Volume 11 No. 10 OF THE CHURCH OF MAN WITH GOD December , 2000 A.D.
20I
CONTENTS
TOPIC/TITLE
TEACHING:
Children's Pages:
Bible History 10
Catechism 11
~ SPIRITUAL VICTORY REQUIRES FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS - LIKE THE
BATTLE OF THE BULGE ~ From + + Paul, S.S.B. To the flock entrusted into my care: 1
HOW CAN WE LEARN ABOUT MOSLEMS? To learn about a people, learn about their
religion. To know a religion one must examine its writings, its dogma. So, briefly, of course:
What does Islam teach, what does the Koran teach? To Kill Christians, enslave women, and
their heaven is very "earthy" 1A
Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
From a sermon for the Nativity of Christ by St. John Chrysostom, I behold a new and wondrous
mystery. 1B
THANKSGIVING Everyone has reason to give thanks to God, from those who have been cured
of leprosy, or had a beloved servant miraculously healed, to those who are just barely aware of
their own existence. 1C
SINCERITY "Are you sincere?" Were the Pharisees sincere in their inquiry to our Lord? Of
course not. When Saint Paul wrote, "that he who hath 1D
GOD IS NOT JUST A "SUPER" HUMAN Many people have a very strong tendency to
consider God as being just some sort of "super" human. He is not and it behoves us to be
eternally conscious of this fact. 15
THOSE WHO LOVE LIFE ON EARTH ARE DOOMED TO DISAPPOINTMENT Psalms
Chapter 3 The psalm of David when he fled from the face of his son Absalom.King David knew
he was filled with faults and imperfections, and he sorrowfully acknowledged them before 15A
HOW ARE THE RICH CELEBRATING THE NATIVITY OF OUR SAVIOR? Some Are
Celebrating In Anticipation Of Their Attempt To Live In Their Physical Bodies Forever
Metropolitan Archbishop Paul, S.S.B., Cloning Humans 16
GENERAL:
Letters - none
Preliminary Annual Financial Report for Holy Innocents, St. Mary Magdalene, and the S.S.B. (La
and MIss) 3
U.S.A. CITIZENS ARE UNINTENTIONALLY AND UNWILLINGLY, FINANCIALLY
SUPPORTING A MULTITUDE OF IMMORAL PROGRAMS Over 180 schools
nationwide, distribute the "morning after pill" to minors, without parental consent, 8
ICONS, Nativity, 16th Ctry Russian, and others 20, 19, 18, 1
General Information
1
~ SPIRITUAL VICTORY REQUIRES FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS - LIKE THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE ~
From + Paul, S.S.B.
To the flock entrusted into my care:
Mankind asked God for help, and God has given it. He has also given instructions for the proper receipt and use of the help He has given us. If we follow those instructions we will win the greatest battle ever fought, but if we follow those instructions in some way we determine rather than in the manner God has determined, then we will experience turmoil and possibly defeat.
A good example of the necessity for following instructions is The World War II, Battle of The Bulge. In The Battle of The Bulge, the Germans sent several armies against a lightly defended American position during a period where the skies were too overcast for airplanes to fly. Those weather conditions eliminated the greatest Allied tactical advantage, that of air superiority.
General Eisenhower instructed General Patton to turn his Eastward attack from towards the Rhine, ninety degrees, to the North, to pincer the attacking Germans from the South. Patton accomplished this in forty-eight hours, a feat which would have taken any other Army commander at least four days.
General Eisenhower also ordered Field Marshal Montgomery to attack the Germans from the North, the idea being that when Patton's forces and Montgomery's forces met, they would entrap the German forces and their equipment, thus insuring victory and a much earlier end to the war.
General Patton quickly accomplished his task, but Field Marshal Montgomery delayed his attack for over a week, and the Germans escaped with most of their men and equipment.
The Allies won The Battle of The Bulge, but because of Montgomery's hesitance in following orders, and his substituting his own battle plan instead of following the battle plan he had been ordered to follow, the war lasted many more months and many more Allied soldiers were killed and wounded.
Saint Paul instructed his contemporaries, and us, to follow his example, and not the example of those who pretend to be Christians but really follow their own desires. Our Lord gave instructions to the ruler, and when those instructions had been followed, brought the ruler's daughter back to life.
The ability to follow instructions and the actual following of instructions is one of the main character traits or virtues needed for success in any endeavor, at any level, but especially in spiritual warfare. And it is best to realize that our eternal salvation is only obtained through a spiritual battle which requires our constant participation.
Weather a person be a Bishop or Patriarch, or a child in first grade, each of us must follow the instructions given to all of us by God. If we ignore those instructions, or only follow some of them, or follow them in a manner which we dictate rather than in the manner which God has dictated, we probably will lose what ever spiritual battle is at hand, and may well lose our personal spiritual war. But if we follow God's battle plan, we will have constant victories in each of our individual spiritual battles, and in our spiritual war.
One of our instructions is to pray, and to pray unceasingly. Make your entire day an offering to God as soon as you awake ever day, but also pray throughout each day. Pray those little quickie prayers, where you think, "God help me" and "God help that person," and also pray formal and formalized prayers, liturgical prayers, and the most powerful of all prayers, The Divine Liturgy (Mass) with reception of the Sacred Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
Receive all the sacraments which can be received more than once, whenever necessary, and receive the Sacraments of Absolution and Holy communion as often as possible. Our Lord did not establish the Sacraments for us to ignore them. He established the Sacraments for us to receive them and the special Graces, the Divine Essence, which accompanies reception of the various Sacraments. It is through the Sacraments that we receive the spiritual food needed for fighting our War for Eternity. It is through reception of the Sacraments that we receive the ammunition and armaments needed to engage in the battles against evil and for good, which are the ever present reality of our War for Eternity.
Like every good member of the armed forces, protect those fighting on your side, especially when they are exposed to the enemy and when they are under enemy attack. If we ignore our companions in the war against evil, we will be ignoring our spiritual basic training, and weakening our own offensive and defensive weapons.
Join with others in prayer at every opportunity, so that our armament will be strengthened, and
our training kept to the highest state of readiness. Avoid the enemy's traps, and no matter how
bleak the battle front may look, remember that God is fighting on our side, and that God has
already won. We are fighting to be on His side when victory is celebrated.
Ref: Phili. 3:17-21; 4:1-3; Mat. 9:18-26
+ Paul, S.S.B.
+
Q. Is it a sin knowingly to resist the grace of God?
A. It is a sin, knowingly, to resist the grace of God, because we thereby insult Him and
reject His gifts without which we cannot be saved.
+
HOW CAN WE LEARN ABOUT MOSLEMS?
To learn about a people, learn about their religion. To know a religion one must examine its writings, its dogma. So, briefly, of course: What does Islam teach, what does the Koran teach?
There is a strong public relations blitz being made in an attempt to make Islam seem a peaceful,
delightful, religion, friendly to Christians; a religion which teaches peaceful co-existence. There
may be many who profess the Islamic faith who believe in peaceful co-existence with Christians,
but, again, to know a religion one must examine its writings, its dogma. The Koran does teach to
give alms (to Moslems), and to not kill female (Moslem) children, and to not beat women unless
they give a man cause to beat them . . . According to the Koran, Islam, the Moslem religion, is
not a peaceful religion which teaches peaceful co-existence. It is a religion which teaches hate,
enslavement, and killing those who do not believe and follow the Koran. That is why these few
quotes from the Koran are being presented. Of course, this telling the truth about Islam will cause
us to branded as Arab haters, Moslem haters, et ceterae, and stooges of the Jews, and to be
attacked (again). We are not haters of anyone or any group. We support Arab rights - remember,
many Arabs are Christians whose ancestors were enslaved by the Moslems or forced to pay
tribute and taxes where Moslems did not have to pay tribute or taxes (Palestinian non Moslems
even had to pay taxes for each tree on their property, while Moslems, of course, did not).
Stooges of the Jews?? We are Christians, and stooges of no-one. We are just presenting the
truth.
ISLAM - THE KORAN
The major dogmatic work of the Moslem religion is the Koran. As Jesus Christ is believed to be
true and complete God and true man by Christians, so is the Koran believed by Moslems to be
the spoken word of God. Moslems believe the Koran was handed to them complete, without
revisions, and that it means exactly what it says.
KORAN'S INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING NON-MOSLEMS - KILL NON-MOSLEMS:
Koran XLVII (47) [47.4]
"When ye encounter the infidels, strike off their heads till ye have made a great slaughter among them, and of the rest make fast the fetters."
The modern English translations interpret this to say, "When you meet unbelievers in battle . . .,"
but that is not what the Koran states. It straightforwardly states, " When ye encounter the infidels,
strike off their heads" - it says to kill unbelievers when you meet them, and turn any survivors
into slaves. But even if it DID say kill unbelievers in battle, it still says enslave those who
survive. This is just one of the many examples of where the Koran requires killing non-Moslems.
KORAN'S SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING CHRISTIANS - KILL CHRISTIANS
UNLESS THEY CONVERT TO ISLAM:
Koran SURA IX (9.5)
"And when the sacred months are passed, kill those who join other gods with God wherever ye shall find them; and seize them, besiege them, and lay wait for them with every kind of ambush: but if they shall convert, and observe prayer, and pay the obligatory alms, then let them go their way, for God is Gracious, Merciful."
Mohammed calls Christians, "those who join other gods with God". He calls them this, because
Christians believe in The Blessed Trinity. Here, Mohammed clearly says, kill Christians, unless
they convert and become Moslems.
KORAN'S INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING KILLING,
IN GENERAL
SURA LXXVII.
"Woe on that day to those who charged with imposture! Have we not destroyed them of old?
We will next cause those of later times to follow them. Thus deal we with the evil doers."
I.E.: unlike Biblically, where those who die estranged from God are condemned to hell, the
Koran makes those who disagree with the Koran to be evil and just as the enemies of Israel were
killed so too are the enemies of the faith of Mohammed to be killed.
KORAN'S TEACHINGS REGARDING HEAVEN AND THE ROLE WOMEN PLAY IN
HEAVEN - THEY ARE SEX OBJECTS
SURA LXXVIII. (78.31)
Note: "Interpretative" translations into English change the words to make the concepts appear acceptable to Americans and Westerners in general. Thus, the above passage is "interpretatively" translated as: "Surely for those who guard (against evil) is achievement, Gardens and vineyards, And those showing freshness of youth, equals in age,"
Why do the interpretative translations mislead the reader, the student, Americans, Westerners, as to what Mohammed actually wrote? Because Americans and Westerners in general will not tolerate women being demeaned to being less than human, to being just sex objects - and the only use the Koran has for women is as objects for the pleasure of men and to bear children.
Moslem dogma therefore states that only young women, who have swelling breasts, have any use in heaven. Which brings forth the question, "What about women who go to heaven?"
Obviously, those women who are young, and who have swelling breasts (and we may add, dark eyes) will be the pleasure objects of those men who go to heaven. They will also be self perpetuating virgins - have sex with them and wala, they are a virgin again. And if any other women go to heaven, then they will be given young women with swelling breasts for their pleasure as well. So it makes sense that young women who go to heaven will be sex slaves, and other women who may get to heaven will be or become lesbians so they can partake of the delights of the, "damsels with swelling breasts."
This obviously is a religion whose rewards are based on earthly pleasures, NOT on unification
with God.
SURA LXXXVIII.
"Therein shall be a gushing fountain, Therein shall be raised couches, And goblets ready placed, And cushions laid in order, And carpets spread forth."
Wonder who is going to put all those things in place and keep the goblets filled? Probably the
damsels with swelling breasts.
SURA LXXXIX.
So, those who desire these things in this life will be damned to hell, but those who follow the
Koran will receive these things as their reward in heaven????? That is illogical, for one is being
punished for desiring the benefits of heaven.
THE KORAN ON LYING, ON TRUTHFULNESS
Koran SURA XIV
"but God misleadeth whom He will, and whom He will he guideth: and He is the Mighty, the Wise."
and
Koran SURA XXXIX
"This is God's guidance: by it will He guide whom He pleaseth; and, whom God shall mislead, no guide shall there be for him."
At least four times Mohammed makes similar statements in the Koran.
We can therefore reasonably believe that the god of Mohammed intentionally misleads people and then condemns them to hell for all eternity for not believing properly. He intentionally misleads people, then requires those mislead live according to truth anyway, and when they do not, he condemns them to hell where their stomachs are filled with boiling water and they suffer eternal, terrible pains. That is not a just god; that is not god. Justice requires that were god to mislead someone, the one mislead is not responsible for acting in accordance with the false information given him by god regarding that in which a man is supposed to believe. Therefore, the god of Mohammed is just as corrupt and evil as its creator - Mohammed.
This also means, Moslems are allowed to lie, possibly to each other, and definitely to
non-Moslems, since if the Moslem god can lie to people and that is just, then so too can Moslems
lie to non-Moslems. Very simply, this means Moslems can not be trusted, for their holy book
allows lying.
KORAN ATTACK AGAINST CHRISTIANS - AGAINST THE
DIVINE NATURE OF JESUS CHRIST
Koran SURA XXXIX
"Had God desired to have had a son, he had surely chosen what he pleased out of his own creation. But praise be to Him! He is God, the One, the Almighty."
This is an overt attack against Christianity, against the belief that Jesus Christ is God, the Son of
God, and against Faith in The Blessed Trinity. It also shows a total attack on Faith in the need
for redemption of mankind. Many historians believe that in all probability, this attack, as well as
the entire concept of Mohammedism, was fostered by Mohammed Jewish father-in-law as an
attempt to destroy Christianity. Instead, it formed the foundation for continuing attacks on
Judaism.
KORAN STATES WOMEN ARE INFERIOR TO MEN, AND HUSBANDS SHOULD WHIP
DISOBEDIENT WIVES
SURA IV.
"Men are superior to women on account of the qualities with which God hath gifted the one above the other, and on account of the outlay they make from their substance for them. Virtuous women are obedient, careful, during the husband's absence, because God hath of them been careful. But chide those for whose refractoriness ye have cause to fear; remove them into beds apart, and scourage them: but if they are obedient to you, then seek not occasion against them: verily, God is High, Great!"
Is any comment needed??
CLOSING COMMENTS
Mohamed's god is a mean, nasty, devious, deceptive, unjust, concept, someone who is just like Mohammed; as is the religion he founded. Those who attempt to make Islam more decent are not following the Koran, and thus are heretics to Islam, for the followers of Mohammed are supposed to believe the Koran is the written word of god, and therefore is supposed to have come directly from god without change, and no man can change god's word.
The instructions to give alms to the poor, and to not kill female children, do nothing to correct the innate injustice and meanness of this religion as stated in the Koran. The good instructions do nothing to change women from having the role of being sex objects, exclusively; their only purpose being to serve as pleasure objects for men.
As written, Islam is a nasty religion which fosters hate and has fostered hate from its inception.
But most modern day Moslems do not appear to follow the "hate" aspects of the Koran!??!.
Empirically, most Western (American), modern day Moslems, seem to continue aspects of the inferiority of woman concept, which seems to have been modified into a form of "men are better suited to run governments, etc." belief. But the "kill Non-Moslems" aspects of Islam seem to have been abraded by normal human contact, even in non Western countries.
Thus we have Moslems in places such as Syria, joining with Roman Catholics, and Orthodox Christians, in praying the Rosary and the Rule of the Mother of God. (What is more surprising for may Orthodox Christian residing in the USA is the common practice of Orthodox Christians joining with Roman Catholics in praying the Rosary.)
It is as though the Islamic faith has undergone a certain amount of practical revision of necessity, for if the Koran were followed in the fullness of exactitude, after certain religious months, Moslems everywhere would be obligated to start killing and enslaving non-Moslems, especially Christians - but they do not.
If Moslems felt that, in general, it is permissible to lie to non-Moslems, and then practiced that belief, there would be no possibility of business transactions or personal relations between Moslems and non-Moslems. But there are such business and personal relationships.
Why is this the reality?
Every human is made in God's Image and Likeness. Thus, every human, by human nature, interprets everything in a comparison with the Goodness with which God has endowed each person. That which is contrary to this Spark of the Holy Spirit innate in every human, is rejected and dismissed by every human, as not being viable, unless the individual has suppressed the endowed Goodness or has had it suppressed through malfunction of or injury to the mental processes.
But Note: A female, senior U.S. official was recently interviewed by the Arab cable TV company. When they greeted each other and shook hands, the cable TV interviewer used his left hand - which is an intentional insult. The left hand is used for . . .
+ + +
Christ is Born!
Glorify Him!
From a sermon for the Nativity of Christ by St. John Chrysostom
I behold a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd's song,
piping no soft melody but chanting forth a full heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised.
Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in the place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of Justice. And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed, He had the power, He descended, He redeemed; all things move in obedience to God. This day He Who Is, is Born and He Who Is, becomes what He Was Not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Word, He became Flesh, His nature because of impassability, remaining unchanged.
This day, He Who was ineffably Begotten of the Father, was for me born of the Virgin: in a way no tongue can tell. Begotten according to His nature before all ages from the Father; in what manner He knows Who has begotten Him; born again this day from the Virgin, above the order of nature, in what manner knows the power of the Holy Spirit. And His heavenly generation is true, and His generation here on earth is true. As God He is truly begotten of God; so also as man is He truly born from the Virgin. In heaven He alone is the Only-Begotten of the unique Virgin.
Though I know that a Virgin this day gave birth, and I believe that God was begotten before all time, yet the manner of this generation I have learned to venerate in silence, and I accept that this is not to be probed too curiously with wordy speech. For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of Him Who Works.
And what shall I say? And how shall I describe this Birth to you? For this wonder fills me with astonishment. The Ancient of Days has become an infant.
He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness. For this, he assumed my body, that I may become capable of his Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His Spirit; and so He bestowing, and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sanctify me. He gives me His Spirit, that He may save me.
Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Come and we shall commemorate the solemn festival. It is a strange manner of celebrating a festival; but truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been implanted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels.
Why is this? Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He has come on earth, while being Whole in heaven; and
while complete in heaven, He is without diminution on earth. Though He was God, He became
Man; not denying Himself to be God. Though being the impassable Word, He became flesh; that
He might dwell among us, he became flesh, He did not become God, He was God. Wherefore He
became flesh so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. He was
placed in a manger so that He, by Whom all things are nourished, may receive an infant's food
from His Virgin Mother. So, the Father of all ages, as an infant at the breast, nestles in the
virginal arms, that the Magi may more easily see Him. Since this day the Magi too have come,
and made a beginning of withstanding tyranny; the heavens give glory, as the Lord is revealed by
a star.
+ + +
THANKSGIVING
Everyone has reason to give thanks to God, from those who have been cured of leprosy, or had a beloved servant miraculously healed, to those who are just barely aware of their own existence.
Even if you lost loved ones on September 11th, or if you are emotionally and financially destitute, or have a dreaded disease and are dying a horrible death, you have reason to give thanks to God, for you exist and that means you have the potential for eternal happiness.
But very few people have trauma as part of their daily lives, and even fewer people live under circumstances of constant trauma. Most people actually have rather decent lives.
It seems logical that those who really do have rather decent lives would be very thankful, and that those who live in under circumstances of constant trauma would be constantly praying for deliverance. Of course, when dealing with human expressions of gratitude and human response to adverse situations, we must first remember to disregard logic, ignore the obvious, and expect the perverse.
Thus we find that humans react and respond to good times and to bad times in illogical, obtuse, and perverse manners. A ten year old child in Afghanistan has never known life without artillery, tanks and mortars, gunfire, land mines, insufficiencies of the necessities of life, discrimination against women, killing of female children, hatred being taught by word and example, and wounded and dead people literally all over the landscape. Such a child knows other places have living conditions without these and the other horrors, but such a child is thankful if none of its limbs have been torn off, or if it has enough mobility to fend for itself or to be considered as a potentially productive family member. And such children play, study, and engage in the things in which all children engage - well, at least the low technology things - and they experience true happiness in their lives. They also pray their gratitude for the blessing of existence and the opportunity to attain eternal happiness.
It would be logical to now give some examples of those who really are blessed with an
abundance of the necessities and niceties of life, who have been given the opportunity to
establish loving and meaningful relationships, yet complain or fail to accept those blessings
which God has provided. But, since we are human, and have been blessed, we will disregard
logic, ignore the obvious, be a little perverse - and just suggest you look at your own life and
provide the examples from your own life.
Ref: Rom 12:16-21; Mat 8:1-13
+
SINCERITY
"Are you sincere?"
Were the Pharisees sincere in their inquiry to our Lord? Of course not.
When Saint Paul wrote, "that he who hath begun a good work in you will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus," he was referring to the Divine Essence with which God the Father has infused us, beginning our transformation to Theosis, to union with God. So when Saint Paul followed this with, "And this I pray: That your charity may more and more abound in knowledge and in all understanding: That you may approve the better things: that you may be sincere and without offence unto the day of Christ: Filled with the fruit of justice, through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God," it was with the understanding that we were sincere in our initial acceptance of The Way of Christ. Without that sincerity, it is impossible for our Charity to more and more abound in all knowledge and understanding, for without sincerity, we did not receive true Charity, and our knowledge is therefore faulty, as is our understanding.
But if we do receive and accept The Way taught by our Lord, then we are sincere and we receive true Charity, and our knowledge and understanding will grow, and we will be filled with the fruit of Justice through our Lord. We will grow in Divine righteousness.
To receive with sincerity, we must surrender ourselves to Christ. Because few of those who hold the position of preacher of The Way have surrendered themselves to Christ, very few of those who think they are preaching The Way actually do preach The Way. Those who only paid lip service to surrender to our Lord do not act and do not live in sincerity, and therefore they preach their way, not our Lord's Way. They think they grow in knowledge and understanding, but all they do is become more firmly fixed in their own errors, and more persuasive in promoting their own errors.
If you are sincere in your surrender to Christ, and sincere in your relationship with Christ, then you will act with sincerity in all of your relationships, and in all of your actions and thoughts.
There is a song named "Buttercup" which was popular around the 1960's or thereabouts. The singer, a man, asked, "Why do you fill me up, Buttercup, just to let me down." He professed his love for Buttercup, and complains that she promises to call him (telephone) but that she never does. Is Buttercup acting with sincerity in the relationship expressed in the song? It appears that Buttercup is only paying lip service to the relationship. Do we do the same thing with other people, or with God?
One way of assessing this in ourselves is to ask if we are happy with the status of our relationship with each person we know, and especially with the status of our relationship with each Person of The Blessed Trinity. If we really do not have a relationship with each Person of The Blessed Trinity, this may be an indication that we have not accepted The Way with sincerity, that we have not surrendered ourself to Christ. Likewise, if we are satisfied with our relationship with each Person of The Blessed Trinity, this surely is an indication that we have not accepted The Way with sincerity, and that we have not surrendered ourself to Christ, for it is impossible for any person yet living to be satisfied with his relationship with God.
Once we realize the true state of our relationship with God, then we can begin to improve that relationship by surrendering ourselves more and more to God. And when this happens, something surprising happens. We neither withdraw nor retreat. Rather, we become more active. Whether in a monastic cloister, or in the midst of the public eye, or in the shelter of our own household and family, we become more active in works of the Lord. And as long as we engage in these with true sincerity, constantly checking ourselves as to motive, and as to the status of our relationship with each Person of The Blessed Trinity, then we will grow in Charity, and in Divine knowledge and understanding.
So here we have a simple self-test, requiring the most simple of self-assessment, which will
enable us to know whether or not we are headed in the correct moral direction. We need but ask
our selves, "Are you sincere?"
Ref: Philipp 1:6-11; Mat 22:15-21
+
We are presenting this preliminary YTD financial report on Holy Innocents at this time in
the hope those who make donations at the end of the year after ascertaining their tax
status, will consider our needs as well.
HOLY INNOCENTS ORTHODOX CHURCH - INCOME AND
EXPENSE SUMMARY
1/1/01 Through 11/27/01
Subcategory Total
Income
Donations Received
Total Donations Received 2,622.85
Interest
Checking Account 0.69
Total Interest 0.69
Total Income 2,623.54
Expenses
Chapel Construction
Material 176.07
Total Chapel
Construction 176.07
Chapel Expenses
Total Chapel Expenses 1,313.01
Miscellaneous
Bank Service Charge 8.00
Total Miscellaneous 8.00
Offset in kind donation 72.69
Rectory Expenses
Total Rectory Expenses 549.29
Utilities
Total Utilities 1,106.18
Total Expenses 3,225.24
Income less Expenses ($601.70)
Holy Innocents' expenses
for REUNION newsletter 522.12
Total Income Less
Expenses ($1,123.82)
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St. Mary Madgalene - INCOME AND
EXPENSE SUMMARY
1/1/01 Through 11/27/01
Income
Total Income 4,106.71
Expenses
Church Supplies
Candles, Incense, etc 60.21
Total Church Supplies 60.21
Insurance
Maintainance 661.46
Offset Donations Recd In Kind 1,532.91
Utilities
Total Expenses 4,106.71
Income less Expenses 0.00
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The Society of Clerks Secular of Saint Basil (La. and Miss.)
Ledger - INCOME AND EXPENSE SUMMARY
1/1/01 Through 11/27/01
Income
Donations
Total Donations 3,245.38
Ledger Transfers 100.00
Total Income $3,345.38
Expenses
BBS InterNet
Total BBS InterNet 219.98
Donation to
Total Donation 2,038.67
Liturgical
Antimens Vestments etc 119.10
Total Liturgical 119.10
Publications
Total Publications 711.09
SSB Operations
Total SSB Operations 925.73
Total Expenses $4,014.57
Income less Expenses ($669.19)
+
Our YTD Net for La. and Miss. is a Deficit of $1,270.89
+
U.S.A. CITIZENS ARE
UNINTENTIONALLY AND UNWILLINGLY,
FINANCIALLY
SUPPORTING A
MULTITUDE OF
IMMORAL PROGRAMS
Over 180 schools nationwide, distribute the "morning after pill" to minors, without parental consent, and without parental knowledge. These same schools can not give a child an aspirin without the parents' consent, but they can kill any baby growing in the child, and can so do at risk of the child's life as well. Guess where the pill money comes from . . .
Title X funds private abortion clinics to the tune of $60 Million, annually. In the wake of
September 11th, one abortion group compared pro-life forces to the terrorists. In New York,
abortionists offered free abortions as their contribution in the efforts to alleviate the suffering -
guess if you are a pregnant lady whose husband was killed, you can memorialize your love for
him by killing his and your baby.
Our thanks to Congressman Vitter of Louisiana for this information - Ed.
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BIBLE HISTORY
FOR CHILDREN
21. Jesus Gives the Commandment of Love
WHEN the Passover was near, Jesus went to Jerusalem. As He was preaching in the temple one
of the Pharisees asked him: "Which is the greatest commandment in the law?"
2. Jesus said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul,
with thy whole mind and with thy whole strength: This is the greatest and first commandment.
The other is equal to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
QUESTIONS
1. About what Commandment was Jesus asked?
2. What did Jesus say?
22. Jesus Describes the Last Judgment
JESUS also foretold His disciples what would happen at the end of the world. He said: "The Son
of man shall come in His majesty, and all the angels with Him. Then He shall sit upon the throne
of His glory. All the nations of the world will be gathered together before Him, and He will
separate the good from the bad, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set
the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on His left."
2. "Then will the King say to those on His right hand: 'Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess
the kingdom prepared for you, from the foundation of the world."'
3. "Then He will say to those on the left hand: 'Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the Devil and his angels.'
And these shall go into everlasting torments, but the just into everlasting life."
QUESTIONS
1. What did Jesus foretell about the end of the world?
2. What will the King say to the just?
3. What will He say to those on His left hand?
23. Jesus Institutes the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar
AT the last supper before his death, Jesus instituted the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
On that night Jesus took the bread in His venerable and holy hands, and raising His eyes to
heaven. He blessed the bread, and broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying: "Take ye, and eat;
this is My body, which is given for you."
2. In like manner, Jesus also took the chalice, gave thanks, blessed it and gave it to His disciples,
saying: "Take ye, and drink ye all of this; for this is My blood, which shall be shed for you and
for many for the remission of sins. Do this for a commemoration of Me."
QUESTIONS
1. What did Jesus institute the night before His death?
2. What did Jesus say when He took the chalice?
Return to contents
The Orthodox - Basilian
Catechism
Q. 258. But how did the loss of the gift of original justice leave our first parents and us in
mortal sin?
A. The loss of the gift of original justice left our first parents and us in mortal sin because it
deprived them of the Grace of God, and to be without this gift of Grace which they should have
had was to be in mortal sin. As all their children are deprived of the same gift, they, too, come
into the world in a state of mortal sin. This form of the state of mortal sin is the absence of God's
Essence, of Divine Grace, and is different from the state of mortal sin which results from evil
actions. Therefore, God treats one who dies in the state of mortal sin not caused by his own
actions differently from one who dies in a state of mortal sin caused by his own deeds.
Q. 259. What other effects followed from the sin of our first parents?
A. Our nature was corrupted by the sin of our first parents, which darkened our understanding,
weakened our will, and left in us a strong inclination to evil.
Q. 260. What do we mean by "our nature was corrupted"?
A. When we say "our nature was corrupted" we mean that our whole being, body and soul, was
injured in all its parts and powers.
Q. 261. Why do we say our understanding was darkened?
A. We say our understanding was darkened because even with much learning we have not the
clear knowledge, quick perception and retentive memory that Adam had before his fall from
grace.
Q. 262. Why do we say our will was weakened?
A. We say our will was weakened to show that our free will was not entirely taken away by
Adam's sin, and that we have it still in our power to use our free will in doing good or evil.
Q. 263. In what does the strong inclination to evil that is left in us consist?
A. This strong inclination to evil that is left in us consists in the continual efforts our senses and
appetites make to lead our souls into sin. The body is inclined to rebel against the soul, and the
soul itself to rebel against God.
Q. 264. What is this strong inclination to evil called, and why did God permit it to remain
in us?
A. This strong inclination to evil is called concupiscence, and God permits it to remain in us that
by His grace we may resist it and thus increase our merits.
Q. 265. What is the sin called which we inherit from our first parents?
A. The sin which we inherit from our first parents is called original sin.
Q. 266. Why is this sin called original?
A. This sin is called original because it comes down to us from our first parents, and we are
brought into the world with its guilt on our soul.
Q. 267. Does this corruption of our nature remain in us after original sin is forgiven?
A. This corruption of our nature and other punishments remain in us after original sin is forgiven.
Q. 268. Was any one ever preserved from original sin?
A. The Blessed Virgin Mary, through the merits of her Divine Son, was preserved free from the
guilt of original sin, and this privilege is called her Immaculate Conception.
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GOD IS NOT JUST A "SUPER" HUMAN
Many people have a very strong tendency to consider God as being just some sort of "super" human. He is not and it behoves us to be eternally conscious of this fact.
God is so totally different from us that He is impossible for us to even begin to comprehend, much less understand - yet He has commanded us to study Him, to learn about Him, to comprehend and understand Him as best our limited nature allows.
Can you start with absolutely nothing, no mud, no molecules, no energy, just nothing, and will something into existence? Can you command one who is ill to be cured, and have that person be cured immediately? Can you read the thoughts of other people? Do you know everything? Can you comprehend that there is but one God and yet that one God is three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? No.
But God does all of these things, and much more.
So give God the respect that is due Him, and make God the focus of your life, of your existence,
for if you do not, then you will be without God for all eternity.
Ref: 1 Cor 1:4-8; Mat 9:1-8
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THOSE WHO LOVE LIFE ON EARTH ARE DOOMED TO DISAPPOINTMENT
Psalms Chapter 3
The psalm of David when he fled from the face of his son Absalom.
Many say to my soul: There is no salavation for him in his God.
But thou, O Lord, art my protector, my glory, and the lifter up of my head.
I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and he hath
heard me from his holy hill.
I have slept and have taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me.
I will not fear thousands of the people surrounding
me: arise, O Lord; save me, O my God.
For thou hast struck all them who are my adversaries without cause: thou hast broken the teeth of sinners.
Salvation is of the Lord: and thy blessing is upon thy people.
King David praised God for saving him from the attack of his son Absalom, who sought to wrest the throne God had given to King David. And so, King David gave praise to God for preserving and maintaining him in this midst of that adversity. But as King David advanced in years, even though he remained strong unto his end, he looked forward to the eternal rest and reward he knew would be his.
King David knew he was filled with faults and imperfections, and he sorrowfully acknowledged them before God and man as part of his drive to be pleasing to God. When God chastised King David, the King acknowledged the justice of the chastisement, and plead that the justice applied to him would not adversely effect his people.
Though he was a great man with the faults common to great men, he was a good king, who lead his people in the ways of righteousness and refused to allow his people to worship anything other than the One, True God. And when he himself strayed from the path of Godliness, he acknowledged his wrong and begged God's forgiveness.
But he had paganism to contend with in his people, for his people throughout their entire history kept wondering from worship of the One, True God, who had revealed Himself as a real Person and not just some abstract thing - his people kept wondering from worshiping God to worship of idols they had fashioned with their own hands.
The Jews were the only people of early recorded history, who believed there is but one God, and that He is a Person (actually Three Persons as we now know), and that He is not bound by geography but is God over all of creation. They believed this because this truth had been revealed to them by God, but even with this revelation they constantly sought to worship idols, to worship false, non-existent gods, and even devils and demons. They worshiped these false gods because the focus of the false religions was on things and pleasures of this world, and this allowed them to engage in sins as part of their religious practices.
This means the Jews have a history of not practicing their own Faith, and in this lack of practicing their own religion they failed, as a people, to be consistently faithful to the beliefs of their own religion. They often only practiced the outward expression of their religion without making the Spirit of their religion the foundation of their lives. Because of their historic lack of practicing their expressed Faith in but one God, they failed to influence other peoples to believe there was but one God.
The world therefore existed without Hope, for the world was focused on life in this world, but only a few people could have the full gambit of worldly comforts. Indeed, most people had to struggle for the necessities required to barely maintain physical life.
But our Lord made it clear that existence after Earthly death is real, and that the nature of that existence is not some fuzzy, vague, shadowy, almost unreality, but a real, vibrant, more full and complete life than it is possible to experience in this world. He did this with His own resurrection, by showing us with His own resurrection that we will be full and complete and glorified beings if we follow Him. He also promised that those who reject Him and follow evil will eternally experience perfect suffering.
One would think that the days of worshiping idols would be over, but they are not. One likewise would think that belief in an eternal life after death would be universal, but it also is not.
We can see that paganism is very much followed by even many who claim to be Christians, because these pagans focus on things of this world virtually to the exclusion of things of the next world. They focus on extending human life in this world for the greatest length of time possible, even at the expense of killing other people so they can use the dead people's body parts.
They love life in this world so much that they even make babies in petri dishes just so that they can kill those babies and take the babies' cells for their own use.
But no matter how hard the pagans try, their physical bodies will eventually be as dead as their souls.
For the sake of the Pagans, as well as the sake of all those babies who are and will be tortured to
death, we must never cease to preach the truth through living it ourselves, for if we do not live it
ourselves, we will be just like the Jews - we will fail to convert the world.
Ref: 1 Cor 12:2-11, Luke 18:9-14, Ps 3
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HOW ARE THE RICH CELEBRATING THE NATIVITY OF OUR SAVIOR?
Some Are Celebrating In Anticipation Of Their Attempt To Live In Their Physical Bodies
Forever
Metropolitan Archbishop Paul, S.S.B.
Thirty-five or forty years ago, when artificial birth control was in the midst of being legalized, we predicted legalized artificial birth control would lead to demeaning of marital sexual relations as an expression of marital love, objectification of women as sex objects with removal of the perception of women's immortality and personhood, proliferation and acceptance of pornography including child pornography and sexual attacks on children, legalization and wide spread use of abortion killing millions annually, selling of body parts and organs, legalized killing of the sick and elderly, cloning of humans and selling of their body parts and organs, and other atrocities totally unimaginable in the 1960's.
Those predictions have now all come true.
Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), of Worcester, Massachusetts, announced on 25 November, 2001, that they had successfully cloned three babies, all of whom died a few hours after conception - each baby having developed to the stage of having four to six cells.
ACT Chief Executive Michael West (Michael means "Like Unto God" - but does not apply in West's case) said the company intends to have the babies grow for just a few days, then he will have the babies killed so he can harvest the babies' stem cells.
West said, "Human therapeutic cloning could be used for a host of age-related diseases." ACT's VP of medical and scientific development, Robert Lanza, said, "This work sets the stage for human therapeutic cloning as a potentially limitless source of immune-compatible cells for tissue engineering and transplantation medicine." Though West denies the intent, West's and Lanza's statements are fancy language for saying, rich people will be able to have several clones of themselves made, so as they get old or have various organic problems, they can kill their clones and take the body parts they need from the clones.
Another company, Clonaid, is more straight forward, saying through its director Brigitte Boisselier that it too has cloned babies and intends to create fully developed human clones.
ACT not only has entered into the make humans so you can kill them for body parts business, it
also has the audacity to attempt to establish moral standards - something which can only be done
by God and God has already spoken on this matter and said it is evil (OT prohibitions against
abortion, killing, etc, NT entirety of the New Covenant). ACT, presuming to act as God, says the
company and its scientist and its ethics advisory board concluded the clones do not have the same
moral standing as conventional human babies, and, anyway, they can use the clones body parts to
reduce the suffering of humans that are not clones.
We do not recall the instance where God gave the power and authority to establish
morality to ACT or its scientist or its ethics advisory board. We very much believe God has
retained this power and authority.
The use of these babies as sources of spare parts is the goal, and no amount of so called "agonizing" as to the right and wrong of this by the "scientist" (murderers) involved, will ever change the fact that babies are being created and killed so their body parts can be used by other people. And we can be sure that a lot of people will make a lot of money in the process - and a lot of people will go to hell for all eternity in the process.
The scientist and ethics experts from various institutions such as Dartmouth College's Ronald M. Green, and Harvard professor Ann Kieffling, and even the Washington Post, are attempting to introduce a new term for the cloned babies. The Post calls these babies "entities" and "the creations". In an apparent attempt to clothe herself with at least the appearance of decency or morality, Ann Kieffling said, "We've been chewing and stewing about how to do this right."
There is no way to "do this right" for what is being done is evil. Cloning humans, like artificial insemination, involves numerous attempts to create a baby. With artificial insemination, several babies made in a lab, some of them are implanted into the womb, and when they begin to grow, all but one or two are killed. The babies remaining in the lab may be killed or used for "whatever". It is but one simple step from killing babies made the natural way, to killing people made the clone way, and you can be assured this will happen now that this particular door to hell has been opened.
The law of man considers the babies made in a lab for use in artificial insemination, to be the property of the man and woman whose eggs and sperm were used to make the baby, as long as the baby stays in the lab. Once it is in the womb, it can be killed at the woman's discretion, through abortion. Cloned babies and even fully grown cloned humans will obviously be subject to the same property laws. Anyone who does not believe this need but realize that the United States Supreme Court has never overturned its pro slavery rulings (e.g.: Dread Scott), and that the same court is the source which gave approval to killing millions of babies every year thorough abortion. That court's pro kill babies rulings opened the door to the present cloning situation.
So, exactly how are the really rich people spending this Christmas? Some of the older ones are hoping they can "hang on" until they can get some replacement body parts from their clone. Some of the more vain ones are planning on the ultimate face lift, from their clone.
And the really adventurous of the immoral and rich are contemplating the next step.
What is the next step? Why, transplanting one's brain into a young clone of one's self - perhaps a 35 year old clone in perfect health - with a little regenerative tissue implant into their old brain to keep their brain going. After all, why go through the trauma of replacing the worn out parts of a worn out body, when the old body can be swapped out for a younger model?
If any of the people involved in this horror call themselves Christians, they lie. A Christian could not be involved in any aspect of this horror, just as a Christian could not be involved in any aspect of abortion, or any aspect of creating babies in a lab even if the babies are not clones.
The aspects of killing, and the more disgusting aspects of taking someone else's body parts from them - "let's strip off the clone's skin so we can take care of that burn" - are innately abhorrent.
It is even more abhorrent when evil people play God.
Anyone who supplies anything to such people or their companies, which in any manner furthers this horror, commits wrong, partakes in evil, even if it is supplying paper towels for drying one's hands in the clone company's rest room.
There will be salespeople and their companies seeking to sell equipment and supplies to the clone companies, because of the great markets this immoral activity will create. Those who sell equipment and supplies to the clone companies will commit evil for they enable evil to continue.
This door to evil is now opened. It is not likely to be easily closed, just as the door to the evil of slavery was not easily closed. (Indeed, slavery is alive and well, not just in its traditional forms, but also in more insidious forms, such as pornography.) But even though we are not likely to be successful, we must make every possible moral attempt to completely annihilate this form of evil, and we must continually oppose it. To do otherwise would be to abandon where God stands, and to go over to the side of evil.
So, how are the rich celebrating Christmas this year? Why, the same way the middle classes and the poor are celebrating. A few are thanking our Lord for providing us with the opportunity to attain eternal salvation. Many others are planning on how they will go to hell. And many others are actively engaged in the process of going to hell. So the rich are celebrating Christmas this year the same way they have traditionally celebrated Christmas, as are the middle classes and the poor.
There is no respect for the human in cloning. Cloning is not morally acceptable. Anyone
involved in any aspect of cloning, and especially in any aspect of the harvesting of body parts,
including stem cells, from clones, immediately kills their own soul. They are spiritually dead,
with little likelihood of revival - not even through cloning.
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16th Century Russian Icon of The Nativity
LETTERS
(The Editors reserve the right to reject any submissions, and to edit as
necessary. Letters must be typed, single space, signed, and include the sender's name
address, and day and evening telephone numbers - If your typed letter is acompanied by an
ASCII DOS Text copy on a floppy, we will thank you with extra prayers - Ed.)
WORLD WIDE WEB:
The direct connection to computer which functions as the message, file, and communications center for The Society of Clerks Secular of Saint Basil, is:
http://www.reu.org
Issues of REUNION, in color, in Adobe PDF and HTML, are available at:
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Dial-up WWW acess: Basilian Clergy and Parishioners have free access to the WWW (keep it
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On Line Chat Room: at the main web site log-in http://www.reu.org Clergy "chat schedule" is
posted on the "Chat Room" log-on page.
Rev. Fr. Dcn. Peter Angasan
P.O. Box 70123
South Naknek, Alaska 99670-0123
http://www.reu.org/public/stpalute/stpa.htm
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DIVINE LITURGY "MASS" CARDS
Commonly called "Mass Cards", these 4 1/4" by 5 1/2 " (folded) Icon cards feature the
above Icons, and open to reveal prayer intentions for the living and for those who have
Fallen Asleep in The Lord.
ICON # 4 ICON # 7 ICON # 11 ICON # 19 ICON # 26 SOUFANIEH
For those who have Fallen Asleep in The Lord, Icon # 19 graces the cover, with the following text (reduced here to fit in this column) inside:
General Intentions For the Living, for weddings, illnesses, general need, and for the sake of prayer itself, etc., cards, have Icons nos. 4, 7, 11, and 26, and a photograph of the Icon of Our Lady of Soufanieh showing the olive oil dripping from the bottom of the Icon's frame, are available on the covers. All the Icons are full color printed cards, except Our Lady of Soufanieh, which is a color photograph.
The text on the inside of the cards for the living is given above, again reduced here to fit inside the column.
These cards are very beautiful, light gray or bamboo in color, but they are only a product - something to induce you to make a donation which we use to support the various works we provide, including publication of REUNION.
To have a person included in our prayers and at Divine Liturgy, send us a note, or fill out the form in the right column of this page and send it to us. There is no fee for the prayers and Masses, that would be Simony. These cards are also available without prayer intentions, and can be used for regular note or religiously oriented note stationery.
Consider obtaining a small supply, and send the prayer request slip which accompanies the cards when you actually use the card.
Like Monasteries which obtain donations for their Icons, or sell Icons and other items, the donations we receive from these cards are of great use to us. Your help is always appreciated.
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