St Barbara
Nic Phillips
2012
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Today is my nameday, the holyday of my patronal saint (or should it be “matronal saint”? But such isn’t the usage, is it?). To all the other Barbaras out there, a big hug and a big slug from the jug. A friend of mine pointed up that St Barbara is the patroness of explosions, gunpowder, and lightning… perhaps, fitting to my personality and bent! To all those who share my name and to those who may share my personality and stance:
На многая лета!
BMD
Editor:
A note on “religious art” versus iconography… these two concepts may overlap considerably, but they’re not completely congruous. That is, some iconography isn’t art and much art isn’t iconography. The intent behind them is different. Iconography means to portray the noetic world, to bring its reality into ours. Religious art has many intents… to edify, to please us, to express our feelings, amongst others. It isn’t iconography! In most cases, it doesn’t pretend to be such; so, beware all those who attack those who like religious art that isn’t iconography (there are religious hobbyists who think along such lines, believe it or not). I chose the above image because it pleased me and I thought that it portrayed my inner personality well. It isn’t iconography nor does it pretend to be such. I invite all the naysayers to get a life and get on with what God placed you on this earth to do. Remember… never argue with the “pure”… you’ll never win, all that you’ll do is to “drive the nail further in”, and make your interlocutor feel twice as “pure” as before your conversation. God didn’t place us here to win arguments… He placed us here to win souls. You do the latter by doing your duty with a cheerful heart, not by being a dodgy nudge with a bug up your arse. Do think on that…
BMD
Voices from Russia 
Relic of St Demetrios of Salonika the Great Martyr Brought to Moscow from Greece
Tags: Christian, Christianity, Church of Greece, Eastern Orthodox Church, Greece, Greek, Greek Orthodox, Greek Orthodox Church, Moscow, Moscow Patriarchate, Novospassky Monastery, Orthodox, Orthodoxy, patriotic, patriotism, patron saint, political commentary, politics, Relic, Religion, Religion and Spirituality, Russia, Russian, Russian culture, Russian Orthodox Church, saints, St Demetrios of Thessaloniki, St Demetrius, war and conflict
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The website of Novospassky Monastery noted that on 5 February, a Greek Orthodox Church delegation, headed by Metropolitan Panteleimon Kalpakidis of Veria and Naousa arrived in Moscow from Greece bringing a reliquary containing the hand of St Demetrios of Salonika the Great Martyr. At the airport, the superior of the Novospassky Stavropegial Monastery and the MP First Deputy Chancellor, Bishop Savva Mikheyev of Voskresensk met the delegation. From the airport, they took the reliquary to the Novospassky Monastery, where the clergy served a molieben at the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God. St Demetrios is the patron saint of soldiers, so, students of the Moscow M A Sholokhov Cossack Cadet Corps, pupils of the Aleksandr Nevsky Cadet Corps of the SK RF, and members of the Union of Paratroopers and the “Combat Brotherhood” came to venerate the relics. After the service, Bishop Savva thanked Metropolitan Panteleimon for giving believers the opportunity to venerate the holy relics of St Demetrios in the Novospassky Monastery, saying, “The coming to us of the reliquary with the relics of St Demetrios is a mercy and a grace from God. After all, the zeal of the Holy Warrior Demetrios was so great that people called him a ‘Second Apostle Paul’”. In his speech, Bishop Savva also noted that the relics arrived in Russia during the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory over Fascism.
6 February 2015
Patriarchia.ru
MP official website
http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/3984705.html
Editor:
This shows that the Church of Greece stands with Russia, not with the USA. The bringing of the relics of an explicitly military saint shows that the Church of Greece stands against the demonic Uniate junta. You may bow before the relics of St Demetrios or kiss the Pope of Rome’s ass… there’s no other alternative. It’s war and we have to choose sides. Choose wisely…
This is how an Orthodox society prepares for a possible war. It brings out its relics for the soldiers to venerate before marching off with the colours. Note well that Orthodox Greece and Russia stand together… the Greeks aren’t siding with the godless Mammon-worshipping Americans.
BMD