Hell: Refuge from the love of God

image from here.

Those who know me well are privy to a part of my life which was very bleak.

I often have described to such persons the necessity I felt to always flee from the presence of love directed towards me.  I could not be in the presence of such love, uncomfortable and scrutinizing as I would feel it.  The shell I was could easily be peered into and I felt this nakedness and avoided at all costs any such experiences if at all possible.

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I am currently reading An Orthodox Survival Guide for the 21st Century, by Victor Mihailoff. I just came across this section and thought it well worth publishing.  Bearing in mind that "God is love"(1 John 4:8), I leave the reader with the following excerpt from Chapter 17: God's Relationship with Us:

God allows us to be frightened by descriptions of hell and lets us believe that He is wrathful to the point of administering eternal punishment upon us through condemning us to hell. Hell was created as the place for fallen angels and because some people choose to follow the demons, they too spend eternity with their leaders, the demons, in hell. God does not send them there; they flee from Him and hide there from His light. The fallen-angels and some people who chose and choose to be separate from God are greatly tortured in the presence of His divine light. God's supreme purity burns sin and corruption. Those angels who fell (demons) and people who choose to remain in the state of "fallen nature" all the way up to their physical death are full of impurity. That impurity is part of what they are. God did not create them this way but they freely chose to be such because they prefer to follow their own blind-will instead of blindly (at first), following God's perfect-Will. This impurity which they chose to make part of themselves burns in the presence of God's light. To be with God in heaven, we must become pure because impurity cannot share a place with God's purity. Just as oil and water cannot form an homogeneous mixture, so too, unrepentant sinners and demons cannot live with the Holy Spirit in and around them to the extent that they combine. Their attachment to impurity gives them pain when in God's presence. God mercifully prepared a place of darkness to give them "shade" from His light. They still feel the burning of His love but not so intensely as they would in His presence. This is unavoidable because it is God's love which mercifully maintains their dark retreat without which they would suffer even more. They could not bear to spend even the shortest time in heaven. For them, that is infinitely worse than hell. To be in heaven we need to detach ourselves from impurity. If we become righteous through our own voluntary efforts (free will), even without achieving sainthood in life, we can be freed at death from the remnants of impurity through the grace of God after "purchasing" this grace, so to speak, through works of faith. God's light also burns the lesser impurities of His loyal servants and friends, but they willingly submit themselves to Him for this purpose because they know that after their sins are burned away they will never suffer again. They will be in a state of eternal joy in the presence of their loving Creator!

We then finally come to understand that God is truly merciful and offers His mercy and help to all of us. Some of us learn to humbly accept His offer and the rest do not. We should pray for them.

It is God Whom we will love most in heaven. How great it would be for us to get a head-start while here on earth.

Saint Symeon and insight into the nature of the judgement of God

Image from here.

Read Saint Symeon's entry from this blog here.

Discourse V, On Penitence, begins thus:

That it is not enough for us, in order to purify the soul, merely to distribute our possessions and to strip ourselves of our goods without afflicting ourselves. Of Adam's exile, and how, if he had repented after his sin, he would not have been driven out of paradise. How great a benefit his repentance effected after his fall. Of the Lord's second Coming and the condemnation of sinners. Finally, a reproof of those who live in malice and hypocrisy.

This primer paragraph lays out what is to follow in this remarkable discourse.

This particular section grabbed my attention.  Now bear in mind, this in context is in the midst of the Saint's explanation on the grave necessity for repentance for all men and that at the judgement, there will be no room for excuse.  Perfectly will each of us understand the just, good and holy judgement of God on ourselves.

In fact, after this section, he will turn his attention to the condition of the monk and how pitiable it will be when some monks, who adopted voluntary poverty will see go into the Kingdom of Heaven men and women who enjoyed marriage, men and women who enjoyed the fine things in life, etc.  His argument must not be taken to mean that only persons in certain conditions or circumstances may be saved.  This is simply not true.  He explains that for the monk, it is his renunciation of "the world" that gains him victory.  He then explains that "the world" consists not in possesions or things in and of themselves, because we all make use of these things: gold, houses, animals, etc(including monks, though for them, ideally, under different circumstances).[1]

"The world" is sin, and attachment to things and passions.[2]  Further on in this section in Discourse V he explains how saints have spent their time in the midst of these things and yet complete their lives in perfect holiness.  He then quotes Paul,

"The form of this world is passing away, so that those who have wives should be as though they had none, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it"(1 Cor. 7:29).[3]

[ § 15. HOW ALL CONDITIONS OF MEN WILL BE JUDGED. ]*note: the heading titles in this book have been adapted from the French translation as these are not in the original Greek

 To the patriarchs He will likewise oppose the sainted patriarchs: John of the golden words [i.e., Chrysostom], John the Almsgiver, Ignatius, Tarasius, Methodius, and the rest, who not only by word but by deed were the reflection of the true God. Against the metropolitans He will set the saintly metropolitans: Basil, Gregory his brother and his namesake the Wonderworker, Ambrose, and Nicholas. In short, each patriarch, each metropolitan, each bishop, God will judge by the apostles and the holy Fathers who were illustrious before them in each metropolitan see and diocese. He will set them all opposite each other when you hear Him say, "The sheep on the right hand, the goats to the left" (Mt. 25:33). He will say, "The place where these have worshiped and served Me, is it not the same as where you have spent your lives? Did you not sit on their thrones? Why did you not imitate their life and conduct as well? Why have you not been afraid to handle and eat Me, the spotless and undefiled, with unclean hands and yet more unclean souls? Have you not at all shuddered, have you not trembled? Why have you wasted what belonged to the poor on your own pleasures, your friends and your relatives? Why have you sold me, like Judas, for gold and silver? Why, when you had bought me as if I were a worthless slave, did you exploit Me to serve the passions of the flesh? Even as you have failed to honor Me, so I will not spare you. Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity, depart!" (Lk. 13:27).

Thus fathers will be judged by fathers, friend and relatives by friends and relatives, brothers by brothers, slaves and free men by slaves and free men respectively, the rich by those who were rich and the poor by those who were poor, the married by those who have excelled in the married state, the unmarried by those who have lived unmarried. In short, on the awesome day of judgment every sinful man will see one who is like him opposite to him in eternal life, in that unutterable light, and will be judged by him. What do I mean? As every sinner looks on him who is like him, the king upon the king, the ruler upon the ruler, the impenitent whoremonger on the whoremonger who repented, the poor man on the poor man, and the slave on the slave, he will remember that the other one was also a man, with the same soul, the same hands, the same eyes, in short with all other things in common, the same kind of life and the same rank, the same occupation, the same resources. Yet, since he was unwilling to imitate him, his mouth will at once be stopped (Ps.107:42) and he will remain without excuse (Rom. 1:20), without a word to speak! When seculars see seculars and sinful kings see holy kings on the right hand, when those who bear the burden of life see rich men and those who bore that burden among the saints, and all those who will be in torments see men like themselves in the kingdom of heaven, then they will be put to shame and find themselves without excuse, just as that rich man saw Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham while he himself was roasting in the fire (Lk. 16:23).[4]

[1] Classics of Western Spirituality, Symeon the New Theologian-The Discourses, Discourse V: section 17, 728-734

[2] Ibid., 735 and 736

[3] Ibid., 757-764

[4] Ibid., section 15, 639-689

Post Twenty Nine: "The Way of the Pilgrim and The Pilgrim Continues His Way" by unknown author(s)

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I don't wish to detract too much from my post's intent but I thought I should make brief mention of this.

This particular printing of this book was my favorite.  The reason was because of the "Forward" in which the author talks about his journey to Orthodoxy after having discovered The Prayer which is the focus of the book, "The Way of the Pilgrim and "The Pilgrim Continues His Way". In fact I remember a friend I wished to buy this version for several months ago.  I spent no little time searching online for "New Sarav Press", the publisher of this version, and not being able to find anything.

I thought that a bit strange at the time but other things occupied my time and I let go of my search.

Well, long story short, when I got around to doing a review of the book with this post,  I just happened to notice that "New Sarov Press" was part of a monastery called, "Christ of the Hills Monastery".  "Aha!", I thought, I will just Google the monastery and will in this manner find this version's publisher.

And then I realized what was the matter, why I hadn't been able to find "New Sarov Press" several months ago.  That big scandal that broke about the monastery that had allegations of sexual impropriety and a fake weeping icon was in fact the one that had published this version of "The Pilgrim".

The forward I had so liked(which is in this version I am posting on), was written by "Father Benedict".  There is a photo in the book of him which identifies him as the same man on the link I provide and as well another man is in the photo(in my book) who also had allegations brought against him.

This was a bit disconcerting for me.  But enough of that and on to the book.

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Put simply, this whole book is about that most famous and beneficial prayer called "The Jesus Prayer", which in it's fullest form reads:  "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." It is often abbreviated to "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me."

It is a very ancient prayer and its scriptural roots may be found in the Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 18: verses 9-14 in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.  In verse 13, the tax collector beats his breast and acknowledges his sinfulness before God begging Him that He would have mercy on him a sinner.

I have now read this book, I believe,  four times.  And of course, upon rereading it, I have drawn out more than in previous readings.  This could reasonably be inferred from my own understanding of the Life in Christ to be growing(I pray) and maturing to some extent.

For those unfamiliar with this book, read the back cover which you can click to enlarge.  The first paragraph explains well the entire book.

The book is actually two books.  The first part is The Way of a Pilgrim and the second part is The Pilgrim Continues His Way.

The first part of the book, The Way of a Pilgrim,  centers most around the actual mechanics of performing the Prayer.
 Elder Joseph the Hesychast, advising one of his spiritual children, referring to this book, tells him:

to acquire copies of it and distribute them to Christians, that they might benefit spiritually(Letter 78).  It is worth noting that in my meeting with him which I describe in Anchored in God, Father Joseph said to me:  'I suggest strongly that you read The Way of a Pilgrim.  This book shows the importance of mental prayer, or prayer of the heart, and the manner in which it is to be practiced.  The first part of this work is more valuable than the sequel, which seems to have been added by another author.'[1]

It should be made clear, however, that Elder Joseph was not stating that the sequel had no value but rather that he found more value in the first part.  In fact, the sections I provide further in the article are to found in the sequel, "The Pilgrim Continues His Way".

What became more clear to me this reading the book was that prayer was not merely to be for the Christian a thing we do but rather prayer is to be a way of life.  Or rather, prayer is to be life.  It was said of St. John Maximovitch of Shanghai that his was a world whose atmosphere was prayer.

The Orthodox Catholic Church believes that salvation is found with one's union to the Risen Christ.  Prayer is our means to have union with the Person of Christ.  And we must not envisage an impersonal relationship here but rather that the relationship is with Someone Who is intimate with us and with Whom we are striving to be intimate with on our part.

I do not here wish to go into any great detail on the Orthodox understanding on salvation but would like to bring to the reader's attention that our salvation depends on our union with Jesus Christ.  Prayer as a means to this union is indispensable.  Prayer to Him presupposes that He is God, that He is alive and that it is of interest to Him that we pray to effect our union with Him.  The effecting of this union must not be thought of again, as something of the abstract and impersonal, but as a union of love.

In the following section titled, The Secret of Salvation, Revealed by Unceasing Prayer, found on pages 176 through 186, one of the characters in the narrative, The Skhimnik, bidden by all the company he is present with, discloses a spiritual writer's instruction on how to attain salvation.  This is the opening section of that discourse:

The Skhimnik. How one is saved? This godly question naturally arises in the mind of every Christian who realizes the injured and enfeebled nature of man, and what is left of its original urge toward truth and righteousness. Everyone who has even some degree of faith in immortality and recompense in the life to come is involuntarily faced by the thought, "How am I to be saved?" when he turns his eyes toward heaven. When he tries to find a solution to this problem, he inquires of the wise and learned. Then under their guidance he reads edifying books by spiritual writers on this subject, and sets himself unswervingly to follow out the truths and the rules he has heard and read. In all these instructions he finds constantly put before him as necessary conditions of salvation a devout life and heroic struggles with himself which are to issue in decisive denial of self. This is to lead him on to the performance of good works, to the constant fulfillment of God's laws, and thus witness to the unshakableness and firmness of his faith. Further, they preach to him that all these conditions of salvation must necessarily be fulfilled with the deepest humility and in combination with one another. For as all good works depend on one another, so they should support one another, complete and encourage one another, just as the rays of the sun only reveal their strength and kindle a flame when they are focused through a glass on to one point. Otherwise, "He that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much."

In addition to this, to implant in him the strongest conviction of the necessity of this complex and unified virtue, he hears the highest praise bestowed upon the beauty of virtue, he listens to censure of the baseness and misery of vice. All this is imprinted upon his mind by truthful promises either of majestic rewards and happiness or of tormenting punishment and misery in the life to come. Such is the special character of preaching in modern times. Guided in this way, one who ardently wishes for salvation sets off in all joy to carry out what he has learned and to apply to experience all he has heard and read. But alas! even at the first step he finds it impossible to achieve his purpose. He foresees and even finds out by trial that his damaged and enfeebled nature will have the upper hand of the convictions of his mind, that his free will is bound, that his propensities are perverted, that his spiritual strength is but weakness. He naturally goes on to the thought: Is there not to be found some kind of means which will enable him to fulfill that which the law of God requires of him, which Christian devotion demands, and which all those who have found salvation and holiness have carried out? As the result of this and in order to reconcile in himself the demands of reason and conscience with the inadequacy of his strength to fulfill them, he applies once more to the preachers of salvation with the question: How am I to be saved? How is this inability to carry out the conditions of salvation to be justified; and are those who have preached all this that he has learned themselves strong enough to carry it out unswervingly?

Ask God. Pray to God. Pray for His help.

It seems that this question, "How am I to be saved?"  seems to be a trivial one until we confront the fact that often, in the midst of all our religious devotions, we have forgotten "the one needful thing"(Luke 10:42).  We have lost sight of why we are religious in the first place.  Or, we have been religious perhaps only because we are aesthetically drawn to the outward form of Religion.  The section I have provided is for those who have in some way honestly struggled with the question, "How am I to be saved?"

The Skhimnik goes on in the rest of this discourse to expound on the necessity of prayer working into unceasing prayer being of the utmost importance.  Building one layer upon the next, he goes on to show that this unceasing prayer is not impossible at all but lies in the will of each and everyone.  Prayer, as he says, as do the Holy Fathers who expound on it, may be approached scientifically.  That is the results,  if the instructions are followed with a sincere prolonged effort, are verifiable.

So our goal in prayer, to put it another way, is to seek to gain Christ Himself.  A wrong approach to undertaking prayer is for the sake of the gifts bestowed on the sincere practitioner of  prayer.

I mention this because in this book are many instances described of a mystical nature.  And the one reading who is not grounded in humility will see what is available to the one who practices the Prayer and perhaps unwittingly seek after the gifts or byproducts of the Prayer as an end in themselves when the goal of the Prayer is union with Christ Himself.  The gaining of Jesus Christ is the goal, not gifts to be used selfishly.

In other words, as we attain humility, He may add gifts to us as He sees fit.  But always we must check our motives to see if we are attaining "humility" for the sake of the gifts.  If so, we are accomplishing nothing.

Another one of this wonderful book's themes is that prayer practiced lends itself to giving direction to us.  Meaning, we just have learn to pray(this is not as easy as it sounds), and through the carrying out, or the attempt of carrying out, unceasing prayer, the path itself we are on becomes illumined.  We begin to see with a new set of eyes, or rather, the "spiritual eyes" we already have exercise their vision as they are meant to, as each human being, created in the image and likeness of God has been given a good nature and that good is natural to each of us.

Invariably we are unaware of these "eyes" as well as all the good things in our possession given to us by God.  It is necessary to uncover these things "hidden" or "covered" so long from our awareness through their lack of use because of our desiring of sin rather than exercises in holiness.

The section titled On the Power of Prayer found on pages 197 through 200 lays this out very well:

ON THE POWER OF PRAYER 

The Skhimnik. Prayer is so powerful, so mighty, that "pray, and do what you like." Prayer will guide you to right and just action. In order to please God nothing more is needed than love. "Love, and do what you will," says the Blessed Augustine, "for he who truly loves cannot wish to do anything which is not pleasing to the one he loves." Since prayer is the outpouring and the activity of love, then one can truly say of it similarly, "Nothing more is needed for salvation than continuous prayer." "Pray, and do what you will," and you will reach the goal of prayer. You will gain enlightenment by it.

To draw out our understanding of this matter in more detail, let us take some examples:

1. "Pray, and think what you will." Your thoughts will be purified by prayer. Prayer will give you enlightenment of mind; it will remove and drive away all ill-judged thoughts. This is asserted by St. Gregory the Sinaite. If you wish to drive away thoughts and purify the mind, his counsel is "drive them away by prayer." For nothing can control thoughts as prayer can. St. John of the Ladder also says about this, "Overcome the foes in your mind by the Name of Jesus. You will find no other weapon than this."

2. "Pray, and do what you will." Your acts will be pleasing to God and useful and salutary to yourself. Frequent prayer, whatever it may be about, does not remain fruitless, because in it is the power of grace, "for whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21). For example a man who had prayed without success and without devotion was granted through this prayer clearness of understanding and a call to repentance. A pleasure-loving girl prayed on her return home, and the prayer showed her the way to the virgin life and obedience to the teaching of Jesus Christ.

3. "Pray, and do not labor much to conquer your passions by your own strength." Prayer will destroy them in you. "For greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4), says Holy Scripture. And St. John Karpathisky teaches that if you have not the gift of self-control, do not be cast down, but know that God requires of you diligence in prayer and the prayer will save you. The Starets about whom we are told in the Otechnik27 that, when he fell into sin, did not give way to depression, but betook himself to prayer and by it recovered his balance, is a case in point.

4. "Pray, and fear nothing." Fear no misfortunes, fear no disasters. Prayer will protect you and ward them off. Remember St. Peter, who had little faith and was sinking; St. Paul, who prayed in prison; the Monk who was delivered by prayer from the onset of temptation; the girl who was saved from the evil purpose of a soldier as the result of prayer; and similar cases, which illustrate the power, the might, the universality of prayer in the Name of Jesus Christ.

5. Pray somehow or other, only pray always and be disturbed by nothing. Be light in spirit and peaceful. Prayer will arrange everything and teach you. Remember what the Saints-John Chrysostom and Mark the Ascetic-say about the power of prayer. The first declares that prayer, even though it be offered by us who are full of sin, yet cleanses us at once. The latter says, "To pray somehow is within our power, but to pray purely is the gift of grace." So offer to God what it is within your power to offer. Bring to Him at first just quantity (which is within your power), and God will pour upon you strength in your weakness. "Prayer, dry and distracted maybe, but continuous, will establish a habit and become second nature and turn itself into prayer that is pure, luminous, flaming, and worthy."

6. It is to be noted, finally, that if the time of your vigilance in prayer is prolonged, then naturally no time will be left not only for doing sinful actions but even for thinking of them.

Now, do you see what profound thoughts are focused in that wise saying, "Love, and do what you will"; "Pray, and do what you will"? How comforting and consoling is all this for the sinner overwhelmed by his weakness, groaning under the burden of his warring passions.

Prayer-there you have the whole of what is given to us as the universal means of salvation and of the growth of the soul into perfection. Just that. But when prayer is named, a condition is added. Pray without ceasing is the command of God's Word. Consequently, prayer shows its most effective power and fruit when it is offered often, ceaselessly; for frequency of prayer undoubtedly belongs to our will, just as purity, zeal and perfection in prayer are the gifts of grace.

And so we will pray as often as we can; we will consecrate our whole life to prayer, even if it be subject to distractions to begin with. Frequent practice of it will teach us attentiveness. Quantity will certainly lead on to quality. "If you want to learn to do anything whatever well you must do it as often as possible," said an experienced spiritual writer.

27Otechnik. Lives of the Fathers with extracts from their writings.

There is so much wealth to be found in this book that I would recommend returning to it often in the course of our lives.  I cannot with this post fully expound on it but I would like to close with the following meditation.


According to the Church's understanding of the Fall and how the world held captive by Satan wars against the Church and all who would live godly, we must remember to keep before us Orthodox Anthropology as understood by the Holy Fathers.  Orthodox Anthropology has a very well established and empirically verifiable understanding of humanity and all the passions humanity since the Fall has "attached" to itself as well the passions' cure.  And I mean for the sake of what I'm saying that when we imbibe and feast on what our unchecked senses take in, these things all find their way into our hearts.  They reign there.


The practice of the Prayer, as well as "sacred space" in the Church(Icons, chanting, incense, etc.) and expanded even more in larger settings such as monasteries, counteracts this sensuality and begins to loosen the grip we have to the world's lusts and conversely the world's grip on us is loosened as well.


All the Church has given us as medicine to counteract the Fall, but especially the Prayer, is like an earth mover, digging in the heart and little by little counteracting the momentum the world has gained within us.  Especially important is the Prayer because with physical spaces we are limited perhaps to how we may find ourselves in such settings.  The Prayer we can make a part of ourselves.  Even should we lose our tongues, inwardly we can, by the act of our will with God's Grace,  always recite the Prayer.

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[1]Constantine Cavarnos in the Prolegomena of Monastic Wisdom The Letters of Elder Joseph the Hesychast(1998 St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery) pp. 30-31

READ THE PREVIOUS POST IN THIS SERIES:

Post Twenty Eight: "WHEN YOU FAST...recipes for lenten seasons" by Catherine Mandell

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Once again, Great Lent is upon us.

So a post about fasting is in order.

Several years ago I became quite ill.  So much so that I ended up in the hospital in need of a blood transfusion which required the replacement of 4 units of blood.  I will not go into the reason for this loss of blood as some who are squeamish might, well,...

Following all this I had become anemic and short of breath, etc.

But any way, coupled with this episode, I had been living a very stressful lifestyle of way too much activity, not eating correctly, and hardly any rest.  Added to all of the above, I had unwisely fasted very severely during the Fasts of the Church.  Unwisely I say because I really did not disclose all the pertinent information to my spiritual father of my health, etc. and did not tell him just how extreme I had taken the fasting.  If you wish to gauge my state of mind during this period somewhat, I had posted reflections about Lent 2008 here and here.  Forgive my writing of this time as since then I have become less dramatic.

Following this time, through the pleading of my parents and with the firm advice of my parish priest and also medical admonition, I was told to abstain from fasting for an indefinite amount of time to heal my body.  This was not easy for me mainly because I was afraid I was not participating in the Life of the Church and also I have to admit that I was prone to the weakness of worrying about what other Orthodox Christians would think of me.  This I came to see as a form of pride and acquiesced.

As time went by, I approached my parish priest again about the whole fasting issue and we came to the agreed upon praxis that I should not fast save on Wednesdays and Fridays where I would abstain from meat but I was to eat all other foods.  I have been doing this now for about a year and a half.

At the start of the New Year, I felt that I was strong again enough to more circumspectly enter into the praxis of the Church in regards to fasting.  I spoke to my parish priest about it and agreed to make the attempt to strictly fast but that I keep a close watch on my health and let go of the fast if need be.

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to visit St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery in Florence, Arizona.  My spiritual father is there and we spoke for a little time about various subjects.  We spoke in some detail about the upcoming fast for Great Lent and he's on board with my course and even encouraged me to run as hard a course as possible(don't expect sentimental sympathy from Athonite monks).

While there, as always, I spent time in the book store and ran across this excellent cookbook.  I won't post the recipes, but I would like to mention how good many if not all these recipes are.  I will post these worthwhile sections that disclose the spirit the book was written in as well as offering some sound advice and instruction on fasting as prescribed in the Orthodox Church.

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Foreword

Countless cookbooks are available promoting diets for particular purposes such as losing weight, building muscle, or fighting disease. This is not another such book. It is rather a collection of recipes for hearty meals when people abstain from certain foods, primarily meat and dairy products, for spiritual reasons. The dishes described in this book follow the Orthodox Church's rules for the strictest fasting days of the Church year, the liturgical lenten seasons, and most Wednesdays and Fridays.

Orthodox Christians, like many others, believe that their spiritual lives start with their stomachs. They believe that when peoples' eating is right their spirits can be more open to God and more attentive to all that is good, true, and beautiful in life. When, on the contrary, peoples' eating is wrong, their minds are disordered; their emotions are rebellious; and their flesh rules their being and behavior in harmful ways.

Right eating means to eat the right foods in the right amounts at the right times in the right ways for the right reasons. People who eat properly prepare and partake of their meals with discipline and dignity, free from emotional drives and carnal desires. They do this to serve God, their fellow creatures, and their own well-being more effectively, fruitfully, and joyfully.

The Orthodox Church provides guidelines for healthy eating and sane fasting. The Lord Jesus Christ is the first and final teacher on this subject, as he is on all others. He is the living interpreter of the Church's scriptures and canons. He shows how to apply the rules of eating and fasting to the conditions of life that differ for each person and family.

Christ and his apostles feasted and fasted. They affirmed that God gives all foods to be enjoyed with thanksgiving (Acts 10:10-15; Rom 14:6). They also warned that eating can become idolatrous. St Paul, for example, speaks of "persons (who) do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own belly" (Rom 16:18)."Their end," he says,"is destruction, their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things" (Phil 3:19).

Christian scriptures and saints teach that in eating and fasting, as in all things, moderation is the rule. Excesses of any kind are harmful and destructive. People who refuse to fast and abstain from certain foods periodically are sure to be controlled by the crudest forms of carnal passions: lust, greed, anger, sadness, sloth, and despondency. If people fast excessively, however, and put all their trust in this activity, valuing abstinence from food as a thing in itself and finding in it their alleged merit before God, they will surely fall into the spiritual passions of vainglory, pride, ungodly zeal, condemnation of others, and spiritual delusion. This traditional Christian teaching is brilliantly summarized and explained by St Ignatius Brianchaninoff in his book The Arena (see chapter 35). The Sayings of the Desert Fathers (three of whom are mothers) also contain gems of insight on this subject, some of which are provided with the recipes in this collection.

This modest cookbook for producing meals without meat and dairy products—and many also without oil—is a wonderful aid for achieving the disciplined eating, fruitful fasting, and enlightened abstinence that are essential for spiritual living. Used by Christians in the spirit of their Lord and his saints, this collection of recipes can aid us in preparing fasting foods that can help us to glorify God and serve our neighbors in healthy bodies that are "members of Christ" and "temples of the Holy Spirit" (I Cor 6:15,19).

We thank Catherine for gathering these recipes, many of which she created herself, and for presenting them in such an accessible and elegant manner.

Fr Thomas Hopko
Dean Emeritus
St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary

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Introduction

Many years ago, my husband and I decided that we would try, to the best of our ability, to follow a stricter rule of fasting during Great Lent. It was a gradual process, full of trial and error, frustration, temptation, and a lot of spaghetti and split pea soup. When I look back at the recipe and menu diaries I kept during my first attempts at an oil-free and dairy-free fast (with the idea of compiling a collection of recipes for our use), I am amazed and grateful to my husband for the amounts of split pea soup he consumed with no complaint! A phone call to my sister Juliana Thetford started me on my long journey to the completion of this cookbook.

In compiling this cookbook, it is not my intention to dictate rules of fasting to anyone. This is something that is worked out individually between each Orthodox Christian person and his or her spiritual father. I have included the general rules of fasting and the strictness of each fast at the end of this book, yet how one follows those rules and adheres to the strictness of the fasts is highly personal. By writing this cookbook and working out these recipes, I have aspired only to provide a source for other people, especially other Orthodox Christians, who have decided to take the same road my husband and I fearfully took all those years ago and, hopefully, without as much split pea soup.

I wish to thank my husband, Raymond, for his support, vast encouragement, and honest appraisals of the food I prepared. My children, Zachariah, Jacob, and Rachel, are also included in this thanks, for as we all know, children are the hardest to please and the most honest in their criticism. I also have to give many thanks to my sister Juliana Thetford for giving me inspiration, ideas, and recipes. I also must thank my sisters Masha Solak and Alexandra Sedor, my sister-in-law Macrina Hopko, my brother-in-law Mark Mandell, and my mother Anne Hopko for trying out these recipes and offering honest and helpful critiques. I thank the sisters of the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Ellwood City, PA for the recipes that were generously shared with me. Thanks to my father, Fr Thomas Hopko, for the Foreword, and for the quotes from the Old and New Testament and from the Desert Fathers and Mothers (that are found throughout the text of this book); and to my brother, Fr John Hopko, for the Afterword, both enabling me to offer you "food for the mind" to underscore my offering to you of "food for the body."

Glory be to God in all things!
Catherine Mandell
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The Lenten Pantry

Through many conversations with clergy and lay people about fasting, in regards to the creation of this cookbook, and in reading literature that contain references to Orthodox fasting, I have discovered that there are many different attitudes and ideas about what constitutes a "fasting food." There are many different beliefs on substituting, that is, whether or not you can or should substitute margarine for butter or soy milk for dairy milk. There are those who oppose the practice of "reading the label." They believe that if you have to read the label to find out if the food has no dairy or oil, you probably should not be eating it in the first place. There are people who consider "no oil" to mean no olive oil, but vegetable oil may be used, and those who take the dictate of "no oil" at face value: no oil at all. I do not uphold or denounce these ideas but use them to illustrate, once again, that one's rule of fasting is highly personal: What one considers "fasting food" may not concur with someone else's considerations.

In this section, I have listed some foods that are readily available in grocery stores or natural food stores that can be kept on hand during a fasting season. In creating this by no means complete list, I tried to keep in mind all the ideas about fasting that I have encountered.

I also recommend that this book not be your only source for ideas about creating lenten meals. With the recent surge of interest in vegetarianism, there are some really great cookbooks and websites available that either are solely vegan or contain vegan recipes—that is, for vegetarians that consume no animal products whatsoever, including dairy products, meats, eggs, and fish.

Lenten margarine: Lenten margarine has no whey or other dairy products in it. Check the label carefully. Tub margarine usually has no dairy products in it. Dairy products include whey, sodium caseinate, and milk solids. Lenten margarine comes both unsalted and salted. A readily available brand of unsalted lenten margarine is Fleischmann's Unsalted Margarine.

Soy milk: Soy milk can vary from brand to brand. Aseptically packaged soy milks, such as Edensoy or Westsoy, are beige to light brown in color, may or may not contain oil, and often taste quite "beany." These types are great for baking or making soups. Soy milks that one finds in the dairy case, such as Silk, are lighter in color, tend to taste less "beany," and may or may not contain oil. These are great for cereal, shakes, or to drink plain. Soy milk can be found in several flavors: plain, vanilla, chocolate, carob, and strawberry, to name a few. Try a few different kinds and brands to find one that will suit your palate and your needs. There are other types of "milks" available as well, such as rice milk (e.g., Rice Dream) and the less available oat milk.

TVP: TVP, or Texturized Vegetable Protein, is a dehydrated soy product made from what remains after soybean oil is extracted from soybeans. It is sold in dry form, in flakes, or in chunks. The recipes in this book that include TVP generally call for the flake variety. You can find TVP at natural food stores or health food stores.

Tofu: Tofu, or soybean curd, is curdled soy milk that is formed into blocks. Tofu comes in various degrees of firmness. Extra-firm, firm, or soft tofu comes packaged in sealed water-filled tubs and can be found in the produce or refrigerated sections of supermarkets and natural food stores. Extra-firm or firm tofu are good for recipes calling for cubed or crumbled tofu. Soft tofu is preferable for recipes that called for blending or pureeing the tofu. Water-packed tofu must be refrigerated. Once opened, it should be stored covered by water and the water should be changed every day.

Silken tofu is made by a different process that results in a creamier texture. This tofu is aseptically packaged (vacuum packed). You can find this type of tofu in the produce or health foods sections of supermarkets and in natural food stores. Silken tofu can be stored, prior to opening, in the cupboard at room temperature. After it is opened, it should be stored in the same manner as water-packed tofu.

Both types of tofu should be bought and used well ahead of the expiration date on the tub or package. Tofu can be frozen, wrapped airtight, for a number of months. Freezing changes the texture and color of tofu and is actually preferable in some recipes.

Reduced-fat tofu, or lite tofu, has recently become available, as well as flavored and smoked varieties.

Tahini: Tahini is a smooth paste, similar in texture to natural peanut butter, made of ground sesame seeds. Tahini is used as a flavoring ingredient, as well as a replacement for oil or solid fats in some recipes.

Prepared breads:
• Frozen bagels are usually dairy and oil free. Check the labels and avoid egg bagels, which usually look yellow. Not all yellow bagels are egg bagels, though!

• A variety of frozen bread doughs and rolls. See the Breads chapter for more information.

• Pita bread is a good choice. However, some brands do contain oil. Damascus and Father Sam's are good brands.

• Flour tortillas usually contain vegetable shortening, although there are some new ones on the market that are oil free. Corn tortillas, however, usually are oil free.

• Frozen soft pretzels, such as Hanover brand, are usually oil free.

Sauces:

The following prepared sauces appear in several recipes as ingredients and are nice to have on hand:
• barbecue sauce

• chili sauce

• hot pepper sauce

• ketchup

• soy sauce

• duck sauce

• salsa

• oyster sauce (check the ingredients; some have fish)

• Worcestershire sauce (vegetarian versions have no anchovies)

• hoisin sauce

Seasoning mixes, dry and canned:

• Sloppy Joe mix, dry in packets

• Sloppy Joe mix, canned

• Taco seasoning mix (check for dairy or oil ingredients)

• Chili seasoning mix (check for dairy or oil ingredients)

• George Washington Golden Seasoning and broth—contains MSG

• Commercially prepared spice blends

Soups: Most commonly available canned soups from supermarkets contain chicken or beef broth or egg noodles. Sometimes, a bean soup will end up being lenten in nature. Natural food or health food stores will often carry soups that are not meat based. An example of this is Health Valley Fat-Free soups. Oodles of Noodles Oriental flavor Ramen noodle soup is meat- and dairy-free but does contain oil. It also contains MSG, as do practically all dry broth or bouillon seasonings. If you want to avoid MSG, you can find all-natural, MSG-free vegetable broth powders or bouillon cubes at natural foods stores or upscale supermarkets.

There are some great bean soup mixes available, for example, Manischewitz Four Bean Soup Mix.

Prepared mixes:
• Rice pilaf mixes, such as Near East brand, are usually meat and dairy free. If you omit the margarine in the preparation directions, they can be oil free as well. Uncle Ben's also puts out some meat- and dairy-free rice pilaf mixes. Peruse the ingredients list to be sure. Lipton Rice and Sauce also has a few meat- and dairy-free mixes, and some are even oil free.

• Vegetable burger mixes are now available almost everywhere, because of the growing popularity of meatless eating. Fantastic Foods Nature Burger and Casbah Perfect Burger are two examples. You can also find frozen veggie burgers but be aware that a number of them contain cheese and/or eggs.

• Falafel mixes are a nice change from the vegetable burgers. Fantastic Foods makes a great mix.

• Near East makes a good tabouli mix when you do not have the time or the inclination to make it from scratch.

• Couscous is a great quick grain (while couscous is actually a very small pasta, it is commonly considered a grain), and there are flavored mixes available. Near East is a common brand.

• Aunt Jemima Original or Whole Wheat Pancake and Waffle mix has no dairy or egg products.

• Most flavored or plain instant oatmeal packets are dairy free and oil free. Prepare with water or soy milk.

Prepared foods:

• Heinz makes vegetarian baked beans

• Several brands of fat-free refried beans are oil and meat free, such as Trader Joe's and Old El Paso.

• Many supermarkets now have extensive salad bars or prepared food bars, where you can find many varieties of lenten prepared salads, usually containing oil.



• Many supermarkets also now carry "specialty foods," in special sections or self-serve counters, where you can find prepackaged containers or self-serve dishes of prepared hummus (in several flavor variations), guacamole, and other dips and spreads that are meat and dairy free.

Snacks:

• Baked tortilla chips are widely available. However, the only brand I have found to be completely oil free is Baked Tostitos.

• Pretzels—some brands are even oil free.

• Rice cakes or corn cakes are usually oil free. Obviously, avoid the cheese flavors.

• Dry-roasted nuts, as well as other nuts that do contain oil.

• Sunflower seeds

• Dried fruits, for example, raisins, apricots, figs, dates, and Craisins.

• Popcorn, both air-popped and microwave. There are several brands of microwave popcorn that contain only corn, oil, and salt.

• Crackers

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Fasting Periods of the Orthodox Church

If you have any questions or concerns, please check with your parish priest, your spiritual father, or the church calendar or rubrics for what is allowed specifically on each day. All dates are in accordance with the revised Julian calendar, or the "new" calendar. What follows are general guidelines, and as with anything general, there are always exceptions, for example, as with feast days or saints' days. Fasting periods are presented in chronological order.

January 5—Eve of Theophany

This is a strict fasting day. Fasting persons abstain from all meat products, dairy products, oil, eggs, fish, wine, and alcoholic beverages.

Cheesefare Week

This is the week before Great Lent, during which we start our fasting efforts by abstaining from meat. However, this is the only abstention. We are still allowed fish, dairy, oil, eggs, wine, and alcoholic beverages, even on Wednesday and Friday.

Great Lent and Holy Week

This is the strictest fast of the church year. Fasting persons abstain from all meat products, dairy products, oil, eggs, fish, wine, and alcoholic beverages. On certain feast days (Annunciation and Palm Sunday) fish, wine, and oil are allowed. On weekends, and indicated weekdays, with the exception of Holy Saturday, wine and oil are allowed. On Holy Saturday, only wine is allowed.

Apostles' CSts Peter and Paul) Fast

This fast is not as strict as Great Lent or Dormition Fast. Fasting persons abstain from all meat products, dairy products, eggs, fish, oil, wine, and alcoholic beverages on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Wine and oil are allowed on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and on weekends, fish is also allowed. The length of this fast is determined by the date of Pentecost. Generally, the fast runs from the first Monday after the fast-free week following Pentecost to the day before the feast of Sts Peter and Paul, June 29. If June 29 falls on a Wednesday or a Friday, fish, wine, and oil are allowed but no meat or dairy products.

Dormition (Theotokos) Fast

The Dormition Fast is two weeks long, from August I to the day before the feast of the Dormition, which is on August 15. However, this fast is as strict as Great Lent. Fasting persons abstain from all meat products, dairy products, oil, eggs, fish, wine, and alcoholic beverages. On weekends, wine and oil are allowed. There are feast days that fall during this fast, on which wine, oil, and sometimes fish are allowed.

August 29—Beheading of St John the Baptist
This is a strict fasting day. Fasting persons abstain from all meat products, dairy products, oil, eggs, fish, wine, and alcoholic beverages.

September 14—The Elevation of the Cross

This is a strict fasting day. Fasting persons abstain from all meat products, dairy products, oil, eggs, fish, wine, and alcoholic beverages.

Nativity Fast

This fast is not as strict as Great Lent or Dormition Fast. Fasting persons abstain from all meat products, dairy products, eggs, fish, oil, wine, and alcoholic beverages on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Wine and oil are allowed on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and on weekends, fish is also allowed. From December 20 to December 24, fish is not permitted. December 24, the eve of The Nativity, is a strict fasting day, so no wine or oil is allowed.

Wednesdays and Fridays

All Wednesdays and Fridays during the year are strict fasting days. Fasting persons abstain from all meat products, dairy products, oil, eggs, fish, wine, and alcoholic beverages. The exceptions are any Wednesdays and Fridays during fast-free periods. Feast days that fall on Wednesdays or Fridays usually allow fish and/or wine and oil. On the Wednesday and Friday during Cheesefare Week everything is allowed but meat.

Fast-free Periods

• Afterfeast of The Nativity of Christ to the day before Theophany Eve

• The week following The Sunday of The Publican and the Pharisee

• Bright Week (the week following Pascha)

• Trinity Week (the week following Pentecost)

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On Fasting during Great Lent

Fasting, specifically as it affects the issue of what and how much we are to eat, is always a topic that receives much attention when we prepare to begin Great Lent. Fasting is an ancient tradition in the Church and not one that we should easily ignore or dismiss. We all must fast during Great Lent. What then should we do?

We should begin by reminding ourselves of the basics of the Church's traditional discipline of fasting. During Great Lent, the strictest levels of fasting are prescribed, with certain exceptions allowed for weekends and feast days. The traditional norm, as developed and followed over many centuries in the Orthodox Church, is that we would abstain from the following items (listed here in order, beginning with those items that are eliminated first and then on down to those items that many be permissible at some times):

• meat and meat products (must be restricted)

• milk and egg products (often referred to as "dairy." These items are perhaps permissible for some, for example, young children)

• fish (permissible on certain feasts during Great Lent)

• olive oil (permissible on weekends and certain feasts during Great Lent)

• wine (this means all alcoholic beverages; they are permissible on weekends and certain feasts during Great Lent)

So then, generally speaking, during Great Lent we are to make do with the following types of food:

• shellfish (shrimp, clams, etc.)

• vegetables

• vegetable products

• fruit, grains (breads, pasta, rice, etc.), nuts, etc.

• nonalcoholic, dairy-free beverages

Having laid out the traditional guidelines for fasting, certain points must be made in reference to them. First of all, each of us must make an honest, prayerful assessment of how well we can maintain the fasting discipline. If we are unable—due to age, illness, or some other weakness—to follow the traditional order of fasting completely, we must then make a decision about what we are going to do. Being overly scrupulous in this regard will not save us but neither will any rationalizing away of the need to fast. Each and every person, usually together with the other members of his or her family and, if necessary, in consultation with his or her parish priest, needs to make an honest and prayerful decision about how he or she is going to keep the fast.

For Church events—such as Sunday morning "coffee hours," and "bring and share" meals following the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts—we need to keep strictly to the traditional disciplines of the fast so that those who are following those norms will not be placed in any sort of awkward situation.

That being said, we must remember that the purpose of fasting (along with its "siblings" among virtuous acts—almsgiving and prayer) is to make us better able to carry out the two great commandments of our Savior, that is, to love God and to love our neighbor. If we fast from food but do not increase in love for God and others, our fasting is without purpose. The same is true for both charitable giving (almsgiving) and prayer. Love is the highest rule, above and beyond any other pious disciplines. Therefore, a consistent teaching of the saints is that, while we are to make every effort to keep the fast, the law of love teaches us that we are not to make a spectacle of ourselves in our fasting, and if we are presented with a situation where love requires us to break the fast, then we must do so and make up for that break in discipline through our care for one another.

Fasting, of course, does not concern just changes in our diet. When we fast, we should be making a concerted effort to change our entire style of life. Just as when we embark on a program of physical fitness we not only adjust our diet but also other facets of our lifestyle including exercise and rest, so, too, when we fast we are called to make changes in our entire life. The point of Great Lent is to restore our life to its proper state through a process of repentance that involves and encompasses our whole person. Therefore, when (not if!) we fast, we must also redouble our efforts in prayer and charity. We must "re-program" ourselves and consider carefully our use of time. We must consider not only what we are allowing to enter us as food, but also what is entering us through what we read, hear, and watch. We must make and keep a plan of renewal during Great Lent that encompasses our whole person and life. This plan should have as its aim not just to redeem the time of Lent, but also to help us make lasting changes in our lives for the sake of our salvation and the salvation of those around us—positive changes that will continue even after Great Lent is over.

A holy person of our time has pointed out that when we judge other people, we often lose the opportunity to love them. Let us all remember during Great Lent to open ourselves with honesty and humility to God's judgment and leave the judging of others to him: He is the only just judge and only he knows the true condition of a man or woman, his creature. Let us receive the coming of Great Lent and lenten fasting with joy, with "bright sadness," grateful for this time of repentance and renewal made possible by God's perfect love for us, his humble and unworthy servants.

Fr John Hopko
Rector, Sts Cyril & Methodius Orthodox Church
Terryville, Connecticut

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As well, for anyone interested, some time back on the podcast that I and a couple of the local boys do, Blooming in the Desert, we did a show on fasting for which I wrote an outline of quite a bit of good information which some may find useful.  You can find that here.

READ THE PREVIOUS POST IN THIS SERIES:

Post Twenty-Seven: " Animals and Man:A State of Blessedness" by Joanne Stefanatos D.V.M.

(click on images to enlarge)






















I would like to commend to the reader this excellent little book.

One, among other more substantial reasons, is that I know its author. If you read the back cover's above image which you can enlarge by clicking, you will learn she has established here in my own parts, in Las Vegas, the Animal Kingdom Veterinary Hospital. As well, with her husband David Ross(whom I also know) and her two siblings, she has established an animal sanctuary in the Las Vegas desert, for abandoned, abused and handicapped lions.

Several things interesting to me are attached to my enjoyment of this book. The first I have mentioned above and the second is that prior to reading this book, I had been reading the book, "Father Seraphim Rose-His Life and Works" which happens to be the post I did in my series on the books I have read prior to this selection. I had completed the book on Father Seraphim before Great Lent began in the year 2008.

In Hieromonk Damascene's book on Father Seraphim, he devotes a few chapters on some of Father Seraphim's books, giving over whole chapters to some of them. One such book by Father Seraphim which he covers with such a chapter is "The Soul After Death".

This book by Father Seraphim has had a powerful effect on those reading it because it sets forth the teaching of the Holy Fathers on what takes place in the afterlife.

Now why I am going to such trouble to include in this present post on Dr. Joanne Stefanatos' book such information having to do with another author and book will become apparent when I present the following selection from "Father Seraphim Rose-His Life and Works" found on pages 901-902:

The Orthodox teaching set forth in The Soul After Death produces a powerful impression on the human soul. "True experiences or visions of life after death," Fr. Seraphim wrote, "generally have the effect of shaking one to the depths of one's being and (if one has not been leading a zealous Christian life) of changing one's whole life to make preparation for the life to come." By not at all diluting the teaching and experience of the Orthodox Church to cater to the modern self-pampered mentality, Fr. Seraphim has created the same effect on people through his writings. Since his death, thousands of people have been changed forever by the sobering truth contained in his book, becoming inspired not only to repent and fight the unseen warfare, but to pray more fervently for the dead. The following account was sent to the Saint Herman Monastery in August of 1991 by a Greek Orthodox doctor of veterinary medicine. Among other things, her story sheds some light on the state of Fr. Seraphim's own soul after death:

I bought a copy of Fr. Seraphim Rose's Soul After Death from Epiphany Book Service. From the minute I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down; it was everything my mind and soul were thirsting for, the depth of the mysteries of Orthodoxy. I devoured the book and praised God that He allowed me to find the truth. The truth of which every Orthodox Christian should know about life and death. A truth that my own Greek Orthodox Church [in America] refuses to expound on.


Most of that week was spent reading, and experiencing celestial joy just to know the truth at last. I told my husband David that now we would know how to provide for our loved ones after death. My husband was anxiously waiting for me to finish the book so he could read it. When I finally finished reading the book, I told my husband that no matter where in the world Fr. Seraphim was, we were going to find him, speak to him, and be blessed by him.


I wrote a letter to Fr. Seraphim Rose at the monastery in Platina, but received an answer telling me that Fr. Seraphim was with the Lord. At the same time we received a brochure about the Pilgrimage and Theological Course to be given at the monastery in August, and so with heavy hearts we went to the monastery to visit Fr. Seraphim's grave and learn more about him. We stayed the whole week of the Pilgrimage, and what we experienced during that week was spiritual joy, God's agape (love), and a glimpse of heaven. This was the otherworldliness that was so struggled for by ascetics and saints throughout history, and we were blessed just being there to experience this magnificent state.


Ever since I found out that Fr. Seraphim had died of a blood coagulation condition, I knew in my heart that he could have been helped so much more with natural therapies than with what conventional medicine had offered him. I was grieving that he didn't have to die at the height of his spirituality, especially when we needed him so much, and he had touched so many hearts. We desperately needed him here, on the earth.


On the second night of the Pilgrimage, I saw Fr. Seraphim Rose in a dream. He came to me, wearing his black ryassa [robe], looking very humble and clasping his hands in front of him. His face radiated tranquility and deep concern. As soon as I saw him, I said, "Father Seraphim, I wanted to help you so much; you didn't have to die; why didn't you wait for me to help you? I know I could have helped you with natural therapies.... They would have saved you, I know it!" My heart was sick, and my voice to him was desperately crying. He looked at me with such forgiving love and grace, and said to me, "You couldn't help me, nothing could help me.... I'm where I want to be now, I'm with God."
As he started disappearing before my eyes, I kept repeating, "We love you, we love you so much."


It's a joy being there at the monastery. Ft. Seraphim's presence can be felt there.... Coming to the monastery allows us to step into the REAL world—the only world that truly counts.


God bless you all,
Joanne Stefanatos, D.V.M.

At the point I was reading the book and running across this section, I had not as yet really met Dr. Joanne and knew very little about her and her husband David, both of whom I had brushed shoulders with over the last several years at various Church services. I attend St. Paul's Orthodox Church(OCA) and they attend St. John's Greek Orthodox Church.

But my curiosity was piqued as to whether the person mentioned in Hieromonk Damascene's book was that Dr. Joanne as I strongly suspected it could be no one else.

Fast forward now to Great Lent, 2008.

In Las Vegas, as in many other cities, during Great Lent on Sundays, there are held Pan Orthodox Vespers Services. And the tradition usually follows that each Orthodox parish hosts the other Orthodox parishes for one of the Sundays of the Vespers services. After the service a lenten meal is served during which the host parish puts on feeding all the faithful who care to stay afterwards.

If memory serves me correctly, it was at St. Symeon's Serbian Orthodox Church that I was standing in line behind Dr. Joanne and her husband David. We struck up a conversation and during the course of the conversation I ascertained that, yes indeed, the person in the book about Fr. Seraphim was that Dr. Joanne.

We spoke some more about this and other various topics. So that will suffice to sum up the personal value I find in the book.

But to be clear, the book itself is actually commendable apart from any of the above I have written.

Dr. Joanne divides the book into Two Parts. The first of the two she lays out very basic Orthodox teaching but in a very Patristic tone and understanding.

I will make available for the reader the Table of Contents of the First Part.

INTRODUCTION:
Animals and Man:  A State of Blessedness........ 11
PARTI: MAN AND ANIMALS
Creation: The Visible and The Invisible......... 15
Creation: The Will, Wisdom and Power of God..... 20
In the Image of God................... 23
And In the Likeness of God............... 23
Dominion Over the Earth................ 30
The Peaceful Kingdom.................. 32
Adam Names the Animals................ 34
The Fall: Adam and Eve Fear the Animals........ 35
God Curses the Serpent................. 38
God's Covenant With Noah and the Animals:
The Rainbow..................... 40
God's Animal Kingdom...... ........... 42
The Human Soul .................... 44
The Spirit of Man.................... 48
Human Souls and Animal Souls............. 50
The Heart........................ 55
The Intellect of Man and the Instincts of Animals .... 57
The Nature of Animals: The Senses  .... ....... 60
Grace of the Holy Spirit................. 62
Jesus Christ—The Logos................. 63
Baptism of the Holy Spirit................ 65
God is the Creator, Protector and Owner of Animals   . . 68
The New Creation.................... 71
Transfiguration: Our Pilgrimage Back to Eden...... 73
Saints—Living Icons................... 78

The Second Part of the book is the stories themselves which are filled with the same Patristic tone and understanding. 

I myself happen to believe that this tone is one that, for believers who have suspended their disbelief at the incredible, is one that breathes forth the fragrance of the Holy Spirit. There is a certain "feel" or elevating quality to the writing that ushers in the believer into much the same Presence as iconography does. As with icons, so with hagiographical writings. They are written in the same manner to show forth the Glory of God which is ineffable and which rightly is experienced, not written of as to write of it, that is, to attempt to describe the Presence, is to immediately cause the effort to become earthbound and encased in mortality. The Person, persons or events in icons or hagiographical writings are transfigured by the Glory of God, or suffused with that which is not they themselves alone but they themselves in God the Holy Trinity. This of course does not hold true in the strict sense of the Lord because He is God of God Himself. With those who are created, however, they by Grace become what He is in Himself.

The following is the Table of Contents for Part II.

PART II: SAINTS AND ANIMALS

St. Aemilianus......................83

St. Anthony the Great..................86

St. Aredius........................89

Elder Athanasius.....................91

St. Athenogenes, Bishop and Martyr...........96

Hesychast Benjamin and the Wolves...........99

St. David of Garesja...................100

Desert Anchorite Stories.................106

St. Eleutherius......................119

Prophet Elias and the Raven...............141

St. Eustachius......................145

Elder Gabriel.......................178

St. Gerasimus and the Lion ...............182

St. Herman of Alaska ..................185

St. Hilarion and the Camel ...............187

St. Ignatius........................190

Elder Kulcsha.......................203

St. Macarius of Alexandria................206

Malchus the Solitary...................210

St. Mamas........................222

St. Martin of Tours ...................238

8

St. Mary of Egypt and the Lion.............244

St. Mavra ........................248

St. Melangell and the Hare................251

Elder Melchizedek....................255

Abbot Nazarius of Valaam................258

St. PaulofObnora....................260

St. Paul the Hermit ...................264

St. Perpetua and St. Feliciti ...............268

St. Prisca, the Child Martyr...............271

Elder Sebastian......................277

St. Seraphim of Sarov..................279

Martyrs Tharasius, Probus and Andronicus .......282

St.Thecla........................287

St. Theodora of Sihla...................305

St. Theophanes the Confessor..............310

St.Theophil.......................313

St. Tikhon of Zadonsk..................325

Elder Zosima.......................328

FOOTNOTES .....................335

BIBLIOGRAPHY....................339

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the stories collected in the book and for this reason I have found it difficult to decide which one to post in its entirety.  I entertained the idea of posting all the stories over a series of posts but decided to post just one.  I chose this one among all of them because for one, it is short and second because my Dad had heard this one and had relayed it to me before I read it here, though in a bit of a different form.

The stories in the book are quite varied  so I would like the reader to know that this particular story,  Saint Gerasim and the Lion, is not indicative of each and every story.  Each and every story is very unique and stands alone on its own merits.

I also think these stories would fascinate children and would be excellent to read to them. For such stories as no others bring to view for them men, women and children who love God and the stories involve animals which so many children love, to boot.

I leave you with Saint Gerasim and the Lion.

Saint Gerasim and the Lion

Commemorated on March 4

SAINT GERASIM (+475) was first a monk in the Egyptian desert, then later moved close to the Jordan River, gathering a community of about seventy monks, who lived by a strict ascetic rule, seeking to live for God and His Kingdom.

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Once while walking along the hilly bank of the River Jordan, Abba Gerasim met a lion which let out a terrifying roar from pain in its paw. A sharp, slender reed had pierced his paw, and it had become infected. Seeing the Elder, the lion approached him and showed him his paw, injured by the puncture, and, as if weeping, asked for his assistance. The Elder, seeing the lion in such a plight, sat down, took his paw and, uncovering the wound, extracted the splinter and forced out the pus, then washed it and bound it with linen. The lion, having received help, would not forsake the Elder, but like a devoted disciple followed him wherever he went, so that the Elder marveled greatly at the devotion of the lion. The Elder began to feed him, throwing him bread and fresh beans.

At the lavra there was a donkey which carried water for the needs of the Elder, for they took water from the Jordan. The lavra stood a mile from the holy river. It came to pass that the Elder entrusted the care of the donkey to the lion that he might guard the donkey at the bank of the Jordan. Once while grazing, the donkey walked a great distance away from the lion, and at that time some camel drivers from Arabia passed by who took the donkey and departed. The lion, having lost the donkey, returned sullen and, as it were, ashamed to Abba Gerasim. The Abba supposed that he had devoured the donkey. "Where is the donkey?" he asked the lion. The latter like a man stood silent and lowered his eyes. "Didst thou eat the donkey? Blessed be the Lord! Henceforth thou must perform the duties of the donkey." So from that time forth at the command of the Elder the lion carried the vessel, which filled four buckets, and brought the water.

Once a soldier came for prayer to the Elder. Seeing the lion, grown weary carrying water, and learning the reason, he pitied him. Taking three pieces of money, he handed them to the Elder that they might buy a donkey to carry the water and free the lion from this obligation. A little time elapsed after the liberation of the lion from his work. The camel driver who had led away the donkey returned to ask for bread in the holy city, and the donkey was with him. Crossing through the Jordan with two other drivers, he chanced upon the lion. Seeing the lion, the donkey left the caravan and fled; but the lion, recognizing the donkey, leaped towards him and, grabbing him as he always had by the halter, he brought the donkey away from the camel drivers. Growling from joy that he had found the lost donkey, he returned to the Elder. The Elder, being of the opinion that the lion had devoured the donkey, only now learned that he had chastened the lion in vain. The Elder named the lion Jordan. Afterward the lion lived at the lavra for about five more years, never leaving the Elder.

At the time that Abba Gerasim departed to the Lord and the fathers buried him, by God's design the lion was not at the monastery. A short time passed, the lion returned and began to seek the Elder. A disciple of the Elder and Abba Sabbatius, seeing the lion, said, "Jordan, our Elder has left us orphans and has departed to the Lord, so go and eat!" The lion didn't want to eat, but looked about everywhere for the Elder. Not seeing him, he began to roar. Abba Sabbatius and the rest of the fathers patted him on the back and said, "The Elder has departed to the Lord, abandoning us." But speaking in this way they were unable to stop the lion's roaring and groans; on the contrary, the more they worried over him and tried to console him with words, the louder his roar grew and the greater his sorrow. His voice and eyes clearly reflected how he longed for the Elder.

Then Fr. Sabbatius said to him, "Well, follow me, if you don't believe us. I will show you where the Elder lies." And taking the lion he walked with him to the Elder's grave. It was located about half a mile from the Church. Standing over the grave of Abba Gerasim, Abba Sabbatius said to the lion, "Here is where our Elder is." And Abba Sabbatius knelt down. Seeing him bending over the earth, the lion with unusual strength smote his head upon the grave and, letting out a roar, died upon the Elder's grave.

This took place, not because the lion possessed a reasoning soul, but by the will of God, Who glorifies them that glorify Him, not only during their life but also after their death, and has shown us in what consists the obedience of even creatures to Adam before he transgressed the commandment of God and was cast out of the paradise of delight.

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Post Twenty-Six: "Father Seraphim Rose-His Life and Works" by Hieromonk Damascene

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This is far too lengthy a book for me to do any real justice to it critique wise or to really unload its contents in the space of one post.

But some general impressions I would not mind putting down at all.

One thing I like about this book is that Hieromonk Damascene has captured the aspect of Blessed Father Seraphim Rose's character which always made him a "student". Father Seraphim possessed that manner of humility that he knew he fell far short of the totality of knowledge that could be had and in fact it seems evident that this knowledge of his lack of knowledge progressed as his spiritual life did.

In this book Father Seraphim's pre-Orthodox life as Eugene Rose is set out for us as well to mark his entering into the Mystery of the Church and in Eugene we see the grounds already being sowed for the Kingdom well before his formal entry into Her.

Eugene, as is shown through this book, was a seeker after Truth which burned in him and he was also gifted with an intellect that was able to wrestle with the understanding that he, with the world, always stood at a crossroads between coming under the auspices of that type of person who utilized knowledge for the sake of worldly gain and the type of person who sincerely wielded knowledge in the noblest manner possible.

Early in Eugene's college career he came under the tutelage of his wise professor of Chinese philosophy, Gi-ming Shien. Giving insight into Eugene's character is his obvious love for this professor when we see the following quoted of the professor on pgs 73-74:

"What a man is is his learning, not what he has. It is his wisdom, not his knowledge. What a man is is revealed in his personal manner. The manner is not important in itself, but as it reveals the man...

"The end of learning is to be a good man.... Of primary importance in this is a teacher and friend, since the goal of education is not concepts, but personal change of character. In the teacher and friend is a living personal example. Only a spirit can influence a spirit."

Eugene sought only after such as this professor to teach him and to emulate whether in person or through their writings.

This is further shown later on this work as we see Eugene received into the Church and we see his close and reverent association with such persons as the future Saint John Maximovitch who also embodied the living of the tradition he had received and held it in the noblest manner possible, making himself one with the tradition so that where he began and ended and where it began and ended were of no importance to him. They were one.

And though Eugene came to the Church knowing and understanding that here was Truth in its fullest possible sense, he quickly came to understand and wrestle with that there were two "Orthodoxies" within the Church in much the same way that he understood this distinction to be operative "in the world" prior to his entering the Church with such people as his beloved Chinese professor and those who opposed him at the university.

This is shown on pages 227-228 in the following:

"From the first 'milk' I drank in as an Orthodox Christian in the Synod," Eugene was to recall in later years, "I was taught that we have two kinds(or perhaps 'traditions') of bishops: on one side Vladikas John, Averky, Leonty, Nektary, Sava; on the other, those who now seem to have the governing positions."

It was the lot of the great and holy hierarchs of the Russian Church Abroad to suffer much at the hands of those of the "other" tradition. And the one to suffer the most was the holiest of them all: Archbishop John.

It was one of Father Seraphim's hallmarks of character that he would not countenance fakery of any kind and he gravitated always to those who were authentic in any station of life, whether Orthodox or not.

And what of Father Seraphim's spiritual life? Of what manner was it and what did he hold before him in his striving after Christ?

I hope the reader will forgive me for the length of the following selection from the book but I thought it necessary and telling to reproduce it in its entirety as found on pgs 454-455:

In order to know this transfigured realm which was man's inheritance from the beginning, Fr. Seraphim was first of all being transfigured himself. The whole aim of monastic life is the transfiguration of the old man into an unearthly being, which is why the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor has traditionally held such great significance for monastics.

As Fr. Seraphim knew, however, such transfiguration does not happen of itself. He did not wait for the virtues to come naturally, but, seeing their lack in himself, he consciously labored to acquire them, hoping in Christ to strengthen him. Each day entailed constant unseen warfare, watching and fighting against the interior movements of the fallen man. He was those about whom Christ said, The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force (Matt. 11:12). One of the visitors to the skete relates: "Fr. Seraphim believed that authentic Orthodox Christian life is very difficult and that one must grasp and hold onto it not only firmly and with all of one's might, but with a certain 'toughness' and tenacity, even a fierceness, because everything in the world, everything in this life, is constantly trying to steal it away and substitute some cheap imitation. He particularly liked those very single-minded saints who just kept right on going, no matter what the obstacles. This was one of the things he especially admired in Archbishop John (Maximovitch), who kept his inner life intact, no matter what was going on around him, and remained always serenely indifferent to the opinions of others about him."

Never forgetting the necessity of forcing himself in the Christian spiritual life, Fr. Seraphim lived according to the following words of St.Macarius the Great, which he entered into his spiritual journal: "In coming to the Lord, a man must force himself to that which is good, even against the inclination of his heart, continually expecting His mercy with undoubting faith, and force himself to love when he has no love, force himself to meekness when he has no meekness, force himself to pity and to have a merciful heart, force himself to be looked down upon, and when he is looked down upon to bear it patiently ... force himself to prayer when he has not spiritual prayer. And thus God, beholding him thus striving and compelling himself by force, in spite of an unwilling heart, gives him the true prayer of the Spirit, gives him true love, meekness, bowels of mercies (Col. 3:12), true kindness, and in short fills him with spiritual fruit."

The primary means of spiritual transformation is repentance: the awareness of sin within oneself—even the most subtle—and the heart-wrenching desire to turn from it and change. It has been seen how Fr. Seraphim, in the early years of his conversion, went through a process of deep repentance which changed him into a new being. But his repentance did not end there. As he well understood, true spiritual life involves continuous repentance, and a corresponding continuous re-creation and perfecting of one's inner being through the grace of Christ. In 1964, not many years after his conversion, he had discussed this in one of his "lay sermons." Reflecting on the Good Thief who while hanging on the cross had acknowledged his sin and confessed Christ, Fr.Seraphim wrote: "We are all, whether we realize it or not, in the position of this thief. Like him we have been condemned by our sins as unworthy of this life; like him we have nothing to hope for in this world, and we face only suffering and a miserable death if we hope for no other life than this. But if, like him, even in our suffering and unworthiness we yet turn to the God Who condescended to share our human weakness, even to such an ignominious death, and believe that He has the power to fulfill the promises He has made to us—then is our condemnation revoked, our sins forgiven, our unworthiness overlooked, and our pain and sorrow and death swallowed up in victory and joy and eternal life.

Father Seraphim influenced in his life many and became mentor and spiritual father to many as well. One person of note that Father Seraphim gave so much of his time to was Father Alexy Young. Father Alexy Young, at his ordination as priest was given the following words by Vladika Nektary as recorded on pages 780-781:

"Never, never be a 'professional' priest"-by which he meant: Don't let the priesthood be your 'career', your 'living'; let it be rather the air you breathe-and be less concerned about the material and financial aspects of your life than you are about giving yourself to Christ as His priest; be ready to suffer."

Vladika Nektary himself, it should be noted, during the ordination while giving Father Alexy the above quoted words, wept. It is told also that never did he serve the Divine Liturgy without being overcome with awe at the great Mystery before him.

I too am overcome with awe at the caliber of men before us to imitate in the persons of Father Seraphim Rose and all those he emulated and those who later would emulate him.

Set before us is always the same choosing of which "tradition" we would follow. And this choice we make with the bent of our heart.

One more thing of note I would like to mention is that one of Father Seraphim's most oft used quotes has been added to what I and my brothers do professionally with our restaurant. Some time back I did a post on one of things my brothers and I do to weld our business with our Faith titled, "Kyklos Greek Cafe presents Wisdom of the Saints." If you go to the post via the link and scroll down, you will see one of our receipts printed out and at bottom of the receipt one would find "It's later than you think."-Seraphim Rose written there.

Blessed (Saint) Father Seraphim Rose, pray for us!

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