John Simmons

The Burns Supper is coming up! Go to this page to get your tickets, and extra (PDF) flyers to share

Another Season of Precious Opportunities!

The first two weeks of August are one of our “Liturgically busy periods.” The dormition fast began on the 1st with the feast of the Procession of the Cross and the 7 Maccabean Martyrs, their mother Solomonia, and their teacher Eleazar. We celebrated this feast with the blessing of holy water.

This next week, we have the vigils and liturgies for the feast of Transfiguration, and the “Summer” feast of St. Herman of Alaska (The feast of his glorification - his repose is celebrated on December 13th).

On days that we are not having festal services, we are singing the Paraklesis (Canon) to the Mother of God. Everyone is encouraged to come to whatever services one can. If circumstances prevent attendance, once can pray along with the livestream. One can also do the Paraklesis at home.

Here is the text.

If you know the tones and melodies, you can sing, otherwise just prayerfully read. This season offers a precious opportunity for spiritual profit. Don’t neglect it!

The Feast of Transfiguration

“What is it that makes the Feast of Transfiguration so important to Orthodox Christians? What is the meaning of Transfiguration for modern people living in the modern world?

There are a few important things that the Transfiguration of Christ reveals to us. First of all, it confirms the divinity of Jesus once again. It shows us that He was sent by the Father. It was especially important for the disciples to understand. It was meant to strengthen their faith and make them truly understand that Christ’s passion was voluntary.

Moses and Elijah, two of the greatest figures of the Old Testament, appear next to CHrist to further prove that He is in fact the Messiah, Who came to fulfill the law.

Secondly, it reveals to us that every human being can go through the process of theosis - becoming united with God again, becoming transfigured like Christ, achieving holiness. We are all called for it:

"The Son of God became man, that we might become god." (St. Athanasius of Alexandria)"

(Read more at the St. Elizabeth Convent site....)

From the Lives of Saints - St. Herman of Alaska

“The Elder was invited aboard a frigate which came from St. Petersburg. There were more than twenty-five officers with the Captain, and they also were educated men. Father Herman gave them all one general question, ‘Gentlemen, what do you love above all, and what will each of you wish for your happiness?’ Various answers were offered.

“He then continued... Should we not then love God above every thing, desire Him more than anything, and search Him out?’”

“All said, ‘Why, yes! That’s self-evident!’ Then the Elder asked, ‘But do you love God?’ They all answered, “Certainly we love God. How can we not love God?’ ‘And I a sinner have been trying for more than forty years to love God, but I cannot say that I love Him completely,’ Father Herman protested to them.

He then began to demonstrate to them the way in which we should love God. ‘If we love someone,’ he said, ‘we always remember them; we try to please them. Day and night our heart is concerned with the subject. Is that the way you gentlemen love God?
Do you turn to Him often?
Do you always remember Him?
Do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments?’
They had to admit that they had not!
‘For our own good, and for our own fortune,’ concluded the Elder, ‘let us at least promise ourselves that, from this day forth, from this very hour, and this very minute, let us love love God above all and seek to fulfill His Holy Will!”

(Read more from the life of St. Herman from the St. Herman parish....)

Reader John's note: I offer this sermon of St. John for his feast day at the end of the month. This is my favorite sermon, and I have become convinced, that this contains a major secret to success in the spiritual life, despite my laziness in applying it.

St. Theophan the Recluse would agree. In fact, he said that the whole of the spiritual life could be summed up as follows:

"So the whole thing could be briefly stated thus: go within and enter a state of spiritual awareness, motivate your life activity or spiritual tone, then proceed in the ascetical order you have arranged."

WATCH!

by St. John Maximovitch (of San Francisco)

Stand fast on spiritual watch, because you don't know when the Lord will call you to Himself. In your earthly life be ready at any moment to give Him an account. Beware that the enemy does not catch you in his nets, that he not deceive you causing you to fall into temptation. Daily examine your conscience; try the purity of your thoughts, your intentions.

There was a king who had a wicked son. Having no hope that he would change for the better, the father condemned the son to death. He gave him a month to prepare.

The month went by, and the father summoned the son. To his surprise he saw that the young man was noticeably changed: his face was thin and drawn, and his whole body looked as if it had suffered.

"How is it that such a transformation has come over you, my son?" the father asked.

"My father and my lord," replied the son, "how could I not change when each passing day brought me closer to death?"

"Good, my son," remarked the king. "Since you have evidently come to your senses, I shall pardon you. However, you must maintain this vigilant disposition of soul for the rest of your life."

"Father," replied the son, "that's impossible. How can I withstand the countless seductions and temptations?"

Then the king ordered that a vessel be brought, full of oil, and he told his son: "Take this vessel and carry it along all the streets of the city. Following you will be two soldiers with sharp swords. If you spill so much as a single drop they will cut off your head."

The son obeyed. With light, careful steps, he walked along all the streets, the soldiers accompanying him, and he did not spill a drop.

When he returned to the castle, the father asked, "My son, what did you see as you were walking through the city?"

"I saw nothing."

"What do you mean, 'nothing'?" said the king.

"Today is a holiday; you must have seen the booths with all kinds of trinkets, many carriages, people animals..."

"I didn't notice any of that," said the son. "All my attention was focussed on the oil in the vessel. I was afraid to spill a drop and thereby lose my life."

"Quite right, my son," said the king. "Keep this lesson in mind for the rest of you life. Be as vigilant over your soul as you were today over the oil in the vessel. Turn your thoughts away from what will soon pass away, and keep them focused on what is eternal. You will be followed not by armed soldiers but by death to which we are brought closer by every day. Be very careful to guard your soul from all ruinous temptations."

The son obeyed his father, and lived happily.

Watch, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. (I Corinthians 16:13).

The Apostle gives Christians this important counsel to bring their attention to the danger of this world, to summon them to frequent examination of their hearts, because without this one can easily bring to ruin the purity and ardor of one's faith and unnoticeably cross over to the side of evil and faithlessness.

Just as a basic concern is to be careful of anything that might be harmful to our physical health, so our spiritual concern should watch out for anything that might harm our spiritual life and the work of faith and salvation.

Therefore, carefully and attentively assess your inner impulses: are they from God or from the spirit of evil? Beware of temptations from this world and from worldly people; beware of hidden inner temptations which come from the spirit of indifference and carelessness in prayer, from the waning of Christian love.

If we turn our attention to our mind, we notice a torrent of successive thoughts and ideas. This torrent is uninterrupted; it is racing everywhere and at all times: at home, in church, at work, when we read, when we converse. It is usually called thinking, writes Bishop Theophan the Recluse, but in fact it is a disturbance of the mind, a scattering, a lack of concentration and attention. The same happens with the heart. Have you ever observed the life of the heart? Try it even for a short time and see what you find. Something unpleasant happens, and you get irritated; some misfortune occurs, and you pity yourself; you see someone whom you dislike, and animosity wells up within you; you meet one of your equals who has now outdistanced you on the social scale, and you begin to envy him; you think of your talents and capabilities, and you begin to grow proud... All this is rottenness: vainglory, carnal desire, gluttony, laziness, malice-one on top of the other, they destroy the heart. And all of this can pass through the heart in a matter of minutes. For this reason one ascetic, who was extremely attentive to himself, was quite right in saying that "man's heart is filled with poisonous serpents. Only the hearts of saints are free from these serpents, the passions."

But such freedom is attained only through a long and difficult process of self-knowledge, working on oneself and being vigilant towards one's inner life, i.e., the soul.

Be careful. Watch out for your soul! Turn your thoughts away from what will soon pass away and turn them towards what is eternal. Here you will find the happiness that your soul seeks, that your heart thirsts for.

(Translated from Pravoslavnaya Rus) and taken from ORTHODOX AMERICA, Vol. XIV, No. 2-3, September-October, 1993