October
7, 2001
"24
Discoruses: Courage"
St. Peter Damaskos
You may have heard about a small Greek Orthodox
Church at the base of the World Trade Center that was destroyed. Many of
you wrote to tell me what happened, forwarding news releases, stories
from the press, church information, etc., so I will try to condense it
all into one short paragraph for everyone's information.
St. Nicholas Church was established at the turn
of the century in a building that was originally built around 1832 as a
tavern. It is certainly not THE oldest Orthodox Church in America, but
it was one of the oldest. It was small (would hold about 40 - 50 people
for Sunday Liturgy), very pretty, and many people used to stop by during
the workday to meditate, pray, or just enjoy the cool, quiet, prayerful
interior. Tsar Nicholas II gave a number of icons to this church and
several (perhaps all?) survived the collapse of the WTC with little or
no damage. The city of Bari, Italy, has donated $500,000 to rebuild the
church and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America has already
raised another $250,000. The church was totally destroyed, but Orthodox
clergy have retrieved icons, relics, and other sacred objects from the
rubble and plans are underway to rebuild the church at the appropriate
time. Also, no one apparently died in the destruction of the church as
everyone had time to get out of the area. So, that seems to be where
things stand at the moment. Many thanks to all of you who wrote to share
information and I apologize if I have summarized anything correctly. For
more info, go to the website of the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese and go to "Enter September 11 Site"
for photos and detailed information.
Now, on to this week's study.
St. Peter of Damaskos wrote a short, but very
nice piece on "courage" and how to cultivate the courage that
is most needed in the eyes of God. It's a good teaching and, I think,
will speak to each of us during these tense times.
COURAGE
(from "The 24 Discourses")
BEGIN:
Courage does not consist in defeating and
oppressing one's neighbor, for this is overbearingness, which oversteps
the bounds of courage. Nor again does it consist in fleeing terrified
from the trials that come as a result of practicing the virtues; for
this is cowardice and falls short of courage. Courage itself consists in
persisting in every good work ad in overcoming the passions of soul and
body. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, that is, against
men, as was the case with the Jews of old, where to conquer other
nations was to do the work of God; it is against principalities and
powers, that is, against the unseen demons (Ephesians 6:12). He who is
victorious conquers spiritually; otherwise he is conquered by the
passions. The warfare described in the Old Testament prefigures our
spiritual warfare.
These two passions of overbearingness and
\cowardice, though they appear to be opposites, are both caused by
weakness. Overbearingness pulls one upwards and is outwardly something
startling and frightening, like some powerless bear, while cowardice
flees like a chased dog. No one who suffers from either of these two
passions puts his trust in the Lord, and therefore he cannot stand firm
in battle, whether he is overbearing or cowardly. But the righteous man
is as bold as a lion (Proverbs 28:1) in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom
be glory and dominion throughout the ages. Amen. END
from G.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, and
Kallistos Ware, trans., "The Philokalia -- vol. III,"
(London: Faber and Faber, 1984), pp. 258.
Unfortunately, this book is no longer in print,
although used copies can sometimes be found. Check Amazon.com
from time to time or other used book dealers; it's worth the wait!
SOME GOOD BOOKS FOR YOUR
CONSIDERATION
I just began reading one of the most interesting
books I've seen in a long time! It is "The Day-to-Day Life of the
Desert Fathers," by Fr. Lucian Reginald, a monk in the Abbey of
Solesmes. Fr. Reginald has been a monk for over forty years, and spent
two years in Egypt visiting the places where the Desert Fathers lived
and researching their lives. This book (257 pages!) recreates the daily
life of the ancient Desert Fathers and takes an in-depth look at their
lifestyles and daily routines. I cannot recommend this book strongly
enough as it really puts a "human face" on the lifestyles and
environment of the early Desert Fathers and Mother and gives us a unique
look at their way of life. Order a copy of "The
Day-to-Day Life of the Desert Fathers" today!
A nice, but low-priced option for reading the
Desert Fathers is "The Sayings of the Desert Fathers" in the
Cistercian Studies series. This collection is good for self-study or as
a gift. Check out "The
Sayings of the Desert Fathers" and see what you're missing!
Fr. Seraphim Rose, a convert to Orthodoxy, wrote
a superb book some twenty years ago that is still one of the best books
available on modern religious movements. Called "Orthodoxy and the
Religion of the Future," Fr. Seraphim examines various new
religious movements and compares them to the historical truths and
teachings of the Orthodoxy, relying heavily on the teachings of the
Desert Fathers and Holy Scriptures. I personally have read and reread
this book several times and is always fresh and exciting. I am now
reading it yet again and it is just as fresh to me now as it was when I
first read it some twenty years ago. Order a copy of "Orthodoxy
and the Religion of the Future" today -- you'll be glad you
did!
Another book you may find very interesting and
revealing is "Not of This World: the Life and Teaching of Father
Seraphim Rose." At over 1000 pages, this book goes into Fr.
Seraphim's life in great detail and describes his intellectual
pilgrimage through Eastern religions until he finally found his
spiritual home in Russian Orthodoxy. The book also goes into Fr.
Seraphim's teachings in great detail, but some readers may find the
final few chapters a bit too "political" for their taste.
Nonetheless, the book is a great read for anyone interested in how
Orthodoxy can appeal to the modern mind in modern-day America. To order "Not
of This World: the Life and Teaching of Father Seraphim Rose"
online, just follow the link.
Finally, Ms. Johanna Manley has produced a superb
Bible study reference work that is simply great to have at hand when
you're studying the Scriptures. Called, " The Bible and the Holy
Fathers for Orthodox: Daily Scripture Readings and Commentary for
Orthodox Christians," Manley has put together a superb collection
of writings from the Church Fathers on various scriptures so you can
have their words alongside the words of the Bible. This makes for an
excellent study source which allows one to study the Bible in the
context of the Church's teachings. Order "The
Bible and the Holy Fathers for Orthodox: Daily Scripture Readings and
Commentary for Orthodox Christians" today!
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