Many Muslims Baptized After the Death of Fr. Daniel Sisoyev

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The reason for the murder of the priest Daniel Sysoev was the success of his mission among the Muslims, says his friend the famous missionary Father Oleg Stenyaev, according to the news agency Interfax-Religion.

“A man gets killed when he is feared, when his spiritual superiority is feared. Father Daniel was threatened 14 times. And even on the day of his murder, he received a threatening call demanding that he must stop preaching among the Muslims. After his assassination many Muslims were baptized, as priests of other Churches have told me. The murder produced the opposite effect,”

says Father Oleg in an article published by the Orthodox newspaper Krestovsky bridge.

According to Stenayev, “When the warlord Said Buryatsky sentenced Father Daniel to death two ‘charges’ were announced—that Father Daniel conducted open debates with Muslims, and that he had them baptized.

“But the Muslims themselves initiated the debates. And the fact that they were coming to him to be baptized shows that something is lacking in Islam, that’s why they came,” said the author.

The priest emphasized that Father Daniel’s mission never had an aggressive nature, and the videos of those debates are proof of this.

“Unfortunately, the intermissions were not filmed. During the debates there were periods when everyone in the lobby started talking to each other. Many Muslims gathered around Father Daniel and asked him questions which he answered very amicably. He had no animosity towards people of other confessions and he spoke about it in his lectures: “I love these people but I do not share their faith and their beliefs,” says the article.

Father Oleg considers his friend to be a saint.

“Saints are difficult people, they always have an inspirational impulse, and they are ahead of others in ideas, words, and actions. It looked as if he was in a hurry. But actually it was us who were behind. Father Daniel was not in a rush, he was a measured person. But he set the pace and the tension and it wouldn’t let one rest idly,” he wrote.

On November 19, 2009 Father Daniel was shot in the Church of St. Thomas, where he was the rector. Soon after, on December 1, 2009, a suspect in the murder, a Kyrgyz citizen, was killed in Makhachkala during his arrest.

ΔΟΛΟΦΟΝΗΣΑΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΟ ΙΕΡΕΑ ΣΤΗΝ ΣΥΡΙΑ - ΠΡΩΤΑ ΤΟΥ ΕΒΓΑΛΑΝ ΤΑ ΜΑΤΙΑ (VIDEO)

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ΕναςΕλληνορθόδοξος ιερέας που υπηρετούσε στο Πατριαρχείο Αντιοχείας δολοφονήθηκε από μισθοφόρου ισλαμιστές στην Συρία, αφού πρώτα βασανίστηκε φρικτά,ενώ  μετέφερε λύτρα για την απελευθέρωση ενός απαχθέντος Σύρου γιατρού επίσης ελληνορθόδοξου. Ο ιερέας απάχθηκε με την σειρά του και ζητήθηκαν λύτρα για την απελευθέρωσή του.

Είναι μόνο ένα αιματηρό επεισόδιο από τα εκατοντάδες που έχουν συμβεί σε βάρος της Ελληνορθόδοξης κοινότητας της Συρίας τους οποίους δολοφονούν καθημερινά οι ισλαμιστές αντάρτες και οι μισθοφόροι ενώ το ελληνικό υπουργείο Εξωτερικών έχει ταχθεί σαφώς υπέρ των ισλαμιστών με δηλώσεις ακόμα και του ίδιου του υπουργού Εξωτερικών Δ.Αβραμόπουλου.

Ο 43χρονος ιερέας Σωτήρη Χαντάντ, βρέθηκε νεκρός στην πόλη Κατάνα και ενώ αγνοούνταν η τύχη του επί μια τουλάχιστον εβδομάδα. Τον είχαν βασανίσει φρικτά, του έβγαλαν τα μάτια και βέβαια είχαν αρπάξει τα λύτρα που μετέφερε για τον απελευθέρωση του άλλους Ελληνορθόδοξου, του οποίου η τύχη αγνοείται.

Όλα ξεκίνησαν πριν από δέκα ημέρες όταν άγνωστοι απήγαγαν έναν 35χρονο γιατρό μέλος της Ορθόδοξης Κοινότητας. Τότε ισλαμιστές μισθοφόροι τηλεφώνησαν στην οικογένειά του και ζήτησαν λύτρα ύψους 550.000 ευρώ για να τον αφήσουν ελεύθερο.

Τα χρήματα ανέλαβαν να μεταφέρουν ο ιερέας και ο θείος του γιατρού, όμως και αυτοί στην συνέχεια, έπεσαν και αυτοί θύματα απαγωγής.

Σύμφωνα με τις ίδιες πληροφορίες σήμερα, Πέμπτη, το πρωί οι επιτελείς του Πατριαρχείου Αντιοχείας δέχθηκαν τηλεφώνημα αγνώστου, πιθανότατα από την ομάδα των απαγωγέων, ο οποίος τους έδωσε πληροφορίες για την τοποθεσία που βρισκόταν η σωρός του ιερέα στην πόλη Ντρούσα, στην συνοικία Τζαραμάνα. Το ακόμα πιο τραγικό είναι ότι κατά την διάρκεια της κηδείας του οι ισλαμιστές είχαν τοποθετήσει βόμβες στις πορεία της πομπής, οι οποίοι σκότωσαν τουλάχιστον 4 άτομα, όλους Ελληνορθόδοξους.

Το Πατριαρχείο Αντιοχείας εξέδωσε ανακοίνωση σε μια προσπάθεια να κατευνάσει τα πνεύματα. «Ζούμε όλοι μαζί. Η ενέργεια αυτή δεν μπορεί να έγινε από Σύριους. Οι άνθρωποι σέβονται τους ιερείς, όπως και τους Ιμάμηδες», φωτογραφίζοντας τους ισλαμιστές μισθοφόρους που με την υποστήριξη των δυτικών έχουν αιματοκυλίσει την Συρία.

Μέχρι στιγμής δεν έχει υπάρξει κανένα συλληπητήριο τηλεγράφημα από το ελληνικό υπουργείο Εξωτερικών, ενώ αντίθετα πριν μερικές ημέρες η ρωσική εκκλησία είχε εκφράσει την αγωνία της για την τύχη των χριστιανών της Συρίας, οι οποίοι διώκονται και δολοφονούνται από τους ισλαμιστές.

Ρώσος ορθόδοξος ιερέας σώζει 2000 βρέφη από άμβλωση

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LifeSiteNews / ΚΟΚΚΙΝΟΣ ΟΥΡΑΝΟΣ

Ένας ορθόδοξος ιερέας από την περιοχή του Βόλγκογκραντ (πρώην Στάλινγκραντ) της Ρωσίας επαινέθηκε από το ρωσικό Υπουργείο Υγείας, για το έργο του στη μείωση του αριθμού των αμβλώσεων στην περιοχή του. Με τις προσωπικές του προσπάθειες με παροχή συμβουλών και βοηθώντας τις γυναίκες να κρατήσουν τα μωρά τους, τα ποσοστά αμβλώσεων έχουν μειωθεί στην περιοχή Volgograd κατά 25 τοις εκατό κατά τα τελευταία πέντε χρόνια.

Ο πατέρας Alexis Tarasov άρχισε το έργο διάσωσης ανθρωπίνων ζωών στη δική του ενορία στην πόλη Voljsk, όπου είπε ότι πέρασε ώρες μιλώντας με γυναίκες που σκέφτονταν να κάνουν άμβλωση. Μετά από μία περίοδο με επισκέψεις στο τοπικό νοσοκομείο, αποφάσισε μαζί με άλλους ομοϊδεάτες του ιερείς, να δημιουργήσει ένα κέντρο κρίσης εγκυμοσύνης.

Με την υποστήριξη της επισκοπής του, πλησίασε τις τοπικές αρχές για να συμβάλουν στη διεύρυνση του έργου.

«Το πρόγραμμα εγκρίθηκε το 2002 από τη διοίκηση του Voljsk», δήλωσε ο πατέρας Αλέξης. "Στη συνέχεια, αναπτύχθηκε η ιδέα για τη δημιουργία ενός περιφερειακού κέντρου, με την υποστήριξη της διοίκησης του Volgograd."

Το αποτέλεσμα ήταν η δημιουργία του Κέντρου για την Προστασία της Μητρότητας και της Παιδικής Ηλικίας, υπό την εποπτεία της Ορθόδοξης Ιατρικής Εταιρείας ‘Αρχάγγελος Ραφαήλ’.

Σύμφωνα με το Υπουργείο Υγείας, πάνω από 2.000 γυναίκες του Volgograd έχουν επιλέξει να εγκαταλείψουν την αρχική τους πρόθεση να προβούν σε άμβλωση από την εποχή εκείνη.

Ο πατέρας Alexis εξήγησε ότι το επίκεντρο του έργου του είναι απλό: να παρέχει στις γυναίκες εκπαιδευμένους ανθρώπους που με συμπάθεια θα ακούσουν τις ανησυχίες τους και θα δώσουν πλήρεις πληροφορίες σχετικά με τη διαδικασία της άμβλωσης και τις πιθανές επιπτώσεις στην υγεία και την ευημερία τους, και θα τους προσφέρουν το υλικό που χρειάζονται για να βοηθηθούν.

«Αρκετά συχνά, το μόνο πράγμα που απαιτείται για να αποτρέψουμε μια μητέρα από αυτή την τρομερή απόφαση είναι απλά να μιλήσει σε κάποιον με ανοιχτή καρδιά», είπε ο πατέρας Αλέξης.

Η Ναταλία Ermishkina, 31 ετών, είναι μια από τις γυναίκες που ο πατέρας Αλέξης απέτρεψε από την άμβλωση. Η νεαρή μητέρα είπε ότι είχε χάσει το δωμάτιό της στις εργατικές κατοικίες, αφού εγκαταλείφθηκε από τον άνθρωπο που υποσχέθηκε να την παντρευτεί και να μεγαλώσει το παιδί τους. Από απόγνωση, η Ναταλία αποφάσισε να ξεφορτωθεί το παιδί.

«Ο ψυχολόγος στην προγεννητική με άκουσε και με συμβούλεψε να μιλήσω στον πατέρα Αλέξη», δήλωσε η Ναταλία. «Πήγα σ 'αυτόν και δεν το μετανιώνω. Γέννησα την Αλεξάνδρα, και το Κέντρο με βοήθησε όσον αφορά τη στέγαση και τα ρούχα για το παιδί. Έχω μια κόρη, και τώρα αρχίζω να πιστεύω και να προσβλέπω σε μια καλύτερη ζωή».

"Σήμερα, όλες οι γυναίκες που επιζητούν την έκτρωση αποστέλλονται από τους γυναικολόγους για διαβουλεύσεις με ψυχολόγους που εργάζονται σε κάθε προγεννητικό νοσοκομείο", δήλωσε ο Νικολάι Zarkin, επικεφαλής ιατρός του Κεντρικού Μαιευτηρίου Νο 2 στο Volgograd.

Ο Zarkin δήλωσε ότι μετά τις διαβουλεύσεις αυτές, το 20 τοις εκατό από τις γυναίκες αρνούνται την άμβλωση και θέλουν να γεννήσουν τα παιδιά τους.

Ο πατέρας Αλέξης παρέχει βοήθεια για τις μητέρες, αφού γεννήσουν τα παιδιά τους, με την παροχή νομικής βοήθειας, καθώς και με ρούχα στο Κέντρο για την Προστασία της Μητρότητας και της Παιδικής Ηλικίας, και προσβλέπει στην παροχή περισσότερων κατοικιών.

"Όπου είναι δυνατό, προσπαθούμε να βοηθήσουμε τις γυναίκες που έχουν ανάγκη. Υπάρχει τώρα μια οξεία ανάγκη για τη δημιουργία περισσότερων σπιτιών για μητέρες που χρειάζονται στέγαση. Είναι σημαντικό να χτίσουμε σπίτια και να τα εξοπλίσουμε, έτσι ώστε οι γυναίκες να μπορούν να ζουν με τα παιδιά τους μέχρι το στεγαστικό τους πρόβλημα να επιλυθεί", δήλωσε ο πατέρας Αλέξης. "Αλλά είναι δύσκολο χωρίς τη βοήθεια από τις αρχές και, χωρίς ευεργέτες, να μπορέσουμε να το κάνουμε."

Η Pravoslavie News αναφέρει ότι στον πατέρα Αλέξη έχει δοθεί ένα βραβείο από το Παγκόσμιο Συνέδριο των Οικογενειών για τον πολυετή αγώνα του υπέρ της ζωής.

ΠΗΓΗ.ΚΟΚΚΙΝΙΣ ΟΥΡΑΝΟΣ

Finnish Pastor Juha Molari Converts To Orthodox Faith

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Finnish Lutheran Church pastor Juha Molari converted to the Orthodox faith at a ceremony conducted by Archpriest Nikolay Voskoboinikov at Helsinki’s St. Nicholas Church, which belongs to the Russian Orthodox Church, on October 30.

“It is a very important decision in my life, but it cannot be called difficult. The Russian Church is not some sect, but a multi-million community of worshippers living in different countries,” Molari told Interfax-Religion.

Molari said that his wife and children are Russian citizens and belong to the Moscow Patriarchate.

“That is why it is quite normal for me to belong to the same Church,” Molari said, adding that he was supported by Orthodox priests.

“I realized that it is easy to be within the Church where you are loved,” he said.

The Lutheran Church earlier defrocked Pastor Molari for openly criticizing the Kavkaz-Center website, which was recognized by Russia as extremist.

“Molari has been punished because he demanded Finnish law enforcement agencies’ reaction to the activities of Kavkaz-Center, organized a picket against this website and spoke out against this mouthpiece of Chechen terrorists led by Doku Umarov,”

Finland’s Antifascist Committee head Johan Backman told Interfax.

Molari has been campaigning for the website’s shutdown for spreading propaganda supporting terrorism. He turned to the police in October 2010 and complained he had been threatened by Chechen terrorists and separatists.

The police, however, dismissed the priest’s demands as groundless and refused to launch a criminal investigation into these threats.

Molari also advocated the interests of Russian national Rimma Salonen, criticized the Pro Karelia anti-Russian organization, which demands a review of the post-World War II border and the return of Karelia’s territory to Finland, as well as protested against the public demonstration of the Soviet Stori anti-Russian film in Finland organized by Pro Karelia.

In April, the Human Rights Center of the World Russian People’s Assembly called on Molari to convert to the Orthodox faith.

“Orthodox people really need such brave people like you today,” it said.

 jourrneytoorthodoxy

Magicians Who Converted to Christianity

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By John Sanidopoulos

Throughout the history of Christianity, many magicians are recorded to have abandoned their ancient art and accepted the Christian faith, not because magic was found to be “fake” or “debunked”, but because they came to believe that in the eternal light of truth of the Triune God what they thought had spiritual power was in fact darkness, evil and a demonic lie.

Among the first magicians to abandon their craft after having witnessed the greater power of Christ were certain Ephesians in the middle of the first century after being visited by the Apostle Paul. Acts 19:11-20 records this astonishing event:

Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.

And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”

Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

Many other magicians converted during the early centuries of Christianity, when paganism prevailed and Christians were persecuted by the pagans. Among them were St. Gargalos (Sept. 29) who was a pagan priest under King Sapor of Persia and was martyred with Sts. Dada and Gobdelaas in the fourth century, St. Athanasius (Apr. 23) who was a magician under Emperor Diocletian and was martyred in 303 A.D. after witnessing the sufferings of St. George, and St. Marus (May 31) who was a magician and martyr under the Procunsel of Comana Sebastian in the second century and converted after failing to be able to poison St. Hermias the Great Martyr.

The most famous magician of the early Church to have converted to Christianity is the Holy Martyr Cyprian (Oct. 2). Cyprian was a pagan magician of Antioch who was dealing with demons. By their aid he sought to bring St. Justina, a Christian virgin, to ruin; but she foiled the threefold attacks of the devils by the sign of the cross. Brought to despair, Cyprian made the sign of the cross himself and in this way was freed from the grip of Satan. The story of St. Cyprian became especially popular among Christians during the reign of Julian the Apostate, who in the middle of the fourth century tried to revive paganism in the Roman Empire, and his tale strengthened Christians to not sacrifice to the pagan gods, whose power was nothing before the Cross of Christ. Sts. Cyprian and Justina are even today invoked as patrons of those who have become influenced by demons and magic.

Even in our modern times there are examples of those who practiced the dark arts and converted to Christianity. Vladimir Bykov was a well-known Spiritualist in Russia who abandoned his craft after meeting with the holy spiritual fathers of Optina Monastery. He wrote a book titledCalm Havens for the Respite of a Suffering Soul. He would come to say:

“Spiritism is demonic! Orthodox Christianity is your answer.”

Vladimir eventually became an Orthodox Christian priest and in 1924 or 1925 was martyred for his Orthodox faith by the atheist communists.

More recently in Greece a former magician, Evangelos Koutroubelis, became an Orthodox Christian, and wrote a book against magic and the dark arts, titled The Deceiver of People(published by “Astir” in 1994).

Source: Mystagogy

Church in a Train has covered 4000 km of Russian Railroads

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On October 30 the train No.175 Vorkuta-Moscow, carrying a church, arrived at the Yaroslavl railway station in Moscow. It was the first missionary trip of a church in a train. The special car was consecrated by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia on October 18 in honour of the icon of the Mother of God called ‘Hodegetria’, or ‘She Who Shows the Way’. The church in a train has covered 4000 kilometeres.

With the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch meeting the train was Archbishop John of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for Mission. Also meeting the train was Ms.G.Klestova, deputy head of the passenger services of the Moscow Railways.

During the trip, which lasted 10 days, the missionaries celebrated 9 Divine Liturgies, made 3 processions with the cross along central streets of the cities which they visited. 1870 people were baptized. Taking part in the missionary trip were clergymen of the Belgorod diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, staff members of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for Mission, faculty and students of the Belgorod Theological Seminary with missionary orientation. Every day they met with the inhabitants of the distant places and told them about the mission, the Church and the foundations of the Orthodox faith. The choir of the seminary students gave concerts of religious hymns in the Slavonic, Georgian and English languages,  as well as concerts of Russian and Ukrainian folk music. Thanks to the benefactors, the missionaries had an opportunity to disseminate religious literature free of charge. The healing of the souls was accompanied by the assistance to medical doctors. Many local hospitals were given necessary medicine free of charge. With the blessing of Archbishop John all occasional services during the trip were performed free of charge.

A press-conference was held on the results of the trip, taking part in which were Archbishop John of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for Mission; Ms.G.Klestova, deputy head of the passenger services of the Moscow Railways; Archpriest Sergy Popov, a staff member of the Department for Mission who served as rector of the church in a train; project author deacon Georgy Savin and manager of the ‘Invarkorp’ pharmaceutical company Mr.V.Nilov.

Archpriest Sergy Popov, who led the group of missionaries and served as rector of the church in a train, said that it was not fortuitous that the new missionary train made its first stop in St.Petersburg. The history of missionary trains in Russia dates back to the late 19th century. In 1896 a train with a church was produced at the Putivl factory on the order of Tsar Nicholas II, now canonized as a passion-bearer. Now, after over 100 years, the missionary train repeated the route of its predecessor in the beginning of the trip. From St.Petersburg the train went along the south of the Archangelsk region. According to Archpriest Sergy Popov, these are places almost without Orthodox churches, and the railway road is virtually the only connection with the rest of the world. The time-table of the trip was drawn up in such a way that the train moved at nights so that the doors of the church would be open at 09.00 a.m., and a pilgrimage of the locals would begin. Indeed, people rushed to the church in the endless stream, while the train was at the station.

According to Archbishop John, there were also dining-car and sleeping-car for missionaries on the train. The Archbishop emphasized that it was a trial run, which should be comprehended and developed with all positive and negative factors being taken into account. Plans for the future include trips to the distant regions of our country, Siberia and the Far East among them. Also, the missionaries will probably make trips by air. One of the projects is ‘the air procession with the cross’. The plane with the most venerated holy items of the Russian Orthodox Church will fly round the whole country along its borders.

http://www.mospat.ru

The Holy Apostle Thomas

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Thomas was one of the Twelve Apostles. The name Thomas means, “twin.” He was a Galilean by birth. Through his doubt in the Resurrection of Christ the Lord, a new proof was given of that wonderful and saving event. The resurrected Lord appeared to His disciples a second time, in order to convince Thomas. The Lord said to Thomas: Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas replied: My Lord and my God (John 20:27-28). After the descent of the Holy Spirit, when the apostles cast lots to see where they would each go to preach, the lot fell to Thomas to go to India. He was a little saddened that he had to go so far away, but the Lord appeared to him and encouraged him. In India, St. Thomas converted many, both aristocrats and poor, to the Christian Faith, and established the Church there, appointing priests and bishops. Among others, Thomas converted two sisters to the Faith-Tertiana and Migdonia-both wives of Indian princes. Because of their faith, both sisters were ill-treated by their husbands, with whom they no longer wanted to live after their baptism. Eventually, they were allowed to go. Being freed of marriage, they lived God-pleasing lives until their repose. Dionysius and Pelagia were betrothed, but when they heard the apostolic preaching they did not marry, but devoted themselves to the ascetic life. Pelagia ended her life as a martyr for the Faith, and Dionysius was ordained a bishop by the apostle. Prince Mazdai, Tertiana’s husband, whose son, Azan, was also baptized by Thomas, condemned the apostle to death. Mazdai sent five soldiers to kill Thomas. They ran him through with their five spears, and thus the Holy Apostle Thomas rendered his soul into the hands of Christ. Before his death, he and the other apostles were miraculously brought to Jerusalem for the burial of the Most-holy Theotokos. Arriving too late, he wept bitterly, and the tomb of the Holy Most-pure One was opened at his request. The Theotokos’ body was not found in the tomb: the Lord had taken His Mother to His heavenly habitation. Thus, in his tardiness St. Thomas revealed to us the wondrous glorification of the Mother of God, just as he had once confirmed faith in the Resurrection of the Lord by his unbelief.

Postage stamp from India honouring the Apostle Thomas

Sophronius, quoted by Saint Jerome, says that Saint Thomas preached to the Parthians, Persians, Medes, Hyrcanians, Bactrians and neighbouring nations. His tomb was known by Saint John Chrysostom to be at Edessa in Syria, to which city his holy relics may have been translated from India in the fourth century. Saint Ephraim the Syrian also refers to the transfer of St.Thomas’ relics to Edessa in the 4th century, from where later transferred to Constantinople. Nowdays the Holy Monastery of Saint John the Theologian on Patmos (Greece), near the site of the Revelation to St.John, has the blessing of protecting the Holy Skull of Saint Thomas, which continues to work many miracles.

A beautiful story from the life of St. Thomas:

“We have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens (II Corinthians 5:1), says the discerning Apostle Paul. All our efforts for God on earth have this purpose: to merit, according to our power, this eternal house in the heavens not made by hands. The Indian King Gundafor decided to build himself a magnificent palace, unlike any other on earth. When Abban, his envoy, sought a skilled craftsman to build the king’s palace, he met the Apostle Thomas by God’s providence. St. Thomas told him that he was a craftsman, and that no one else could build what the king wanted. Thomas therefore received much gold from the king for the building of this palace. As soon as he departed from the king, he distributed all the gold to the poor. The palace site was some distance from the king’s capital, and after two years the king sent servants to ask Thomas if the palace was completed. Thomas replied: “Everything is ready except the roof,” and he sought more money from the king; and the king gave it to him. Again, Thomas distributed it all to the poor, and went throughout the kingdom doing his work, preaching the Gospel. The king, learning that Thomas had not even begun to build the palace, seized him and threw him into prison. That night, the king’s brother died, and the king fell into great sorrow. An angel took the soul of the deceased and, leading him through Paradise, showed him a magnificent palace, such as the mind of man could not imagine. The soul of the deceased wished to enter that palace, but the angel told him that he could not, for it was his brother’s palace, which the Apostle Thomas had built with his alms. Then the angel returned the brother’s soul to his body. When he came to himself, he said to the king: “Swear to me that you will give me anything I ask.” And the king swore. Then the brother said: “Give me the palace that you have in the heavens.” The king was amazed that he had a palace in the heavens. When the brother described everything in detail, the king believed and immediately released Thomas from prison. Then, when he heard the apostle’s preaching of salvation and eternal life, the king and his brother were baptized. King Gundafor undertook new works of charity, and built an even more magnificent palace in the heavens for himself.”

The precious and wonderworking Skull of St.Thomas the Apostle, treasured by the Holy Monastery of St.John the Theologian Patmos

Apolytikion in the Third Tone
O Holy Apostle Thomas, intercede to our merciful God, that He may grant our souls forgiveness of sins.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
Christ’s Apostle, who was filled with God’s divine grace, he who was His genuine and faithful servant in all truth, all-lauded Thomas exclaimed aloud in deep repentance: Thou art both my God and Lord.
ΟΜΗΚSEA

Russian Church Sanctifies North Pole

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A Russian Orthodox bishop has dropped a capsule with a blessing from Patriarch Kirill on the North Pole point.

The capsule includes a small plate with the inscription:

“With the blessing of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All of the Rus, the consecration of the North Pole marks the 1150 years of Russian Statehood.”

The Church consecration took place as part of the major ongoing Arctic-2012 expedition, a mission organized by the Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute. The capsule was dropped to sea by Bishop Iakov of Naryan-Mar in a ceremony attended by both expedition leader Vladimir Sokolov and ship Captain Oleg Shchapin.

As previously reported, the Arctic expedition left Murmansk with the nuclear powered icebreaker “Rossiya” on 8 September. On 13 September, the vessel reached the Pole point, and the expedition subsequently continued through Arctic waters towards the site where the drifting Russian research station “North Pole-39” will be replaced by a new facility.

Like the historical planting of a Russian flag on the North Pole seabed in 2007, the recent symbolic, but still highly politically motivated, Church consecration illustrates the current major Russian drive on Arctic issues. Commenting on the Church ceremony, Bishop Iakov says the consecration of the North Pole is of importance not only for the Church, but for “all of Russia”, and that it symbolizes the Russian state efforts on

“the return of the country’s former positions in the region”.

“The Russian Orthodox Church in all possible ways supports this process”, Bishop Iakov underlined.

Bishop Iakov was in early 2012 appointed leader of the Naryan-Mar and Mezen diocese. He has from before attended several Arctic and Antarctic missions and will be part of the whole ongoing one-month Arctic 2012 expedition.
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Ισλάμ vs Δύση (του Χρυσοστόμου Γαλλουρίδη)

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Καθηγητή Διεθνούς Πολιτικής στο Πάντειο Πανεπιστήμιο

ΟΙ ΕΞΕΛΙΞΕΙΣ των τελευταίων εβδομάδων αναφορικά με την «προσβλητική συμπεριφορά» εκπροσώπων της καλλιτεχνικής δημιουργίας του δυτικού κόσμου και οι απρόσμενες μεν αναμενόμενες δε αντιδράσεις μεγάλων μερίδων του μουσουλμανικού πληθυσμού σε διάφορα σημεία της υδρογείου αποκαλύπτουν ή αναδεικνύουν ένα νέο σκηνικό παγκόσμιας σύγκρουσης, το οποίο κατά καιρούς εκδηλωνόταν, αλλά διατηρήθηκε ευσχήμως και αυτονοήτως ως υποβόσκουσα αντίθεση όλα τα τελευταία χρόνια, ειδικά από την περίφημη εκδοτική βόμβα του Σαλμάν Ρουσντί και τις γνωστές προφητείες του Σάμιουελ Χάντιγκτον, που ακολούθησαν την πτώση του διπολικού συστήματος παγκόσμιας ισορροπίας.

Σήμερα η απειλή ενός πολυεπίπεδου συγκρουσιακού φαινομένου είναι κάτι παραπάνω από έκδηλη αφού αγγίζει νέες ιδεολογικο-κοσμοθεωρητικές αντιλήψεις δύο κόσμων που τους χωρίζει ένα μη ορατό πάντα, πλην όμως απολύτως υπαρκτό, βαθύτατο ρήγμα συγκρουσιακής προσέγγισης της ίδιας της ζωής και της οργάνωσης των κοινωνιών. Η εξέγερση του ισλαμικού παράγοντα σε όλα τα σημεία της υδρογείου προκαλεί ανησυχία διεθνώς, ιδιαίτερα στις δυτικές δημοκρατίες, όχι μόνο γιατί έρχεται αυτή η αναταραχή με το Ισλάμ και η αντιπαράθεση του με το δυτικό κόσμο σε μια στιγμή παγκόσμιας πολυεπίπεδης βαθιάς κρίσης, αλλά και γιατί αυτός ο ξεσηκωμός τείνει να επιβεβαιώσει και να επαληθεύσει την προφητεία του Χάντιγκτον περί σύγκρουσης πολιτισμών.

Αυτό που συμβαίνει υπογραμμίζει ένα ισχυρότατο ρήγμα μεταξύ του συστήματος αξιών και του τρόπου κοινωνικοποίησης των ανθρώπων στον ισλαμικό κόσμο και του χριστιανικού κόσμου της Δύσης. Πρόκειται για μια κοινωνικοποίηση που διαμορφώνει την προσωπικότητα, τις αντιλήψεις ζωής και τις προσλαμβάνουσες παραστάσεις ως προς τον κόσμο και την εν γένει κοινωνική συμπεριφορά των ανθρώπων σε όλα τα επίπεδα της κοινωνικής, οικονομικής, πολιτικής και πολιτισμικής ζωής και δραστηριότητας του ανθρώπου στις χώρες, στα κράτη, στα πολιτικά συστήματα και τις κοινωνίες.

Αυτή η συγκρουσιακή διάσταση της σχέσης του Ισλάμ με το δυτικό κόσμο ξεπερνά κατά πολύ τη θρησκευτική αντίθεση όπως θα μπορούσε να εμφανιστεί από ορισμένους και ακριβώς επειδή εστιάζεται στην κοινωνικοποίηση των ανθρώπων, που είναι τελείως διαφορετική ως σύστημα αξιών και αγκαλιάζει όλες τις μορφές ανθρώπινης δράσης από τον τρόπο που αντιλαμβάνεται κανείς τη ζωή και το θάνατο, τη δημιουργία στην τέχνη, στο θέατρο και τον κινηματογράφο, μέχρι το πολιτικό σύστημα ως δημοκρατική ή μη δημοκρατική διακυβέρνηση.

Το χάσμα στο οποίο αναφερθήκαμε και που είναι ευρύτατο θα μπορούσε όντως να οδηγήσει σε μια σύγκρουση πολιτισμών με απρόβλεπτα αποτελέσματα για την ούτως ή άλλως ασταθή, ρευστή και συγκρουσιακή παγκόσμια κοινότητα, είτε στο πλαίσιο μιας σοβαρής έκρηξης μιας διαμάχης όλων εναντίον όλων είτε σε περιφερειακές συγκρούσεις που θα οδηγήσουν σε μια αλυσιδωτή, εκρηκτική κατάσταση σε όλο τον κόσμο. Πρέπει να βρεθούν κατεπειγόντως δίαυλοι επικοινωνίας και συνεννόησης μεταξύ ηγετικών παραγόντων των πολιτισμών, που θα οδηγήσουν σταδιακά σε κατευνασμό, συνεννόηση και αποδοχή του άλλου.

Από την εφημερίδα «Τύπος της Κυρακής», Κυριακή 30 Σεπτεμβρίου 2012