead the Soul again to do reverence to God. Therefore the church doth well, in that she celebrateth service and oblation for the soul on the ninth day."

"After its second reverence to God, the Master of all commandeth that the soul be conducted to hell, and there shown the places of torment, the different divisions of hell; and the divers torments of the ungoddly, which cause the souls of sinners that find themselves therein to groan continually, and to gnash their teeth. Through these various places of torment the soul is borne during thirty days, trembling lest it also be condemned to imprisonment therein."

"On the fortieth day the soul is again taken to do reverence to God: and then the Judge determineth the fitting place of its incarceration, according to its deeds. Thus the church doeth rightly in making mention upon the fortieth day, of the baptized dead. "

It is also customary to have the Requiem Office celebrated on the anniversaries of the birth-day, name-day, and death-day of the departed...

Normally, through out the course of a day, I say the Jesus prayer at some point during that day. These days, I say it quite often and for a fairly long time (at least for me it is). This started over 10 years ago for me and soon after I started praying this prayer I couldn't stop reciting it. If you will forgive the use of my adjectives here, it is infectious! Now that isn't to say that I recite the prayer constantly for 10 hours a day and the heavens are opened up when I say the prayer. No I am sorry to say, that I am far from being that saintly. Over a period of time however what has happened, was when I needed to pray about something (whatever it was) the my heart would remind me of the words and I would recite them (that is if I wasn't being a complete block head as we humans sometimes are) automatically.

Now like I said, I don't number myself among the great Hesychasts of the world but I have long used this prayer to protect my heart. I say that because often times when we sin that is what we are truly damaging. I don't subscribe to the Western Christian belief of the Sacred Heart of Jesus or Mary but the importance of guarding the heart can't be overstated.

Consider the following words from St. Gregory of Palamas; in this quote he is referring to St. Makarios:

"...St. Makarios the Great says the same: 'The heart rules over the whole human organism, and when grace takes possession of the pastures of the heart, it reigns over all a man's thoughts and members. For the intellect and all the thoughts of the soul are located there.' Our heart is, therefore, the shrine of the intelligence and the chief intellectual organ of the body. When, therefore, we strive to scrutinize and to amend our intelligence through rigorous watchfulness, how could we do this if we did not collect our intellect, outwardly dispersed through the senses, and bring it back within ourselves-- to the heart itself, the shrine of the thoughts? ..."

Almost all of the church Father's I have read, like Sts. Makarios, & Palamas stress guarding the heart. After reading the words of St. Gregory above it is easy to see why. Not often times, but always, we in the modern world view the brain as the chief intellectual organ of the body. Now in that this organ, the brain, is the chief organ of the flesh there is no debate. The spirit however, is greater than the flesh, hence the words from the Father's. Interestingly enough, one can live in a brain dead state but not a 'heart dead state'.

The Jesus prayer helps us to reconnect the mind with the heart and thereby, cleansing the flesh through the spirit. The problem here is that during the fall of man this dynamic of HEART then MIND was twisted and flipped upside down (so-to-speak). So we have inherited the following dynamic: MIND then HEART. I believe, this is why we fall in to the trap of over emphasizing worldly things. To close this section out for now I make the following analogy: As Christians, we are all trying to 'get to heaven'. The best compass we can use to undertake that journey is the heart.

I will post more on this later but remember during this Lenten period hold fast to the faith and guard the heart at all costs...


I took the quote from St. Gregory of Palamas from the Philokalia vol. IV.

Also it is important to note, that much of what I am speaking to here was originally written for monastics. Please don't feel that you should run out and do nothing but say the Jesus prayer all day long because of this post. Also take care in reading the Philokalia and other seriously advanced spiritual works, by the way this includes the Bible. These things are like medicine when in doubt what to take (or read, recite, practice in this case) get a doctors advice. In this situation, the doctor should be your spiritual father.

(I only say these things, because I have seen people take discussions like this the wrong way and it can be dangerous. The devil is always ready to scoop-up an overzealous, inexperienced, and misguided soul.)

...Part V the last section of St. Mary's life.

For the whole year he kept silent, not daring to tell anyone of what he had seen. But in his should he pray to God to give him another chance of seeing the ascetic's dear face. and when at length the first Sunday of the Great Fast came, all went out into the desert with the customary prayers and the singing of psalms. Only Zosimas was held back by illness -- he lay in a fever. And then he remembered what the saint had said to him: "and even if you wish to depart, you will not be able to do so."
Many days passed and at last recovering from his illness he remained in the monastery. And when attain the monks returned and the day of the Last Supper dawned, he did as he had been ordered. and placing some of the most pure Body and Blood into a small chalice and putting some figs and dates and lentils soaked in water into a small basket, he departed for the desert and reached the banks of the Jordan and sat down to wait for the saint. He waited for a long while and then began to doubt. then raising his eyes to heaven, he began to pray:
"Grant me O Lord, to behold that which Thou hast allowed be to behold once. do not let me depart in vain, being the burden of my sins."
And then another thought struck him:
"And what is she does come? There is no boat; how will she cross the Jordan to come to me who am so unworthy?"
And as he was pondering thus he saw the holy woman appear and stand on the other side of the river. Zosimas got up rejoicing and glorifying and thanking God. And again the thought came to him that she could not cross the Jordan. Then he saw that she made the sign of the Cross over the waters of the Jordan (and the night was a moonlight one, as he related afterwards) and then she at once stepped on to the waters and began walking across the surface towards him. And when he wanted to prostrate himself, she cried to him while still walking on the water:
"What are you doing, Abba, you are a priest and carrying the divine Gifts!"
He obeyed her and on reaching the shore she said to the elder:
"Bless, father, bless me!"
He answered her trembling, for a state of confusion had overcome him at the sight of the miracle:
"Truly God did not lie when He promised that when we purify ourselves we shall be like Him. Glory to The, Christ our God, Who has shown me through this thy slave how far away I stand from perfection."
Here the woman asked him to say the Creed and our Father. He began, she finished the prayer and according to the custom of that time gave him the kiss of peace on the lips. Having partaken of the Holy Mysteries, she raised her hands to heaven and sighed with tears in her eyes, exclaiming:
"Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, O Lord, according to Thy word; for my eyes have seen Thy salvation."
Then she said to the elder:
"Forgive me, Abba, for asking you, but fulfill another wish of mine. Go now to the monastery and let God's grace guard you. and next year come again to the same place where I first met you. come for God's sake, for you shall again see me, for such is the will of God."
He said to her:
"From this day on I would like to follow you and always see your holy face. but now fulfill the one and only wish of an old man and take a little of the food I have brought for you."
And he showed her the basket, while she just touched the lentils with the tips of her fingers, and taking three grains said that the Holy spirit guards the substance of the soul unpolluted. Then she said:
"Pray, for God's sake pray for me and remember a miserable wretch."
Touching the saint's feet and asking for her prayers for the Church, the kingdom and himself, he let her depart with tears, while he went off sighing and sorrowful, for he could not hope to vanquish the invincible. Meanwhile she again made the sign of the Cross over the Jordan, and stepped on to the waters and crossed over as before. And the elder returned filled with joy and terror, accusing himself of not having asked the saint her name. But he decided to do so next year.
And when another year had passed, he again went into the desert. he reached the same spot but could see no sign of anyone. so raising his eyes to heaven as before, he prayed:
"Show me, O Lord, Thy pure treasure, which Thou hast concealed in the desert. Show me, I pray Thee, the angel in the flesh, of which the world is not worthy."
Then on the opposite bank of the river, her face turned towards the rising sun, he saw the saint lying dead. Her hands were crossed according to custom and her face was turned to the East. Running up he shed tears over the saint's feet and kissed them, not daring to touch anything else.
For a long time he wept. Then reciting the appointed psalms, he said the burial prayers and thought to himself: "Must I bury the body of a saint? Or will this be contrary to her wishes?" And then he saw words traced on the ground by her head:
"Abba Zosimas, bury on this spot the body of humble Mary. Return to dust that which is dust and pray to the Lord for me, who departed in the month of Fermoutin of Egypt, called April by the Romans, on the first day, on the very night of our Lord's Passion, after having partaken of the Divine Mysteries." [St. Mary died in 522 A. D.]
Reading this the elder was glad to know the saint's name. He understood too that as soon as she had partaken of the Divine Mysteries on the shore of the Jordan she was at once transported to the place where she died. The distance which Zosimas had taken twenty days to cover, Mary had evidently traversed in an hour and had at once surrendered her soul to God.
Then Zosimas thought: "It is time to do as she wished. But how am I to dig a grave with nothing in my hands?"
And then he saw nearby a small piece of wood left by some traveler in the desert. Picking it up he began to dig the ground. But the earth was hard and dry and did not yield to the efforts of the elder. He grew tired and covered with sweat. he sighed from the depths of his soul and lifting up his eyes he saw a big lion standing close to the saint's body and licking her feet. At the sight of the lion he trembled with fear, especially when he called to mind Mary's words that she had never seen wild beasts in the desert. But guarding himself with the sign of the cross, the thought came to him that the power of the one lying there would protect him and keep him unharmed. Meanwhile the lion drew nearer to him, expressing affection by every movement.
Zosimas said to the lion:
"The Great One ordered that her body was to be buried. But I am old and have not the strength to dig the grave (for I have no spade and it would take too long to go and get one), so can you carry out the work with your claws? Then we can commit to the earth the mortal temple of the saint."
While he was still speaking the lion with his front paws began to dig a hole deep enough to bury the body.
Again the elder washed the feet of the saint with his tears and calling on her to pray for all, covered the body with earth in the presence of the lion. It was as it had been, naked and uncovered by anything but the tattered cloak which had been given to her by Zosimas and with which Mary, turning away, had managed to cover part of her body. Then both departed. The lion went off into the depth of the desert like a lamb, while Zosimas returned to the monastery glorifying and blessing Christ our Lord. And on reaching the monastery he told all the brothers about everything, and all marveled on hearing of God's miracles. And with fear and love they kept the memory of the saint.
Abbot John, as St. Mary had previously told Abba Zosimas, found a number of things wrong in the monastery and got rid of them with God's help. And Saint Zosimas died in the same monastery, almost attaining the age of a hundred, and passed to eternal life. The monks kept this story without writing it down and passed it on by word of mouth to one another.
But I (adds Sophronius) as soon as I heard it, wrote it down. Perhaps someone else, better informed, has already written the life of the Saint, but as far as I could, I have recorded everything, putting truth above all else. may God Who works amazing miracles and generously bestows gifts on those who turn to Him with faith, reward those who seek light for themselves in this story, who hear, read and are zealous to write it, and may He grant them the lot of blessed Mary together with all who at different times have pleased God by their pious thoughts and labors.
And let us also give glory to God, the eternal King, that He may grant us too His mercy in the day of judgment for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord, to Whom belongs all glory, honour, dominion and adoration with the Eternal Father and the Most Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and always, and thought all ages. Amen.

Recently, I have read a number of things on some other blogs that have peaked my interest. Since this week comming up is Spring break for me I may write on a few. Some of the topics include: The Theotokos, Icons, and a few others. More to follow...

...Part IV


Thus I spoke and as if acquiring some hope in firm faith and feeling some confidence in the mercy of the Mother of God, I left the place where I stood praying. And I went again and mingled with the crowd that was pushing its way into the temple. And no one seemed to thwart me, no one hindered my entering the church. I was possessed with trembling, and was almost in delirium. Having got as far as the doors which I could not reach before -- as if the same force which had hindered me cleared the way for me -- I now entered without difficulty and found myself within the holy place. And so it was I saw the life-giving Cross. I saw too the Mysteries of God and how the Lord accepts repentance. Throwing myself on the ground, I worshipped that holy earth and kissed it with trembling. The I came out of the church and went to her who had promised to be my security, to the place where I had sealed my vow. And bending my knees before the Virgin Mother of God, I addressed to her such words as these:
`O loving Lady, thou hast shown me thy great love for all men. glory to God Who receives the repentance of sinners through thee. What more can I recollect or say, I who am so sinful? It is time for me, O Lady to fulfill my vow, according to thy witness. Now lead me by the hand along the path of repentance!' And at these words I heard a voice from on high:
`If you cross the Jordan you will find glorious rest.'
Hearing this voice and having faith that it was for me, I cried to the Mother of God:
`O Lady, Lady, do not forsake me!'
With these words I left the porch of the church and set off on my journey. As I was leaving the church a stranger glanced at me and gave me three coins, saying:
`Sister, take these.'
And, taking the money, I bought three loaves and took them with me on my journey, as a blessed gift. I asked the person who sold the bread: `Which is the way to the Jordan?' I was directed to the city gate which led that way. Running on I passed the gates and still weeping went on my journey. Those I met I asked the way, and after walking for the rest of that day (I think it was nine o'clock when I saw the Cross) I at length reached at sunset the Church of St. John the Baptist which stood on the banks of the Jordan. After praying in the temple, I went down to the Jordan and rinsed my face and hands in its holy waters. I partook of the holy and life-giving Mysteries in the Church of the Forerunner and ate half of one of my loaves. Then, after drinking some water from Jordan, I lay down and passed the night on the ground. In the morning I found a small boat and crossed to the opposite bank. I again prayed to Our Lady to lead me whither she wished. Then I found myself in this desert and since then up to this very day I am estranged from all, keeping away from people and running away from everyone. And I live here clinging to my God Who saves all who turn to Him from faintheartedness and storms."
Zosimas asked