Editor’s Foreword:
Anything italicised is me; ordinary typeface is everybody else. Anything that can identify my interlocutors was removed… everything else is as written (save for correction of grammatical and spelling errors).
BMD
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God is good… He gives us opportunities, but most of us spurn them, for they look so modest in comparison with Satan’s pasties. Do bite the coin before accepting it…
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As the lyrics to one of my little boy’s favourite songs goes, “God is bigger than the bogeyman…”
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I think the problem is that they simply don’t believe that God is bigger than the bogeyman… their God is so small that they can only ask Him for good weather for the church bake sale or for help to bear the latest hangnail with equanimity…
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God can be met… He cannot be understood. NEVER forget that…
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Let the pictures speak to you in their wordless way… there’s such a thing as “the sound of a colour”. Engage your soul and leave your mind behind. It’s why I fight… we must never let mendacity, greediness, and cupidity rule us. There’s Beauty and Truth… it’s well worth fighting for. It’s why I am SO disappointed in Stokoe… he refused to stand tall over the Bobby K payoff… Love and Truth are never “measured”, never forget that. It’s everything or nothing… it’s the way the Good Lord operates.
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We are sparring… know that I mean nothing personal. I find that friends who differ are the best kind. It’s how God speaks to us…
Sparring is much better than shadowboxing with oneself, which reminds me of the quote, “You know that you have created God in your own image when he hates all the same people as you”.
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Even Christ didn’t stay in Hell to try to undo all the Evil One’s interior decorating, but rose to be with the Father on the third day.
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There’s a drop-dead giveaway to such jerks… a priest-friend of mine wrote and said that one of the HOOMies wrote him about me and signed themselves, “kissing your right hand”. He thought that was FUNNY. “They didn’t even do that in 19th century novels!” I wrote back, “What if I signed myself like that?” He wrote back, “I’d wait for the next day, for that would be a sign that you were hitting the sauce”.
Their nastiness is backfiring. As batiushka put it, “Your private life is your own… you’ve committed no crime or sin… they should leave you alone”. It’s why I don’t drag my personal life into my posts… or ask personal questions. If you want me to know something, you’ll tell me. If not… you won’t. My advice is not to trust anyone on the web unless you’ve known them for at least two years (hmm… that sounds like real life, no?). If I respect your privacy, you’ll respect mine… what’s so bloody hard about that (I’m NOT complaining about you… that’s a general statement)?
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There’s something RIGHT in good athletic competition. A good footy match has as much grace as it has aggression. In any case, I love going to matches just for the atmosphere. Something good goes on when people are united in something beyond themselves, even if it is as humble as supporting your side at the pitch and wearing your side’s colours (red n’ green all the way!).
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What’s your take on the periodical Road to Emmaus? Sounds interesting, but I’m put off a bit by the fact that it has roots in Christ the Saviour Brotherhood. Is it worth taking a look? Limited time and money, don’t you know…
Give it a pass. It’s konvertsy crapola. Let’s put it this way… plenty of New Skete and Freddie M-G… no Deacon Andrei or Fr Vsevolod. You’ve better places to spend your money… like enjoying the summer with your family.
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(In response to His Holiness attacking clerical careerism): My God! Is this for real?!? If so, it does make me feel quite hopeful about the state of the Church. Imagine; he amongst us who’s last shall be first… what a totally radical concept. The head of a Church coming to SERVE?? Lord, have mercy.
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This controversy generates strong feelings and touches on vital issues. To attempt to force a relocation of the (Islamic centre) project is simply to say, “In America, all faiths are equal… except that some are more equal than others”. At that moment, our freedom becomes a mere façade.
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The OCA is only a player in its own eyes. As you’ve noticed, internationally, it’s just not a player at all, even in the realm of its so-called “news items”. Unfortunately, they’ve made such a mess that no one will be happy to pick up the pieces. Anyhow, even if some people think your writing is “trash”, I still enjoy it. Your true concern is apparent, and your disgust for the party line is admirable. If others rather enjoy swallowing the magic pill, so be it. They’ll be even more surprised when they wake up to find their world has changed around them.
Your writing is invested with a joyful exasperation. It’s a delight to read. People who call you hateful are stupid illiterate fools. They don’t know Russians from rocks. Complaining is genetic. If you can’t appreciate a good complaint, there must be something wrong with you! They’re affected by PBS Costume Drama British Mannerisms, which even the British gave up. Ridiculous. So, do keep up the good work. There are so many of us who enjoy it.
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It’s good that things are starting to move, but you’re aware that it’s going to be DARKER in the short term, aren’t you? God have mercy on us all. Why must we live in “interesting” times? I can see why the Chinese consider them a curse.
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Church unity isn’t given just like that; it’s a battle we must constantly fight and win through the Grace of God. Stupid human meetings, conferences, and/or dialogues of futile academics don’t do it.
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(Speaking of Elder Zosima Sokur): He was so YOUNG when he died… he was only 58! Of course, when one is 56… OUCH. Life is SO fragile, isn’t it? The Good Lord has given me good health… maybe little else, but good health is a precious gift, and I wouldn’t trade it for all the money in the world.
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Interesting, I get about ten times the hits of the usual Orthodox blog… friends tell me that bishops read it… if so, that’s nice… if not, who am I? You truly have to be impassive about such things… and the earnest and keen young ‘uns who pretend such… should we tell them that their imposture is SO transparent? They WON’T listen, after all. Let’s not forget that we were dumb and young once… for me, I have NO regrets, dear, what about you? I believe that regrets are for the terminally silly. You did what you did… God willing, you learned something of it!
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That’s a good place to end, no? Remember, LOVE must motivate you… love for the truth, love for the Church, and love for your fellow man. DO be aware that you WILL be called a “hater” if embark on the Path of Love. It makes the “pragmatic”, “pietistic”, “comfortable”, “earnest”, “respectable”, and “scholarly” uncomfortable, you see (and it explains why they tacked Our Lord up on a Cross… think on that)…
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