Guantanamo Guards

For guards at Guantanamo Bay, the first day is daunting. For detainees who have been locked up for years, every day is the same. Explorer: Inside Guantanamo: SUN APRIL 5 9P

Doing Time in Guantanamo

Would you want to know how much time had passed since you were locked in a cell? Explorer: Inside Guantanamo: SUN APRIL 5 9P.

Israel cracks down on Palestinian counter-rally - 24 Mar 09

In this video news report Israeli riot police are seen firing tear gas and water cannon in clashes with hundreds of Arab youths in the northern town of Umm El-Fehm.

The youths were angry at a high court decision to allow a Jewish far-right group to march through the mainly Arab town.

Police deemed their counter-demonstration illegal. Ayman Mohyeldin was there.

Invitation to Dedication

An invitation to the community center dedication

Glory to Jesus Christ!

We hope you are able to join us on Saturday, April 4, 2009, starting at 10 am when we dedicate the Mor Gregorios Community Center at St. Mary the Protectress Orthodox Church. The center houses the programs offered to all the surrounding community including our employment and recovery programs.  The dedication will start will start with Morning Prayer with special prayers for the current economic crisis, those served by the community center, and for all who have provided us equipment and assistance getting the Mor Gregorios Community off the ground. Our bishop Mar John Cassian will also blessed the computers used by the employment program.  A reception will follow.

The Mor Gregorios Community Center is located in the A-Frame building on the corner of Oak Hill and Michigan Streets, at 1000 South Michigan Street, Plymouth, Indiana.  If you need directions, please call us at 574-540-2048.

The news release which was sent out is below.  It tell you more about the center.

We hope you are able to attend.  Please keep those served by the center in your prayers.

Yours in Christ,
Father Theodosius



Mor Gregorios Community Center Dedicated Saturday, April 4th

Center Serves Marshall, Starke and Fulton Counties With Employment and Recovery Programs

The Mor Gregorios Community Center at St. Mary the Protectress Syriac Orthodox Church, 1000 South Michigan Street, Plymouth, Indiana, will be dedicated on Saturday, April 4, 2009, by St. Mary’s bishop Mar John Cassian Lewis, starting at 10 am. Mar Cassian will also bless the computers used by the community center’s employment program.  The dedication will start with Morning Prayer at 10 am with special prayers for the current economic crisis, for those served by the center, and those who have provided the equipment and assistance to develop the center, followed by a reception in the community center. The public is invited to attend.

The mission of the Mor Gregorios Community Center is to promote personal and community healing and growth throughout Marshall, Starke and Fulton Counties by treating each person as the image of God, knowing that nothing we do draws us so close to God as in doing good to man. The center’s vision is to experience life together as a community where every person is treated as if he or she were Christ Himself. The founders believe that for far too long fear has divided us and too often we see others as different from us as the “other”, or as strangers. The center is an outgrowth of public programs offered at St. Mary’s.

The community center seeks to carry out her purpose and mission in a collaborative way with other agencies, institutions, faith-based organizations, and individuals, striving to restore a sense of integration between various systems for the good of individuals, families, and society.

Currently the Mor Gregorios Community Center provides the following:

1.     Employment Program: Help from trained volunteers to file unemployment claims and weekly reports.  Help with online job searches, preparing resumes, learning and practicing interview skills, and other employment related activities. Indiana Workforce Development trained the volunteers. Workforce Development, Ancilla College, and others within the surrounding communities provided the computers.

2.     Recovery Program: 12-Step classes and small groups for those with problems with addictions, hurts, hang-up, and other problems. Individual pastoral and spiritual guidance and direction are also available.

3.     Information & Referral:  Case management. Provide information and referral to emergency assistance and to other agencies and programs.

4.     Community Development: Help with community outreach, mentoring, and community development to individuals and other groups.

All of the community center’s programs seek to be supportive, respectful, and are always confidential.  Programs are for all people.  Participants can be of any faith or no faith.

The Mor Gregorios Community Center is open Sunday 12 noon until 4 pm; Monday 10 am until 4 pm; Tuesday 10 am until 7 pm; Wednesday 10 am until 7 pm; Thursday 10 am until 4 pm; and Friday 10 until 4 pm.

St. Mary’s is located at 1000 South Michigan Street, Plymouth, Indiana, in the A-Frame building on the corner of Oak Hill Avenue and Michigan Street across from Webster Elementary School.

For more information about the Mor Gregorios Community Center, please call Father Theodosius Walker at 574-540-2048, or email the church at monastery@synesius.com.

The community is under an allegiance to the Syriac Orthodox Church under His Holiness Ignatius Zakka I Iwas.  Their bishop is Mar John Cassian Lewis, Columbus, Ohio.  The director of the community center is Father Theodosius Walker who also serves as pastor of St. Mary the Protectress Syriac Orthodox Church.

Please keep Ted Hayes and the staff of WKVI in your prayers

We can never have too many people people to pray for. So I ask that you add Ted Hayes and the staff of WKVI Radio, Knox, Indiana, in your prayers. Ted is the general manager of the station. He and the station helped make a difference in someone's life today. Ted just interviewed me about the community center's employment program for broadcast on the station. He is making it possible for more people to learn about our community center's employment program.

Indiana Workforce Development tells us that our program is the only community organization in Starke and Marshall Counties to help them help individuals file their unemployment claims and weekly reports. They training our volunteers and provide some of the computers we use. The program also help with preparing resumes, online job searches, and other work related activities.

So please keep Ted and all the folks at WKVI in your prayers. And please also take a moment of time and said Ted an email thanking him for making a difference in someone's life. The email address is spots@wkvi.com.

You can also make a difference. Call the church at 574-540-2048 and ask how.

Jim made a difference - can you?

I invite all my friends to keep Jim Cawthon and his family in your prayers. Yesterday Jim decided to make a difference in people's lives. Jim dropped off the computer switch at the church. We are now able to plug in more of the computers we have for the community center's employment program. Jim did not know we also needed a printer, but he also dropped off one of those also. thank you God for whispering in Jim's ear to let him know what we needed.

Jim is the Director of the Center for Student Achievement at Ancilla College and regularly makes a difference in people's lives.

You can make a difference in someone life also. The employment program at the community center at St. Mary's helps people file their unemployment claims and weekly reports online. The computers have been provided by Indiana Workforce Development and Ancilla College. The volunteers who work with folks were trained by Workfoce Development. In addition, individuals can do job searches online, get help preparing resumes, and practice interview skills. The community center also has addition and recovery programs, community building, and information and referral. We also pray a lot.

You can make a difference also. Want to know how? Contact the parish and community center at 574-540-2048.

FRONTLINE/World | Why Should We Care? | PBS

Lowell Bergman talks about the social costs of bribery, pointing to the example of oil rich Nigeria, which has suffered catastrophically from endemic corruption. This video clip is part of an ongoing FRONTLINE and FRONTLINE/World project examining the global impact of bribery and increased international efforts to police corruption, called "The Business of Bribes." The unfolding online investigation will lead up a FRONTLINE documentary, "Black Money," airing April 7 on PBS.

You can make a difference

Glory to Jesus Christ!

I have told you before about our parish’s employment program.  Workforce Development has provided computers and training to our volunteers to help people file their unemployment claims and their weekly reports.  It can only be done online.  Here in Marshall County the only place some one can file is the local Workforce office which is closed on Monday and the local public library.  Our community center is the only site in the country, or the two surrounding counties to provide this service. The library, by the way has helped the program by provide additional computer equipment to us.  Ancilla College has also provide computers.  More computers and equipment is being delivering this week by people who want to make a difference for their friends and neighbors.

But the major problem is getting the word out that this free service is available.  The local newspaper, the Plymouth Pilot, has been provided information about this free program and seems to be unwilling to run a story about it. Yes, people are coming in the the community center here for help.  But a day does not go by that someone says they never heard of it before.  Why?  Only the Plymouth Pilot does the answer to that question. I am tied of being asked why.

You can help.  Please make a telephone call today to the Plymouth Pilot and ask they why.  Their telephone number is 574-936-3101.  The publisher is Rick Kreps and his email address is rkreps@thepilotnews.com.  The general manager is Jerry Bingle and his email address is jbingle@thepilotnews.com.  The managing editor is Maggie Nixon and her email address is mnixon@thepilotnews.com.  I found those email address on the newspaper’s web site, so they must want to hear from you.

So please make that telephone call right now.  And please send all three of them an email right now.

You can make a difference in people’s lives.

In Christ,
Father Theodosius

How to Call your Member of Congress

What you need to do to call your Congressman or Congresswoman is discussed in this video. Most congressmen / congresswoman and Senators have websites with contact information. When there is a bill that is due for a vote the next or same day, keep the email short. Always sign your name plus city and state so that they know you are in their district or state. Also, get friends and family to email or call on crucial votes. Register with Roll Call so you know how your legislator is voting.

Your prayers are needed

Glory to Jesus Christ!

I hate emails which have been mailed to several people.  They seem to get deleted before they are read.  But please read on. The Community Center of St. Mary the Protectress Orthodox Church needs your prayers..  And prayers are needed for those we serve.

If you live in Indiana you have probably read the stories about the long lines at Indiana’s Workforce Development offices as the number of unemployed grows.  In cooperation with the Indiana Workforce Development and the Indiana Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives, several additional locations for Hoosiers to file their unemployment claims and weekly reports are available.  Serving Marshall, Starke, and Fulton Counties is the Community Center of St. Mary the Protectress Orthodox Church, 1000 South Michigan Street, Plymouth, Indiana. There is no charge for this service.

Workforce Development trained our volunteers who can help your friends with their initial unemployment claims, week reports, preparing their resume, online job searches, and many other employment related activities.   Workforce Development and Ancilla College and others in Marshall County have provided the computers needed for this free program.

The community center wants to make a difference for our friends and neighbors in this time of economic crisis.  You can also make a difference by referring those in need to the community center.  The only way to file for unemployment benefits in Indiana is online.  Many have limited computer skills.  We will help them with their claim and with their computer skills.

Someone asked me the other day why we are doing this. Someone even suggested that we were being saints for opening the church’s doors and giving our time for the training and for the assistance we are providing.  We are not saints.  We are just simple Christians who have answered Jesus call.  And we do know that we do get some thing out of all this.  We are blessed.  What more can a Christian ask for or expected.

You can also be blessed with us.  We need your help in getting the word out about this free program and service.  For those of who who live in Indiana, I have attached a flyer for the employment program.  Please print it out.  If you have a bulletin board, please post it.  If you know of any other bulletin boards, please post it there.  The program officially started last Sunday, but has been helping people for almost three weeks.  We have already served people from several of the surrounding counties including St. Joseph and Elkhart.  If you do not live in Indiana, but know someone who does, please send the flyer and ask them to post it.  If you are close to us and want to volunteer with the program, please do.  But most important, please keep us and those we serve in your prayers.

The computers are online and people are coming in for help.  The community Center is open:

Sunday  12 noon until 4 pm
Monday  10 am until 4 pm
Tuesday  10 am until 6 pm
Wednesday  10 am until 6 pm
Thursday 10 am until 4 pm

We are open Sunday afternoons because that is the first day for individual to file their weekly report if they need to receive their week check on Monday or Tuesday. File later and the money comes later.

If you want to discover more about this program and the other community center social service programs, you can call the church at 574-540-2048.  Or better yet, stop by.  St. Mary the Protectress Orthodox Church is located at 1000 South Michigan Street, Plymouth, Indiana.  We are on the corner of Oak Hill and Michigan in the A-frame building across from the Webster Elementary School.  Come at noon during the week and join us as we pray for peace and healing and for the end of this economic crisis.  Stay and join us for coffee and some of my mother’s awesome homemade soup.

Please help us make a difference.  Please let your friends and neighbors know about this free program and service. Please pray for those we serve and for the program.   God is truly an awesome God, and we know He does answer prayers.

Thank you for reading this rather long email.  And thank you for your help in letting people know about the program.

Yours in Christ,
Father Theodosius

Crime is a Theory with Kim Pate

In this video you hear Kim Pate, B.A., B.Ed. (P.D.P.P.), LL.B, M.Sc (in progress) Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies. Kim is an advocate, activist and ally of women and girls in prison in Canada. She has worked with and on behalf of marginalized, victimized, criminalized, and imprisoned youth, men and women for more than two decades.
In addition to exploring the current trends toward the increased marginalization, victimization, criminalization, and institutionalization of women, especially poor and racialized women, as well as those classified as having disabling mental health and intellectual challenges, Kim discusses the historical and global tendency to further such oppression in prisons.

40 Brave Soldiers for Christ

The video of Tom Green's song Forty Brave Soldiers for Jesus.

What is LENT ?

What is LENT ??

LENT = Leave Every Negative Thing

As you begin this Holy Season, may you discover the true meaning of
LENT, by Leaving behind all Negative things of the past and strive for
a Future filled with Hope! (Phi 3: 7 – 14).

A Different Approach to Fasting...

Fasts have a tendency to be oriented toward things like giving up food or
television. But there are many other creative ways we can welcome Jesus'
healing touch.

Here are suggestions you may want to consider.

1. Fast from anger and hatred. Give your family an extra dose of love each
day.

2. Fast from judging others. Before making any judgments, recall how
Jesus overlooks our faults.

3. Fast from discouragement. Hold on to Jesus' promise that He has a
perfect plan for your life.

4. Fast from complaining. When you find yourself about to complain,
close your eyes and recall some of the little moments of joy Jesus has
given you.

5. Fast from resentment or bitterness! Work on forgiving those who may
have hurt you.

6. Fast from spending too much money. Try to reduce your spending by
ten percent and give those savings to the poor.

Please tell this to as many as possible and surely, you will be blessed
abundantly.

Wishing you all Peace, Love, and Happiness during Lent.

Yes, Jesus Loves You!

JOSEPH MALIL
DENVER-COLARADO

There's thunder...there's lighting...there's hope

There's thunder. There's lighting. But there is hope. God will shine
through and the sun will shine.

We are about to begin the celebration of the Holy Qurbana at St. Mary the
Protectress Orthodox Church. And this afternoon starting at 12 noon, our
community center will be officially open for the first time to serve all of
the surrounding communities with our employment program. The computers are
up and running and ready for people to log onto Indiana's Uplink site to
file their unemployment claims or weekly reports. St. Mary's is one of the
faith-based community organization which Indiana Workforce Development reach
out to to help with the growing number of unemployment claims.

St. Mary's will also offer help to individuals with their job searches,
preparing their resumes, and other job related activities.

Drive on over to Plymouth, Indiana, this afternoon and see how a difference
is being made in people's lives. See how you can help. This is a community
effort, not just the parish of St. Mary's. Christ called us to help our
brothers and sisters. At St. Mary's we work to live our lives as Christ
taught us. Join us in this journey.

There is hot coffee and tea. And my mother has made some of her awesome
homemade sop.

St. Mary the Protectress is located at 1000 South Michigan Street, Plymouth,
across on the corner across the street from Webster Elementary School.

Not able to drive over, than please join the prayers of all at today's
Liturgy asking God help and guidance with this important program and
ministry.

Father Theodosius

Extend Your Helping Hand to an Ailing Orthodox Parish in India

We received this from our friend Alexander.  This is an important request from this small church in India in need.  Please keep them in your prayers and do what you are able to help them.

This is a formal request from the Orthodoxy Beyond Limits Forum. We would request all who read this to help an Orthodox Parish which is situated in the Thrissur Diocese of the Indian (Malankara) Orthodox Church- (Orthodox Church of the East).

Name of the Parish is St Thomas Orthodox Church, Elavanpadom, Chrukunnam, Pallakad.

Total Families - 30

The Parish is being reconstructed. The members of the Parish have poor economic background, most of them are engaged in agriculture and daily wage activities, which makes it very hard for them to financially support the construction.

Threat from Eastern Catholic Rite: Many a time the Malankara Catholic Rite (an Eastern Catholic Rite in India) has tried to steal the members offering them money, construction of a new Church etc. But the members strongly uphold the holy Orthodox faith and Tradition. Even tough the members have to face a lot of hardships, they have preserved and safeguarded the Orthodox Christian Faith and to the Orthodox Church.

Tint sheet is used as the roof material of the present Church building. The estimated budget for the building is India Rupees 300000. But now the budget has exceeded three lakhs of Rupees.

It is a humble request from the Orthodoxy Beyond Limits to make your valuable and generous donation for the construction of the Church. Kindly make any amount of donation according to each of yours capacity. Your generous help during the great Lent time will give more blessings to you and your family. What ever help you do for the poor and needy will counted in heaven, in God Almighty's account.

Kindly Note: Orthodoxy Beyond Limits does not handle any amount of money directly.

Kindly make your valuable donations to:
Fr Thomas Chamavila
Vicar-St Thomas Orthodox Church
Elavampadom (P O)
Cherukunnam PO
Palakkad
Kerala State
India- 678706

Bank Account Details:
Saving Bank A/C No 12533 with Canara Bank, Mangalamdam

Further Contact Details:
Fr Thomas Chamavila (Vicar)
Ph : (+91)04922-262818
Cell : +919446142786

Mr Pathros Attupuram- Trustee
Ph: +919446374492

Mr Baby Puthuserry ˆ Secretary
Ph: +919446875874

By:
Mr Subin Varghese
Vice-Chairman
Orthodoxy Beyond Limits Forum

Promoted and Supported by the Department of Public Relations-
Orthodoxy Beyond Limits Forum

www.theorthodoxchurch.info

  

Corporatism or Commonweal?

by Archbishop Lazar Puhalo

This is the rule of the most perfect Christianity, its most exact definition, its highest point, namely, the seeking of the common good, for nothing can so make a person an imitator of Christ as caring for his neighbors. – St. John Chrysostom

The concept of the “common good” has fallen out of favor in recent years. Over the past two decades, it has become increasingly common to dismiss the notion that we all share an interest in the broader community, that society is more than simply a collection of individuals pursuing their individual material self-interest.

In Socrates’ Apology, he tells a story that illustrates the tension between corporatism and commonweal. Zeus, Socrates relates, decided to help mankind create a human society. He sent Hermes to distribute the necessary technical and managerial skill to certain people. The result was a society based on self-interest and expertise. Such a society was centrifugal and fragmented. As the philosopher John Ralston-Saul observed, Zeus had created a society based on the corporatist model, with economic and social structures based on professional self-interest. People were defined by what they did. In more contemporary terms, this would be the corporatism of consumer capitalism, also based on self-interest and self-centeredness: defining people by what and how much they consume.

Zeus sees his error and decides to remedy it by having Hermes distribute social reverence (aidos) and right-mindedness (diki) to each person. Social reverence signifies a sense of “community,” a shared awareness, a shared knowledge of selfconstraint and belonging. Right-mindedness relates to a sense of social justice, integrity, freedom, and social order: a shared sense of responsibility. This is what we refer to as “commonweal.” It defines people simply as “fellow human beings,” as members of a community that we call “humanity.”

Corporatism, a fundamental aspect of our modern consumerist economic system, is inimical to Christianity and a violation of God’s Law. (See, for example, Deuteronomy 24:19-21)

Corporatism reorganizes society with the reduction of the individual to the status of consumer. To consume is regarded as patriotic while to consume in excess raises’s one’s social status. This new economic world order presents us with intense moral and ethical contradictions, arguing that greed, self-gratification, and excess consumption are simply aspects of human nature. This argument, taken from the doctrines of Social Darwinism, is certainly questionable. As Linda McQuaig observed in her essay, “Lost in the Global Shopping Mall”:

The rapaciousness of certain business leaders has been much in the spotlight…. Even conservative pundits appear shaken by the astounding greed and dishonesty at the heart of … corporate culture. Still, some shrug it off as simple human nature, saying that we are inherently a competitive, acquisitive species, naturally inclined to push our own self-interest as far as we possibly can. But is this the whole picture? Is our society really nothing more than a loose collection of shoppers, graspers and self-absorbed swindlers? Perhaps we are in danger of becoming such a culture, but it is important to remember that culture itself is a learned set of rules.”

At this point we may examine the corporatization of morality and, to some extent, of the Christian Church.

The concept of commonweal – the common good – is fundamental to authentic Christianity. A clear and profound doctrine of commonweal permeates the Old Testament. It is made law in the book of Deuteronomy and constantly enjoined by the Holy Prophets.

Jesus Christ reaffirms this “law of commonweal” with his two great moral imperatives, (“love your neighbor as yourself” and “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”). Christ makes the love of neighbor – together with unconditional love of God – the very foundation and essence of the Law and the Prophets. The fulfillment of such a moral imperative certainly requires a direct encounter and interaction with culture and society.

Unfortunately, this is an encounter that has been either abandoned, corporatized or reduced to outbursts of moralism by many Christian bodies.

Contrary to this trend, the Christian community must address society and interact in the shaping of our culture. However, this interaction must consist of something more than merely scolding politicians and demanding the law enforce on all citizens the sort of behavior we consider to be correct. We must avoid the inner contradictions of moralism and address the whole scope of true morality.

Morality or Moralism? How can Christians consider it to be an authentic expression of morality to oppose the killing of unborn children while ignoring the killing of children who are already born? Is it truly moral to protect the lives of unborn children but ignore or trivialize the fact that they will have to grow up in a world where, because of our own excess, they may not have sufficient food and many of the necessary natural resources will have been squandered and climate change will have made their lives precarious and uncertain? Is it actually moral to demand that governments enforce the sort of correct personal behavior that our own ideologies demand while turning consumer capitalism into a religious doctrine that cannot be subjected to critique and criticism?

One fatal flaw in the preaching of Christianity that has had negative effects in North America is the failure to distinguish between morality and moralism. From an authentic Christian point of view, true morality has to do not only with salvation but with every aspect of our inter-human relations; it is not simply a system of correct behavior.

True morality is not a system of law which, if obeyed, makes one a moral person. It is necessary to have such laws for the sake of society, but that has little to do with the change of a person’s heart and an inner transformation into the image of Christ’s love. Morality is not a form of bondage but a path of liberation. When we speak of “the law of God,” we are not speaking of an ordinary, worldly notion of “law.” God’s law is not given to repress us but to protect us.

If we are driving along a dangerous highway and the signs warn us to slow down because there is a dangerous curve in the road, that is a “law.” The speed limit is set by law. If we disregard that law and crash over a cliff because we are driving too fast, we do not claim that the government punished us by making us crash. On the contrary, the government tried to save us from serious injury or death by making that law.

This is precisely the meaning of the “law of God,” of our system of morality. God has revealed to us a manner of life that can keep us from much pain and suffering and from many disasters. He has called upon us to realize that his law is a law of love, and that we should obey it out of love and trust in him, not from fear of punishment. Moreover, such true morality constrains us to imitate God’s love in our dealings with the world. This is the essence of true morality.

We cannot equate morality with behavior that is acceptable to a given society, because often a society accepts behavior that we know is contrary not only to our salvation but is also inimical with the concept of commonweal. If we preach only a legal morality that does not encompass the moral imperatives of Jesus Christ then we are mere moralists. Moralism is cold, unforgiving, full of hatred, and spiritually destructive. It is self-centered, and it deforms the idea of morality for the advantage of one or another class in society to the detriment of others.

When we speak of true morality, we are not referring to simple obedience to a system of law but a free accord with a system of spiritual healing. The authentic Christian spiritual life really does provide us with the means for moral healing, but even among our own people, we see so many who never experience such healing. This is because they encounter only moralism: “Obey this law or God will do something bad to you.”

Moralism does not take into account what is necessary to actually heal a person and deliver them from the bondage of their inner suffering so they can lead a moral life; it thinks only about condemnation and punishment. But let us indicate how these ideas have a direct bearing on our subject.

Our modern consumerism inclines a society not only to excess but also to self-centeredness and indifference. One can opt to blame such attitudes on Satan, but when one does, let him remember that the power of Satan in our lives can be defeated only by means of unselfish love, by adopting a sincere sense of commonweal – to love your neighbor as yourself – in place of a desensitized self-interest. There is no such thing as Christian morality without an inner struggle toward unselfish love, self-constraint, and a sincere concern for the welfare not only of those around us but even for future generations.

Moralism condemns, usually with arrogant self-righteousness, while a spirit of true Christian morality seeks one’s own moral healing and the moral healing of those around us so they might be liberated from bondage. This is the concept of morality that can keep us alive spiritually in our consumerist and secular culture; this is the image of morality that will attract others to Christ and to authentic faith, a concept that can help form in us a truly Christian sense of commonweal.

The Corporatization of Morality: The corporatization of morality may be a product of radical individualism. It arises almost automatically when Christianity is transformed from a living faith into an ideology informed by such categories as liberal, conservative, leftist, right wing, and so forth. Morality then becomes corporatized into various categories of correct behavior, defined by an essentially political mindset of one or another religio-political ideology.

This narrows the concepts, so clearly stated in the Old Testament, down to horror at those things condemned with little regard for those things enjoined: social justice, non-condescending care for the poor and all those in need, and a powerful sense of mutual responsibility for the common good of the nation, of all the inhabitants of that nation.

In the Old Testament law, there are clearly ecological provisions for the care and nurturing of the land: a Sabbath for the agricultural land is just as much a part of the Law as a Sabbath for man (Leviticus 25:4-6). This care of the land, which must be cherished and nurtured, is surely as much a moral law as any in the Old Testament. Just as surely, it shows a deep concern for the common good of the whole population which must be fed from that land. This concern so obviously extends to future generations.

Organizing and spending large sums of money to protest and lobby against certain forms of personal behavior may be useful, but there is an inner contradiction that is inexcusable when the same organizers refuse to condemn corporate immorality or organize and finance lobbying about environmental issues that relate to the very survival of whole populations and the health, welfare, and survival of future generations. The destruction of the environment is every bit as immoral and kills just as many children as abortion. Any truly Christian concept of morality will encompass corporate and environmental immorality with the same fervor that it addresses personal morality.

We may have a “fallen human nature,” but it is clear that humankind is essentially good and, as the image and likeness of God, has an innate inclination toward virtue. We will all live in the new world order of consumer capitalism and secularism. We will all partake of the benefits of consumer capitalism and enjoy its positive aspect.

But as Christians, we will also have to face the moral challenges of its negative side. It is urgent for us, as moral human beings, to recognize that future generations will pay a terrible price for the excess and overindulgence of our era. We cannot separate spirituality from moral responsibility and here, consumerism poses yet another challenge.

Since consumerism thrives on over-consumption, not only must products not be durable, as we mentioned before, but they should not be reasonably “upgradable” either. Computers, for example, are discarded and replaced regularly. People are shocked to learn that, in our monastery print shop, we are still using a computer that we purchased in 1988, yet it is perfectly adequate for our typesetting needs. Let us look at the moral tragedy of this problem.

In Canada alone, 140,000 tons of computer equipment, cell phones, and other types of electronic equipment are discarded into waste disposal yards every year. That is the weight of about 28,000 fully-grown adult African elephants. This results in 4,750 tons of lead, 4.5 tons of cadmium, and 1.1 tons of mercury being leached into the water system and food chain every year.

These toxic heavy metals are already creating havoc on people’s health and causing a loss of drinking water reserves. Future generations will pay a devastating price for all this. Whether we care enough to do something about it or to resist this aspect of consumerism is a moral issue. It is also a barometer of our spirituality.

Yet we need not succumb to what Jürgen Habermas calls “personality systems without any aspiration to subjective truth nor secure processes for communal interpretation.” This is why it is so important for us to consider the role authentic Christian morality can play in this unfolding drama of our present era. We cannot have such a role if we opt out of the political dialogue and refuse to engage culture and interact with the society around us in a creative and healing way.

Archbishop Lazar Puhalo is abbot of the Monastery of All Saints of North America in Deroche, British Columbia, Canada, and leads the Orthodox Peace Fellowship in Canada

source: http://incommunion.org/?p=1273

Ancilla College Donates Computers to St. Mary's Employment Program

Ancilla College donated computers to St. Mary's employment program, Pictured with Father Theodosius is Dr. Ronald L. May the president of Ancilla College. Ancilla College is located in Donaldson, Indiana, about 10 minues from Plymouth where St. Mary the Protectress is located. Ancilla's donation will let more people used the computers at the church's community center to file their unemployment claims, weekly reports, do online job searches, and prepare their resumes. The community center will also help those with no or litte computers skills learn how to use the computers.

We invite you to visit Ancilla's web site. It is http:www.ancilla.edu.

Byzantium, The Empire of Christ (Part I)

Dear Brothers & Sisters, my name is Bashir Wardini an Orthodox Christian from Lebanon, the Middle East. In the course of the next few weeks I will try (whenever I get some free time to write) to briefly reconstruct the rise of the Byzantium Empire. In this first post I tried to capture the birth of the empire and structure a vision with words of Constantinople, the capital. It's highly necessary to understand and rebuild using your imagination the map of the city in order to understand later chapters.

Byzantium such a magical and charming word to your ears that hides behind it the history of the most complex and sophisticated empire of its time and certainly the greatest Christian empire that there has even been, one that stretched from Spain to Syria. Its capital was the Constantinople hence "City of Constantine" named after the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, who converted to Christianity in 324 and built this capital in the year of 330 on the site of an ancient city named Byzantium – that's how the Byzantine Empire, the Empire of Christ on earth was born.

Constantinople, the currently occupied Istanbul, set between the East and the West, seen as the centre of the World, strategically situated at the crossing between the empire's European and Asiatic provinces. "The Great City" was just one of the many terms that the awestruck foreign visitors and the Byzantines proudly referred to Constantinople. The city placed on a narrow promontory surrounded by water on two sides, the Golden Horn and the Bosporus to the North and the sea of Marmara to the South. A heavy Iron chain strung from a tower within the city reaching across the waters another tower in Galata, a city on the other side – blocking unwelcomed access to the Golden Horn. On land a massive fortified nine to twelve meters high and four and half meters thick wall with ninety six towers stretching all the way from the Golden Horn to the Sea of Marmara kept the city impregnable for thousand years of wars, attacks and sieges.

The Walls through the ages
The walls of Constantinople, still standing today, were originally built to protect the old city of Byzantium – with the arrival of Constantine and the moving of the Roman Empire's capital to Byzantium, the city which became the Constantinople after it was greatly expanded and a new wall was built. The fortification during Constantine consisted of one wall protected with towers. During the reign of Emperor Theodosius II, the construction of an already undergoing and a new second wall was completed which became known as the Theodosian Walls. To better understand the system of defense at that time; it consisted of two lines of walls, the main Inner "Great" Wall surrounded by 96 towers and the Outer Wall which was around 20 meters away from the Great wall and also had 96 towers of its own. The Walls of Constantinople became one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built that surrounded the city on all its sides from land to water and its efficiency was clear and tested.
The Queen of all Cities
The Golden "Main" Gate used for triumphal emperors returning from successful campaigns, along with seven other main gates and numerous smaller military ones granted access to the inner city.
On the inside the city was well-organize and exceptionally planned in such an unprecedented fashion which was not common in other cities of that time. The wealth was clearly shown in its amazing buildings and palaces surrounded by open public spaces; everything was marvelously put instead of just a number of buildings randomly spread. The roads were straight-ahead, notably the Mese, a 25 meters wide street, which connected the Golden Gate at the land walls with a series of public squares and forums such as: the forum of Arcadius, forum of Bovis, forum of Theodosius, forum of Constantine, a Hippodrome which could seat up to 100,000 persons and the Mese continued all the way reaching the Augousteion, Constantinople’s central square – north to that square stood the great Cathedral of Hagia Sophia (In Greek; The Holy Wisdom) built on a rectangular base and topped with an enormous 32 meters dome, which was visible for ships far in the sea. Hagia Sophia or the Great Chuch as the Byzantines referred to it, was constructed in the 6th century on the orders of Justinian I. Some of the other impressive Churches were “St.Geoges”, “The Fourty Martyrs” and “The Holy Apostles” built in 550 which had the tombs of previous emperors including Constantine and Justinian – basically all of the city's churches and monasteries were remarkable for their sizes and beauty.

The Mese was also used to reach The Great Palace, the main residence for most of Imperial Emperors, located in between the Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia. The other Imperial palace was the Blachernae a complex of multiple structures that enjoyed great view over the city, the Golden Horn and the countryside outside the walls, located on the northwestern section of the city (refer to map below), multiple churches were built there next to a spring site – originally they were outside the city’s walls but it was later expanded to host them along the Blachernae palace.

Constantinople became the world’s best commercial center; merchants from all around the world would come to trade their goods at the Golden Horn, the empire benefited from the Kommerkion –a duty paid by the merchants. Also at the Golden Horn existed a mosque for the use of Arab merchants.

In medieval standards the Constantinople stood for its enormous size, with around 375,000 inhabitants - it was around 20 times the size of London at the time. The largest and certainly unmatched in the Christian world. Cordova in Spain was around the same size; however it was under Islamic rule while Baghdad was larger.

The glory and imperial majesty the Constantinople enjoyed was unseen in other cities and for that it truly deserved the title of “Queen of All Cities”



In the next part, I will focus on the Ideology of the Constantinople and what made it such an important city in the Christian World.

-Bashir Wardini

Childrens' Defense Fund

The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) is a non-profit child advocacy organization that has worked relentlessly for over 35 years to ensure a level playing field for all children.



Nine million uninsured children in American need a health coverage "bailout."



A Matter of Life and Death



Families Deserve Better



The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) is a non-profit child advocacy organization that has worked relentlessly for 35 years to ensure a level playing field for all children. We champion policies and programs that lift children out of poverty; protect them from abuse and neglect; and ensure their access to health care, quality education, and a moral and spiritual foundation. Supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations, CDF advocates nationwide on behalf of children to ensure children are always a priority.

**YOUR TRUTH ALOUD - SPEAK OUT NOW FOR CHILDREN**
Join CDF's Your Truth Aloud! Speak Out Now for Children video project. Record a video short statement telling your elected officials why you believe all children need health coverage now at: www.childrensdefense.org/YourT ruthAloud.
City: Washington, DC

Website: http://www.childrensdefense.org

May Christians kill?

By Fr. Philip LeMasters

Eastern Christianity does not view morality in fundamentally legal terms or within the context of abstract philosophy, but as part of the holistic vocation of humanity for theosis: participation by grace in the eternal life of the Holy Trinity. Hence, the Orthodox vision must be considered on its own terms, and not distorted by the imposition of Western categories. The question for the Orthodox is not, “What approach to warfare is most persuasive rationally or incumbent upon all Christians as a matter of moral law?” Instead, the East asks, “In light of the human vocation for growth in holiness and communion with God, how should Christians respond to the prospect of warfare?”

The prominence of petitions for peace in the Liturgy sheds light on the Orthodox response to war. Since the Church believes that the Liturgy is a participation in the worship of heaven, and grounds the knowledge of God in worship and mystical experience, it is fitting to place the issue of war and peace within the context of the liturgical life of Eastern Christianity, for it is in worship that the Church participates most fully in communion with the Holy Trinity.

In the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the first petitions of the Great Ektenia are for “the peace from above, and for the salvation of our souls” and “the peace of the whole world; for the good estate of the churches of God, and for the union of all.” At every Liturgy we pray for our parish, the clergy and laity, for government officials and all those in public service, for the place we live and for all towns and cities, for peaceful times, for travelers, the sick, the suffering, for captives and their salvation, and for our deliverance from all tribulation, wrath, danger, and need. “Help us; save us; have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by Your grace,” we beg, finally commending “ourselves and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God.”

These are not simply decorative words. Neither are they prayers which refer merely to the inner tranquility of worshipers, nor to an entirely future Kingdom of Heaven. Instead, they embody an Orthodox vision of salvation and call upon the Lord to enable us to experience his heavenly peace right now in every dimension of life: personal, public, religious, temporal, and political. Whoever prays these prayers is asking already to participate in the Kingdom of God on earth, to find the healing and blessing of salvation in every dimension of one’s life – indeed, in every aspect of God’s creation.

The entire Liturgy is an epiphany of God’s Kingdom on earth. The priest begins the service with a proclamation, “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: now and ever and unto ages of ages,” which declares that the assembly is now participating in the worship of Heaven. The Church is raised to the life of the Kingdom as her members gather to glorify and commune with the Holy Trinity.

Because we believe in the Incarnation and the goodness of God’s physical creation, we pray for peace and salvation upon people in “real life” situations of peril and suffering, for deliverance from the kinds of calamities and hardships that beset our mortal bodies in this life.

The peace for which we pray includes every dimension of our existence before the Lord. God created us for communion with Himself in all aspects of our personhood: body, soul, and spirit. Christian salvation entails the resurrection of the complete, embodied self in the blessed communion of Heaven and the transformation of the entire creation in subjection to the Holy Trinity.

The peace for which we pray is our participation in that all-inclusive salvation. There is no true peace other than that found in the healing and transformation brought to human beings by the God-Man in whom our humanity is united with divinity. Since God intends to save us in every dimension of our existence, his healing concerns the full range of human life. Even as bread and wine become the means of our communion with the Lord, we are to offer every bit of ourselves and of this world to the Father in union with the sacrifice of the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. We will then find life-giving communion with the Holy Trinity in everything we say and do; our life will become a eucharistic offering as we grow in holiness and union with God.

If the Liturgy is a participation in the eschatological peace of the Kingdom of God, it is fair to ask whether the members of the Church recognize and live out this vision of heavenly peace. An immediate note of realism comes to mind, as the members of the Church are sinners who have not manifested fully the new life of Christ. Nonetheless, the presence of the Holy Spirit enables the Church to embody a foretaste of the eschatological peace of the Kingdom of Heaven, and there is much in the history and ongoing life of the Church which witnesses to the saving peace of God here and now.

Though there is some ambiguity in the Church’s teaching on Christian participation in war, the Orthodox vision of peace prizes selfless love and forgiveness over violence, viewing war, in some situations, as a lesser evil with damaging spiritual consequences for all involved.

In contrast with Orthodoxy, it is easier to describe the traditional Western Christian justifications of war, which have included both the granting of plenary indulgences to those who fought in the crusades and the affirmation of a just-war theory. The former envisioned the killing of infidels as such a righteous act that the crusaders were released from all temporal punishments for their sins, including exemption from purgatory. The latter, which has been widely influential in Western culture, provides moral sanction to wars which meet certain philosophical criteria.

Orthodoxy has never embraced the crusade ethic. Orthodoxy has viewed war always as an evil, even if, as the theologian Olivier Clément expressed it, “The Church has accepted warfare sorrowfully as a sometimes necessary evil, but without concealing that it is an evil which must be avoided or limited as much as possible.” Elsewhere he notes, “The only normative ideal is that of peace, and hence the Orthodox Church has never made rules on the subject of ius belli and of ius in bello.”

Canon 13 of St. Basil’s 92 Canonical Epistles states:

Our fathers did not consider killings committed in the course of wars to be classifiable as murders at all, on the score, it seems to me, of allowing a pardon to men fighting in defense of sobriety and piety. Perhaps, though, it might be advisable to refuse them communion for three years, on the ground that their hands are not clean.

Father John McGuckin observes that St. Basil refers to St. Athanasius as the father who wrote, in his “Letter to Amun,” that killing the enemy was legitimate in wartime. McGuckin argues, however, that St. Athanasius was advising Amun on the question of the sinfulness of nocturnal emissions. “In fact the original letter had nothing whatsoever to do with war… The military image is entirely incidental, and Athanasius in context merely uses it to illustrate his chief point in the letter,” which is to show that the moral significance of actions may not be discerned without reference to the contexts in which they occurred.

Against any simplistic readings of the letter as a blanket justification of killing in war, St. Basil places the issue in a specific context. As McGuckin writes on St. Basil in “War and Repentance,” “what he speaks about is the canonical regulation of war in which a Christian can engage and find canonical forgiveness for a canonically prohibited act…”

Killing in war had been forbidden completely in earlier canons, such as Canon 14 of Hippolytus in the fourth century, which states:

A Christian is not to become a soldier. A Christian must not become a soldier, unless he is compelled by a chief bearing the sword. He is not to burden himself with the sin of blood. But if he has shed blood, he is not to partake of the mysteries, unless he is purified by a punishment, tears, and wailing. He is not to come forward deceitfully but in the fear of God.

St. Basil distinguishes between outright murder and killing “for the defense of Christian borders from the ravages of pagan marauders.” By limiting fighting to such circumstances, he sought to “restrict the bloodshed to a necessary minimum.” In contrast to the lifelong exclusion from the sacraments imposed on murderers, St. Basil recommends three years of exclusion from the chalice, thus providing a public sign that the Gospel standard is violated by war.

The Christian soldier who has killed in war is to “undergo the cathartic experience of temporary return to the lifestyle of penance… Basil’s restriction of the time of penance to three years, seemingly harsh to us moderns, was actually a commonly recognized sign of merciful leniency in the ancient rule book of the early Church.” (It is not uncommon to meet veterans who are tormented for the rest of their lives by the horrors of war. I recall the father of a childhood friend who suffered from nightmares thirty years after the conclusion of his military service during World War II. Those who are trained to kill sometimes have difficulty returning to the mores of civilian life, not to mention the life of theosis.)

McGuckin concludes that this canon of St. Basil excludes the development of just war theory in Orthodoxy. Though particular wars may be necessary or unavoidable, they are never justified, as shedding the blood of other human beings is contradictory to the way of the Kingdom of God.

In his book, The Price of Prophecy, Fr. Alexander Webster agrees that a theory of justified war “has never been systematically elucidated in Orthodox moral theology.” He describes participation in such a war as “a lesser moral option than absolute pacifism, for those unwilling or unable to pay the full price of prophecy.” He suggests that Orthodox criteria for a just war include a “proper political ethos,” meaning that the nation going to war should follow “the natural-law ethic and have positive relations with the Orthodox community.” The war should also take place for the “defense of the People of God” from injustice, invasion, or oppression “by those hostile to the free exercise of the Orthodox faith.” A proper “spiritual intent” should also lead to “forgiveness and rehabilitation” of enemies as persons who bear the image of God, and not “mere revenge, self-righteousness, or conquest.” Webster states that

Whereas the pacifist seeks to emulate Jesus as the Good Shepherd who allowed Himself to be slain unjustly by and for sinners, the just warrior perceives a higher duty: to defend the relatively innocent from unjust aggression. If the Orthodox pacifist can never do anything evil even for a reasonably just end, the Orthodox warrior cannot preserve his personal holiness by allowing evil to triumph through his own inaction.

It is curious for Webster to suggest that the just warrior follows a “higher duty” than that of the pacifist, especially when the clear norm for the Church is the selfless, forgiving, nonresistant way of Christ. Likewise, the enumeration of moral categories for a justified war and the reference to governments which follow an ethic of natural law raise the question of whether this interpretation places questions of war and peace more within the context of human moral reasoning than in that of the journey to theosis. It is fair to ask whether Webster’s formulation gives sufficient attention to the spiritual vision of Orthodoxy, as opposed to the greater reliance on an ethics of human reason in Western Christianity.

Though Christlike response of “turning the other cheek” to assaults is the ideal, the Orthodox Church does not prescribe pacifism or nonviolence as an absolute requirement of the Christian life. The Church’s moral guidance serves the goal of theosis, of guiding the members of Christ’s Body to growth in holiness and union with the Trinity. The canons of the Church are applied pastorally in order to help particular people find salvation as they seek to be faithful in the given set of challenges and weaknesses which they face. The Church’s experience is that temporal authority and the use of force are necessary to restrain evil and promote good in our fallen world.

Though the witness of the early Church was largely, but not exclusively, pacifist, the Byzantine vision was of symphonia, or harmony, between God’s Kingdom and earthly realms. Hence, Christian emperors and armies fought wars and sustained a social order that sought to embody faithfulness to the Lord in all areas of life. Church and empire were to be united, in Webster’s words, “even as the divine and human natures of Christ are united in the One Person of the Incarnate Son of God.” In practice, however, that vision was never fully realized in Byzantium; human sinfulness corrupted its political and ecclesiastical leaders in many ways.

There have remained in Orthodoxy, however, indications of the ideal of peace. Monks and clergy, for example, may not bear arms and are forbidden to use deadly violence even in cases of self-defense. Canon V of St. Gregory of Nyssa “states that should a priest ‘fall into the defilement of murder even involuntarily (i.e., in self-defense), he will be deprived of the grace of the priesthood, which he will have profaned by this sacrilegious crime.’”

Those whose hands have shed blood are no longer the icons of Christ which priests are called to be, and are not suited to serve at the altar. As Webster writes in The Pacifist Option, “An Orthodox priest is supposed to be an exemplar for the Christian community, a man with a personal history free from all serious or grievous offenses including the taking of a human life for any reason.”

Even as the sacramental priesthood is a special vocation to which not all are called, the straightforward embodiment of Christlike, nonviolent love – incumbent upon priests – is not canonically required of all believers. In keeping with the practice of economia, the norm of nonresistant love may not be directly applicable to those whose vocations in our broken world require the defense of the innocent. These may grow in holiness by fighting as justly as possible, even as they mourn the harm done to themselves and others by their use of violence.

Whatever choices we make in our efforts to defend the innocent from attack and abuse, none are perfect. In a fallen world populated by sinful people, every Christian’s journey to the Kingdom will be marked by a measure of spiritual brokenness, and repentance is the only road to healing.

Particular countries and peoples have been so closely identified with the Orthodox faith that their defensive wars against Islamic invaders, though not Western-style crusades, have been described as “a difficult and painful defense of the Cross.” The appeal for “victory over their enemies” at the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, and other instances of martial imagery in the liturgies, has at times been corrupted into a “national Messianism” in which a soldier who dies in battle is regarded as a martyr and the evil of war is forgotten.

It would be a mistake, however, to suggest that Orthodoxy has enthusiastically endorsed war. Even in cases of the defense of a Christian people from Islamic invasion, the spiritual gravity of warfare has not been forgotten. For example, St. Sergius of Radonezh in the fourteenth century gave his blessing to Grand Prince Dimitri to fight a defensive war against the Tatar Khan only after he received assurances that the prince had already exhausted every possible means of reconciliation.

Kutuzov’s strategy in response to Napoleon’s invasion was similar, abandoning Moscow to the French and merely harassing Napoleon’s forces during their withdrawal, having no other aim than to drive the invader back to the frontier.

Far from being examples of unbridled militarism, these are instances which reflect the reluctant acceptance of war at times as a necessary evil.

These notes of realism should not be allowed to obscure the Church’s insistence that “non-retribution, the avoidance of violence, the returning of good for evil … and the harmony of peoples” are a holistic “normative good which Christians must seek with God’s help,” in the words of Olivier Clément.

Fr. Stanley Harakas observes that “the Eastern Patristic tradition rarely praised war, and to my knowledge, almost never called it ‘just’ or a moral good…. The peace ideal continued to remain normative and no theoretical efforts were made to make conduct of war into a positive norm.”

The evidence for widespread pacifism in the Church is strongest before St. Constantine, when the Empire was pagan and Christians, including converts within the army, were persecuted for refusing to participate in the worship of false gods. Even after the Christianization of the Empire, with the eventual requirement that only Christians could be in the army, there remained teachers of pacifism in the Church, such as Pope St. Damasus, Prudentius, and St. Paulinus of Nola. Webster remarks that St. Paulinus, in the fifth century, was the last Church Father who explicitly addressed the moral issue of war from a pacifist perspective. From then on, pacifist sensibilities would manifest themselves in other contexts, such as the requirement of clerical and monastic nonresistance.

The contrast between the canonical requirement of pacifism for the clergy and the acceptance of military service by the laity requires further comment. Webster notes that the identification of clergy with the nonviolent norm and the allowance of participation in war on the part of the laity implies a two-tier ethic with a higher and a lower class of Christians, which could be taken to imply that the clergy are necessarily holier than the laity.

More faithful to Orthodox ecclesiology would be the affirmation that the norm now embodied by the clergy will at some future point become normative for all Orthodox. Here we are dealing with a point of eschatological tension that will be resolved in the Kingdom of Heaven, when all will be pacifists, for violence and other evils will be destroyed. In the present, as Webster writes in The Pacifist Option, the clergy are “expected to demonstrate the attainment of an advanced spiritual and moral state to which all Orthodox Christians are [ultimately] called.”

The recognition of pacifism as an ultimate norm or goal for all Christians should not be surprising. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ calls His followers to theosis, to growth in holiness and perfection in union with God. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48) This teaching is the conclusion of a section focusing on the love of enemies, which is immediately preceded by the Lord’s repudiation of resistance against evil. “Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” (5:39)

These passages indicate that the repudiation of violence in self-defense is a sign of growth in holiness. Our Lord’s example of offering Himself on the cross for our salvation is the paradigmatic epiphany of the selfless love in which human beings are to participate as they come to share by grace in the life of the Trinity.

Fr. Philip LeMasters is professor of Religion and director of the Honors Program at McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. A priest of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese, he serves at St. Luke Orthodox Church in Abilene. This is an abridged version of a chapter in his book, The Goodness of God’s Creation (Regina Orthodox Press). The Patristic texts cited here and many others, plus essays by a number of Orthodox theologians, can be found in For the Peace from Above: An Orthodox Resource Book on War, Peace and Nationalism, Hildo Bos and Jim Forest, editors, Syndesmos, 1999. The full text of the book is posted on the OPF web site: http://incommunion.org/articles/for-the-peace-from-above/first-page

source: http://incommunion.org/?p=1266

Changing the face of East Jerusalem - 03 Mar 09

Children's Rights should be a national concern

Detailed look at Children's Rights' work to reform failing child welfare systems across the United States.




Explores the plight of abused and neglected children in the custody of America's failing child welfare systems -- and how Children's Rights fights to reform those systems and improve the lives of children across the nation.



Seven years after Children's Rights, a national nonprofit child advocacy group, took legal action to reform Tennessee's failing child welfare system on behalf of the more than 9,000 abused and neglected children who depend on it for protection and care, "Tennessee Pearl" takes a behind-the-scenes look at the results of the reforms that Children's Rights set in motion -- and how they affected one of the families involved in the case.



Since 1995, Children’s Rights has been fighting for our nation’s abused and neglected children.

We are a national advocacy group working to reform failing child welfare systems on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of abused and neglected children who depend on them for protection and care.

For more than a decade, we have been fighting to enshrine in the law of the land every child’s right to be protected from abuse and neglect and to grow up in a safe, stable, permanent home.

Through tough legal action complemented by substantive policy expertise, we have won landmark victories and brought about sweeping improvements in the lives of abused and neglected children in more than a dozen states across the nation.
History

Founded by Marcia Robinson Lowry, a leading voice on civil rights and child welfare issues nationally for more than 35 years, Children’s Rights began as a project of the New York Civil Liberties Union and, later, the American Civil Liberties Union. It became an independent nonprofit organization in 1995.

In recent years, Children’s Rights has won landmark legal victories improving child welfare systems in Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

We have issued national policy reports and engaged in advocacy efforts that are changing the way child welfare is practiced in the United States.

Across the country, we are proving that failing child welfare systems not only can be fixed, but can be made to run well — and provide a brighter future for the children in their care.
Learn More:

* Learn about our legal campaigns to reform failing child welfare systems.
* Read about our policy advocacy on child welfare issues at the local, state, and national level.
* Explore our news archive and blog, or watch a short video about Children’s Rights.
* Find out how you can help by making a gift to Children’s Rights or joining our network of supporters.

Visit their web site: http://www.childrensrights.org/

St. Mary=?ISO-8859-1?B?uQ==?=s Partners with Indiana Workforce Development Offering Additional Site for Individuals to File Unemployment Claims

St. Mary’s Partners with Indiana Workforce Development Offering Additional Site for Individuals to File Unemployment Claims

The Community Center at St. Mary the Protectress Orthodox Church, 1000 South Michigan Street, Plymouth, Indiana, is one of the Indiana faith-based organizations, cooperating with Indiana Department of Workforce Development and the Indiana Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to provide additional locations for Hoosiers to file their unemployment claims and weekly vouches. According to Workforce Development the only community organizations in Marshall and Starke Counties beside the public libraries providing this service is the community center of St. Mary’s.

Volunteers from the church attended a training session conducted by Department of Workforce Development instructing them how to assist individuals file their initial unemployment claims and their weekly vouches.   Workforce Development has supplied the community center several computers for individuals to use with their claims.

All initial unemployment claims and weekly vouches can only be filed online. Increasing the number of computers and locations available for individuals along with the training given to the volunteers will reduce the number of errors in the initial application and speed up the delivery of benefits, according to Department of Workforce Development. Indiana officials hope this new initiative will help reduce the long lines at unemployment offices across the state and cut down on the number of mistakes made by people applying online for benefits. Indiana residents will be able to uses the computers at the church, and receive extra help in completing their claims.  The state’s stated goal is to give workers more convenient options.

The employment program and computer use will be available starting Sunday, March 8th. The hours of the church’s employment program are Sundays 12 noon until 4 pm; Monday 10 am until 4 pm; Tuesday 10 am until 6 pm; Wednesday 10 am until 6 pm; and Thursday 10 am until 4 pm.

Volunteers are available to help individuals with the computers.  There is also help with job searches, networking with other job seekers, resume preparation and practicing interview skills.

St. Mary’s is located on the corner of Oak Hill Avenue and Michigan Street across from Webster Elementary School.

For more information about the program at St. Mary’s, please call Father Theodosius Walker at 574-540-2048, or email the church at monastery@synesius.com.

The church is under an allegiance to the Syriac Jacobite Orthodox Church under His Holiness Ignatius Zakka I Iwas. St. Mary the Protectress Orthodox Church is located at 1000 South Michigan Street, Plymouth, Indiana.

Pro-war is not pro-life

It is the very Word of God who, by His incarnation and assumption of our whole life and our whole condition, affirms and blesses the ultimate value of every human person – and indeed of creation as a whole. He filled it with His own being, uniting us to Himself, making us His own Body, transfiguring and deifying our lives, and raising us up to God our Father. He affirms and fulfills us, not simply as individuals seeking happiness, but rather as persons with an infinite capacity to love and be loved, and thus fulfills us through His own divine personhood in communion.

Our life is not given to us to live autonomously and independently. This, however, is the great temptation: to deny our personhood, by the depersonalization of those around us, seeing them only as objects that are useful and give us pleasure, or are obstacles to be removed or overcome. This is the essence of our fallenness, our brokenness. With this comes the denial of God, and loss of spiritual consciousness. It has resulted in profound alienation and loneliness, a society plummeting into the abyss of nihilism and despair. There can be no sanctity of life when nothing is sacred, nothing is holy. Nor can there be any respect for persons in a society that accepts only autonomous individualism: there can be no love, only selfish gratification. This, of course, is delusion. We are mutually interdependent.

We must repent and turn to God and one another, seeking forgiveness and reconciliation. Only this will heal the soul. Only by confronting our bitterness and resentment, and finding forgiveness for those who have hurt us, can we be free from the rage that binds us in despair. Repentance is not about beating ourselves up for our errors and feeling guilty; that is a sin in and of itself! Guilt keeps us entombed in self-pity. All sin is some form of self-centeredness, selfishness.

Repentance is the transformation of our minds and hearts as we turn away from our sin, and turn to God, and to one another. Repentance means to forgive. Forgiveness does not mean to justify someone’s sin against us. When we resent and hold a grudge, we objectify the person who hurt us according to their action, and erect a barrier between us and them. And, we continue to beat ourselves up with their sin. To forgive means to overcome that barrier, and see that there is a person who, just like us, is hurt and broken, and to overlook the sin and embrace him or her in love. When we live in a state of repentance and reconciliation, we live in a communion of love, and overcome all the barriers that prevented us from fulfilling our own personhood.

All the sins against humanity – abortion, euthanasia, war, violence, and victimization of all kinds – are the results of depersonalization. Whether it is “the unwanted pregnancy,” or worse, “the fetus,” rather than “my son” or “my daughter;” whether it is “the enemy” rather than Joe or Harry or Ahmed or Mohammed, the same depersonalization allows us to fulfill our own selfishness against the obstacle to my will. How many of our elderly, our parents and grandparents, live forgotten in isolation and loneliness?

How many Afghan, Iraqi, Palestinian and American youths will we sacrifice to agonizing injuries and deaths for the sake of our political will? They are called “soldiers,” or “enemy combatants” or “civilian casualties” or any variety of other euphemisms to deny their personhood. But ask their parents or children!

Pro-war is not pro-life! God weeps for our callousness.

We have to extend a hand to those suffering from their sins, whatever they are. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven, save the one we refuse to accept forgiveness for. Abortion not only destroys the life of the infant; it rips the soul out of the mother – and the father! It becomes a sin for which a woman torments herself for years, sinking deeper into despair and self-condemnation and self-hatred. But there is forgiveness, if only she will ask.

We must seek out and embrace the veterans who have seen such horrors, and committed them. They need to be able to repent and accept forgiveness, so that their souls, their memories, and their lives might be healed.

Most of all, we must restore the family: not just the nuclear family, but the multi-generational family which lives together, supports one another, and teaches each one what it means to be loved and to be a person. It teaches what forgiveness and reconciliation are. And it embraces and consoles the prodigals who have fallen. In this, the real sanctity of life is revealed, from pregnancy to old age. And in the multi-generational family each person finds value. This is the most important thing that we can possibly do.

The Blessed Mother Teresa said that the greatest poverty of the industrialized world is loneliness. Let us reach out to those isolated, alienated, alone and in despair, finding in them someone most worthy of love – and in turn, we will find in ourselves that same love and value, and know indeed that God speaks to us in the depths of our souls: “You are my beloved in whom I am well pleased.”

source: http://incommunion.org/?p=1234

IRAQ REFLECTION: Kurds feel abandoned and surrounded

by Michele Naar-Obed
 
 Word is filtering throughout Iraq that the United States is starting to remove its military presence.  The country is theoretically in the hands of Iraqis.  However, the situation on the ground is chilling.   Journalist Dahr Jamail writes "the capital city of the country is essentially in lock-down and prevailing conditions are indicative of a police state..." (See http://www.truthout.org/020309A).   And, of course, the Kurds in the north are again experiencing feelings of fear and betrayal as they let go of the U.S. safety net.
 
 While the recent election was touted as an example of democracy, over one million Kurds in the province of Diyala were not allowed to vote, costing them important political seats.  Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission admits that voter fraud was rampant.
 
 The new U.S.-backed leaders in Iraq have been levying threatening language the Kurdish region.  When the Kurds turn to the U.S. for help, U.S. officials tell them to solve their own problems.   A worse betrayal is the refusal of the U.S. to sanction Turkey for its ongoing bombing along Iraq's northern border.  The U.S. has admitted to clearing air space inside Iraq for Turkey and providing "military intelligence" for strikes against the militant Kurdish Worker Party (PKK).  Damning evidence that these attacks have caused extensive destruction for Kurdish civilians not associated with the PKK makes the U.S. complicit in violating their human rights.
 
 While Turkey has done the most damage, Iran and Syria have also launched attacks.   Iraq's central government has done little to protect the Kurds from hostile neighbors.  Instead, they admonish the Kurds for their efforts at semi-autonomy because these efforts inspire the Kurds of Turkey, Iran, and Syria to exert independence.   The Kurds thus feel completely surrounded by hostile forces. With feelings of nowhere to turn, some Kurds have found violent self-defense a more attractive option, and more may join PKK ranks if this situation continues.
 
 In this atmosphere of fear and insecurity, CPT and Kurdish villagers are working with a UNHCR*-sponsored working protection group towards a return to homes the villagers fled from because of the bombings.  While the villagers know CPT's accompaniment isn't a guarantee of safety, one said, "God will bless this plan, because it is for the good of our people."
 
 CPT is counting on the international community, particularly the U.S., having a change of heart and holding all hostile forces in the region accountable to the Geneva Conventions and other international laws that afford every person certain inalienable human rights.  Naive as this may sound, some of us are banking our lives on that possibility.
 
  *UNHCR-United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
 

Nothing stops a bullet like a job

St. Mary's has an employment program. We have computers in our community center where individuals can file their unemployment claims and weekly reports. They are also able to get help preparing their resumes, doing their job searches, and lots of other employment related activities. You can help us by volunteering to work with us or donate to the program.

Someone asked why we are doing this. In this time of crisis, we all need to come together to help our brothers and sisters. Our employment is not new for faith based groups. In this video, Father Gregory Boyle, an activist priest and founder of Jobs for a Future and Homeboy Industries, nationally recognized employment programs for at-risk and gang-involved youth, shares personal stories about kinship at the USC School of Social Work All School Day.

Remember what Father Boyle has said, "Nothing stops a bullet like a job." It is also true that nothing stops lossing a home like a job, and nothing puts food on the table of a hungry family like a job. Listen to Father Boyle then call us and tell us when you can volunteer your time; reach in our pocket and send us the funds we need to keep the doors open. Our employment program will not continue to work with your help. The telephone number at St. Mary's is 574-540-2048. Stop by. We are located at 1000 South Michigan Street, Plymouth, Indiana.

Weapos of mind destruction

The journey of recovery for soldiers returning from Iraq-Afghanistan. Brain injury and Post Truamatic Stress Disorder are major problems for returning vets and their return to civilian life.

Anniversary of American National Anthem

Today is the anniversary of the American National Anthem. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson ordered that it should become the National Anthem played by the military and naval services, but it wasn't until March 3rd, 1931 that it was officially designated as the National Anthem by act of Congress. The following is its history:

If there is anything taken more seriously than the US flag, it's possibly the national anthem. The Star-spangled Banner accompanies just about every major American function, and at major sporting events a significant honour is bestowed on those asked to sing what is probably the best known national anthem in the world.

Listen closely to the words and it tells of a highly emotional moment in US history when the war with the British was being fought and of one man's relief in seeing the US flag still flying after a vicious bombardment.

Before the Battle
The War of 1812 had been a particularly nasty conflict with the British. They had burned down the Capitol and the White House in Washington, and were set on taking the port of Baltimore, which was protected in part by Fort McHenry, just to the south.

On September 7th, 1814, during the build-up to the attack on Baltimore, two Americans, Colonel John Skinner and a lawyer and part-time poet by the name of Francis Scott Key, had gone out to one of the British ships. They had come to negotiate the release of Dr William Beanes, a friend of Key who had been seized following the attack on Washington. The British agreed, but all three had learned too much about the forthcoming attack on Baltimore and so were detained by the British on board the frigate Surprise until it was over.

The Defense of Fort McHenry
The attack started on September 12th, 1814, and after an initial exchange of fire, the fleet withdrew to form an arc just outside the range of Fort McHenry's fire.

Skinner, Beanes and Key watched much of the bombardment from the British deck. The major attack started in heavy rain on the morning of September 13th. Just under three miles in the distance the three men caught glimpses of the star-shaped fort with its huge flag - 42ft long, with 8 red stripes, 7 white stripes and 15 white stars, and specially commissioned to be big enough that the British could not possibly fail to see it from a distance.

In the dark of the night of the 13th, the shelling suddenly stopped. Through the darkness they couldn't tell whether the British forces had been defeated, or the fort had fallen.

As the rain cleared, and the sun began to rise, Key peered through the lifting darkness anxious to see if the flag they had seen the night before was still flying. And so it was that he scribbled on the back of an envelope the first lines of a poem he called Defense of Fort M'Henry:

O, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming

As the mist started to clear he was aware that there was a flag flying - but was it the British flag? It was difficult to tell:

What is that which the breeze o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

But finally the sun rose, and with intense relief and pride he saw that the fort had withstood the onslaught ...

'Tis the star-spangled banner - O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

The poem
Keys, Beanes and Skinner were taken by the British back to shore on Friday, September 16th. In his room in the Indian Queen Hotel, Keys completed all four verses of the poem, and the following morning he took it to his brother-in-law, a local judge, who thought it so good that he arranged to have it printed as a handbill. Printing was completed by Monday morning, and the copies were distributed to everyone at the Fort.

Key made a number of hand-written copies of his original poem, introducing occasional changes as he did so. But it wasn't just Key that made alterations; various editors along the way have also had a hand in altering spelling, punctuation and even the words. The original text of the poem has therefore varied depending on where you read it.

The tune
It is possible that Key only ever intended this as a poem; there was nothing in his original notes to suggest a tune. However, there was a very popular tune of the time, for which had been written many differents sets of words. Perhaps the most notable of these was Robert Treat Paine's ode, Adams and Liberty, written for the Massachusetts Charitable Fire Society in 1798. All these songs had the same distinctive form and metre, and there can be no doubt that Key was heavily influenced by it.

When the handbills were printed, they bore the name of this tune to which the poem should be sung - To Anacreon In Heaven. Somewhat ironically, this is a song written for a British drinking club!

The Anacreontic Society was a popular genetlemen's drinking club, based in a pub in the Strand, London. The words of the song had been written by the society's president, Ralph Tomlinson, but the tune is more of a mystery.

At one time, the English composer Dr Thomas Arnold was thought to be its composer - Arnold had written numerous songs for the society. However, it is now accepted that the tune was probably written collectively by a group of members, led by John Stafford Smith, probably in 1771.

The poem and tune become an anthem
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson ordered that it should become the National Anthem played by the military and naval services, but it wasn't until March 3rd, 1931 that it was officially designated as the National Anthem by act of Congress:

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the composition known as The Star-spangled Banner is designated as the National Anthem of the United States of America.

In the third verse of the poem, Key expresses his particular bitterness towards the British:

Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution
No refuge could save the hireling & slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave

An understandable feeling of the time, but as the two nations came closer, such sentiments weren't considered appropriate and as a result this third verse is usually omitted. A couple of alternative verses have been written in later years, and these are included on the page containing the text of the Anthem.

One of the original copies that Key wrote was sold to the Maryland Historical Society for $26,400 in 1953, and the actual flag that he saw is preserved in the Smithsonian Institution.

source: http://www.miketodd.net/encyc/anthem.htm

And here is the National Anthem.

Let us take this moment to remember all those who have served and are currently serving our country,