After seeing this picture and reading these posts, it reminds me of this message from St. John Chrysostom.
A re there any who are devout lovers of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!
Are there any who are grateful servants?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!
Are there any weary from fasting?
Let them now receive their due!
If any have toiled from the first hour,
let them receive their reward.
If any have come after the third hour,
let them with gratitude join in the feast!
Those who arrived after the sixth hour,
let them not doubt; for they shall not be short-changed.
Those who have tarried until the ninth hour,
let them not hesitate; but let them come too.
And those who arrived only at the eleventh hour,
let them not be afraid by reason of their delay.
For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.
The Lord gives rest to those who come at the eleventh hour,
even as to those who toiled from the beginning.
To one and all the Lord gives generously.
The Lord accepts the offering of every work.
The Lord honours every deed and commends their intention.
Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!……..
Romanos!
Be very careful in judging others… it is the start of much mischief and it is how the Evil One gains a bridgehead in one’s heart. Take this for what it is worth and do not judge the motives of those taking part. After all, they could have been doing any one of dozens of other activities that day. They chose to be near the icon. Reflect on the fact that they consciously “chose” to be there.
Cleanse your own heart… I have a great way to go in that, myself… shall you help?
Cheers and good wishes,
Vara
Dear Vara,
Forgive me, sister, I am not trying to be condescending, and I am aware of the suffering Russian and other peoples under Communist oppression. I too stand with the new martyrs of Russia.
What I see, however, is that the world is always trying to subvert Christ among the people, and Christians range from very weak and nominal to very strong, and so many of them will go through the ceremonial Christian life without ever really intending to follow Jesus. If this is Orthodoxy for them, so be it. But Orthodoxy is not that for me, and so I am not impressed by crowds of worshippers kissing ikons and crossing themselves, but only by those who have followed Christ to the utmost, paying for that following even to the point of death.
What happened to Russia was not completely undeserved. The bishops of the era just preceding the cataclysm warned that Holy Orthodoxy could disappear in Russia in one or two generations because of what they saw as a nominal adherence to Orthodoxy. Then, the cataclysm came. In fact, that was probably a mercy from God, because it allowed for true Christianity to survive in the catacomb churches and elsewhere.
Now that it’s over, let’s hope the Russian people can begin to follow Christ in earnest and then by their lives of repentance and love for each other, a new society can emerge. If that were to happen, the world would be hard pressed to subvert it. But if adherence to the externals of religion is what is prized, then the world can take it over, and create a hell on earth once again, instead of our hoped for “Holy Russia.”
Romanos
Romanos:
Were you in Russia or in the West during the communist years? If the latter, you have no grounds for your condescension. One of my friends was a “prisoner of conscience”… if you were likewise, then, you may criticise as you did. Otherwise, if you have not paid the bill in full… you do get the message, I am sure.
Via e-mail, I asked my friend who had been in the GULag (he is a priest in Yekaterinburg) what he thought of all this. “I was there! It was real!”
There one has it. You pays your money and makes your choice. I choose to stand with my friend unreservedly. As for Romanos… best not said.
Slava Iisusu Khristu!
Cheers,
Vara Drezhlo
Holy Russia, hmm, well, as a historian and an Orthodox Christian, I know much of what that implies. For one, a big, very big country, the biggest in fact as far as size goes, and one that had an Orthodox emperor, just like the old Byzantine state, a fatherly, semi-divine protector of the poor and innocent, and defender and promoter of the Church. For another, a land of immense plains and forests filled with a crowd of hard-working, industrious peasants of simple but immovable faith, worshipping the Lord with thousands of self-crossings and prostrations, the lighting of thousands of candles daily, crowds, crowds of the pious and God-fearing Christians…
So, the ikon of the Mother of God, the miraculous, the not-made-by-hands, returns to its homeland finally, like an exiled queen after the defeat of her enemies, and is greeted by crowds, crowds of the pious God-fearing Christians…
Where were these Christians when the ikon was still overseas in safety? Were they in hiding just as she was, waiting for the opportune and safe moment to come out? Where were these crowds when Holy Russia was being trampled under the feet of Godless criminals? Would there have been enough bullies and bandits to keep a crowd this big in check? Would there have been enough bullets to slay them all and put Holy Russia forever under the earth, just a memory in the pages of history?
As long as the crowds that greeted Jesus with hosannas on His entry into Jerusalem dissipate or, even worse, become the crowd that cried out, “Crucify him!” there will be no “kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven,” and possibly no “Holy Russia” in reality.
Let’s not be blinded by our “devotion” to the Mother of God and the saints, and following Metropolitan Hilarion’s “call on all believers to come to the Church and adore the icon” imagine that this has anything other than ceremonial significance. Yes, it is a historic moment. It does signify what they say it signifies, a kind of “peace” in the Russian Church at large, at home and abroad. It does certainly give the Orthodox believers of whatever level of commitment and faith a feeling of solidarity. All these things can lead to real faith, if real faith is desired. They can also lead to a whole menagerie of other things, some of them not so praiseworthy or Christian. The “imperial church” has not always been a friend to believers, neither has the “imperial state.”
As glorious as the ikon of Saint George slaying the dragon appears, when you venerate the ikon, which do you kiss, the saint, or the dragon?
An incredible crowd was on hand this week to greet the Kursk icon of the Mother of God of the Sign in Kursk, Russia.
Thousands of pilgrims from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus arrived in Kursk to venerate this icon.
This is an amazing and inspiring response — especially when one keeps in mind that Russia was a predominantly godless communist country from 1917 to 1990.
AGAIN AND AGAIN 
Well said Alexis!!
After seeing this picture and reading these posts, it reminds me of this message from St. John Chrysostom.
A re there any who are devout lovers of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!
Are there any who are grateful servants?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!
Are there any weary from fasting?
Let them now receive their due!
If any have toiled from the first hour,
let them receive their reward.
If any have come after the third hour,
let them with gratitude join in the feast!
Those who arrived after the sixth hour,
let them not doubt; for they shall not be short-changed.
Those who have tarried until the ninth hour,
let them not hesitate; but let them come too.
And those who arrived only at the eleventh hour,
let them not be afraid by reason of their delay.
For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.
The Lord gives rest to those who come at the eleventh hour,
even as to those who toiled from the beginning.
To one and all the Lord gives generously.
The Lord accepts the offering of every work.
The Lord honours every deed and commends their intention.
Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!……..
Romanos!
Be very careful in judging others… it is the start of much mischief and it is how the Evil One gains a bridgehead in one’s heart. Take this for what it is worth and do not judge the motives of those taking part. After all, they could have been doing any one of dozens of other activities that day. They chose to be near the icon. Reflect on the fact that they consciously “chose” to be there.
Cleanse your own heart… I have a great way to go in that, myself… shall you help?
Cheers and good wishes,
Vara
Dear Vara,
Forgive me, sister, I am not trying to be condescending, and I am aware of the suffering Russian and other peoples under Communist oppression. I too stand with the new martyrs of Russia.
What I see, however, is that the world is always trying to subvert Christ among the people, and Christians range from very weak and nominal to very strong, and so many of them will go through the ceremonial Christian life without ever really intending to follow Jesus. If this is Orthodoxy for them, so be it. But Orthodoxy is not that for me, and so I am not impressed by crowds of worshippers kissing ikons and crossing themselves, but only by those who have followed Christ to the utmost, paying for that following even to the point of death.
What happened to Russia was not completely undeserved. The bishops of the era just preceding the cataclysm warned that Holy Orthodoxy could disappear in Russia in one or two generations because of what they saw as a nominal adherence to Orthodoxy. Then, the cataclysm came. In fact, that was probably a mercy from God, because it allowed for true Christianity to survive in the catacomb churches and elsewhere.
Now that it’s over, let’s hope the Russian people can begin to follow Christ in earnest and then by their lives of repentance and love for each other, a new society can emerge. If that were to happen, the world would be hard pressed to subvert it. But if adherence to the externals of religion is what is prized, then the world can take it over, and create a hell on earth once again, instead of our hoped for “Holy Russia.”
Romanos
Romanos:
Were you in Russia or in the West during the communist years? If the latter, you have no grounds for your condescension. One of my friends was a “prisoner of conscience”… if you were likewise, then, you may criticise as you did. Otherwise, if you have not paid the bill in full… you do get the message, I am sure.
Via e-mail, I asked my friend who had been in the GULag (he is a priest in Yekaterinburg) what he thought of all this. “I was there! It was real!”
There one has it. You pays your money and makes your choice. I choose to stand with my friend unreservedly. As for Romanos… best not said.
Slava Iisusu Khristu!
Cheers,
Vara Drezhlo
Holy Russia, hmm, well, as a historian and an Orthodox Christian, I know much of what that implies. For one, a big, very big country, the biggest in fact as far as size goes, and one that had an Orthodox emperor, just like the old Byzantine state, a fatherly, semi-divine protector of the poor and innocent, and defender and promoter of the Church. For another, a land of immense plains and forests filled with a crowd of hard-working, industrious peasants of simple but immovable faith, worshipping the Lord with thousands of self-crossings and prostrations, the lighting of thousands of candles daily, crowds, crowds of the pious and God-fearing Christians…
So, the ikon of the Mother of God, the miraculous, the not-made-by-hands, returns to its homeland finally, like an exiled queen after the defeat of her enemies, and is greeted by crowds, crowds of the pious God-fearing Christians…
Where were these Christians when the ikon was still overseas in safety? Were they in hiding just as she was, waiting for the opportune and safe moment to come out? Where were these crowds when Holy Russia was being trampled under the feet of Godless criminals? Would there have been enough bullies and bandits to keep a crowd this big in check? Would there have been enough bullets to slay them all and put Holy Russia forever under the earth, just a memory in the pages of history?
As long as the crowds that greeted Jesus with hosannas on His entry into Jerusalem dissipate or, even worse, become the crowd that cried out, “Crucify him!” there will be no “kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven,” and possibly no “Holy Russia” in reality.
Let’s not be blinded by our “devotion” to the Mother of God and the saints, and following Metropolitan Hilarion’s “call on all believers to come to the Church and adore the icon” imagine that this has anything other than ceremonial significance. Yes, it is a historic moment. It does signify what they say it signifies, a kind of “peace” in the Russian Church at large, at home and abroad. It does certainly give the Orthodox believers of whatever level of commitment and faith a feeling of solidarity. All these things can lead to real faith, if real faith is desired. They can also lead to a whole menagerie of other things, some of them not so praiseworthy or Christian. The “imperial church” has not always been a friend to believers, neither has the “imperial state.”
As glorious as the ikon of Saint George slaying the dragon appears, when you venerate the ikon, which do you kiss, the saint, or the dragon?
Very impressive!
An incredible crowd was on hand this week to greet the Kursk icon of the Mother of God of the Sign in Kursk, Russia.
Thousands of pilgrims from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus arrived in Kursk to venerate this icon.
This is an amazing and inspiring response — especially when one keeps in mind that Russia was a predominantly godless communist country from 1917 to 1990.