Healing the Trauma of Sin

Posted on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 by Mendicant Monk

Love this post about the importance of healing from the trauma of sin written by my boss. It is a very Orthodox reflection emphasizing sin’s destructiveness to God’s likeness within us; how it isn’t just about disobeying the rules. Very good for Lent!

Trinity Newton Homilies

Sermon for Sunday, March 9, 2014; First Sunday in Lent
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 ; Romans 5:12-19 ; Matthew 4:1-11 ; Psalm 32
Listen here online:

This morning I’m not going to talk so much about sin as I am going to talk about talking about sin. So often, sin is something we don’t talk about – at least not much – which is a loss because the “grammar” and “vocabulary” surrounding sin contain great capacity for healing.

But I don’t want to begin there. First, I want to go back to November 11, last Veterans’ Day. Last Veterans’ Day, NPR told the stories of several different veterans from several different wars. Though all the stories moved me, the one that touched me most was the story of Coast Guard veteran Joe Williams, who was part of “Operation Tiger,” a dress rehearsal off the coast of England for the Normandy…

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Making Forgiveness a Ritual

Posted on Sunday, March 2, 2014 by Mendicant Monk

Forgiveness Sunday- The Beginning of Great Lent

“O, sweety, there is nothing to forgive.” How many times has our attempt to make amends with another we have offended end in this kind of dismissive, shrugging off of responsibility which is supposed to help the offended party feel better? Yet, when any of us takes a deeper look at ourselves, what the twelve steppers call making a “searching and fearless moral inventory”, we find that not only are we filled with sinful thoughts, inclinations, motives and actions, but ignoring and sweeping them under the rug of forgetfulness will only make matters worse, not better. Those not practiced in the Christian art and divine gift of forgiveness may be tempted to dispense with it as a necessary step to restoring peace in human relationships, but this morning’s Gospel lesson makes it clear that it is a non-negotiable. Continue reading →

Byzantine Concert in New York

Posted on Tuesday, February 18, 2014 by Mendicant Monk

To all our readers in the New York area, please come to a free Byzantine Lenten music concert that our family will be singing in. The flyer is on the left for those who wish to promote it. Saturday, March 15, 2014 at St. Anthony’s Orthodox Church in Bergenfield, NJ. It’s our choir director’s home parish before he went off to school and became a famous choir director, so it is going to be a bit of a homecoming, featuring many pieces from our Lenten CD released just last year. Also, for those interested in a deeper look at Byzantine chant, a master class will be offered for a small fee. Hope to see you all there. Stay tuned for more information about a concert upcoming in April in the Boston area. It will be our first time ever singing in a non-Orthodox Church!

Sochi on the Mind

Posted on Friday, February 7, 2014 by Mendicant Monk

Just getting ready to sit down as a family and watch the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony tonight in Sochi, Russia on the Black Sea. It is a long and often difficult road for any city to host a worldwide event like the Olympics, and we have personally traveled that road with Sochi. Went there several times as a family and blogged about it as well, for those interested in reading something else about this resort, seaside beauty besides Russia’s stance on homosexuality or difficulty with security. We can’t wait ourselves to see on TV how much they have built since we visited a few years ago.

Downton Abbey On Sunday Night

Posted on Monday, January 13, 2014 by Mendicant Monk

I have been trying to think of something clever to say about a great little television series on PBS, but I don’t want time to run out of time for my readers being able to watch it. So just take my advice, and follow this link to see all the latest episodes online before they disappear, or watch it every Sunday on your local PBS station. You will find the relationships and decorum between the characters refreshing, meaningful, and even at times, Christian. Oh, would that those who take it upon themselves to make “Christian drama” would learn a lesson from this true masterpiece of storytelling.

24 Days of Christmas

Posted on Sunday, January 12, 2014 by Mendicant Monk

The secret is out or at least it should be. Those of us celebrating Christmas on the Old Calendar (O.C. January 7) are still very much within the season, the 12 appointed days of celebration after the event, which makes it a total of 24 if you count somewhat the 12 days celebrated after December 25. So if you are the type that thinks Christmas comes and goes too quickly, think about visiting a Russian, Serbian, or even a Bulgarian Orthodox Church on the Julian Calendar. Then hold on to your tree, keep up those decorations, and don’t throw away that fruit cake because the O.C. gives us another 12 days to party! Continue reading →

The Reluctant Orthodox – Volume 12 “By the Waters of the Maumee, We Sat Down and Wept”

Posted on Sunday, January 5, 2014 by Mendicant Monk

Quite honored to be featured on Marilyn’s blog. Hope you all will be strengthened by the account. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

Marilyn R. Gardner

In my faith journey this past year, I’ve discovered some people who have walked the road before me and can offer wisdom, challenge, and comfort when I need them most. Aaron Friar is one of those people. He comes from a protestant background, has attended many churches in the past, and has a deep and abiding respect for the traditions of his past even as he is fully a part of the Orthodox church today. Today his post gives me joy and encouragement as I move into the ever-new (for me) yet ancient traditions of the Eastern Orthodox faith. You can read more about Aaron at the end of the post.

By the Waters of the Maumee, We Sat Down and Wept

Marilyn’s series on the Reluctant Orthodox has spurred me to share a bit of my own faith journey. I offer this in tribute to her present struggle to discover…

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Waiting for Christmas

Gallery

Posted on Friday, December 20, 2013 by Mendicant Monk

This gallery contains 8 photos.

Seeing lots of signs of Christmas around our home and satisfied with the first round of decorations, we thought we could share some of our best loved treasures with you. Enjoy!

The North Pole is a City

Posted on Thursday, December 19, 2013 by Mendicant Monk

December 6/19, St. Nicholas
Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, the Wonderworker
Whose Relics Lie Principally in Bari, Italy
And Whose Legendary Brother Santa Claus Lives in the North Pole

It was unthinkable. Several years ago, we were celebrating the annual feast of St. Nicholas, and our priest confessed that there was not a single person in our parish whom we could wish a happy name’s day. My wife, who was pregnant at the time, turned to me and we decided then and there to start a trend that is all too common in other Orthodox and Eastern European Churches. Now, including my son, there are at least two boys named Nicholas in our parish. We are now more like the Greek family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding with every other person named Nick, Nikko, Nikki, or Nikolaki.

Continue reading →

Tea Time in Boston

Posted on Monday, December 16, 2013 by Mendicant Monk

Just making sure my readers here don’t miss what is posted in my otherwise dormant blog…

Boston Pilgrim Tours

Today marks the 240th anniversary of what has come to be known as the Boston Tea Party, December 16, 1773. We had the good fortune of taking our home school to the new living history museum that has been built in Boston Harbor to commemorate the historic event (free to all on this historic day). The old museum was closed in 2001 and later suffered a fire in 2007. But the new living history museum that has been built in its place is better than ever before.