Redemption

Many have written about why the Son assumed the flesh and died for mankind. I've generally found such explanations pretty unhelpful. On the subway this morning, I thought of a metaphor that might provide a more useful explanation.

God created the heavens and the earth with and by His Word. However, when it was time for the creation of Adam, God did not act with speech alone; He molded Adam out of the earth, and then breathed life into his newest work. Though Adam was just another creation, the same as the beast that crawl and swim and fly, he was much more intimately connected to the Lord. God reached out to create Adam, and went so far as to actually breathe into him, thus instilling him with a piece of God, so to speak.

Though Adam was created with such love and honor, he was still just a creation. God was still "Lord." Such is God's Love, however, that He ordained for man to be more than just another creation, more than simply a piece of the cosmos. Men and women were to be God's sons and daughters. Christ fulfilled this Holy Will when He told us that we could approach God as "Father."

We were to accomplish this through the exercise of our free wills. That is why, from the very beginning, God set forth a commandment for Adam and Eve to obey, not to subject them to the Lord but to draw them closer to Him. But Adam and Eve sinned against the Lord, and subjected themselves to the dominion of the enemy.

Adam and Eve were given a City to defend and keep. Rather than maintain a steadfast defense and keep the City pure for the Lord, in honor of His divine gift, they opened the gates and let the enemy in to plunder and maim.

How easy it is to lose a City! All one must do is open the gates, and a new and terrible master will wrest the throne away from its rightful owner.

Yet how difficult it is to take a fallen City back! Satan had established his unholy kingdom in a once free City, taken by deceipt and kept by cruel force of arms. His kindgom was one of death and despair. He shut the gates tight and would let no man escape, and the City was dim. Yet men cried to the Lord, and he saw their tears.

Why could the angels not storm the City at God's command and free the populace? He did not want to ride into the City as a conquering lord. If a foreign power entered the City by force of arms, would the populace not be bound by a new master?

Yet God did not want men and women to be mere subjects of His Lordship. He wanted sons and daughters, and this He accomplished through his only begotten Son. For He so loved the world that He sent down His Son to take his stand with the men of the City.

When Christ cried out to God, as he hung from the Cross, He achieved that most intimate of unions. At that moment he accepted not only flesh but also the painful reality of being "foresaken." And yet this was a comment steeped with irony, for in accepting man's foresaken position God showed that no, He had not forgotten men in His great Mercy and Love. In accepting man's foresaken position God reclaimed His creation and embraced His adopted sons and daughters.

And yet this was not the end of Christ's salvific mission. The Father did not send His Son to pay a debt by shedding His Holy Blood. If that was the case, then men would have been redeemed by the Cross alone. This vengeful god's lust for unmerciful justice would have been satiated at the hour of Christ's death.

Yet we are not saved by the Cross, but rather by the Cross and the Tomb.

Lift up, your gates, O princes, and be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in.

God did not enter the City as a conquering lord. He entered it on a donkey's colt, and by a criminal's death. And yet the Lord of Power, who was a child and man, revealed His true Power when he destroyed the gates from within. The Son of Man lifted His foot and crushed the serpent's head with His heel. The evil powers were bound, and the populace was freed.

And, for the first time since the days of Adam, divine light streamed into the darkness of the City, which had been shuttered tight for an entire age.

Christ did not come to satisfy the demands of transcendant justice. He came for Mercy. He came because He recognized our weakness and heard our cries. He came not to die, but to die and be resurrected. The Son came so that the Father might have an abundance of sons and daughters, as any good father truly desires.

Indeed, all things are made new.

Thanks to James for the link to the Harrowing of Hell. And thanks to Father Joseph, who relates what happens during the Pashal Mass.

The Tomb

"Father, Father, why have You you forsaken Me?"

His whole life Christ had shared in our humanity. He had lived with flesh. He ate, he drank, he slept. Yet on the Cross, uttering those words, He was utterly and completely joined with mankind. Not only did he share our flesh, but he shared our distance and solitude.

Imagine it: God calling out to God "Why have You forsaken Me?"

It was after these significant words that His Task was accomplished.

The He lowered His head and gave up His Spirit.

God became man so that man might become god. Now the Living God walks with the dead so that the dead may have life.

Holy Thursday

This whole week has felt a little "off," so to speak. Walking home the last few nights has unsettling; something seems to be noticeably absent in the air.

Today has been a very, very windy day. And the air, for all its life and turbulence, feels very dead.

Tonight is the service of the 12 Gospels, a commemoration of the Crucifixition. It's an overwhelmingly powerful mass. The priest process around the church--which is almost completely dark--while they chant and funeral bells toll. They carry a large cross, upon which is an image of Christ (imagine a standard crucifix, except Christ is depicted in only two dimensions). I recall, as a child, looking at the depiction of the Lord's face as the procession slowly moved by and being very, very frightened. I didn't quite know why at the time.

Imagine how dead the air must have felt at the hour when Christ gave up His Spirit? Imagine how great the sorrow of Heaven must have been (if Christ could cry for Lazarus, then I'm sure Heaven could weep for Jesus). Imagine how great the joy of Hades must have been?

Poor saps. If only they knew Who was beginning His final, victorious journey.

The air has been dead this week. Christ the King has been betrayed and scourged this week. He is soon to fall asleep in the Lord.

But that is only the beginning...

Holy Week

Satan and his cronies seem to have a habit of intensifying their temptations when relief is closest. C.S. Lewis said as much in one portion of the Screwtape Letters. One can appreciate the strategy; when Good is closest to triumphing over evil, the "powers" that be move into panic mode.

I can feel the same happening to me. Now that we're in Holy Week (and now that I've finally Confessed and Received) temptation is perceptibly stronger and more persistent. This has also been a very beneficial Lent for me, which is probably another factor at play.

Yet in the past few days I notice myself really looking forward to breaking my fast and chowing down on heart-clogging quantities of meat and related goodies. That's noticeably odd, since fasting has thus far been a very rewarding, and even joyous experience (as I've written many times, I'm not at all of the school that teaches Lent is in any way gloomy or non-festive in spirit).

So what to do? Well, as was announced at the end of every episode of G.I. Joe, knowing is half the battle. Even moreso, in this case. Satan is at his strongest when we forget about him; he is at his weakest when we can hear him sneaking up behind us.

I can hear the ambush. There's no way I can fight back on my own. It's a good thing I have the Cross and Sacraments as my sword and shield.

Remember: the Apostles once failed to cast out a demon because they neglected to pray and fast.

Palm Suday

A blessed Palm Sunday to you all!

Today marks the end of Great Lent. Tomorrow marks the beginning of Holy Week.

I finally received Communion again today; twice, no less (because of the crowds, our church offers two Liturgies today; we arrived at the end of the first one, received, and then, since my mother "didn't feel like she'd really been to church" we stayed for the second Liturgy).

Reflecting on how easily we abandon the all-encompassing joy the Precious Body and Blood of Christ affords is sobering. I snapped at my mother on the drive back home, the result of a foolish argument (which centered on how long it takes to warm a frozen bagel; don't ask).

I prayed fervently in church, hoping to not squander the blessing of the Sacrament as easily as I normally do. Receiving a second time was an added bonus--it was much more joyous than the first, as the first Communion had done its part to remit my sins and further prepare me for the second. And yet, despite being very aware of Christ's Salvific Power, I was distracted by a bagel.

Those who pray re-enact Palm Sunday each and every day, it seems to me. We achieve these brief and joyous moments of great insight and communion. Hossanah in the highest! We can't imagine even wanting to sin, as we know nothing can top the experience offered by prayer, fasting, and the Sacraments.

Yet sure enough, we throw it away for whatever bagel captures our attention. How quick we are to forget the man we know is God. How good He is to have offered us the Sacraments to raise us up each and every time we fall, Sacraments that repeat the suffering of that betrayal some two millennia ago.

Women in the Church

Interesting fact my spiritual father brought to my attention:

Before a married man can be ordained in the Orthodox Church, his wife must send a letter to the bishop indicating her assent.

For those who don't know, the wives of married priests are referred to as "presbytera." That's the male equivalent of "presbyter." To Anglicize it, think of calling her "Mother" in the same way you'd call a priest "Father."

The Orthodox Church, which is about as traditional as churches go without being nutty, has a major role for women to play in the minsterial life of the Church. An interesting point for those who immediately decry tradition and see in the Church a long history of oppression and marginalization of women.

Confession

I had the great joy of confessing today. I feel joy not only for the Sacrament itself (although the sweetness and lightness of heart that this Sacrament provides is indescribable), but also because I was able to see my spiritual father again.

He is a good man, one who makes a sincere effort to imitate the piety and wisdom of the great saints of the Church. This is was made especially apparent to me today. I was to confess after the Liturgy of the Saturday of Lazarus. I had been to his parish before, but had not seen his congregation.

I was struck to see so many young people. Pregnant mothers, teenage boys and girls, children of all ages, all were in attendance. That's not surprising; my parish had a great showing of youth and converts when he was with us some years back. This is in stark contrast to the congregation now attending church. You would be hard pressed to find anyone under the age of forty. Perhaps my current parish priests have something to do with that.

My spiritual father, by contrast, is a simple man. He always has a warm smile on his face, as he genuinely enjoys what he does. He's also quite intelligent and well read; he can discuss anyone from St. Basil the Great to Nietzsche with the best of them. He's also read the book I'm currently working on (when not preparing for finals), and I look forward to having more time to discuss it with him in the future.

The Church is quite fortunate to have priests such as him in Her service; I pray that, when it his time to step aside (and may that be many, many years from now) three equally loving and wise priests step in for him.

Proof

Many skeptics and doubting believers ask this question: How can you prove the existence of God?

Walking back to the library from lunch, it occurred to me that this question reveals itself to be quite silly when asked in a different context. How can you prove the existence of your natural father? Or of Frank? Or Cathy? Or anyone?

No amount of metaphysical rigmarole will ever trump the simple statement: He's standing right there!

Some may answer that you can't actually see God, whereas you can see Frank or Cathy. True, to an extent. The man who shuts his eyes tight won't see them. If we deny the organs of sight, of course we won't see anyone.

The same applies to God. How many skeptics have actually tried to see God? How many struggling believers have actually tried to see God? Have they opened their spiritual eyes?

For two thousand years untold numbers of men and women have entered monasteries and convents to devote their lives to Christ. Even more have lived the Christian life in the world, while not of the world. These people can see the "struggles" of Christian life. And yet they stick with the Church.

How many who have prayed end up atheists? Most of us end up sinners and deny God's Sovereignty and Fatherhood with our actions, it's true. But I think few of those who have ever prayed ever deny God's existence.

Because they have seen God. So the next time you hear someone ask for proof of God, perhaps it would be wise to ask him if he's ever actually looked for God.

I've been posting too much lately. Finals start in two weeks, and I've still a long way to go.

So, for a month or so, posting will be fairly light; perhaps a few scattered thoughts here and there.

Some prayers to get me through finals, and the writing competition, would be greatly appreciated. But I'm sure you all have plenty to pray about already, so don't expend your thoughts on me.

Anyway, I'm off. When I return, I hope to post some pretty lengthy and involved essays I've been mulling over for a while.

I'll have also received Communion again by then (Confession on Saturday, it's been a while).

Peace be with you all.

Quick point about the Holy Spirit:

Ever notice how the first Revelation (Old Testament) seemed to reveal God the Father to mankind, while dropping some major hints about His Son? Then the Son was revealed to mankind (boy was He ever) in the second Revelation, while dropping some major hints about the Holy Spirit.

The Third Person of the Trinity is so difficult to get a hold of at this point. At least the names "Father" and "Son" give some specific insights into the First Two Persons of the Trinity. "Holy Spirit," on the other hand, seems a purely economical name that doesn't really tell us all that much.

Perhaps the third and final Revelation (presumably the Day of Judgment) will also constitute revelation of the Holy Spirit.

I don't know. Interesting to think about, though.

Our Father

Have you ever stopped to meditate on just remarkable it is to have the great honor and privilege of calling God Father?

We do this not out of right, the way a child addresses his natural father. We do this as adoptive children, through Jesus Christ.

Before the Incarnation and Resurrection, who could call God Father? Only the Son, it seems, insofar as He is the Father's only begotten Son before all time (I suppose the Holy Spirit could call God Father as well, but it's a little more difficult to conceptualize).

And now we can call God Father! We, miserable sinners. It's almost as if, because of our adoption in Christ, we're able to take a tiny step into the Trinity itself. God is no longer just Lord and Master. We can refer to Him as the Son does. Father.

Similarly, we can refer to Christ in much the same way as the Father does. The Son is not only the Father's Son, after all. He is the Son of Man.

Once again, some of the honors of the Trinity seem to have been, through boundless economy and Grace, bestowed upon men.

I think this is the beginning and foundation of theosis. We can achieve Union with God because we can peer into the Trinity, unworthy as we are, and share the privileges of the Father and Son.

Our Father, Who art in Heaven. The Son of Man.

Beautiful. Glory to God in the Highest!

[Forgive me if this is at all heretical or otherwise nonsense. The though, which is probably not at all original, occurred to me not too long ago, and it's rather exciting.]

Pope Benedict XVI

As we Orthodox are fond of shouting at the ordination of a priest or elevation of a bishop: He is worthy!

This bodes very well.

It saddens me to read some out in the blogosphere and elsewhere, some men and women filled with such despair at Pope Benedict's election.

To those people I ask: Who do you follow? You complain that Pope Benedict will continue to enforce the "conservative" line with respect to homosexuality, the ordination of women, and the like.

Centuries ago, a bishop wrote that, just as he received the faith from the Fathers, so would he pass it down to his successors, neither omitting nor changing even one iota of the doctrines of our Lord. We come to the Church because we are sick. Alone we are sickly and pale and thin, trapped without any hope of relief in the desert of sin and iniquity.

Yet the cool waters of baptism refresh us. The very Body and Blood of Christ sustains us! In this new Ark we seek refuge from the world in creation. We leave behind the flesh and once again become the likeness and image of God. Satan's reign is ended, and in his place sits Christ the King, at the Right Hand of Our Father.

What wonder and joy! Shout it to the Heavens: Christ is Risen and we in Him!

But who, and what, keeps the sacraments that save us? Why, it is the Faith. Though God is our Father, He is not ours to define. Though this Faith is our Faith, it is also not ours to define.

Rather, it is ours to protect. Christ proclaimed the Faith to us, and we proclaim it while He is away.

Would we presume to change it? Before we do, for what reasons do we seek to change it? Because of conscience? Because our hearts tell us, for instance, that homosexuality is morally acceptable?

Remember, we turn to the Church because we are sick. All men have desires. All men feel lust, whether it is for men or women, or little boys or little girls. We offer our hearts to Christ for remission of sins and wisdom. We should not approach Christ with the confidence that our hearts speak the truth. How many men have been cast into folly because they honestly and sincerely believed that they were right?

Will you accept the Faith that the Fathers have handed down, the one first handed to them by Christ? Or will you preach a faith of your own devising?

Is your Faith eternal and unchanging, resisting the elements like a foundation of stone? Or is your faith ephemeral, the product of majorities and trends?

Andrew Sullivan has been loudest among those who despair. Yet, perhaps his words betray him: "As I sometimes tell people, I can say the creed at mass with very few reservations."

With very few reservations? Mr. Sullivan seems to be questioning the basic truth of his Church. If he cannot even say the Creed without reservation, then it does not surprise me that he cannot accept some of the other teachings his Church lays forth.

Forget leaving the Church because of homosexuality. It seems Mr. Sullivan should leave the Catholic Church because he cannot even speak the Creed with confidence?

Again, what faith do you preach?

I pray that Mr. Sullivan, and all those upset by the election of Pope Benedict, pray with true humility and reach out to the Church for help and its ministerial sacraments.

And may Pope Benedict XVI soon be Reconciled with his Orthodox brethren, in the True Faith of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.

Fork in the Road

The past few months have been pretty powerful. Some readers may recall that, not too long ago, I read The Way of a Pilgrim. That book had a profound impact on my prayer life, I think. In the universal sense my steps towards unceasing prayer were barely perceptible. But in the heart of a miserable sinner, even the thinnest rays of Light provide cause for Joy.

Great Lent has also had a considerable impact on me. I've been reading the Bible regularly (shooting for a half hour a day, though I confess I miss every now and again) and I've incorporated lengthy prayers before rising in the morning and sleeping at night.

This is not to pat myself on the back. Rather, it's to provide context. Because I've been keeping an eye out for the Enemy's tricks lately (partly a consequence of reading The Screwtape Letters last month; great book, by the way). And I've noticed the profound connection between prayer, fasting, and sin. The days when I stumble are those when I neglect my prayers, for whatever reason. It's rather amazing how beginning and ending one's day with prayer and worship (maintained throughout the day in various ways) can radically affect the way one lives that day.

Christ couldn't have made it simpler when, in chiding His disciples for not being to exercise a demon, He remarked on the necessity of prayer and fasting.

This is also all by way of background. Because, you see, I've enjoyed this insight into the depravity of my own soul. And I've enjoyed the fleeting moments when I've been aware of the Kingdom. I've been seriously considering ditching this law school thing and joining the seminary.

I should note that I've already decided to become a priest at some point. For a few months now my goal has been to finish law school, succeed in my secular calling, and then "retire" to the priesthood. After all, what better way to spend one's golden years than celebrating the Eucharist and baptizing new Christians? The added charm of this plan is that I'd (hopefully) have a Presbytera by my side to share in my humble ministry.

Lately I've thought I might want to accelerate things. But I'm not really sure. I waver back and forth every day as I think about my future. On the one hand, I think I'd really like to get married and have kids, and that I really do think I have a calling to certain secular pursuits (politics, specifically, for those keeping score). On the other hand, prayer seems to beget more prayer and a life of celebrating the Sacraments and leading people to Christ seems much more important than a life spent making money and running for office. On the other hand, I've felt since I was a kid that politics was the challenge I felt most drawn towards and suited for...

And so the debate's been raging in my head, back and forth.

I've been revealing this to family members and friends slowly now, and to my great shock no one has tried to bring me to my senses. My mother, who has anxiously been looking forward to my marriage and siring of her granchildren since the hour of my birth, said she wasn't opposed to the idea of me becoming an unmarried priest. That's a strong factor for me to consider, I think.

I can't really ask for advice or anything, since this seems such a personal and complex decision. I need to figure this one out on my own. But, if you've got a few extra moments every now and again, some prayers couldn't hurt either.

If my place is in the clergy, then I pray I realize that soon. If my place is in this world, then I pray I find what this world has to offer me (and what I have to offer it) soon.

Either way, I pray for forgiveness of sins and the grace to sin no more. And the wisdom to discern Your Will, Father, and the courage to accept it. Whatever it might be.

Lingua...something

This summer I'll have the great honor of clerking for a judge. As such, I'll actually have quite a bit of free time (summer dockets are rarely that dense).

One of the things I'd like to do is learn a language in my spare time. I'd like to find a good audio series, but something beyond the normal tourist courses. In other words, I want to be able to say more than just "where is the lavatory?" by September.

I'm thinking of learning either Latin, Japanese, Italian, or German. I've seen some audio courses supposedly drawn up by the Foreign Service, for instance, which purport to efficiently allow one to achieve competency in a given language.

Does anyone have any advice or suggests on a certain brand of courses I should invest in? Thanks in advance.

Eternal Memory

Archbishop Iakovos, former Archbishop of North and South America.

May God forgive the Archbishop of his sins and grant him a seat at the Heavenly Banquet. He did his share of good work and that should not be forgotten.

Christ our Lord, grant rest to your servant Iakovos among Your Saints, where there is no pain, sorrow or suffering, but everlasting life.

With the righteous who have reposed in Your peace, grant rest, Savior, to the soul of your servant Iakovos, and bestow upon him the blessed life which is from You, merciful Lord.

Lord, remember Your servant Iakovos who has fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection. Forgive him every transgression in thought, word or deed. Grant him peace and refreshment in the place of light where Your glory delights all the Saints. For You are the resurrection, the repose and the life of Your departed servant Iakovos, and to You I give glory, now and forever. Amen.

Cross and Crown

I really can't stand the pompous nationalistic streak among many Greek Orthodox. Permit me to relate two anecdotes.

On Friday night, an overseas priest came and sang the Akathist hymn (every Friday night during Great Lent the Orthodox have services called Salutations to the Theotokos). He was very obviously a non-Greek. When he first walked out from behind the altar, most of the congregation began to whisper among themselves for an extended period of time (nevermind that we were in church and the service was well underway). You could read their thoughts from their expressions. "Who is this brown-skinned man, and what's he doing in my church?" one could almost hear them say.

It turns out this brown-skinned man converted to Orthodoxy, though raised Catholic in Latin America. He has become very proficient in Greek. He amazed the congregation by introducing himself after the service and praising the Greek language to high Heaven. Greek, you see, was the language chosen by Christ to spread his Gospel throughout the world and the Greeks hold a place of privilege in the world.

Naturally the congregation (who just an hour ago had looked at him with ugly, racist eyes) ate this up.

This priest is doing such good work. He's baptizing tons of people, apparently. That's wonderful news, thanks be to God! He also set up a school to teach Greek. That's fine, if people want to learn Greek. But let's be honest; there's nothing that suggests that Greek is privileged as a language in any way. The Gospel was written in Greek because Greek was the lingua franca of the age. Had Christ been born today, don't you think the Gospel would have been written in English? Also, was it a mistake for Saints Cyril and Methodius to translate the Gospel into Slavonic when they preached, or should they have told the good people of Russia that they needed to learn Greek in order to be proper Christians?

The Greek Independence Day Parade (which I never attend) took place in NYC today. At Mass this morning the priest led the congregation in the Greek national anthem. Can someone please explain why this is at all different from the tables of the money-changers in the Temple? He wasn't turning God's House into a place for merchants, but her sure was turning it into a social club.

What's worse, the priest even said that the Greeks are God's new chosen people. What? Isn't there a line somewhere in the Gospels (Matthew, if memory serves, which it probably doesn't) that one is not guaranteed salvation just because one is a son of Abraham? Christ preached to the Jews, and by and large they rejected. So, as He made clear with several parables, He called for all the beggars in the streets (Gentiles) to enter His Wedding Feast. Christ didn't replace one chosen people with another. Salvation is open to all.

There are so many Greek Orthodox who gladly rail against the pretensions of the popes and the Latins. At least arguments about being the Heir of Peter have some arguable Biblical basis (one I thoroughly reject, though that's a topic for another post). Honestly, can you imagine St. John Chrysostom arguing that the Greeks are God's chosen people and that somehow Greek is God's preferred language?

People didn't even call themselves Greek from about the 2nd century BC to the 19th century AD. Those who were ethnically Greeks considered themselves Romans until some romantics had the idea of rebelling against Ottoman rule and establishing a nation based on classical civilization and the Church.

And it's not like nationality or secular matters really concerned these people all that much; being a member of the Church was infinetely more important than being Roman. The transcendent nature of even Byzantine secular art (though it was hard to find anything secular in Byzantine society) speaks to the unmistakeable importance of the Church in the lives of those Romaioi, and should be an example to all Christians today.

National and ethinic loyalites are, at best, quaint relics of a pagan past. They are to be tolerated and used for good purposes (loyalty to one's nation can teach valuable lessons, for instance) but are certainly not to be indulged in for triumphalist vainglory.

Father, have mercy on Your flock. Send us able shepherds.

Baptism

I had the distinct pleasure of seeing my second newest cousin (a precious little boy, two or so months old now, has that distinction) be baptised, confirmed, and chrysmated.

The name her parents chose is Agatha. I don't quite know how to translate the word into English; it connotes goodness, kindness, and communion with the divine. It is a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl.

It's so wonderful to see a child after baptism. I've always had a soft spot for little ones, but there's something even more wonderful about a child who's just experienced her first sacrament. The Holy Spirit's glow is blinding. Every smile causes one's heart to skip a beat.

The reception afterwards was equally joyous. I am fortunate enough to have many young cousins, with many more on the way in the next few years I'm sure. They're all such wonderful children. To see them tottering around, gripping their mothers with such love complete trust...What is there one can say? Such life, free of all staleness and decay. Like the Virgin's embrace of the Christ child, each mother's embrace of her children is timeless and a glimpse of Heaven Itself.

I realize that babies are almost little sacraments unto themselves. I remember the parents of some of these children from a few years ago, how the health of the soul was the least important thing on their minds. To be a parent is to be handed something purer than the driven snow and warmer than the cozies fire. These men and women, parents now, are suddenly anxious to have their children baptized and to protect their little ones not only from bumps and bruises but the ugliness that so many poor souls fall into. It's as if, with the birth of their children, the scales began to drop from their eyes and they began to realize that there's something more to the world than the world.

Clumsy words, all of these. Hold your children, nieces, nephews, and cousins close. Pray for them constantly. Though man can't see God's Face, perhaps we come close when we see children smile.

Father, have mercy on all children. Help them to hold fast the seal of their baptism and shine throughout their lives in Your Grace. Mother Mary, pray and protect these, your children, always. Saint Styliano, patron of these little ones, smile and pray over them. Please heed my prayers not for me, but for their sakes.

For any who are interested, I'll be resuming the verbal jousting with my Catholic friends sometime in the future. I've got some posts on various aspects of dogma that Orthodox and Catholics disagree about.

But I won't start that up yet. Now's the time for ecumenical dialogue of a different sort, one of bended knee and common prayer.

May your memory be eternal, Pope John Paul II. May your memory be eternal. May your memory be eternal.

This Pope will not be remembered for being a saint, though I think it is all but certain that he will be remembered as such. Rather, he will primarily be remembered for calling others to sainthood.

With white knuckles did he grip the cross and maneuver it onto his shoulders, and the whole world marveled. With faith much larger than a mustard seed he saw atheistic tyrannies crumble and churches open their doors to a spiritually starved populace, and the world marveled. With love did he preach the faith of his fathers, calling others to put aside decadence and false idols of the flesh and accept the love of Christ, and the world marveled. With hope and fear did he await the life everlasting, comforted by the Scripture and the Holy Spirit's saving Grace, and the world marveled.

As an Orthodox Christian I look at him with particular gratitude. For close to a thousand years a deep and abiding Schism has separated brothers in Christ. There have been attempts at Re-Union in te past, but I look at all of them with discomfort. The East rushed into these dialogues under duress, fearful of the oncoming Turkish horde and motivated more by the Emperor's need of troops than the Church's need for her sons and daughters. The West seemed to approach these dialogues with no purer motives, seeking not union but increase of authority (how many times have I seen in the history books that the East was a rebellious child that needed to be disciplined and humbled! Witness the Council of Florence, where the filioque was inserted even into the Nicene Creed in the Greek language).

Now, the East enjoys some measure of peace. And Pope John Paul II approached the Orthodox with such unmistakable and genuine. In years past who ever think of a pope referring to the Catholics and Orthodox and the two lungs of the Church? Pope John Paul II approached the bishops in the East not as a father approaching his waywards sons but as an elder brother seeking reconciliation (for the Orthodox admit that, when Re-Union finally does come, the Patriarch of Rome will be first in honor).

I pray, Pope John Paul II, that you will intercede on behalf of the Church Militant and continue to work for the reconciliation of the ancient and holy sees. I pray that you will do so from a seat of honor in the wedding hall, at the table where the Bridegroom's Feast has been set.

Christ our Lord, grant rest to your servant John Paul among Your Saints, where there is no pain, sorrow or suffering, but everlasting life.

With the righteous who have reposed in Your peace, grant rest, Savior, to the soul of your servant John Paul, and bestow upon him the blessed life which is from You, merciful Lord.

Lord, remember Your servant John Paul who has fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection. Forgive him every transgression in thought, word or deed. Grant him peace and refreshment in the place of light where Your glory delights all the Saints. For You are the resurrection, the repose and the life of Your departed servant John Paul, and to You I give glory, now and forever. Amen.

Pope John Paul II is at death's door.

I pray with whatever depth I can muster that the Pope has a good account before the awesome judgment seat of Christ.

What words can I, a sinner, offer in support of such a holy man?

What an inspiration to us all. As he lay on his bed, weakened by sickness, he asked that his aides read to him from the Gosepel. Today, Friday, he did not forget his regular prayers and meditations. As his soul prepares for life everlasting, the Pope finds solace in the Lord.

Father in Heaven, have mercy on your servant in his final hours.