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Εμφάνιση αναρτήσεων με ετικέτα Russia. Εμφάνιση όλων των αναρτήσεων
Εμφάνιση αναρτήσεων με ετικέτα Russia. Εμφάνιση όλων των αναρτήσεων
Τρίτη 8 Αυγούστου 2023
Πέμπτη 4 Νοεμβρίου 2021
Mutsvene Seraphim weSarof muiti wezvishamiso
Serafim Sarovsky, ane Mutsvene anozivikanwa vaKristu vose Orthodox, akaberekwa muna 1754 mumhuri yakakurumbira mushambadzi Isidor wake Agafia. Makore matatu gare gare, akanga asiri baba, mubasa rokuvaka temberi rokukudza St. Segiyo. Zvekufamba mberi Agatha murume. Makore mana gare gare, temberi yakanga yakagadzirira, uye musikana Seraphim akaenda naamai vake kuzoongorora chivako. Climbing pamusoro bhero shongwe, mukomana akarasikirwa akamira uye akawira. To mufaro mai, haana kugamuchira chero zvaparadzwa, chii rakaona naMwari kunyatsotarisirwa mwanakomana wake.
chiono chokutanga
Ndava nemakore 10, Serafim Sarovsky, ane Biography muenzaniso wokutevera, vakarwara chaizvo uye dzakaguma kufa. Muchiroto, raiva Queen hweKudenga uye akavimbisa kupa kuporeswa. Panguva iyoyo, achishandisa guta ravo mudungwe akatakura kunoshamisa mufananidzo Amai vaMwari. Kana mudungwe ndokusvika pakatarisana neimba Agafya, kwakatanga kunaya, uye icon aitambudzwa kuburikidza pachivanze chake. Akaunza mwanakomana kurwara, uye akamutsvoda icon St. Seraphim. Kubva zuva mukomana akaenda kunatsiridza.
Start basa
Mumakore 17, Serafim Sarovsky, ane Biography hunoratidzwa mumabhuku echitendero, akasarudza kusiya musha uye kuzvipira upenyu mumongi. Kwemakore maviri aakapedza ari outorwa kuna Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Ipapo yomunzvimbo zindoga Dosifej, zvichiita kunze jaya iri anozviramba Kristu, akamutumira kuna Sarov Hermitage. In ake haringakupembedzi nguva, kuteerera jaya aigara akaenda musango. nokusatsaudzira kwakadaro muupenyu Akakwezva hama, vanoyemurwa simba mabasa ake, akawanda iyo muverengi vachaudza upenyu Serafima Sarovskogo. Somuenzaniso, sezvo Rev. chete akadya uswa kwemakore matatu. Kana kuti pamusoro 1,000 mazuva, akamira paruware musango, Dzinoburukira zvokudya.
reclusion
Pashure pemakore matatu yakamira padombo Seraphim akadzokera wemamongi imwe Feat itsva - makore 17 nemimba uye akaramba akazvivanza. The 5 makore okutanga ake kumboona mumwe wehama, kunyange mumongi, mukweguru kunounza chingwa uye chizi. Mushure expiry uyu nguva Sarov dzimwe nguva akazarura musuo nechitokisi ake uye akatora vakundi, asi haana kupindura mibvunzo, sezvo mhiko kunyarara. Muchitokisi paiva chete mufananidzo Amai vaMwari aine lectern uye chigutsa kuti akashanda se Reverend chair. In horo yakanga womuoki uchanja pedyo izvo Seraphim akanyengetera kazhinji, vakagadzirira nechikepe kuupenyu husingaperi. Pashure mumwe makore 5 masuo muchitokisi dzake dzakazarurwa kubva pakutanga mangwanani yokunamata uye havana kuvhara kusvikira 8 pm. Pakupera 1825 muchiroto kuti mukuru aiva Amai vaMwari uye akabvumira kuenda muchitokisi. Saka kupera nemimba uye akaramba akazvivanza ake.
Kupera nzira paNyika
Anenge makore maviri asati afa, St. Serafim Sarovsky akaona zvakare Amai vaMwari, sokunge, waimiririra ake wakakomborerwa azorore uye akamirira kubwinya kwake isingaori. January 1, 1833 mutsvene akaenda kuchechi uye mwenje vose zvifananidzo. Mushure yokunamata, akati akaonekana navo kuna molivshimisya, uyo akaona kuti mutsvene ndiye anenge aneta. Asi mweya mukuru waifara, vachifara uye akadzikama. Manheru Seraphim vanoimba Easter nziyo. Zuva rakatevera hama vakaenda muchitokisi chake uye akawana Monk amire pamabvi ake pamberi lectern. Muchiitiko chino, musoro wake avete vayambuka maoko. Vakatanga kunomumutsa uye vakawana kuti mukweguru akanga akafa. Pashure manomwe makore Serafim Sarovsky, ane Biography dzaitaurwa bepa izvi dzakabatanidzwa Dzvene Revafundisi of
vatsvene.Reverend Mother Matrona Moskovskaya - Akapedza makore anopfuura 50 ari nokugara chinzvimbo uye bofu, asi ndaona kuburikidza nyika yevanhu dzomukati
Sezvo kureva zvisaririra Matrona of Moscow? A kushanya zvisaririra Matrona of Moscow
Reverend Mother Matrona Moskovskaya - kupfuura airemekedzwa mu neChechi yeOrthodox yokuRussia bayou. Nhasi, munyengetero Matrona pamusoro Moscow rubatsiro anotakura zvakanaka uye kuporeswa simba raMwari, kubva izvo zvinova nyore pamusoro mweya. Kuva bofu uye kuita chinhu, pokugara uye kudzidza murimi mudiki musikana, iye vakadzungaira kuna kuMoscow kumba. Zvisinei, chinhu chinonyanya kukosha chinosiyanisa kubva vamwe vanhu - ndizvo zvakanga kurarama kutenda kwakasimba muna Kristu, chakapiwa kubatsira zvitsvene kwete chete, asi vanhu vose kuti uyo agara achida kubatsira.
Oh akaropafadza Mother Matrona 
Biography
hondo 
Zvisaririra Matrona kuMoscow. yemamongi 
Sezvo kureva zvisaririra Matrona of Moscow?
Flowers Amai Matrona
Matrona Dmitrievna Nikonova aiva chipo chokuporesa, uye aigona kuzarura zvakavanzika keteni ramangwana uye zvaizoitika. Akapedza makore anopfuura 50 ari nokugara chinzvimbo uye bofu, asi ndaona kuburikidza nyika yevanhu dzomukati vose vachinyengetera nguva dzose vanoda munamato rwake rusingaperi.
Nhasi, vatendi vose pamusoro Russia, vaya vanoziva apo zvisaririra Matrona of Moscow, enda naye, kukudza naye uye kukumbira kuchengetedzwa uye rubatsiro. Pashure pezvose, vazhinji munoziva mashoko vakadzi vatsvene vakare: "Zvose, zvose kwandiri ndiudze sei kurarama, pamusoro pokutambudzika kwavo, Ndichaenda kuona, teerera uye kukubatsira."
Usati wapindura mubvunzo sei kushandiswa zvisaririra Matrona of Moscow, zvakakodzera kutanga tinyatsoziva nhoroondo hwake uye utsvene.
Biography
Muna November, 1881 mu vanhuwo mhuri mumusha Sebino Nikonov ane, muruwa Tula, mumwe musikana akaberekwa wainzi Matron. Aiva mwana chechina mumhuri, nekuti iye akanga atova mbiri hama nehanzvadzi. Murombo Matrona akaberekwa ari bofu, uye kare aida kusiya pokuvanda. Zvisinei, amai hope ouprofita: akaona chena shiri yakanaka kuti haana ngakuyerere kusvika mazamu ake, akanga asina meso. Chokwadi chokuti Matron vachatitaka mwana akasarudzwa naMwari, vabereki wafungidzira kubva kunobatsira youtsi panguva yake yokuberekwa. Nechekare pazera masere akanga akasimba nokutenda muna Mwari, uye nokukurumidza akazarura chipo akachenjera muoni. Pazviri akatanga kuenda evanhu rubatsiro nokuporeswa. Matrona aiva pakuriritira mhuri chaiyo mumhuri yake. Uye mumakore 18 akanga arasikirwa kushandisa makumbo ake.
outorwa
Kuva chipo chaMwari, Matron akaponesa vanhu vazhinji uye aiva nomutsa
zvikuru kwavari. Aiva inopenya chiso uye inzwi nyoro zvikuru. All iye
Pat mumusoro, kunyaradza uye vasataure kwavo chiratidzo chomuchinjikwa,
uye kubva kuti vanhu vanonzwa zviri nani pamwoyo, ivo akanyaradza uye
adzikama. Kunyange iye pachake akanga achirwara kwazvo, asi hapana munhu
akanzwa zvichemo yake.
Sezvo vaduku chaizvo, kuti matron wake mwanasikana munharaunda muridzi womunda, Lidiey Yankovoy, uye akaita outorwa kunzvimbo tsvene. Ivo vakashanyira Kiev-Pechersk uye St. Petersburg Trinity-Segiyo Lavra, uyewo dzimwe nzvimbo tsvene Russia.
Matron muna 1899 uye vakashanyira Cathedral iri Kronstadt. Ikoko, St. John pakati Kronstadt kuguma rokushumira akakumbirwa muungano uye zvakaitika Matrona uye akati, "Matrona, uyai, uyai kwandiri. Pano kunobva kusuduruka rangu -. Mbiru Russia wechisere "
Chimurenga. MoscowKana ndapedza pokuchinja kwezvinhu 1917 gore, kuti Matron uye shamwari yake uye anorichengeta anonzi Lydia Yankova zvikuru varombo, akasiya asina nechouviri uye pasina denga pamusoro musoro wako. Muna 1925, kuti matron atamira guru uye akatanga kurarama apo zvakakodzera kubva vaaiziva uye neshamwari, asi havana varumudzani vakava vaKomonisiti.
Kubva 1942 kusvika 1949 Matrona akagara nevamwe vomumusha - E. M. Zhdanovoy uye mwanasikana wake Zinaida. Nechekare yezvechitendero kwemakore akawanda, iyo inotsanangurwa mubhuku nendangariro Zinaida Zhdanova "Legend of Matron." Panguva Great Patriotic War paiva nengozi akakunda guta guru nevaFascist German, kuti Matron akauya Stalin pachake. Iye akafanotaura kukunda vanhu Russian, uye akati kuti ndiye mumwe misoro zvose regai kusiya uye rucharamba muMoscow. Uchapupu chiitiko ichi, zvinosuruvarisa kwete, asi ndinofunga kuti nzira yaiva.
Kubva 1950 kusvika 1952 iye aigara zvakafanana of Moscow kubva kuhama dzavo kure Kurochkin.
Holy bayou Matron mazuva matatu vakafanotaura rufu yake. Sezvo vachirwara zvikuru, iye achiri anoramba kutora vanhu. mai Holy vakafa muchirimo May 2, 1952.
Basa mariro chaiitirwa airemekedzwa Mother Matrona Archpriest Nikolai Golubtsov mukereke Deposition yejasi. May 4, Svondo mutsvene vakadzi-vatakuri, kumakuva nzvimbo tsvene yekare vakadzi akaunganidza vakawanda vatendi. Iye akavigwa Danilovsky kumakuva akumbirwa zvikuru Mother. Kereke iyi yakanga mumwe mashoma kuti kushanda muMoscow, saka iye nguva dzose aida "kunzwa basa."
March 8, 1998 nokuropafadzwa Patriarch seizvi Alexy II, iyo incorrupt zvisaririra mutsvene Mother Matrona zvakabviswa kubva muguva uye vakatanga akaendeswa Danilov wemamonk, uye ipapo - muna Intercession.
Zvino nguva dzose nokuti nevapfuuri kubva 6,00 kusvika 20.00 anobvumirwa kushanyira zvisaririra Matrona kuMoscow. Ivo inoiswa yesirivha achiva dziri Pokrovsky vakadzi yemamongi muMoscow. Panewo pachena iripo uye kuona kuti aponese mifananidzo. Uye muchivanze Trinity Church, pedyo yemapurisa "yakafanana", akavaka chapero vachikudza Mother Matrona oxbow.
Asi kwete chete pane zvinobvira kunamata mutsvene. Zvisaririra Matrona of Moscow vane machechi akawanda Moscow. Kutakura zvisaririra nemamwe maguta.
Sezvo kureva zvisaririra Matrona of Moscow?
In zvose zvoupenyu kunobatsira amai Matron. Her kukumbira kureverera, kuporesa uye nekugadzirisa matambudziko muupenyu hwake pachake uye zvebhizimisi. Munyengetero Matrona of Moscow rubatsiro rubatsiro kuronga upenyu pasiri paruzhinji, kupa mwana kana kuziva chinoshayikwa. munamato anozvininipisa, mutsvene Amai vanofanira ritaurwe nokutendeseka uye kutarisirwa. Rinotanga nemashoko: "O Ngaarumbidzwe Mother Matrona ..." A munyengetero mupfupi anoenda seizvi: "Mutsvene akarurama Matrona oxbow tinyengetererei"
Usati kutsvoda zvisaririra Matrona of Moscow, tinofanira kutanga kunzwisisa kuti nzira isu zvinopa nokutya kwedu uye kuremekedza muviri wake isingaori iyo inoratidza kunamata kwayo kukuru uye utsvene. Kuremekedza zvitsvene chinhu chinokosha mutsika wokuRussia vanhu Orthodox.
Mupanda kuti zvisaririra tsveneAsati kunamata zvisaririra Matrona of Moscow, unofanira kubvisa masaga uye outerwear. Saka, tinoratidza kuremekedza mutsvene Matrona akarurama. Kuti pashure temberi yakaramba kunyange chipi yomukatikati, unogona kukumbira mushumiri wekereke kunamata zvisaririra scapular ikonochku. vatendi vechokwadi kutsvoda reliquary, kuratidza kuremekedza uye rudo Mutsvene Amai, uye ipapo rinoshandisirwa pahuma yake kuti inomirira Zvakazosvetana.
Sezvo kureva zvisaririra Matrona of Moscow? Unofanira akadzikama mupfungwa kuramba uye kutaura munyengetero, uye ipapo kaviri-vayambuka pachake. Next unofanira kuita prostrations maviri uye vanoremekedza miromo yake pamusoro kenza pamwe zvisaririra musande. Pashure kuzodzosera kuyambukira pachavo uye uta. Neuta zvakanakisisa kuita muchiuno, ruoko rwakandibata pasi.
Flowers Amai Matrona
Temberi ine tsika dzinokosha yokuunza akasungwa mhenyu akaropafadza Mother Matrona. Naizvozvo, mukereke, apo kenza iri pamwe zvisaririra mutsvene, nguva dzose achinyatsotaurira mavara matsva. Uye chii inonakidza zvikuru, kupa vamwe kunova chipo chaicho, nokuti muenzi nerimwe zvisaririra St. Matrona sisita akagashidza ruva. Maruva aya vakakomborerwa zvakananga pamusoro zvisaririra, uye saka zvino vakaendeswa aiyanika uye chitoro pakona pedyo kuzvidhori. Of mavara anogona kuunza carnations, Roses upi ruvara, chena chrysanthemum, lilacs chena, tulips.
Σάββατο 12 Ιουνίου 2021
On the 11th - 15th of June (and a movie about St. Luke the Doctor: Healing Fear, Saint Luke the Surgeon)...
Παρασκευή 12 Ιουνίου 2020
On the 11th - 15th of June (and a movie about St. Luke the Doctor: Healing Fear, Saint Luke the Surgeon)...
Please, see:
St. Luke the Doctor & Wonderworker, Icon and Hymn of Theotokos "Axion Estin" & the Naked Saints Onuphrius the Egyptian & Peter of Mt Athos (June 11 & 12)
Miracles by st Onuphrius
St. Justin Popovic (June 14): Whither does humanistic culture lead?
St Augustine of Hippo & St Doulas the Passion-Bearer of Egypt (June 15)
St. Augustine (June 15): "love the sinner, hate the sin"
Video from here
St. Luke the Doctor & Wonderworker, Icon and Hymn of Theotokos "Axion Estin" & the Naked Saints Onuphrius the Egyptian & Peter of Mt Athos (June 11 & 12)
Miracles by st Onuphrius
St. Justin Popovic (June 14): Whither does humanistic culture lead?
St Augustine of Hippo & St Doulas the Passion-Bearer of Egypt (June 15)
St. Augustine (June 15): "love the sinner, hate the sin"
Δευτέρα 18 Νοεμβρίου 2019
The honor of the Holy New Martyr fr Daniel Sysoev in Greece (Moscow, † November 19th, 2009)
Please, see:
Articles & posts in Greek about fr Daniel Sysoev in Google (& others here)Akathist for fr Daniel Sysoev in Greek
Fr. Daniel Sysoev: holy hymns (in Greek)
Orthodox Christian Book on Islam dedicated to Father Daniel Sisoev & New Martyr Evgeny Rodionov (see pages 233 - 235)
See also
Παρασκευή 31 Μαΐου 2019
Blessed Xenia, Napoleon and their Contributions to Our History
The Catalog of Good Deeds
There is likely not a single history textbook that speaks of Blessed Xenia of Petersburg, whose memory we celebrate today [January 24/February 26]. Yet every history textbook unfailingly contains something about Napoleon and his deeds. These two people lived at approximately the same time: at the turn of the nineteenth century. Are their contributions to history indeed completely incommensurate?
Napoleon’s deeds are well-known: hundreds of thousands of victims (some of whom are buried here, in Sretensky Monastery); devastated and plundered churches – not just in Russia, but also in Venice, for instance, and throughout all of Europe; and the ruined lives of many. In his time Napoleon also wielded tremendous spiritual influence, as evidenced by the works of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, for example. Raskolnikov, tormented by doubts – “Am I a trembling creature, or have I the right?” – hacked away at the old woman with an axe, one might say, with Napoleon’s name on his lips…
The life of Blessed Xenia is likewise well-known to us: at the age of twenty-six, still quite a young woman, she was suddenly widowed. She took upon herself the ascetic struggle of foolishness for Christ’s sake, abandoning her home, wandering about in her invariable red jacket and green skirt, or green jacket and red skirt, being subjected to constant ridicule and insult, while remaining in unceasing prayer. For her years-long ascetic struggle, incomprehensible to the world, Blessed Xenia received from God the grace to help people quickly and effectively; her role in the fates of thousands had been manifest clearly and triumphantly.
Her special gift was in arranging many people’s family lives. Once, while visiting the Golubev family, Blessed Xenia announced to their seventeen-year-old daughter: “Here you are making coffee while your husband is burying his wife at Okhta. Run there quickly!” The girl, confused, did not know how to react to such strange words, but Blessed Xenia compelled her – literally with a stick – to go to the Okhta cemetery in St. Petersburg. There, burying his young wife who had died in childbirth, stood a doctor who was weeping inconsolably and finally lost consciousness. The Golubevs tried to comfort him as best as they could. This is how they became acquainted. The acquaintance continued after a certain period of time and, one year later, the doctor proposed to the Golubevs’ daughter; their marriage was as happy as could be. Similar cases of how Blessed Xenia helped in arranging families are innumerable: she truly became a begetter of human lives.
Napoleon is buried in central Paris, in the chapel dome of Les Invalides, to which
tourists
eagerly come to peek at his sarcophagus of red porphyry mounted on a
pedestal of green granite. No one comes to pray or to ask him for
something; for
our contemporaries, Napoleon is just a museum piece, a part of the
ossified past. His influence today is negligible: at best, it can
provide hackneyed material for films or for pseudo-historical exercises
for budding graphomaniacs. Blessed Xenia’s grave has been, for more than two hundred years already, a source of healing, efficacious help in difficult circumstances, and resolution of intractable problems. For example, Blessed Xenia appeared to a man suffering from alcoholism, telling him sternly: “Give up drinking! The tears of your mother and wife have flooded my grave!” Need I mention that this man never touched the bottle again?
Every day thousands of people gathered (and continue to gather) at Blessed Xenia’s grave, asking her help and leaving notes with cries for help; these notes have always covered the saint’s chapel like a garland. Hundreds, thousands, and millions of notes have called upon her name. But has a single such note ever been left at Napoleon’s grave of red porphyry on a green pedestal?
In contemporary historical studies, the term “social history” is becoming increasingly widespread. This is a very promising direction, because it draws attention to the lives of simple people, to the meaning of “small deeds” in the life of society, and to the decisive roles of ordinary people in the historical process.
One would be wrong to think that history is made by the mighty of this world or upon the peaks of political power; history is not at all what we are shown on television. Real history takes place in the human heart: if someone cleanses himself through prayer, repentance, humility, and patience in affliction, then his role in his own life, and thus in the lives of those around him – and thus in all human history – increases immeasurably.
Blessed Xenia did not head a government, did not gather an army of thousands, and did not lead it on campaigns of conquest; she simply prayed, fasted, humbled her soul, and patiently endured all offense. Yet her influence on human history has been immeasurably greater than that of any Napoleon. Even if the history textbooks do not talk about this…
Christ, however, speaks to us of this in the Gospel: For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?[Mark 8:36]. Having in mind the example of Napoleon and Blessed Xenia, these words become all the more convincing.
History is made neither in the Kremlin nor in the White House, neither in Brussels nor Strasbourg, but rather here and now in our hearts, if they are open to God and to people. Amen.
See also
A Miracle of Saint Xenia the Fool In France
SKITE SAINTE FOY - Monastère Orthodoxe en Cévennes
Monastery of Saint Silouan the Athonite in Saint-Mars-de-Locquenay, France
LA SAUVEGARDE DE LA CREATION DANS LA TRADITION ORTHODOXE
The ancient Christian Church - About Orthodox Church in the West World
Travelers on the way to light
Saints of the early days of May, whos creating volcanoes in souls...
How “White” is the Orthodox Church?
Orthodox Mission in Tropical Africa (& the Decolonization of Africa)
Grace and “the Inverted Pyramid”
Weak, Sick, Poor, Tired: A Story for Losers
The Kingdom of Heaven, where racial discrimination has no place
"THE WAY" - An Introduction to the Orthodox Faith
"Universal healthcare is theft": Capitalism vs Christianity
The Church as the Liberated Zone: "All we Christians are terrorists..."
Giving Thanks for All Things – The Cruciform Life
Theosis, St. Silouan and Elder Sophrony
Theosis (deification): The True Purpose of Human Life
LIVE, BEYOND THE LIMITS!
Παρασκευή 20 Απριλίου 2018
"True freedom is to choose the better in the light of truth..."
Death to the World (About)
Some people by the word freedom understand the ability to do whatever one wants... People who have the more allowed themselves to come into slavery to sins, passions, and defilements more often than others appear as zealots of external freedom, wanting to broaden the laws as much as possible. But such a man uses external freedom only to more severely burden himself with inner slavery.
True freedom is the active ability of a man who is not enslaved to sin, who is not pricked by a condemning conscience, to choose the better in the light of God's truth, and to bring it into actuality with the help of the gracious power of God. This is the freedom of which neither heaven nor earth are restrict.
+St. Philaret of Moscow
From here: "...For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity... They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers... They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven."
-Epistle to Diognetus 5, discussing the behavior of Christians. The only tribe we belong to, is the heavenly one. Beware of those who teach otherwise.
See also
About Richard-Spyros Hagabimana, an Orthodox Christian of Burundi
Orthodox Mission in Tropical Africa (& the Decolonization of Africa)
Ancient Christian faith (Orthodox Church) in Africa
"THE WAY" - An Introduction to the Orthodox Faith
Theosis (deification): The True Purpose of Human Life
The holy anarchists... in the Egyptian Desert
Why I’m not an atheist
Punks to Monks: Effects of the Last True Rebellion (Video)
Παρασκευή 26 Ιανουαρίου 2018
The true justice & the blood of Christ...
Orthodox Christianity
God knows full well that people in this world act unjustly, that full
justice is possible only at the price of the blood of Christ, and that
it will reign supreme on the day of the Last Judgment. True justice is
actually a frightful thing for men.Solomon goes on to tell us that we ought not to think ourselves overly righteous, to go about rebuking people right and left, and thereby destroy ourselves. Be wise, but do not make yourself out to be too wise. This is very important, because many believe that it is a good thing and the right thing to speak the truth, and that one should always “call a spade a spade.” But there is a patristic saying that states, “Always know what you are saying, to whom you are speaking, how you are speaking, in whose presence you are speaking, and what the consequences may be.” Thus, King Solomon rejects the various self-appointed crusaders for justice, the justice-leaguers, the justice-beleaguers. These are not the virtues of the Gospel, but rather the sham virtues of this world.
+ Hieromartyr Daniel Sysoev, commenting on Ezekiel 7:15-19
Click:
Reconciliation On Social Justice: The Consequences of Low Aim
St. Moses the Black Brotherhood Annual Conference 2017 (videos)
Theosis (deification): The True Purpose of Human Life
Click:
Reconciliation On Social Justice: The Consequences of Low Aim
St. Moses the Black Brotherhood Annual Conference 2017 (videos)
Theosis (deification): The True Purpose of Human Life
Παρασκευή 19 Ιανουαρίου 2018
One Country Helping Another: An Orthodox Mission in Kenya
Ruslan Yarotsky, a religion studies major and
a former Evangelical pastor who is now an Orthodox missionary from Hrodna and
the Director of a Support Fund for Orthodox Christians in Africa, took a flight
to East Africa together with his friend Dmitry Fadeyev and spent two weeks in
an Orthodox community in Kenya. The two friends helped St Barnabas Shelter in
Njabini where Father John, an Orthodox priest and school principal, takes care
of ca. 170 orphans. The majority of those children's parents have died. Many of
the kids are seriously ill.
We visited a meeting where Ruslan told about
the Orthodox mission in Kenya and the struggles of Orthodox Christians in
Africa, as well as about his own spiritual journey from a pastor to an Orthodox
missionary and the simple things that make us happy.
- I'm an
infinitely happy person because the Lord found me, -Ruslan says. - Now I know
why I get up in the morning, and I can hope that I will find myself in a good
place after I don't wake up one morning. I'm a parishioner of the Church in
honour of St Luke at Hrodna Regional Hospital. Our parish is vibrant and
lively. It's like a big family. We know each other by name, come together to
study the Gospel and mix with interesting people. There is even a booklovers'
club. What else can one possibly need? Nonetheless, I have always wanted to do
an overseas mission.
Fyodor
Dostoyevsky said that a Russian must have something to die for. We are
subconsciously looking for something to die for. I have long wanted to go to
Africa. I was haunted by the idea that I had to help African children and the
Orthodox community there. He who seeks will find. I came across a webpage run
by Greek missionaries, who later introduced us to Father John, a year ago.
Following our request, he invited us to St Barnabas Orphanage located in
Njabini settlement.
There was
just one problem: where do we find so much money? A brother from our parish
advised us to "test God's will" by asking a priest to bless our
journey. Naturally, I did not want to go anywhere to ask for the blessing
because I had already made up my mind. I did not have money, though, and I
didn't know where to get it, so I went to Lavrishevo Monastery to my wonderful
spiritual father and counsellor Father Eusebius, the abbot of this monastery.
As we
were walking with the abbot in the snowy Lavrishevo, I stammered about my idea.
He looked straight in my eyes and replied that we had had to launch overseas
missions a decade ago. As soon as I received the blessing, things began to
unfold at the speed of light. Interestingly enough, it was one of my friends,
who is a Catholic, who donated the first $1000 "for the development of
Orthodox mission in Africa". Little by little, our parish collected a
substantial amount of money in a month and a half, about $5000, although our
parishioners are not that well-off. It happened thanks to God's mercy.
How did your family react?
You know,
each one of us will die, so why should we care where it happens? I am certain
that I won't live a second more or a second less than I am destined to. So it's
pointless to worry whether I die in Africa or here in Hrodna. We don't get to
choose where and when we are born and die.
I was
raised in an Evangelical family. Every young Evangelical kid dreams of becoming
a missionary. My family supported my decision. My wife had dreamed of going on
a mission to Yakutia when she was young. So I'm making her dream come true in a
way. My children wanted to go to Africa with me but it's too dangerous.
We had to
undergo vaccinations against yellow fever and malaria. It is physically
stressful to be there: Njabini is located at the altitude of 8200 ft. It is
hard to breathe and your heart is pounding differently.
No one
was waiting for us in Nairobi Airport. So we're standing there in the foreign
country with several heavy suitcases (the total load of 330 lbs consisted of
stationery, toys, and sweets). We bought
a SIM card, which cost us $20. Kenya is a very expensive country, strange
though it may sound. The locals' line of thinking is that if you are white, you
have to pay extra. A figurine that is impossible to bring back home because it
is too fragile will cost you $200.
Soon
Father John found us: he had parked his car in a wrong place. In spite of the
huge sticker on his car, "Saint Barnabas Shelter. We help children,"
he had to pay a $40 fine. It's a lot even for us, and for them it's… That was
how our first encounter with Kenya began.
For the
most part, the country is in a terrible condition. It is ridden by water
shortages, unemployment, and terrorism.
Mogadisho,
Somalia, is the most dangerous place in the world. Islamists keep raiding Kenya
all the time. They kidnap whites for ransom. There is one of the largest
refugee camps in Kenya — ca. 250 000 persons. Many of them are Christians
because belonging to the Christian faith is punishable by death in Somalia. Not
long ago two Protestants and a Catholic were beheaded…
There are
slums everywhere on the outskirts of the capital city: rubbish, poor hygiene,
crowds of people aimlessly wandering here and there, and apparent lack of
security — you start feeling insecure as soon as you leave the territory of the
airport.
When we
got to the shelter, we saw a pathetic sight: an acre of fenced land and several
bunkhouses made of terrible wooden planks. Animals in any of our villages live
more comfortably than those children. This place is home for 170 orphans aged 3
– 17 or 18. Their parents died of AIDS, tuberculosis or hepatitis, or have been
killed during civil strifes. The daily routine for Father John is to find
resources to feed and clothe these children, teach them the basics of the
Orthodox faith, and provide education for them. Upon graduation from the
shelter, the children get a certificate and can apply to colleges. You are
doomed if you are un-educated in Kenya. As a rule, the counsellors work for
food.
When
there is money, the children eat three meals a day. When there isn't, they eat
just once a day. What do they eat? Some kind of flour, possibly corn flour,
diluted in boiled water to make a glue-like mass. They add sugar to make it
less disgusting. If there's enough flour, they cook simple pancakes instead. As
long as this mass is hot, it's edible. The children eat it well. They invited
us to taste it but we couldn't. Even for Christ's sake.
The
Lavrishevo Monastery donated two boxes of sweets to the shelter. Some of the
kids saw them for the first time. The distribution of the sweets looked like a
huge event: the children stood in lines, and the volunteers gave them sweets
solemnly…
Dear
friends, we are so rich, and I mean it! Human beings are naturally marked by
their inability to be satisfied, they never stop pushing for more and more.
Many people have this false impression that Africans don't have anything but
they walk around happily, smiling at the sun. That's wrong. Africa is very
depressing and miserable. Piles of rubbish and people wandering aimlessly.
Abject poverty. Unemployment. No business opportunities. It is only where there
are churches that children smile because they are loved, cared for, and helped.
Nowadays,
life is harder in Belarus: the economic crisis hit everyone, but it pales in
comparison with Kenya. One hundred and seventy children without parents; no one
will shed a tear if they die… You walk down the village street, and there are
someone's legs sticking out of a pile of rubbish, and you can't tell if that
person is alive or dead and you cannot get closer: there is leprosy in some
regions, and there may well be poisonous snakes in the rubbish. Human life
doesn't cost anything at all.
One of
the most pressing problems that Kenya faces is lack of access to pure drinking
water. The shelter cannot afford a $30,000 borehole. Another acute problem for
the children who live in the shelter is shoes, which are expensive. Without
shoes, some nasty bugs will get under the children's skin, and their legs will
swell. However, if you have to choose between shoes and food, you choose food.
The older children pass their clothes and shoes to the younger kids.
Tyres are
the usual toys for Kenyan children. They make sandals from old tyres. The
children have almost no toys. When we got there, they were playing football with
a "ball" made of an old newspaper…
My heart
aches for them. I would like to help them but I can't. What can be done with a
couple thousand dollars? It's like a drop in an ocean. The bare minimum spent
on one child in the shelter is one dollar a day. For ten dollars, a child can
survive in the shelter for ten days. That's how we calculated our expenses when
we were getting ready for the trip. You can feed one child for $1 but often you
don't have even that one dollar. We organised three meals a day for the money
we had brought with us. We would buy cheap food, e.g., rice, lentils, grains,
and sugar, in special wholesale shops. No one even talks about other foods,
like meat or fish… The Great Lent is an ascetic feat for us; for them, it
begins on the day they are born. And it never ends for the majority of the
population.
The
Orthodox Church in Kenya grows rapidly, in large part thanks to the numerous
shelters and schools. The children who stay there hear the Gospel, learn the
God's Law, and participate in church services since their early years. They
grow to become Orthodox Christians. Then they marry and raise their own
children in the Orthodox tradition. Father John himself had skipped a service
in his semi-pagan Protestant congregation one day. When he accidentally met an
Orthodox priest who simply gave him some food, he was so fond of that man that
he started helping him in the church. As a result, he graduated from a school
and a seminary. Kenyan Christians are very simple-hearted. Prayer is their way to
survive. We have to force ourselves into praying with prayer ropes and saying
Jesus Prayer but in Africa, it's impossible not to pray.
Apart
from Njamini, we brought humanitarian aid to cities where the situation is even
worse. We wanted to support the priests and missionaries, our brothers in the
faith who carry out their ministry under these extremely harsh conditions. I
have many priests as friends. They also have their troubles and there are few
of them who ride posh cars but it cannot be compared with what life is like in
Kenya. We were driving to a priest to bring him some foodstuffs and came across
a building made of steel sheets, like an old garage. This building turned out
to be his house. There was a chair, a table, a bed, a prayerbook, a Bible, and
a prayer rope, and that was all he had. He cooks some kind of stew on open fire
near his cabin. His wife and children live 300 miles away. He serves as a
missionary in that place for a fortnight every month, then gets back to his
family somehow, and serves the other fortnight there. He does not complain. He
loves God and lives happily. If I take a pack of rice and give it to a priest here
in Belarus, I don't think he'll be extremely excited. For them, even tiny
amounts of water and food mean a lot. They encounter pain and suffering but at
the same time they rely on Jesus. They are true patriots of Kenya who love
their country and don't want to leave. They simply want to live normal lives.
Like we all do, don't we?
Europeans
used to help them more but they reduced funding of African charitable projects
due to the refugee crisis. Their welfare organisations and charities started
focusing on their own countries.
It must
be noted that it becomes cleaner and tidier wherever Orthodox parishes are
planted. People really change their mentality for the better. The Lord cleanses
their hearts and they begin to make everything clean, too. This is how small
pockets of cleanliness and order pop up. There are more and more Orthodox
parishes in Kenya every day. There is approximately one million Orthodox
Christians in Kenya nowadays. They build hospitals and schools and by doing so,
they unite people and preach the Gospel. There are regions where indigenous
polytheistic beliefs are still strong. They require not only social support but
also preaching about Christ. Their seminary prepares educated and skilled
priests. There are no monasteries in Kenya right now. There is just one monk in
the country.
I would
also like to tell you about Metropolitan Makarios of Kenya, who is a spiritual
child of Elder Sofrony (Sakharov). He hails from Cyprus. He studied in several
universities in Europe, including the Orthodox Theological Institute of St.
Sergius in Paris, France. He is very
unpretentious, I have never seen bishops like him. Our bishops are wonderful
but I don't know them, I only see them on TV. He has spent his entire life to
develop and strengthen the Church. It was due to his efforts that there are 300
parishes, many schools and shelters, a seminary and a technical college in
Kenya now.
Kenyans
honour Metropolitan Makarios like their father or grandfather. The situation of
survival that people have to face in Africa creates an atmosphere of
simplicity. There are no barriers between bishops and common folk. They have to
stay together to survive. His Eminence Makarios visits churches daily. He is
always on the go. When he learned about our visit, he decided to come to see
us. He celebrated a solemn Liturgy. He served partly in Church Slavonic during
the Liturgy, so that we could understand what was going on. The service ended
with lively dances - that's how Orthodox Kenyans praise the Lord.
It was a
completely new experience for us. When we first came to Njamini and there were
170 children dancing around us and having fun, we were astonished…
Unfortunately, sincere joy fades in our hearts with time. By the way, the Book
of Psalms reads, "Praise God with the timbrel and dance, (cf. Ps. 150: 4).
The dance means roundelays. That's what it means. Our mentality stops us from
having fun so openly. They are very open-hearted. As soon as the service was
over, everyone went outdoors, and the children started dancing around the
metropolitan. They live by dancing - and God.
Currently,
the situation in central Kenya is becoming even more complicated. Due to their
civil strife, food prices have skyrocketed, and it means that children will be
starving again. Businesses from Belarus are ready to help but it's meaningless
to send humanitarian aid: the corruption rates are so high that the locals
won't see the aid, it will be stolen on its way. The Belarusian ambassador
openly admits that it's a waste of money. That's why we collect donations,
store them on a VISA credit card, go to Africa, rent cars, buy everything in
the cheapest shops, and distribute the staples among missionary parishes. We
bring back receipts and post photos to be as transparent as possible.
St
Barnabas Shelter is actively raising funds to buy the plot of land they rent
right now. We hope that, God willing, they will succeed. When they do, they
will be able to build something more substantial, with the help of volunteers.
For instance, during our last trip we built a coop for chicken, which will
supplement the meagre ration of the children.
Our next
trip to Kenya is in February. So if you can tell anyone about it, please do.
Please write to us, we will be happy to receive all kinds of help.
My friend
who is an editor of a newspaper had an argument with me, "Why Africa?
There are many poor folks here, too." He is a very pious man and a
remarkable Orthodox Christian. He spent three days trying to convince me that
"it was your pride telling you to go to Africa." And then he came to
me and admitted honestly, "It has dawned on me that I oppose your idea so
much because I don't do anything like that myself." He gave me a $100 note
saying, "I don't want to fight with God, I'd rather be your ally."
If some
of our priests were to push forward the establishment of the Hrodna Missionary
Fellowship, it could allow us to take a different approach. As of now, it's a
bunch of amateurs. Our spiritual fathers bless us, and we're grateful to them.
So if you spread the word among your friends, or if there are people who are
willing to help, we will really appreciate it because one dollar is the cost of
one day of a child's life. It isn't mere words. If any one of you will make up
your mind to go there, you will see it with your own eyes.
Interview by Sister Maria
(Kotova)
January 4, 2018
St.
Elisabeth Convent
See also
Together in Christ – Articles from the Team of "Orthodox Africa"
Orthodox Mission in Tropical Africa (& the Decolonization of Africa)
An Orthodox Christian parish in Turkana desert
Orthodox Mission in Tropical Africa (& the Decolonization of Africa)
An Orthodox Christian parish in Turkana desert
THE MAKARIOS LEGACY IN KENYA
Eglise orthodoxe au Kenya: «Le message de l’orthodoxie est intemporel et dépasse les tribus et les langues»
Orthodox Kenya
Orthodox Mission
Serving the Least of the Brethren: the Missionary Work of "Orthodox Africa"!
Hope for the Kikuyu (Kenya) / "The caves along the Tana River became the refuge for freedom fighters..."
The Kikuyu tribe proclaimed the Metropolitan of Nairobi as their “Elder”
Orthodox Christian dialogue with Banyore culture
The Kikuyu tribe proclaimed the Metropolitan of Nairobi as their “Elder”
Orthodox Christian dialogue with Banyore culture
International Orthodox Christian Charities
Orthodox Missionary Fraternity
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