Comments Posted By PdnNJ

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Scandal in Chicago: the Initial Story is No Longer “Operative”

This was just posted on Facebook by one of my friends there:

Wonderful quote from the statement issued at the recent Assembly of Orthodox Bishops in North America in Chicago:
(Speaking to both the “Left” and the “Right…”)

“We recognize the tremendous social pressures to conform to secular standards, but we exhort you to stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught (2 Thess. 2.15) so that your light is not hidden under a bushel but placed on a stand (Matt. 5.15) in order for all to see. Let our Orthopraxy attend our Orthodoxy. In this respect:

We must safeguard the sacrament of marriage in accordance with God’s will for the sacred union between man and woman and the sanctity of family as the fundamental nucleus of a healthy society. In this regard, we emphasize regular family worship, particularly at Sunday liturgy.
We must strive to eliminate the violence proliferated against innocents of every kind, particularly of women and the unborn. We call for responsibility by individuals, institutions and governments to ensure the welfare of every citizen.

We must resist the wastefulness and greed that dominate our consumer society, confessing that our spiritual citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3.20) in order that our witness be characterized by the compassion and mercy as well as the generosity and philanthropy that distinguishes our God who loves humankind.”

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 15, 2012 @ 12:56 pm

Amos, with the OCA now showing itself to be an “empty promise” for the future of Orthodoxy in America, I now find myself more and more coming around to your line of reasoning. – Just my 2 cents worth.

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 14, 2012 @ 6:16 pm

Karen, you sound alot like my older (by 3 yrs.) sister.
She was a jewel, and I can see from your post above that you are, too.
May our Lord grant you and all your loved his eternal blessings.

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 11, 2012 @ 6:04 pm

I would say from that that Stankovich has no empathy at all for Met. Jonah.
(Maybe empathy is a quality that people in his profession have to destroy within themselves so that they don’t absorb their clients problems and make those problems their own.)

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 11, 2012 @ 10:02 am

M. Stankovich says:
September 7, 2012 at 3:32 am

Even the most mediocre speeches became Lincoln at Gettysburg.

Mediocre-???
In content?, length?, wording?, effect?, spelling?, hand writing?, or what?

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 11, 2012 @ 9:46 am

So true!, Fr. Pat, so true!, and thanks much!
(For some reason or other, it kinda “warmed my heart.”)
On top of what you say, I also have the “problem” of the “cryptic humor” of Greek old men which I absorbed from my father and grandfather. Only other Greek old men comprehend it, especially as humor. And it always brought strange looks on my bosses and fellow workers faces when it surfaced “by accident” from within.
PS: I listen faithfully to your podcasts on Ancientfaith radio.
Thanks for those, too.

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 10, 2012 @ 11:03 pm

I’m remembering the EP “blessing” the GOAA with the “gift” of new a Charter.
That makes me wonder if the HS of the OCA is planning, in the same fashion, to “bless” us with the “gift” of a new Metropolitan at the Nov. assembly in Parma?

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 10, 2012 @ 9:50 pm

Bishop Tikhon (Fitzgerald) says:
September 7, 2012 at 7:48 pm

Another difference is that I was born in 1932,

Well, Your Grace, I was born in 1932 also.
You must have been some sort of a “child prodigy” to be able to discern that about President Hoover and the Great Depression in your infant years.
(The many inaccuracies and questionable things that show up in your posts here make me wonder just how dependable what you write really is.)

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 9, 2012 @ 2:23 pm

Bishop Tikhon (Fitzgerald) says:
September 7, 2012 at 7:48 pm

Only BIG difference I see is that PdnNJ was drafted, that is, involuntarily inducted

I “see” many other BIG differences.
Also, “involuntary inducted”??? From the earliest years of our country thru the 1970s, when our name came up, we Draftees did not feel like we were being abducted, bound hand and foot, and dragged into basic training and the war zones. Those few who did went AWOL. We didn’t “enlist” beforehand because we knew that, sooner or later, “our turn” was coming anyway.

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 8, 2012 @ 10:17 pm

Fr. Ambrose: I was just responding to the questions Bishop Tikhon asked me in an insinuating way in his post of September 6, 2012 at 4:21 pm above. He asked them here, publicly, and so I felt I had to answer them here, to the same public. Should I ask forgiveness for boring others here with that? If so, then I ask for forgiveness.
Please allow me to ask you this question: Do you think that a persons life experiences have a formative bearing on his/her spirituality and world view, and, because of that, may be interest to others?

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 8, 2012 @ 7:14 pm

Thank you, Philippa, for your “thank you.”

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 7, 2012 @ 7:00 pm

I understand, George, and keep up the good work.
But for your statement “I’m going to cut a priest ir bishop incredibly more slack than I would a layman” I say for a priest, maybe, but for a bishop, never.

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 7, 2012 @ 2:25 pm

Vladyka, since my original reply to the your above post was moderated out, I’ll try to answer your questions (insinuations?) in a way that may be more acceptable to George, as follows:
Bishop Tikhon (Fitzgerald) says:
September 6, 2012 at 4:21 pm

Oh, PdnNJ, fairly typical indeed, for our class in those years.

Yes indeed, Your Grace.

I should have mentioned three years soldiering and ten years officering in the Air Force.

I should mention 2 yrs. active duty, 2 yrs. active reserves, and 4 yrs. standby inactive reserves, totaling 8 yrs.

But I enlisted. it was being DRAFTED that was fairly typical for our generation and class.

Agreed, because I was drafted in Dec. ’52.

In which branch of the armed forces did you serve, PdnNJ?

U.S. Army

And you worked your way through school as well?

Yes, beginning with my high school years, and continuing thru my college years.

That wasn’t typical of my high school graduating class.

It was with quite typical for mine.

Most who went to college in my class had everything paid by their parents.

There a few like that in my class, also. But only a few.
(I attended college under the Korean War G.I. Bill, which paid for college tuition and books only (not very expensive in those days).

What factories did you work in?

Electric motor, aircraft armament, aircraft production, steel castings, and beverage can production factories.

Does that answer your questions (interrogation?), Your Grace?

PS: Dear commenters and readers here, I’m sure that many of you had to go through more challenging times to get to where you are now then either Vladyka or I, and I highly compliment you for that.

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 7, 2012 @ 11:50 am

George Michalopulos:
It looks like you have moderated out my direct answers to the questions Bishop Tikhon (Fitzgerald) asked of me in his comment of September 6, 2012 at 4:21 pm under the “Scandal in Chicago: the Initial Story is No Longer “Operative”” thread. That’s too bad, because you did not allow me to “defend myself” against his insinuations. That makes me believe that, because his is a retired Bishop and you don’t want to take the chance that he may be offended to the point of loosing his participation here, you are allowing him (and, as a matter of fact, all the other “liberals”) to “get away with things” that you won’t allow of others. If that continues to happen with my posts, including this one, then “I’m outta here” because your credibility is lost as far as I am concerned. (But then, who would miss a decrepit old Protodeacon anyway.)

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 7, 2012 @ 9:55 am

Bishop Tikhon (Fitzgerald) says:
September 6, 2012 at 12:04 pm

I’ve had a couple paper routes, been a bus-boy in a restaurant, been a stock-boy in a Department store (Hudson’s), worked on two assembly lines, Dodge and Ford Truck, been a clerk typist, been an administrative assistant, driven a taxicab, and so on.

Fairly typical for our generation who grew up in the ’30s, ’40s, and early ’50s.

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 6, 2012 @ 3:46 pm

And Now for a Word from One of the “DC Nuns”

Isaac Crabtree says:
September 15, 2012 at 9:10 am

for me, you could pretty much get rid of every podcast on AFR except Postcards from Greece and The Arena. Too much hot air and not enough patristic fragrance.

Sorry, Isaac, but I don’t agree with that. I’m a devoted daily listener of AFR and I find all the homilies there especially good, and all with, based on, or emanating “patristric fragrance.”
(PS: Sophrony’s book “His Life is Mine” is second only to the Holy Gospel for me.)

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 15, 2012 @ 11:59 am

Thank you, Fr. Hans, I appreciate your reply.

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 14, 2012 @ 4:29 pm

“You were revealed as the sure foundation of the Church,
Granting all men a lordship which cannot be taken away,
Sealing it with your precepts,
O Venerable and Heavenly Father Basil.”
(Kontakion – Tone 4)

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 14, 2012 @ 3:10 pm

Fr. Hans: Where I wrote, in my post immediately above, “living heterosexually is the good and virtue” I meant to say “living heterosexually according to His will is the good and virtue.”

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 14, 2012 @ 9:11 am

I think phil r. upp is “nuts.”

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 14, 2012 @ 7:55 am

Fr. Hans:
First of all I want to say that I have to be careful of what I write and how I say/word it here because, according to the “Peter Principle,” I am in danger of rising to the level of my incompetence, and “above my pay grade.”
Be that as it may, I would like to say that “where I am coming from” is my understanding that God created everything good and for the accomplishment of His holy will for mankind, and so living in accordance with that will is what virtue is, and therefore, with respect to human sexuality, since He created human beings heterosexual, living heterosexually is the good and virtue.
I am not capable of passing judgement on what Fr. Ted Bobosh writes about pastoring “homosexuals”, but I am in total disagreement with him where he says “I don’t conceive of homosexuality as a sin because I don’t think heterosexuality is a virtue,” which comes across to me as totally counterintuitive, and a greatly misleading (“dangerous”?) mindset to have when pastoring his flock and individuals in the area of human sexuality.
(I hope that that all makes some sense to you.)
————-
And on this great and holy day commemorating
The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross:
O Lord, save Your people, And bless You inheritance.
Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians Over their adversaries.
And by virtue of Your Cross, Preserve Your habitation.

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 14, 2012 @ 7:16 am

I have some apologizing to do, first to Fr. Bobosh for misquoting and misunderstanding subject passage of his, and then to the readers here for misleading them with what I posted here based on that misquote/misunderstanding. If I can dig up the link to where Fr. Bobosh wrote it on his website (which will give the actual context in which it was written), I’ll post it here. (Maybe George M. already has it.) Even so, allow me to add my understanding of the issue as follows:
Heterosexuality is a virtue for the very reason that God created human beings heterosexual, i.e., both male and female, and then gave them the command to increase and multiply which can only happen heterosexually. I can not at all see how homosexuality fits into that “picture” of God’s obvious will for humanity which is also concretely revealed physiologically. I don’t know how even the reality of human sinfulness would or could change that “picture.” As far as St. Paul talking about marriage “vs.” celibacy, I believe he says that both are equal in the Lord’s eyes, but for anyone who wants to dedicate their life totally to Christ, celibacy is the best choice for that because having a family entails too many “distractions.”

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 13, 2012 @ 7:06 pm

Jared says:
September 12, 2012 at 2:27 pm

In all this confusion, discord, and strife…. Please, please don’t take your eyes off of Jesus.

Jared, see my sincere post of September 12, 2012 at 2:56 pm immediately above.

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 13, 2012 @ 9:12 am

phil r. upp says:
September 12, 2012 at 5:43 pm

Fool!

Now I know that he is in danger of “hell fire”!

Matthew 5:22
But hoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 13, 2012 @ 12:22 am

Colette, that’s called “unintended consequences.”

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 13, 2012 @ 12:14 am

Any official evidence that he retired?
If not, then it is just a blatant lie.
and if that is the cause for the AAC in Nov.,
then it is a blatant lie, also.

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 12, 2012 @ 4:04 pm

Yes, anna_of_boston, as follows:

Ephesians 5:31-32
New King James Version (NKJV)
31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”[a] 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Source: BibleGateway.com

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 12, 2012 @ 3:24 pm

And so, I repeat:

PdnNJ says:
November 29, 2011 at 5:00 pm
From the works of our Holy Father Ephraim the Syrian in “A Spiritual Psalter,” extracts from #86, A Confession of Redemption and a prayer for the Church:

“Thou didst establish on earth thy holy Church in the image of the heavenly kingdom:
Thou didst build her with love, establish her with compassion and
Thou didst spiritually betroth Thyself to her, and gain her by Thy suffering.”
“But the hater of mankind, in his shameless impudence, attacks her in the person of her servers.” [Emphasis, mine]
“O Lord, do not leave Thy holy Church without Thy care, … .”
“Do not let her majestic beauty be disfigured… .”
“Fulfill the promise that Thou didst make to Peter; … .”
“Fortify her gates, strengthen her bars, exalt her horn, raise up her head.”
“Bless her sons, preserve her children, give peace to her priests… .”
“May Thy peace dwell in her and drive away from her all evil schisms.”
“May we maintain our faith with great confidence and perfect love.”
“May we ceaselessly bring praise to Thee, O Lord, and to Thy Father and to Thy Holy Spirit.”

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 12, 2012 @ 2:56 pm

I’m beginning to shutter at the vision I have of the present OCA bishops standing around the Holy Table in an Orthodox temple, with the reserved Body and Blood of our Lord and His Holy Gospel on it, and relics of our Saints on or within it, and calling down the Holy Spirit to participate in the charade they intend to “repentantly” perform for “the good” of His Holy Church in North America.
May Our Lord have mercy on their and our souls!

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 11, 2012 @ 7:24 pm

Thanks, Fr. Pat, for that correction.
I had to chuckle at myself for that.
It had to be because of a senior moment and because who’s and whose sound the same.

» Posted By PdnNJ On September 11, 2012 @ 5:43 pm