14 April 2016. Join the Mother Church to “Give the Gift of Joy This Easter”

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You must learn to love… then, in response to your love, other people will echo it.

Bishop Panteleimon Shatov

head of the MP Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service (OTsBSS)

The Mother Church is holding a campaign, “Give the Gift of Joy this Easter… they’re raising money to buy Easter gifts for the needy… the homeless, the housebound, the disabled, the elderly, orphans, the poor… of course, this is the doing of the inimitable and indefatigable Bishop Panteleimon Shatov. Is your parish doing likewise? You have a little over two weeks to do something… that’s not chopped liver. You can help create some joy this Easter… we’re Christians; that’s what we do!

BMD 

Addendum:

What I mean is that we have time to do things locally to help those about us… that’s what Bishop Panteleimon is doing.. it’s what we should be doing. We have two weeks to identify those in need, collect money, buy items, and give gifts on Easter. It’s our Christian duty… we can’t sit down and feast bounteously until we go forth and aid those who need it. Our Lord did ask, “Who went away justified?” Yes… who?

BMD

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27 March 2016. Happy Easter to All My Friends Keeping Western Easter

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This is a turn-of-the-20th-century Russian Easter greeting card. My, my, my… it’s got an Easter Bunny… with eggs! Of course, there were many RCs and Lutherans in the old empire (along with a generous sprinkling of Mennonites and native Russian Baptists)… so, some of their imagery influenced the larger Russian Orthodox culture (it worked the other way ’round, too!). People were tolerant of one another… they wished each other well on their respective holidays. We should do likewise… we’re Christians; that’s what we do…

Have a happy and most blessed holiday. I bow before you in respect…

BMD

Patriarch Kirill Says Permissiveness Isn’t Freedom

This is the permissiveness condemned in the present Easter epistle… any questions?

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The MP official website reported that Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias noted that spiritual rather than material values should guide advocates of freedom. In his Easter message to clergy and believers, to be read in churches across the country during the Paschal liturgy early on Sunday, he wrote, “We live at a time when freedom is often interpreted as permissiveness. Many people sincerely believe that only power and wealth, or health and physical strength can bring liberation. Whilst competing in serving the idols of modern times, they often fail to achieve the main thing… the true purpose of existence. Our resurrected Saviour has given us freedom and revealed to us this purpose, which consists in learning the Truth and living a life with God”. He added that only in the struggle with evil could people grow spiritually to become truly free.

Early on Sunday, right after midnight, Patriarch Kirill will serve liturgy in downtown Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Up to 5,000 believers may attend the Easter service. This year, Russia will celebrate Easter, also known in Orthodox Christianity as Pascha, on 5 May, in line with the Julian calendar, following a long period of fasting. Easter is Christianity‘s most important and joyful feast, when the Church commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The last days of Holy Week that precede Easter are its most important days. On Holy Thursday, the Church remembers the Last Supper of Jesus and the Apostles. Great and Holy Friday is considered the most sorrowful day of the liturgical year because Christians remember Jesus being crucified and dying on the cross. On Holy Saturday, believers flock to churches to have their Easter eggs and cakes blessed by priests in anticipation of Easter celebrations. According to the New Testament, Christ rose from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion, which is on Sunday, if Friday is included in the count.

In a related item, the RF MVD said that some 10,000 police officers, servicemen, and volunteers would ensure order in Moscow during festivities on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.

4 May 2013

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/art_living/20130504/180971296/Patriarch-Kirill-Says-Freedom-Is-Not-Permissiveness.html

Editor’s Note:

Note well that HH interprets “permissiveness” as surrender to the zeitgeist of consumerism and greed… not so much sexual immorality. In other words, the struggle against godless libertarianism is more important than any “crusade” against “depravity” or marches for “pro-life politicians” are. The first involves a stand-up fight with a demonic ideology that says that there are no rules, no role for government (or any other outside institution, for that matter) in society, and that autonomous individuals are gods. The second is often a cartoonish caricature of the Church’s actual teachings. No politician who supports drone attacks is pro-life… as for homosexuality, do look at how the Church handled the affair of Nikon Mironov (it didn’t sweep it under the rug, as the OCA does, but it also didn’t allow Mironov to serve as a ruling bishop).

Ultimately, libertarianism says that there are no standards outside of the individual. In short, the Church has no real role to play, save as a chaplain to the idle rich (and issue unctuous soothing platitudes from the likes of Freddie M-G). Let’s not be coy… HH is right. Permissiveness is our enemy… a permissiveness that allows Bain Capital to slash employees’ wages… a permissiveness that allows the grasping Affluent Effluent to avoid their duty to the larger community… a permissiveness that spits on the social justice that Our Lord Christ taught. Depravity is a personal failing… serious, but not fatal to the body at large. Libertarianism is permissiveness walking in Seven-league boots. It’s more dangerous than the early communist persecution of the Church ever was… it sets up Man as an untrammelled and unbounded god, and that’s that. That’s why the upcoming Acton Institute seminar at SVS is absolutely evil and all decent Christians should avoid it. Don’t be fooled by their religious rhetoric… they’re just as much libertarians as the outright godless ones are… and they wink at the atheism implicit in libertarianism. Ponder that well…

You can follow Christ or you can follow the libertarians… it’s your choice.

BMD

26 February 2012. “Cat People” with Their Furbies in Aktobe (Kazakhstan)

Galya and Lelik

At first, I was opposed to a cat in the house, but my sons persuaded me. In the end, I agreed, but with the condition they would feed and clean up after him. Of course, now, I feed him myself, and bathe him. Sometimes, jokingly, I call Lelik my “third son”, but often when my kids get mad, they throw him out of the house, because he lies on everything, leaving cat hairs all over.

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Aishat and Bonifatsy

Bonia’s half Siamese, so he’s very skittish and touchy. He thinks that he owns me, he’s very jealous of me. In this, we’re very similar. Despite the fact that everyone thinks that dogs are more loyal than cats are, I think differently. My Bonifatsy certainly beats all the dogs!

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Lena and Temka

My uncle gave me Temka as an Easter gift. He’s freedom-loving, practically never at home, he spends all of his time out on the street.  He prickly, and can be self-centred. We do have that in common. In the photo, he got mad at me because I made him do what he didn’t want to do… to pose for the camera. But despite his oddball traits, I wouldn’t exchange him for a hundred dogs

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Veronika and Motya

Motya’s very quiet and independent. This is probably our greatest similarity. On 14 February, we celebrate Motya’s birthday and we all give her gifts, valentines, and delicious food. Actually, I prefer dogs, but cats are much more easy to care for. They don’t bother you constantly and they don’t require a lot of attention.

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Fler Sayakhetdinovna and Myau

In our house, I’m the eldest, and Myau’s the youngest. She’s still small, so she’s very inquisitive. When everyone else goes to work, she’s always near me. Together we cook and clean, and I sing her old songs. Good thing that we have a cat in the house, dogs make too much noise.

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