----------------------------------------------------------
When I used to post Orthodox News from around the world as a regular feature of this blog, I ran across the below referenced Metropolitan Methodios'(GOA) and Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley's, (Roman Catholic) Archbishop of Boston, inter faith exchanges. Those posts may be found here, here, here, and here.
I agree with Constantine Zalalas, who follows his ever venerable Elder, Athanasios Mitilinaios, that
"ecumenism leads to secularism and faithlessness"
May God continue to preserve Holy Orthodoxy from the innovative spirit which seeks to implant itself within the Church.
The following is the e-mail I received relating the incident as told by Constantine Zalalas. There is a brief introduction before Constantine's letter.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boston Diocese provides plastic spoon!!!
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The enemy has moved within the walls! Let's not take this lightly!
Please share this message with others. [written by a very well respected and humble theologian, Constantine Zalalas]
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The enemy has moved within the walls! Let's not take this lightly!
Please share this message with others. [written by a very well respected and humble theologian, Constantine Zalalas]
___________________________________________________________________
Communicable Diseases and the Common Cup
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
A Blessed Lenten Season!
It is with much sadness, pain of heart and love for our Holy Church that I write these lines only a few days after the first Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of Orthodoxy, which is the culmination of her many and great victories against heresy.
There was something different however about this particular Sunday of Orthodoxy in the Americas. I honestly did not expect to witness this sort of thing in my lifetime. It seems that my holy elder (A. Mitilinaios) was justified in teaching that ecumenism leads to secularism and faithlessness.
On this Sunday of Orthodoxy 2010, most of the parishioners of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Rutland Vermont (Diocese of Boston), separated themselves from the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church. Alas! They were administered “hold communion” with an individual plastic spoon!!!
The liberal and anti-orthodox agenda of the New York based newspaper National Herald, well known for the anti-monastic and extreme views of its theological section is what propagated this most sacrilegious and impious action. During the Christmas season (as most liberal newspapers spill out their anti-Christian venom to please their patron, Satan), the “theologians” of this Greek-American newspaper (most of its subscribers are Greek Orthodox) published a commentary by a Dr. John Collis a “distinguished physician and a former member of the Archdiocesan council” (God help us.), on the perils of contracting the H1N1 virus via the Eucharistic, or Common Cup.
His purely scientific, rationalistic, and secular views on this most central and profound mystery of the Body of Christ, of the Orthodox Church, is characteristic of the higher echelon of the scientific community. Tragically, that commentary sowed a great many seeds of doubt in the already darkened minds of the readers of this very popular newspaper.
The tares that he sowed (Matt.13:25) this past Christmas season in the minds of “these little ones for whom Christ died”, did not take long to sprout and grow according to the audacious testimony of a Theodore Corsones who seems to be quite proud of the innovationist spirit of his parish priest. I hereby include the contents of his entire letter to the editor of the National Herald issued 2/20-26/2010.
RUTLAND, VERMONT CHURCH
PROVIDES PLASTIC SPOON
To the Editor:
In response to the article written by John Collis, M.D., this is to inform you of the procedure in use this winter at our Greek Orthodox Church in Rutland, Vermont (St. Nicholas Orthodox Church).
The priest instructs the parishioners who prefer to use individual plastic spoons to be first in line. Then, as each one of them approaches, an altar server provides a plastic spoon and the priest administers holy communion (???) to each of then with a plastic spoon. Each spoon that is used is discarded!!! How!!! Where!!! [Emphasis is mine].
Then, those that wish to receive Holy Communion with the common spoon do so immediately afterwards. It works very well and all are pleased with this procedure.
During this winter season, most parishioners are using individual plastic spoons.
Theodore Corsones
Rutland, Vermont
I tried to refrain from any further comments on this travesty but I cannot resist enumerating some of my personal questions on this matter:
1. Did the parish priest receive a blessing from his Metropolitan Methodios?
2. Is he still using the Divine Liturgy of St. John the Chrysostom/Basil?
3. Does he still summon the communicants to draw near with: Fear Faith and Love? What for?
The fear of God does not exist: It has been replaced by the fear of H1N1!
The faith in this awesome mystery has evaporated. Those scandalized by the Herald and Dr. Collins no longer believe that what they partake is the very Body and Blood of our Creator but a possible disease agent!
The Love for God, which is the first and foremost of the Christian commandments, has been superimposed by self-love, which according to the Fathers is the main source of many evil passions.
In closing I humbly suggest that the Metropolitan of the Holy Diocese of Boston should consider spending less time organizing dialogues and pilgrimages to the Vatican with his Papist friend Archbishop O’Malley, because it sends the wrong signal to his priests and confuses the weak members of the only Church of Christ - the Orthodox Church. More time needs to be spent to immunize the flock with the antibodies of traditional orthodox spirituality so they can once again worship our Lord with fear, faith and love.
For more information please refer to two of our past homilies: Communicable Diseases and the Common Cup. They can be found under the Question and Answer category #8 and #9 and can be downloaded (at no charge) from www.Philokalia.org.
Asking your ardent prayers to have this great temptation expunged from His Holy Church, and to grant forgiveness to His sinful servant Constantine
What an overwhelming tragedy! In this one move the priest has taught his flock the cup does not contain the body and blood of Christ but rather contains mere bread and wine and ordinary microbes...for how can the gift of Christ Himself carry H1N1? I hope the damage can be contained and corrected soon.
ReplyDeleteThe barbarians are at the Gate! This isn't the only act of sacrilege coming from the GOA though and it wont be the last.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of something Chesterton said; "Too great a concern over physical health is a mental disease". A church I used to attend now discourages people from kissing the hand of the Priest through over-concern with health. Deliver me from the tyrrany of the safety Nazis; let me get sick and die in God's time like a human being.
ReplyDeleteDixie and VSO,
ReplyDeleteI believe the antidote is for us, the faithful, to fight the good fight with as much as is in our ability to do so and to learn and know our Faith. And with this in place, to be ready in season or out of season to contend for our Faith if the Lord so chooses to give us this burden.
Maxim,
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to be irreverent with my statement, but man, the old me would have been tempted if I attended that parish with such a practice to not only kiss his hand but then to rub the priest's hand across my face each time to prove the point.
I would not actually do that but if there, I really could not say what I would do.
There was a Priest in Portland, a graduate of St. Vlad's in the 1980's, who really didn't like people to kiss his hand, so the first few years I was Orthodox, I always made a point of doing so. I stopped doing that a few years ago, but he no longer seems to make such a point of it either, so maybe we've both grown up a bit.
ReplyDelete