Folks, it’s been a while since we put out a vlog.* But I came across something recently that made me drop everything and make a brief video. An essay wouldn’t do.
I simply had to read to you some of the most profound words regarding the present ecclesiastical crisis that I have ever come across.
They come from a YouTuber named Brother Augustine. I don’t know him but I do follow him. I hope you will do so as well.
Anyway, here it is:
https://youtu.be/fCTpyvU6UfU?list=UUC6c_6NASPfgH-RISMnNqhA
*Hopefully, we’ll be more diligent about putting these things out in the future.
Ronda, Michelle, et al: try it now.
So sorry about that!
I just watched it.
Thank you for this message, as I don’t follow Brother Augustine. I completely agree.
In Greece, the Holy Synod basically is asking the current gov’t to enforce state measures onto the faithful, as they don’t have the means to do so.
Our eyes are open now to the uncomfortable truth. The Church has been for many years much smaller than it seemed.
There was a recent story passing around on Orthodox Christian forums in Greece, that a woman was kicked out of a parish for not wearing a mask, wanting to take Holy Communion. As she left being forced out and crying sadly, was approached by two men, with the names of Enoch and Ilias, asking her why she was crying. When she explained, they replied, not to worry as they (the clergy) are not ours.
Which forums please ?
The forum of “Catholic teaching” about the end of days when Enoch and Elias (Elijah) return to the earth.
I meant which forums mention the woman forced out of the Church who was approached by the two men with the names of Enoch and Ilias.
Just watched it on my cell.
Amen.
Now that we know the problem, what are we as individuals going to do to resolve it?
As I learned long ago, the only person I can change in any given situation is myself. So, the renewing of the Church must start with me.
I just finished reading Luke 10. In this chapter Jesus sent the 70 out to go before Him into the surrounding areas. Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest.”
Are we praying for the harvest or just maintaining the status quo and the current in group?
And by the way hell has managed to enter into so-called Christians, at least in the USA. From clergy on down many have accepted the zeitgeist of the times. The teachings of Jesus have been abandoned by the so-called wisdom of the secular age and our own lusts.
Jesus educated his disciples. Do we make disciples? Educated disciples.
Thank you for this George!
You’re welcome! I enjoyed doing it.
Revolver is a great site for cutting edge reporting. This opinion piece is golden, but provocative.
“Kulak” is Russian for “fist”. It refers to landed peasants who were successful enough to employ others. They were demonized during the Revolution and again later during Stalin’s reign. The comparison is to the “deplorables”.
I really like Br. Augustine. I’ve been watching him for awhile.
Perhaps the Church isn’t divided but there is definitely division within the Church. Some bought in completely to the coof narrative. Others didn’t. And it continues.
So my question is, if we can’t say the Church is divided, are we prepared to say that those who bought into the coof have been mislead, are apostasising? How do we approach this?
“So my question is, if we can’t say the Church is divided, are we prepared to say that those who bought into the coof have been mislead, are apostasising? How do we approach this?”
Probably proceed with life as usual, until the purebloods and the non-“fully vaccinated” who don’t qualify for the vaccine/health passport are banned from attending the buildings that formerly belonged to the Church. Better be mentally prepared to have clergy visiting you in the “Wellness Camps”/”Health Hotels”(and other Orwellian labels for concentration camps) trying to explain to you why this can’t be the Mark of the Beast.
That seems to be precisely the point George is making.
Then that’s a LOT of apostasy
What, specifically?
Gail,
I had asked if George, based off what Br. Augustine was talking about, was saying that those who bought into the covid narrative, and especially those who got the stab had effectively apostasied. If so, there’s been a LOT of apostasy because so many Christians, including many Orthodox, have done just that. But so far I hadn’t come across anyone who would actually say it. I thought at the least they were diluted and had no discernment to read the signs of the times. So I was asking how far are we prepared to go in how we speak of them?
Thanks. 🙂
“If we can’t say the Church is divided, are we prepared to say that those who bought into the coof have been mislead, are apostasising?”
Note that George has not responded to Seraphim’s question, either to confirm or deny that this is his intended meaning.
Yes it is. To clarify, I am asking George Michalopulos, the author of this blog, if his intended meaning in the video is indeed what Seraphim and other commenters here have interpreted it to be — that the “lines being drawn in the church” refer to the controversy over COVID measures, and that those who are on the wrong side of that controversy by accepting vaccination should be considered apostates because there can be no division in the Church.
Elizabeth, thank you for your question.
My own position is rather nuanced (if you will). As a health professional myself (with more than a little understanding of virology and epidemiology), I could take the pacific position that this virus –though clearly bioengineered–was never as lethal as the previous hysteria made it out to be. Not at all, unless one thinks that a mortality rate of 0.26% is “lethal” and/or qualifies as a “pandemic”.
Of course, that opens up a can of worms as far as the secular sphere is concerned:
(1) Did it justify wrecking the world’s economy, driving people to depression, drugs, despair and suicide?
(2) Did it justify overthrowing our tried-and-true election system in order to engineer a coup d’etat, effectively reducing us to the status of a Third World banana republic?
(3) Was it justified to use it to effectuate the greatest transfer of wealth in human history, from the bottom 90% to the top 10%? (I myself wonder how those on the Left who supposedly care for the “common man” rationalize this economic crime?)
I think any reasonable person would step back and say: “Not really”, especially when the full facts about its lethality and morbidity are known. I will not at this point bring up the previous pandemics that occurred within living memory (SARS, Swine Flu, Hong Kong Flu) which did not necessitate the recent hysteria.
Them’s the socio-political (i.e. secular) level.
As for the Church, the concern with most of us who were not hysterics was the unfortunate over-commpliance of many of our bishops. Basically, they crumpled like a cheap suit the moment Dr Faustus said “Boo!” One of them even chose to march with the Black Lesbian Marxists during last year’s George Floyd riot season. (Ah! the smell of Molotov cocktails hurled at police cars! And burning buildings and Federal marshals blinded with lasers! Oh, to be young and in Portland again!) To my knowledge, only one Orthodox bishop (Arb Peter of Chicago/ROCOR) made a public statement concerning the riots, while another bishop (Arb Paul of Chicago/OCA) actually tried to remonstrate an Orthodox priest who was at the Jan 6 protest (which really was “mostly peaceful”).
None of this means that sincere Orthodox Christians who were ambivalent (if not downright fearful) of the virus are bad people, apostates or what have you. Nevertheless, I must question the bona fides of some of these people, especially if they’re priests and bishops, for coming up with some of the most ridiculous protocols known to epidemiology in order to mitigate the virus.
Allow me to enumerate some of these:
1) The mandatory closure of churches, going so far as to lock the doors to parishioners because one more person would have exceeded the mandatory quota.
2) The mandatory social-distancing protocols put in place.
3) The absolutely ridiculous multiple-spoon protocols (which, curiously enough, were instigated by Arb Elpidophoros who then had the rug pulled out from him by Pat Bart when he saw that this was a bridge too far).
4) The abject horror of seeing priests, deacons, and altar boys masked (especially for children when they approached for communion). On the other hand, for an old fogey like myself, who appreciates Monty Pythonesque humor, the entire masquerade screamed “I’m ridiculous!” from the rooftops. This was especially so when they had full beards, thereby allowing particles to escape. Fortunately, my parish did not succumb to this hilarity. I did attend a vespers at another parish (not in my jurisdiction) and the chanter had a full beard but wore a mask. Remember all those photos of Pat Bart wearing a mask? It was that funny.
So, where are we? Leaving aside the sarcasm as well as the seriousness (i.e. how lethal is this virus and does it justify the overturning of civilization?), I believe I speak for many when I say that perhaps our bishops should have exercised more prudence and not succumbed to the hysteria in the first place. Nor do we believe that those who wear masks are fools or knaves, however we do ask whether they have stopped to consider the social effects in toto and whether, in retrospect, some of these protocols were necessary?
Speaking for myself, I realize that on at least one occasion, I made light of this issue to a person who was wearing a mask and for my presumption I apologized to that person. (My presumption was based on the fact that none of the 90+ of the other people who were in church at the time were masked or had been for the last several months.) While I won’t do something like that again, I will not change my beliefs about this virus and how the Church (as well as society) made a hash of things.
I guess you could say that I have chosen to trust in the Lord and not live my life in fear. Especially of a virus with such minimal lethality. In other words, I trust in the Lord but in this case, I also trust science.
There is a deeper question here George to which your conclusion alludes. What precisely is causing the hysterical overreaction? We have had some nasty bugs arise in the past, Ebola, etc. – things with high mortality rates. Had this been such a bug, my guess is that there would be very little kvetching about lockdowns or masks or vaccines, etc., to the extent they haven’t been demonstrated ineffective in any case, since the stakes would have been quite high. As it is, targeting the elderly and those with comorbidities when it comes to masking, vaccinating, etc. makes sense since for them there is a genuinely concerning risk.
But not for everyone else., not any more than the flu, with which we live and die stoically each year.
If one is truly afraid of death from Covid as the end of it all, does this fear not arise from a lack of faith, an inner apostasy? People have been forced to come face to face with their true beliefs regarding consciousness after death. Many are simply pretending to be faithful, yet are terrified by their materialism.
1 Corinthians 15:53-55
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
We should pray for them. They place themselves in a very uncomfortable position.
I don’t think there is anything morally wrong with getting the vaccine. It was developed very quickly under the Trump administration and its efficacy is in serious question, even setting aside the reports of negative effects including death. I certainly don’t think it is the mark of the beast since the prophecy is not on all fours with its administration (it leaves no mark, is only in the arm, etc.). The only troubling thing is the climate of hysteria the talking up of the virus has caused. It’s totally unwarranted.
So, based on your response, it sounds like your answer to Seraphim’s question is no, being on the wrong side of COVID is NOT apostasy. Bishops made bad judgement calls, lay people maybe haven’t really thought it through, but they aren’t even fools or knaves, so apostate would be too extreme. Is this a correct understanding of your position?
Pretty much.
If you don’t mind, I’d like to add that this kinda went both ways. In the secular sphere, at a grocery store, I got dirty looks because I wasn’t wearing a mask. If I had to guess, the virtue-signaling that went on was overwhelmingly against those who were not masked. And now those who are vax-skeptic.
This is a tender piece by a sharp British wit about the current travesties.
It leaves me, as a convinced monarchist, with the impulse to observe that an autocrat might actually be capable of securing a greater degree of personal liberty for his subjects than a mob ruled by lies and fear.
Well said.
Amen!
Seraphim,
“How do we approach this?”
With continued faithfulness, resolve, and great patience. This is by no means the first time the majority in the Church was wrong about something. Think Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Maximos, Mark of Ephesus, to name only a few.
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
Brian,
I agree. And I know we shouldn’t spend too much time worrying about labels and categorization. I guess what I’m thinking is when it comes to what we’ve been seeing over last 2 years, it’s easy to think of it merely as a medical issue. However, I have read a bigger spiritual meaning into it from the beginning. In fact, this has been one of the most disturbing things about it to me. I saw nefarious motives in our social/political leaders, and that conviction has only gotten stronger as things have progressed. I wasn’t totally sure what the goal(s) was, but I knew it was satanic.
Soooo, when I saw so many in the Church, including hierarchs, failing to see what I, as a terrible sinner, could see, I was disturbed. And the blindness seems to continue. Everyone in the Church whom I respect has said that while the stab is not itself the mark of the beast, it is its forerunner.
So having said all this, this is what was behind me asking whether we can qualify those in the Church who believe what they see in the news, who have followed the line given to them by godless leaders, and who lined up to take this “little devil” are actually apostasising from Christ and His Church, or simply lack discernment and making unwise decisions. I’m not saying the answer should change how we approach them (with love, etc.) but I still think it’s an important question nonetheless. And it’s a tough question cause we all have loved ones, in and out of the Church, who have done these things.
Seraphim,
As indicated by my comments here, I share your conviction.
I am inclined to view “COVID” as a sort of judgement – not in the sense of ‘punishment’ as such, but in the sense of revealing what is and probably has been for a very long time. The fear of death has a way of bringing things into sharp relief, revealing the truth of Whom – or what – it is we actually put our trust in. It reveals hate and love, selfishness and sacrifice, cowardice and courage, greed and generosity, pride and humility, faith and apostacy… All the vices and virtues already present in our hearts are brought into sharp relief by the immediacy of the danger of death. Moreover, the fact that so many have so easily succumbed to what, in the case of COVID, can only be described as an irrational fear of death reveals how deeply this fear is imbedded in so many, inclining them to resort to most any perceived remedy other than the One who conquered death and to put their faith (and it is faith) in unscientific ‘science’ instead.
This fear and misplaced faith have already resulted in a chastisement (whether it is recognized yet as such or not); and doubtless more chastisement is to come, whether from the ‘vaccine’ itself, from the political actions associated with it – or both. Those who belong to Christ will, I believe, one day see this for what it is (a warning of what is to come), and those who do not belong to Him will sink deeper into the apostacy they are already in.
My answer, therefore, to…
…is that only time will tell and that it will likely be different for each person. Remember that some took it with eyes wide open, faithless toward God and fully trusting in the pseudoscience. Others did so out of irrational fear and/or the false notions of ‘love’ being promulgated by their religious leaders. Others out of sheer (and blameless) ignorance. Still others resisted until their livelihoods were on the line and took it unwillingly out of love for their families.
In the meantime, exactly who the wheat and who the tares are is yet to be fully revealed, and we must be content with our ignorance of what only God knows. We must also, I believe, be vigilant and cognizant of the wheat and the tares that exist within each of our own selves. May the Lord be merciful to us all.
Brian,
Good, balanced answer. I don’t think I can add anything.
Seraphim,
As indicated by my comments here, I obviously share your conviction.
I am inclined to view COVID and all that surrounds it as a sort of judgement – not so much in the sense of ‘punishment’ as such, but in the sense of revealing the truth of what is and probably has been for a very long time. The fear of death has a way of bringing things into sharp relief, revealing the truth about Who – or what – it is that we actually put our trust in. It reveals hate and love, selfishness and sacrifice, cowardice and courage, greed and generosity, pride and humility, apostacy and faith… All the vices and virtues present in our hearts are brought into sharp relief by the immediacy of the danger of death. Moreover, the fact that many have so easily succumbed to what, in the case of COVID, can only be described as an irrational fear of the danger of death reveals how deeply this fear is imbedded in so many, inclining them to resort to most any perceived remedy other than the One who conquered death itself and to place their hope (and faith) in unscientific ‘science’ instead.
This fear and misplaced faith have already resulted in a chastisement (“…for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.”) whether it is recognized yet as such or not. And doubtless more chastisement is to come, whether from the ‘vaccine’ itself, from the sociopolitical actions associated with it, or both. Those who belong to Christ will, I believe, one day see this for what it is (a precursor/warning of what is to come) and find repentance, while those who do not belong to Him will, I suspect, sink deeper into their apostacy.
My answer, therefore, to…
…is that only time will tell and that it will likely be different for each person. I say this because some took it with eyes wide open, dismissing their consciences concerning the origins of the ‘vaccine’ and willfully placing all their trust in pseudoscience. Others did so out of irrational fear and/or the equally irrational notions of ‘love’ being promulgated by religious leaders. Others acted on the advice of their doctor out of sheer (and more or less blameless) ignorance. Still others resisted until their livelihoods were on the line, taking it unwillingly out of love for their families.
And so, I believe, the wheat and the tares are yet to be fully revealed. I must be content for now with my ignorance of what only God knows and pray for everyone while being cognizant of – and vigilant against – the tares that exist within my own soul. Our God goes to great lengths to save us, and His chastening can bring even apostates to repentance. May the Lord be merciful to us all.
Dear George and Gail, best wishes to you and your family during this Thanksgiving holiday. It’s posts like this that always keep me coming back for more. I am very thankful for your time, energy, and commitment to keeping Monomakhos going. I am not on social media and avoid most “news” like the plague, but there are 4 sites I daily visit: OrthoChristian, LifeSite News, The Blaze, and Monomakhos. Your blog is a bit like an online old time country general store, where there’s always a rocking chair waiting for me by a cozy fire, where I can hear from great minds and hearts about the most important thing in life, our faith. Thank you so much for keeping the flame of freedom alive online. Happy Thanksgiving!
You made my day!
Ditto!
If I may speak for Gail, we are grateful to readers like you. (As for myself, I’m grateful to Gail for many things, including the work she puts on behind the scenes on the blog.)
Thanks for doing the Vlogs again yall, those are always great
I’ve been following Br. Augustine for a while, he’s a Jewish convert to Orthodoxy so his take on things is always interesting. Wise words from him and from you, George. It’s tough to remind yourself in the rough times in Church history that the Church has weathered more storm, and sometimes worse, than this. The Arian crisis, Nestorianism, Iconoclams, 1054, Ferrara-Florence, Sergianism….all should be reminders that the Church has, and does, survive not matter what her hierarchs are saying or doing. We are fortunate to have quite a few voices from across the Orthodox world who are speaking out against all of this madness, which is much better than could have been said during Arianism when St. Athanasius stood alone.
The fact that laity, at least in Greece, are being blocked from the Eucharist unless they have had the vaccine proves to me that it is from Satan. Because of everything going on from Bartholomew to Covid, I feel pretty confident at some point a council will be called to correct everything. It’s the only way things can be fixed at this point.
My spiritual father did confirm this is the mark of the beast. Here’s some interesting info that confirms this:
https://ifapray.org/blog/why-is-luciferase-in-the-covid-vaccine/
Hobgoblins.
Luciferase is firefly juice. It is used in lab diagnostics and vaccine development to give a visible change (bioluminesce) when proteins bind, revealing the presence of antibodies. That’s all. It can’t do any of the stuff Anonymous’s link says it does.
https://www.tmc.edu/news/2020/07/fireflies-help-kindle-new-tests-and-treatments-for-covid-19/
To Everyone:
Stand Firm. Hold the Line. The vaccine is NOT the mark of the beast, so we know that these passports and restrictions won’t stand. This will pass. And if you haven’t already, try your best to avoid these vaccines. They are poison. We should simply tell people to STOP THE LIES.
Playing off of what you said, one thing interesting I have noticed over the past year is that the schism caused by Bartholomew with the creation of the OCU is no longer the main problem in the Church (though it is still obviously serious). The main problem now is Covidism, the vax and the division it has caused in the Church. I would argue that this is much worse and widespread than the OCU. The OCU isn’t a “nothing burger,” but the Church now has much bigger problems that need to be addressed.
Both need to be addressed and both are causing problems but the division, even down to the parish level at almost every parish, is a more pressing issue. Anything that causes division, especially in the Church, is pf the devil
Hi George and Gail
OK, I am a little tired so I may be asking the obvious:
Which video/story of Brother Augustine’s ( who is great, btw ) are you referring to?
and
In which forums is the Enoch/Elias account mentioned above ( if anyone knows )?
Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless
I didn’t say it so I honestly can’t answer your question. It sounded like a made-up scenario to make a point, but maybe it’s real.
Perhaps it is a parable.
An internet search in English didn’t bring up anything. A search in Greek could be more succesful.
Some thoughts on the content of the post
1. Jesus came into a world of madness and He gave us Himself to overcome the madness. He said “Believe in me.” I think in today’s vocabulary, commit might be a better word.
2. Then he said, “Follow me.” He didn’t say, follow the Fathers or the saints, He said” Follow ME.” Do as I do. Teach what I teach.
3,There has always been a battle between those who choose to follow Him and those who choose another way. He told us to expect it. We haven’t done a good job of preparing ourselves lately.
4. He told us to expect persecution.
5. The Church is, among other things, Apostolic, which means we follow the teachings of the apostles.
6. I leave it to God to decide who loves Him and obeys Him. He is the One who separates the sheep from the goats.
OK, this is beyond insane:
https://www.campusreform.org/article?id=18529
Feminine hygiene products in men’s restrooms? For this parents shell out $30,000 per year to get their children “educated”?
Count this as another nail in the coffin of the Establishment Borg. We shall have to start calling the Golden Don, “El Jefe”.
If this is accurate, it takes the edge out of the border fiasco. What matters for elections is voting Latinos, not the illegals (at least for national elections). We can deport some percentage of those coming in now when MAGA takes power but if they behave as those who have been here for a while do, then their voting patterns may not effect the white displacement that progressives envision.
One thing for us to keep in mind that is both frustrating and illuminating is that any number of leaders on the left do not actually believe in their own bs in any literal sense but simply pretend to do so in order to ride that sick segment of the electorate which consumes such crap. That is the real tragedy of a Nancy Pelosi or an Elizabeth Warren. They are relatively intelligent people who actually know what the score is; however, “this is the life we have chosen” as the mobsters observe. Representing crazy Democrats is impossible unless you act like a crazy Democrat up to the point necessary to reinforce the psychosis among the afflicted. You also want to hold on to a degree of sanity as well, at least in private, that gives you the room to maneuver (and thus hopefully avoid the craziest of options which will sink your battleship).
I write this not to extend a ray of hope necessarily but to explain why they all have not yet been locked up in insane asylums for their public statements. It is the self-understanding of the left itself that it inhabits the ragged fringe of arguably self-destructive and dangerous speculation. They just see it as a necessity because they “feel” that the right is so boring and soul stifling. This is what we are actually dealing with – spoiled children who know it but don’t care in the name of the rainbow unicorn fairy.
They do not believe, nor have they been led to believe, that they have the fortitude to take life seriously.
It is always a “ray of hope” being extended to us on the Right (as well as realists everywhere) to know that significant parts of the loony Left elite don’t believe their own press-clippings.
Now if we could only get the Phanariotes to get rid of their delusions…
As the Ephors might have said: “If…”