New pope on the way

With the unexpected resignation of Pope Benedict XVI comes an opportunity for us Orthodox to make visible the bonds of love which bind us both to each other in Christ. Let us support the Catholic church with our prayers in the coming days. We can also give our support by renewing our commitment to and zeal for full, visible communion with our Catholic sisters and brothers. We have it in our power to make that commitment and zeal visible at the level of everyday life - our personal lives as well as the life of our parishes. If our love isn't made visible at that level, how can we hope for restoration of communion?

tweets and intentions

I read an article today about a Franciscan province that has begun allowing prayer intentions to be tweeted to the friars who then will pray for the intention. I haven't looked closely into the precise mechanism. This isn't entirely new: I've seen a site that allowed people to email petitions to be placed in the Western Wall, and another that accepted emailed petitions for placement at the grave of the Baal Shem Tov.

I don't have anything against these practices although I think that they do raise interesting questions about networks, communication, and the ways we define communities of prayer.

Does anyone know if any of the hierarchy here in Finland have twitter accounts? Or the Ecumenical Patriarch? Or any other patriarch, for that matter? (And yes, I know Pope Benedict has a twitter account, though I wonder if all his tweets, like that of not a few public figures, are written by him.)

Theophany

In the Byzantine tradition, the feast of the Theophany is perhaps most associated with the blessing of the waters - a tangible way of bringing the Jordan to every place celebrating the manifestation of God's compassion to humanity. Or, better yet, in blessing the waters, the church thanks God for the baptism of Christ in the Jordan and acknowledges its saving power for us today, asking God to be merciful and save us. Although on the surface it might seem that the feast of the Theophany is less incarnational in emphasis than the feast of the Nativity, I don't think that's actually the case. Both feasts center upon Incarnation, although each in its own way. In a sense Theophany is the more earthy of the two; the material element of water and the image of Christ's submitting to the waters of his baptism emphasize the materiality of the mystery of Christ in a unique way.

light

Today is the feast day of my patron saint, Seraphim of Sarov (1759-1833). There is much that could be said about this starets: he was a contemporary of the Enlightenment, the birth of modernity and of the consciousness of tradition.

As many have noted, he is an exemplar of the so-called "spirituality of light" in Orthodox Christian tradition.

Evoking the ancient "return to Paradise" motif in ascetic theology, one of St. Seraphim's most famous icons is of him feeding a bear that had wandered out of the woods to his hermitage.

One of his most famous sayings is (I'm quoting from memory, the right book not easily locatable and I'm too lazy today to check the Internet): "Acquire inner peace, and thousands around you will be saved."

I've always found that exhortation to hesychia a fruitful, active, challenging response to modernity.

Happy New Year

Thank you, dear readers, for the past year. My hope and desire for us all is to experience in new ways the Great Mercy of God in the new year. I wish you peace and happiness in 2013.

St. Stephen's Day, Boxing Day

"The Son of Man came eating and drinking . . . " Here (Matthew, if I recall correctly) Jesus contrasts himself with the ascetic John the Baptist. Note that Jesus doesn't disavow John's practice, or that of his disciples. But he does contrast himself with them. Something to consider during this time of feasting . ..

Christmas

A peaceful, happy feast of the Nativity to all. Thank you for reading me this year. I hope to have more for you to read in the new year.