18 June 2015. A Thought from St Paisy Eznepidis of the Holy Mountain (+1994)

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18 June 2015. Send a Fin (or Two or Three) to the Folks in South Carolina… Tell ‘Em Bernie Sent Ya…

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This came in as an e-mail from the Sanders campaign:

What transpired in Charleston SC last night wasn’t just a tragedy, it was an act of terror. Someone murdered nine of our fellow Americans while praying in a historic church because of the colour of their skin. This senseless violence fills me with outrage, disgust, and a deep, deep sadness. This hateful killing is a horrific reminder that, while we’ve made important progress in civil rights for all of our people, we’re far from eradicating racism. The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church is one that has been attacked, burned, and rebuilt throughout its 200-year history. While their community mourns now, they’ll  rebuild; they’ll emerge stronger than before. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and their congregation, but we can add our actions to our prayers. The families and the community that have been hurt so very badly by this brutality need our help. Let us stand with them in their time of mourning.

You can help by donating to the Emanuel AME Church community today.

Thank you,

Bernie Sanders

I can only add… “There but for the Grace of God go I”… send ‘em a fin (or two or three). We’re Christians… that’s what we do…

BMD

It’s Time to Tell a Story (Part IX): The World, the Flesh, and Fr Herman (It’s Sad… but True. Read This and WEEP…)

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WARNING! SEXUAL MOLESTATION

I rarely saw Fr. John Marler. He was always in Kodiak, working on setting up the school. That’s one of my regrets. However, Fr Herman, our Spiritual Father, was coming to Kodiak, and to Spruce Island! He was coming to visit his monks and nuns… and the students! I was elated. Abbot Herman was so fun to be around and he was a holy man. My head, full of visions of clairvoyant elders and fools for Christ, immediately suspected him to be a walking Saint. He brought us to the True Faith. He guided us into the fullness of the Christian life and he connected us with the “Golden Chain of Sanctity”. He’d hold one’s hand in his and say, “My hands have touched the hands of a saint, and now you have touched them!” I was amazed. He knew St John Maximovich! He was in the great spiritual tradition of the Optina Elders. Most importantly, he was transmitting this grace to us. I venerated him as a living saint, and hung on his every word. What’s more, he made always made one feel so special.

One evening, behind the Meeting of Our Lord Chapel he conducted confessions. The chapel was too small to offer privacy. Out in the twilight by a tree, I poured my heart out to him in confession. Then, I told him my deepest desire. I was on fire for God. I wanted to become a monk! He brought me before an icon of the Theotokos and bade me offer this up to her. Another evening, a few of us boys were in the Abbot’s barabara spending time with Fr Herman. We prayed and he inspired us with words of wisdom. Then he singled me out and in his enigmatic way said, “This one. This one will be a saint”. Imagine hearing something like that from the Holy Elder! Of course, I did my best to be humble and forget about it. We went to Saint Michael’s Skete, Fr Herman and I, to visit the nuns. It was delightful. I got to go up into the tower with Fr Herman while he translated the lyrics of a modern Russian spiritual song into English.  I tried to help him. He had me scratch his back. I remember his back had pimples. I remember a nun coming up to get us for church.

Occasionally, we boys would get to go to town. Take a shower. Eat junk. The best part was Monk’s Rock café and bookstore. It was the coolest place. It was always bustling with activity, delightful after the isolation of Monk’s Lagoon. The back room had a loft at the time that was an illegal sleeping quarters (something about zoning and codes). We’d sleep there. One morning, I woke up to Fr Herman on top of me in the loft of Monk’s Rock. He was kissing me, repeatedly, on the lips and face in a romantic fervour, saying my name, Sammy, and what a sweet boy, and I love you…

18 June 2015

Caz and Little: Speaking the Unspoken

https://cazandlittle.wordpress.com/2015/06/18/its-time-to-tell-a-story-part-ix-the-world-the-flesh-and-fr-herman

18 June 2015. How Long Will Thou Forget Me, O Lord?

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