Good and Holy Friday

I know that I said we here at Monomakhos would be going dark until after Easter. But I came across this picture on Breitbart today.

It moved me, so much so that I felt the need to post it this morning.

I pray that your spiritual struggle is profitable and that we will all experience a renewed joy in three days’ time.

http://www.breitbart.com/faith/2017/04/14/christians-celebrate-good-friday/

Kali Anastasi!

Comments

  1. Michael Bauman says

    At my parish we have a practice of singing the Lamentations in English then a small group of Lebanese men chant them in Arabic. When it first started I was in my “American Orthodox” mode.

    I realized last night the fact of how inadequate English is in conveying the faith. The Arabic, Russian and Greek carry all of the centuries of joy, sorrow, struggle and martyr’s blood.

    There are families in my parish who have been Christian since Apostolic times.

    English has none of that yet.

    Combined with the reality of having a nihilist culture in which there is almost nothing active that can be baptized it is no wonder we are still under the tutelage of “them furriners”.

    God is merciful.

  2. Michael Bauman says

    Christ is Risen!

  3. Joseph Lipper says

    Christ Is Risen!

    Here is a sermon entitled “A Message To Those Who Kill Us” in Arabic with subtitles by a coptic priest after the bombings in Egypt last week:

    http://www.copticdadandmom.com/fr-boules-george/

    The priest’s sermon is all about thanking those who kill us because in Christ they do us a great favor. After the bombings, the churches in Egypt were full of people who normally would never come to church. His sermon is all about love and prayer for those who kill us, because they help us to fulfill the Gospel.

    • http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/90931.htm

      This is probably one of the better Orthodox responses to questions about Sacred Tradition and violence that I have seen.

      The only thing that I would add is that actually, if one is concerned as are Americans with what constitutes “cruel and unusual punishment”, the plain fact that decades of research have confirmed is that it is more cruel to confine people to long term periods of incarceration in solitude than to execute them. Essentially, you are sacrificing them to their own passions. They tend to go mad.

      • Not sure how my above comment made it under the newly revised Good and Holy Friday story. And the link above is dead. Can’t get to it on my computer.

    • Joseph,

      Yes, the Armenians have a lot to thank the Turks for as well:

      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/remembering-the-armenian-genocide_us_58fd725ce4b0f02c3870ec16

      • Peter Millman says

        It’s an utter disgrace that the US does not formally recognize the Armenian Genocide.

        • George Michalopulos says

          It is, isn’t it? I wonder why?

          BTW, I went and saw The Promise Sunday night. I heartily recommend it. Except for some lapses in editing towards the end, very good production values. Very good acting as well and the sets were phenomenal, as were the scenes involving military action. The “crack-crack” of gunfire in the forests sounded realistic. Constantinople was beautifully portrayed as were the costumes, furnishings and most everything else. I didn’t see any anachronisms although I’m sure there were some.

          The story was complex in that it wasn’t an Armenian-good/Turk-bad story. Clearly some of the Turkish officials were good guys who risked their necks (literally) for some of the refugees and the American reporter (Christopher Myers played by Christian Bale). Nor was the protagonist (played by Oskar Isaac) lilly-pure morally speaking.

          I recommend it. Also, I liked the fact that (except for Christian Bale) there were no big-name actors in this project. Like the original Star Wars, not having any A-listers –in my opinion–allows the viewer to get better lost in the story.

          Having said that, I’m curious why the Hollywood system allowed it to be released, given that the American Deep State is in the pocket of the Turkish government.

      • Joseph Lipper says

        Misha, the Armenian Genocide and the bombings in Egypt were horrible satanic events, as was the crucifixion of our Lord.

        I would not expect anyone to thank the butchers who have killed their loved ones, but this priest did. It’s not the reaction one would expect.

        His sermon was one of hope, love and strength. There was no fear, malice, or resentment in his sermon. How is this possible? Only by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is it even possible.

        • Yes.

          When I say that Muslims are Amalek, it does not mean that I hate them. It means that they are Amalek.

          No one is more merciful than God.

          • Joseph Lipper says

            Misha,

            My sins are the enemies of Christ. My sins are Amalek. Should I not hate my sins?

            Yes, terrorism is a real and serious threat. Apparently, the US Homeland Security places our veterans at the VERY top of the list for potential terrorist threats:

            http://vetxprs.org/VetTerrorThreat.html

            Veterans may account for 6% of the US population. That’s a huge terrorist threat (as perceived by the US Homeland Security), and a lousy way to be viewed for the veterans who have served their country.

            The US would much rather divert our attention to the threat of Islam in the Middle East. Islam is very threatening to the state of Israel. Probably most Muslims wish that the state of Israel would cease and desist. This is why the US is arming the state of Israel with new F-35’s:

            http://www.timesofisrael.com/three-more-f-35-fighter-jets-touch-down-in-israel/

            Why does the USA keep rewarding the state of Israel with more weapons and military support when they continue to be in gross violation of international law? Should we not be surprised that some Muslims may hate the USA because of this?

            Personally, my hunch is that when WWIII finally takes place, the USA will be destroyed by the Christian nation of Russia, and with China’s help, but they will only do it in self-defense. America will be the aggressor, and Russia will be justified in their self-defense. God help us all.

            • Joseph,

              I don’t know what your confession is, but this much I do know:

              Christ is God.

              That being the case, Islam must necessarily have been founded by Satan, in the guise of Gabriel, perhaps, but, however it came to be, a diabolical satanic cult nonetheless.

              The Judaism of the Old Testament, the Hebrew religion centered on Yahweh, was and is true. It finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Thus, the Jews, while they had a hand in killing Christ, have some part of the truth that guides them in the Old Testament, just as their forefathers did before Christ.

              Muslims only have a demon to guide them. There is no other explanation for a new religion after Christianity, if Christianity is true, other than something inspired by Lucifer/Satan. We need not argue about it. It should be axiomatic for Orthodox Christians.

              Thus, we know who the enemy is. The Progressive Liberals, Secular Humanists and all the other remnants of the Enlightenment have had their day and their worldview is dying before our eyes. We see it in the news on a daily basis. They know it is over for them. They will gradually become theists of some sort, reluctantly, or go insane because reality will close in on them.

              Russia is a Christian nation once again. And America is attempting to become a Christian nation again. We shall see how it goes. A revived Christendom will be more than a match for the “Religion of Peace”.

              When Orthodox Arabs say, “Allah”, they refer to Yahweh, the God who begat the Word/Son.

              When Muslims say, “Allah”, they are not referring to that God at all, since they reject His revealed theology.

              • Michael Bauman says

                Misha, I cannot believe you really believe that the US is trying to become a “Christian nation”. We are not now nor have we ever been a Christian nation so it is rather hard to become one again.

                • Michael,

                  Once upon a time, many of the American states had established churches. The last one to abolish was Massachusetts (Congregationalism) in 1838, I believe. The Constitution only prohibited the federal government from establishing a national church since America was not seen at that point as a nation but a federation of sovereign states.

                  So, by and large, yes, America was Christian. Decidedly heterodox, mind you. The Anglicans in Virginia perhaps being the closest thing here to Orthodoxy apart from this or that errant wayfarer. In the 1940’s, anti-Catholic sentiments took hold on the Supreme Court and they began to construct a “wall of separation” which was later used by secularists to impose secular humanism as the state religion upon America.

                  I still remember teachers reading the bible in class, the ten commandments up on the walls, and the Christmas plays where we all quoted scripture. That all changed around 1980.

                  As to what America might become, who knows? I see Mere Conservative Protestantism swirling in the South and Mid-west. I do sense the Spirit moving, as best I can feel it. But it’s disorganized at this point. Hard to say what will become of it.

                  Shared trauma tends to motivate people. The culture wars regarding feminism and the LGBT stuff will likely recede after a lot of sound a fury this summer and in the next little bit.

                  But there’s a bigger storm a comin’ and that one will leave few non-theists in its build up. Not that there will be forced conversions in the West necessarily. More like the joys of atheism will seem very passe, at least that might be how it starts.

                  But once it is on a roll it will be full tilt boogie and it will be hard to manage the details.

  4. Joseph Lipper says

    The strength of the Coptic peoples in their Christ-like forgiveness of their ISIS attackers has made a strong impression on the Muslims in Egypt:

    http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2017/april-web-only/forgiveness-muslims-moved-coptic-christians-egypt-isis.html

    • Well, if that moves them to forego the devil and confess Christ, perhaps there is hope for them.