ORTHODIXIE ... Southern, Orthodox, Convert, Etc.

This week's episode of the Orthodixie Podcast is about that big event of summer. But, for the Old Marrieds, here's a little chuckle someone sent me a while back:

A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband.

Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen.

"Careful," he said, "CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my gosh!

You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN

THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my gosh! WHERE are

we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK!

Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen

to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up!

Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them.

You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt.

USE THE SALT! THE SALT!"

The wife stared at him. "What in the world is wrong with you?

You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?"

The husband calmly replied, "I just wanted to show you

what it feels like when I'm driving."

* * *

Love is in the air ... goin' to the chapel and we're gonna ... take out the papers and the trash ... you may kiss the ... love stinks! The missing parts, and the glue that holds it all together, this week on ...

The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.

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In the wee hours of Pascha, we Orthodox begin a joyful dialogue where when someone says “Christ is Risen!” the reply is “Indeed, He is Risen!” Or, “Truly, He is Risen!”

In those early hours of Pascha, some folks have grown a little rusty on their Orthodox lingo.

Imagine: “Christ is Risen!”

“Glorify Him!” (The Christmas response.)

Or … “Christ is Risen!”

And the inevitable reply: “Happy Easter!”

Then there’s the fun we have for 40 days in the shortened written form. Emails and letters end with just the letters XB, CA, or CR (Christos Voskrese, Christos Anesti, Christ is Risen) – and the reply comes back BB, AA, or TR (Voistinu Voskrese, Alithos Anesti, Truly Risen) …

Those who are like me, that is, a Rule Follower, are very strict about when you are allowed to say the Christ is Risen dialogue. It is my sinfulness, sure – but when I arrive to church before the Pascha service begins and someone says “Christ is Risen!” I’m tempted to say: “Not yet, He’s not!”

Then there are those who come to Holy Saturday morning Liturgy and say “Christ is Risen” when they kiss the Cross (because they won’t be there early tomorrow morning) … and I sin by thinking “Don’t say that! There’s another 13 hours to go yet!”

Silly.

We say it, “Christ is Risen – Indeed, He is Risen” at the end of our services, our family prayers, answering the telephone, and concluding the blessing over food.

I say it when I kiss my kids good night …

And it’s them, the young children, that seem most disappointed when we no longer continue the Christ is Risen dialogue. “Why can’t we say it anymore?”

Well, that’s a good question. Why CAN’T we say it any more?

The answer: THE ASCENSION.

Now isn’t that horrible? We have a great feast like the Ascension of Christ to come along and, 1) it’s always on a Thursday, and 2) it concludes the biggest celebration of all, Pascha.

It’s like taking down the Christmas tree before the needles are even brown.

Oops! It’s the Ascension. Honeymoon’s over … everybody out of the pool!

Christ is Risen?
Not any more He ain't.

Did you know there is an Ascension Dialogue? Yep. But, one of the problems is, there’s no one universal response …

Christ is Ascended!

He is Ascended in Glory!

Christ is Ascended!

From earth to heaven!

Christ is Ascended!

With a Shout!

Try that on your friends this week. Just go into the office and say “Oh, hi, Marge – Christ is Ascended!”

Maybe in the supermarket: “May I see your ID, please?”

“Sure, and Christ is Ascended!”

“Sir, do you know how fast you were going? May I see your license and registration?”

“Officer, first of all, let me just say: Christ is Ascended!”

None of that works, of course. It probably works just as poorly with Christ is Risen – or Christ is Born – to those not expecting it.

Face it, even the Orthodox are not so hip on the Ascension dialogue.

The world goes on with the mundane business of being the world, rarely being interrupted by Christians … and, even in the Church, we set our minds toward schools being dismissed, vacation plans, etc.

The Ascension … an awesome … but forgettable event.

Forty days after the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection, PASCHA, we celebrate the Great Feast of the Ascension of our Lord into heaven.

Jesus had spoken with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit and, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, Who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven."

The Lord ascended to Heaven not to sadden us with His departure, but to fulfill His ministry among us.

It is to your advantage that I go away, He had told His disciples. [For] if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you (John 16:7). I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth.... The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name. He will teach you all things (John 14:16, 26).

The Lord knew the trials and tribulations that would be endured by His disciples -- mockings, scourgings, imprisonment, even death. And thus the Lord ascended to His Heavenly Father that the Spirit might descend from the Father as the Comforter, and fortify His Friends.

One of our Lord’s friends was St Seraphim of Sarov, who lived 200 years ago. St Seraphim repeatedly broke with Pascha dialogue protocol. It is said that immediately upon seeing visitors – especially children, whom he loved – He'd make a prostration and greet them with a kiss, saying: “Christ is Risen! My Joy!”

To everyone he would say, no matter what time of the year it was, "Christ is Risen!" He called everyone, "my joy".

This reminded them of the saving power of Christ's Resurrection. Each left full of peace and joy and the desire to lead a life pleasing to God.

St. Seraphim helped people in many ways. When the people thanked him for what he had done, he told them: "Do not thank me; I am only the servant of Jesus Christ."

Troparion of the Feast (Tone 4)
O Christ God, Thou hast ascended in Glory, granting joy to Thy disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit. Through the blessing they were assured that Thou art the son of God, the Redeemer of the world!

Kontakion of the Feast (Tone 6)
When Thou didst fulfill the dispensation for our sake, and unite earth to heaven: Thou didst ascend in glory, O Christ our God, not being parted from those who love Thee, but remaining with them and crying: I am with you and no one will be against you!

St Seraphim of Sarov said that the purpose of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit.

And it is here that we find ourselves at this moment in time within the Church Year.

Christ is Risen!

Christ is Ascended!

And, brothers and sisters in Christ, while He yet prepares a place for us for our eternal joy, we remember the descent of the Comforter, the promise, the strength, the joy ... of PENTECOST!

All the power, all the fruit of His divine Ascension, therefore, belong to us, for when He ascended on High, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men (Eph. 4:8).

This is why the Church, during Vespers of the Ascension, repeatedly proclaims: "Clap your hands, all you nations, for Christ is ascended up to the place where He was before!"

And, seeing as how I’ve broken the rules over two dozen times in this blog post, one last time before the piety police come to take me away:

CHRIST IS RISEN!

TRULY, HE IS RISEN!

He has ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father.

Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

This piece originally aired as an Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.

Pic Source

For more on THE ASCENSION -- go here.
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The Campus Ministry of St Thomas Indian Orthodox Church is an active bunch. I was blessed, last week, to be a speaker at their monthly meeting which was held at the church in their Campus Ministry "upper room".

What a fun group!


After dividing up into 4 different groups, it was time to break the ice. The groups were instructed that the activity would resemble a popular Bridal Shower contest -- except, instead of dresses, those chosen would be "decorated" to resemble biblical characters using only tape ...


... and toilet paper.


Here's Eve getting her hair done ...


... and, of course, Mary Magdalene.


Oh, wait ... uh, nevermind. (These guys are too young to remember George Clinton.)


Here's Eve hastening off to find some food.


In an ironic story twist -- at least as far as the premise of this book is concerned -- the only available prop for a tree (the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) was this cross.


Not all where dressed as women. Here's the manly Samson (before being shorn by a woman) ...


... and a fellow who was mourned by women.

But, honestly, when "Lazarus, arise!" was yelled by a booming voice, and this guy burst out of this get-up ... I almost shouted!

It's amazing what God can do with plain ol' flesh ... and we can imitate with toilet paper.
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Back in 1995 our little Orthodox Mission was expecting our first hierarchical visit from His Grace, Bishop BASIL.

Our community was only a couple years old and we were, at the time, meeting in a store front.

That’s when I discovered I was expecting.

It happened in the middle of the night -- suddenly -- a terrible pain in the lower right corner of my back.

At first I thought it was something else (and, no, I am not here speaking of PALE GAS – just the plain kind) … yet, this [too] never passed.

The pain was beyond uncomfortable – which was evidenced by my actually calling the doctor, emergency line, in the wee hours.

In the end, having heard all of my symptoms, he made the diagnosis over the telephone: Basically, I was expecting.

Now I know there are many out there thinking: Wha-?

But for those of us, particularly men, who have, uh, delivered …

The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.
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Moscow, May 21, Interfax - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will soon visit the Orthodox Church of Antioch in the Middle East.

Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Russian Ambassador to Syria Sergey Kirpichenko and Antiochian Patriarch Ignatius discussed the upcoming visit in Damascus, the Moscow Patriarchate website said.

The date of the visit and possible traveling of Patriarch Kirill outside Syria are as yet unknown. The canonical territory of the Orthodox Church of Antioch includes not only Syria, but also Lebanon, Iraq and Kuwait.

The Antiochian Patriarchate is one of the 15 local Orthodox Church presumably founded by Apostles Peter and Paul in Antioch circa 37 AD.

An Orthodox Church head visits other Orthodox Churches in accordance with the list of local churches, a source at the Department for External Church Relations told Interfax-Religion. The Antiochian Patriarchate comes third after the Constantinople and Alexandria Churches on the list of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Source
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QUESTION: Can I get sick -- say, Swine Flu -- from receiving Communion in the Orthodox Church?

ANSWER: No.

STILL DOUBTING?

Go here.
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CONFESSION: I started to "steal" the first image, below, to post here the other day -- just to beautify the blog. Then, with the posting of the second image, below, I could no longer refrain.

Evlogia is a beautiful site -- pay a visit. You'll be glad you did, AND you'll be surprised at the age of the artist featured here.




BTW, if you've a mind, you might want to vote Evlogia the Most Visually Attractive Blog in the upcoming Eastern Christian New Media Awards.
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Greek Festival in Winston-Salem -- my pal Millard Constantine Shepherd is on it!

Check it out.

(Now that's what I call a blending of culture!)

Parish webpage.
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CRESTWOOD, NY [SVS/May 13, 2009] -- Recent exchanges of views about Orthodoxy in America, the role of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and the forthcoming pan-Orthodox sessions that will deliberate on the "diaspora," emphasize how vital it is to reflect upon events that shaped the current landscape. As a foundational part of its mission, Saint Vladimir's Seminary is a venue where controversial topics can be discussed openly and freely.

Read about the upcoming conference H E R E.
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I believe that the uniqueness of the OCA consists in the fact that it is the first Orthodox Church on the American continent that has declared itself American. It is meant to be not one of the ethnic churches of the “diaspora,” but the national Orthodox church of the USA, Canada and Mexico. It is meant to be the living testimony to the universality of Orthodox Christianity. As Metropolitan Kallistos Ware said, “The Orthodox Church is not something exotic or oriental. It is mere Christianity.” So, we can say to whoever wants to join the Orthodox Church: “You don’t need to be or to become Russian, or Greek, or Antiochian in order to be Orthodox. You don’t need to become exotic or oriental. You can be Orthodox while retaining your national and cultural identity.”


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Oh.

My.

Goodness.

Though it's better than Boogie Bands for Buddha, Gettin' Funky with Confuscious, or Sweatin' to the Psalms ...

Sump'm just ain't right:




I mean, I've grown accustomed to such things from White Folks but, really ...

Y'all?
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I said, “Where should I begin?”

The psychiatrist said, “At the beginning.”

I said, “Look, this is costing me a lot of money for this session -- do me a favor -- don’t state the obvious. Say something a little more sophisticated, please.”

“Fr Joseph,” he replied, “I am not here to take your money and run …”

"Go on! Take the money and run … whoo oo … (#11 hit for Steve Miller Band, 1975)."

“Oh,” he said, “I see – you want to play. Okay fine … let’s play a little word association. I say a word or phrase and you tell me the first thing that pops into your head. Use your imagination …”

"It was just my ‘magination, once again … runnin’ – (The Temptations, #1, 1971)."

“Ah yes … that’s fine. Now … according to your file you were born in the 60s …”

"Late December, back in ’63 – what a very special time for me …"

“But you weren’t born in 1963 …”

"Yes, but you told me to say the first thing that popped into my head … December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) was a hit single by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons -- on the group's 1975 album Who Loves You."

“Who loves you?”

"I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family … (Barney the Dinosaur, popular earworm of the 90s). Doc, listen, let me give you a bit of background …

My friend Steve and I used to be fanatical about keeping track of Casey Kasem’s American Top-40, back in the 70s. Steve’s family was not real churchy; I mean, well, they never went to church, which worked out good for our weekly project. Because, by the time I got home from church much of the show had already passed.

Steve would write down the position, song title, and artist beginning with number 40 and working his way up to … oh, whenever I called him to tell him I was home, at which time I would take the task and log the songs from about #18 up to number one."

“I see,” he said …

"I can see clearly now, the rain has gone … (Johnny Nash, #1, 1972)."

“What?”

I said, "It just popped into my head."

“I don’t follow you …”

"Follow me and I’ll follow you … (Phil Collins & Genesis, 1978, only got to #23). Anyway! My great bane and blessing is that I can usually tell you the title, chart position, players and writers of any song that made the charts from, oh, 1973 thru 1989," I blurted.

“What happened in the 90s?”

The 90s? Musically? Other than the Barney Theme Song? Nothing ...


The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.

This is a rebroadcast from last year. BUT, it has been fabulously enhanced -- as in, I sing a lot less -- by my producer, Ron Smith. Give it a listen!

Also -- here's the link to a note from Doctor Earworm himself with a correction.
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Today marks the half way point on our journey from Pascha to Pentecost.

In the middle of the feast, O Saviour, fill my thirsting soul with the waters of godliness, as Thou didst cry unto all: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! O Christ God, Fountain of life, glory to Thee! (Troparion)

Christ God, the Creator and Master of all, cried to all in the midst of the feast of the law: Come and drink the water of immortality! We fall before Thee and faithfully cry: Grant us Thy bounties, for Thou art the Fountain of our life! (Kontakion)
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So, let us cry:

Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down death by Death ... and upon those in the tombs bestowing Life!



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I get emails, regularly these days, asking me: What's going on in Antioch?

I kinda sorta responded to that here.

Then there was Metropolitan JONAH exciting the masses (then apologizing).

And, of course, there's that whole Holy Cross message ...

Now this.

I shall refrain from comment because, frankly, I'm speechless.

Yet, this priest, refraining from going postal, is going editorial.

UPDATE: I have deleted a half dozen comments which, though not so bad in themselves, may have served to fan flames that need die down. There's other outlets ... forgive me.
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The craziest story you will read today. (Seriously!)
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Piggy-backing on Erin's recent post -- I just took the florist up to the Bridal Room to deliver some flowers and a pretty little 4-year old girl, with total innocence, said: "Hi God -- you like my hair?"

[I was in my riassa (long black robe) -- and her hair was spectacular.]

I said, "Why, I'm honoured but I'm not ..."

"And over there's my dress," she interrupted, pointing.

Another equally pretty young lady, this one 6, said: "My Dad's bringing my dress ... but it's like hers. How do you like my hair?"

And so it went for a 5 minute visit with two flower girls and their mom.

As I was leaving, making my way down the hallway, I said, "Okay ... see you all downstairs."

"Okay. Bye God!" they yelled in unison.


(Oh alright! I'll correct them at the wedding, I promise.)

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Last month I posted some pics of the family in a sea of bluebonnets (a Texas tradition). My oldest, at least when I reviewed the pics from the file, did not appear to have posed in the flowers.

I was wrong.

TEEN: Dad! When you posted the pics of our family and the bluebonnets, why didn't you put my picture up?

DAD: Because you didn't get down on the ground in the bluebonnets.

TEEN: Yes I did! (Teen then finds file, finds pic.)

DAD: Fine. I'll put you up solo on my blog. (Thinking she would protest.)

TEEN: Good! You'd better!

DAD: What? Should I leave your phone number, too?

TEEN: (Who is responding to me but looking at her friend while talking) - No thanks, I don't need any Creepers.

DAD: Creepers?

TEEN: (To friend) - He doesn't live in this century.

DAD: Keep it up and you won't live in this century.


Anyway ... as you were.
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Years ago, the Orthodox Church in America’s Diocese of the South held their diocesan convention in Columbia, South Carolina. I, a newly ordained Orthodox priest, drove down to attend.

Columbia, South Carolina, is one of the hottest places on the planet (at least I thought so before moving to Houston), and I did not pack any shoes. (I think I was a wingtip man at that time.)

Instead, it was just me, my cassock, and some Nike sandals … black with a bright blue trademark Swoosh over the foot flap.

Archbishop DIMITRI, I could tell, was absolutely smitten with my footwear!

I bumped into him in the hallway before the Divine Liturgy began, received his blessing, and eagerly jumped into chatting him up for a while. Would you believe His Eminence could not stop staring at my feet!

Oh! And if that was not uncomfortable enough, he said, “This little piggy went to market … This little piggy stayed home …”

Ha!

Not really …

If I remember correctly, in his best Texas drawl, His Eminence said ...

The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.

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Along the way, as we grow up, we learn some sayings that just seem to stick with us.

I remember one saying from a venerable teacher in my seminary days:

“My age is the right age, and it increases annually.”

My age is the right age, and it increases annually.

One of our Parish Ministry Teams at St George, Houston, consists of a group of ladies (occasionally a gentleman) who, along with a priest, go together to call on the sick and shut-ins.

A couple years back, on one of the Visitation Team's outings, we were accompanied by a little girl. My wife had a doctor's appointment which, probably due to my age, I'd forgotten when scheduling the Visitation Day and, thus, my youngest got to ride around with the Team.

I’m usually the youngest in the car; at the time I was 45 – a stage in life when one can join in the conversations about physical ailments, skin blotches, surgeries, creams, vitamins, aches, pains, and the like.

In fact, on that day, I mentioned something I'd recently noticed about myself and one of the ladies said, "Father, it's just Ay Gee Eee." It took me a sec -- A.G.E. -- we laughed. This started the swap-a-woe dialogue where we all lamented our various ailments. After a while a four year old voice piped up from the back seat: "I had an ear infection one time!"

Even at an early age, we try to fit in, to make sense of it all, to find our place.

My age is the right age, and it increases annually.

My oldest, back when she was two or three, was sitting at breakfast one morning and happily said: “Dad, do your ears hurt like mine do?” Hmmm. An hour or so later, the doctor said something like: “Double ear infection.”

Kids. Age. And to think: they’re always wanting to get older!

While I’m on the parenting part here, let me just mention that parents grow up, too.

When we had our first child a friend of mine got a good laugh when he observed me thoroughly washing off the pacifier that had fallen from my daughter’s mouth. He, a father of four, said: “You know, when you have your first child, they drop their pacifier and you boil it before giving it back to them. The second child … you just rinse it off. The third child drops the pacifier on the floor and you stick it in your own mouth to clean it before giving it back to them!

Heh!

My age is the right age, and it increases annually.

Then there’s the so-called Spirit of the Age.

If you're like me, you're often tempted to wish you'd been born in another age -- one with a little less of this, a bit more of that -- leaning toward Virtue, goodness, Andy & Barney; fleeing today's fickle, flash, flesh and flunkies.

But, really: Age plays tricks on you.

Take, for instance, picture-taking. I've been known to see the most recent picture of myself and think, even say: "Gosh! That doesn't even look like me!" – or – “I don’t look like that at all!”

Someone, usually a family member will say: "Yes you do!"

I'll study the picture and think to myself, "Boy, I'm old ... fat ... ugly" ... something; something bad. Years later I might happen upon the same picture and think: "Wow! Look how good I used to look!" Or, I think to myself, "Hmm ... I was skinny, young ... handsome" ... or some such nonsense.

Maybe it's just me, but you really can't judge by age. I wouldn't trust pictures either. Watch the national news: "There's bad news tonight ... the country is bad ... the president is bad ... global warming is bad ... everything is bad (now a word from our sponsor)."

Turn on the local news: "A murder today ... a kidnapping also ... a gun at school ... auto accident ... poverty ... (now this)." The Internet is certainly no better.

"My age is the right age ... and it increases annually."

This is true, not only for our individual ages, but the age in which we live. God knows what He's about -- which means we are placed right where we're supposed to be. The earth continues to circle a star; that age increases annually.

Ages ago, St Paul wrote:

When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry (Col.3:4-5).

Mind you, he's talking to Christians here!

On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you once walked, when you lived in them. But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth (Col.3:6-8).

Sound familiar?

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all (Col.3:9-11).

Now, friends, I confess, it is true: We are, no doubt, living in the latter days. I mean, certainly we’re one day closer to the Last Day than yesterday. But when it comes to sin, transgressing the law, prejudices, falling short, and really making a mess of things -- there is nothing new under the sun. It has been so in every age. And, undoubtedly, this side of Paradise, the same shall occur till the end of the age.

In the meantime, this is our time. This time, ever fleeting and often disappointing, is the time that God has given us. It may look better in the rear view mirror or in the crystal ball, yet both are an illusion. The time that we have is now. We, by God's grace, are the light of the world -- in our age, for this age -- because we have entered into that Life which is the Light, none other than the God-Man, Christ the Lord.

Let us not be conformed to this age. Rather, whatever our individual age, this is our time -- our age -- to bear witness to the Light Who has promised to be with us always ... even until the close of the age.

But, O, to be young again …

We were on the way home one day and I was singing songs from the Divine Liturgy. My youngest, who – at the time – was a two year old, said, “Do it again, Dad!” I remembered this, especially from my oldest daughter, particularly the Trisagion hymn: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us!” So, between the grocery store and the house, I must have sung the Trisagion about twenty times.

Anyway … we got home, I laid my daughter down for her nap and she said, sing Holy God! So I did. Then she said: "Sing Twinkle, Twinkle.” So, tearing up and appreciating the moment, I sang “Twinkle, twinkle, little star ...” When it was ended she demanded: “Now sing your ABC’s!” That’s when I told her it was nap time, time to go to sleep.

Hmmph. Children. They form us … and vice versa.

A few years ago, as Vacation Bible School was ending, a young girl (about 10 or 11 years old) came up to me and said, “Fr Joseph, that talk you gave the other day on Confession? I just wanted to thank you. Something you said made me go to my father and confess … and now I feel like the Lord is with me and has filled me up, and I am changed. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you.”

Later, not knowing the young girl, I asked one of the leaders if she was a member of my church or one of the other Orthodox churches.

I found out: Neither. She lived in the area and wanted to come to our Vacation Bible School.

Children. God bless ‘em! Children love to sing, love to dance, love to experience the joy in life. Children love to love and to be loved. God and children must be a lot alike. And to think, to get into the party – the Big Party – we’ve got to become just like them.

In his book Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton wrote:

A child kicks its legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough... It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again,” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again,” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike: it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.

As I said in the beginning, along the way, as we grow up, we learn some sayings that just seem to stick with us.

My age is the right age, and it increases annually.

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."

And that, brothers and sisters – the very Gospel repeated at every baptism is Good News. No matter our age – God is with us; no matter our circumstances – God is with us; no matter that it may seem things are falling apart around us – Our Lord, who has all authority in heaven and on earth … is with us!

But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God.

"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Sure … “My age is the right age, and it increases annually …

But, God is with us and God is …

young.

For our sake –

for goodness sake!

Let’s become like Him.
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It's that time of year again ...

Time to vote for your e-faves.

Last year, though I protested otherwise, this blog received the "Funniest Blog Award".

I said it wasn't ...

here

here

here

and here.

So, this year ... take my word for it: Orthodixie's not the funniest blog!

(There is, however, a new category: Best Podcast. Not it! But this one still makes me smile.)

Christ is Risen!

Vote here.
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