Tag: Christianity

It is not uncommon for movie trailers to be better than the movies they advertise. But in the case of the film “Here,” directed by Robert Zemeckis, the discrepancies between what is promised and what is delivered are so vast that I’m surprised viewers haven’t demanded their money back.

Robert Zemeckis is a renowned director who has given us some of the most iconic films in the history of cinema, including “Back to the Future” and “Forrest Gump.” Given that his new movie stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright (who played the leads in “Forrest Gump”) and that the trailers tease a movie with humor, heart, and technical prowess, it’s natural to assume the film would be perfect for the holidays.

Unfortunately, those tender moments from the trailers actually set up scenes of loss, regret, and disappointment. What appears to be a film about love and compassion is really a contemporary tale about how the things we once thought were meaningful lose their magic and value over time. 

This is not a message of hope or faith, but a dark articulation of the nihilism of our times.

When I left the theater, I overheard a woman walking ahead of me say to her husband, “That was the saddest movie I have ever seen in my life.” I felt the same way.

But it wasn’t a cleansing or happy sadness common in tragedies, but rather a sadness of self-pity and despair — a clinging misery that I was at first unable to identify until I finally recognized its source.

“Here” is based on a graphic novel of the same name — a genre known for dark tales and radical cynicism. This is where Zemeckis found the thematic material for movies about everything from the death of the dinosaurs to the rise of dementia.

As a result, this film is not a satire, nor a comedy, nor a tragedy, but a cinematic jeremiad (a prophetic sermon) intended to bring us face-to-face with all the things that plague our interior lives and hold us back from living in unfettered economic and political freedom: teenage pregnancies and shotgun weddings; loveless marriages; lost jobs; squandered fortunes; dreams deferred; lost aspirations, moral compromises and failed second choices.

By showing us so many personal tragedies, Zemeckis may be trying to urge us to live our lives in such a way so as not to regret their passing. But this can’t really be done if destiny is the pitiless monster this movie makes it out to be. If the universe really is little more than a doomsday machine, then perhaps our only option really is to live in the here and now. 

This is about as deep as Zemeckis’ reflection on the prevailing cultural zeitgeist gets. But to the film’s credit, there are a few scenes with hints of what “Here” might have been like had it not taken its fatalism so seriously — or tied itself to the graphic novel’s preoccupation with victimization and irreparable loss. 

Aesthetically, the entire film is framed by a living room window overlooking the home of Benjamin Franklin’s disgraced son who was the British Loyalist governor of New Jersey. This framing window mimics the frames in the graphic novel. Four different families move in and out of the house, live their lives, and pass away. We watch frame by frame as hundreds of years roll by.

Most of the inhabitants are upper-middle-class white people. The one Black family, however, plays a lesser role in the film’s “epic” unfolding but demonstrates, perhaps more than any other family depicted, a willingness to fight back against complacency, sentimentality, and self-pity.

The most powerful scene takes place when the father tries to explain to his teenage son what to do if ever pulled over by a white police officer. The life-and-death significance of what his father is telling him is not lost on the teenage son, who senses the love, compassion, and importance of the conversation. 

Given that there are no other references to the Civil Rights Movement, this dramatic and intimate scene gets swallowed up by the morality tale emphasizing the all-important economic and personal status concerns at the center of all the other characters’ lives. 

In another scene, Margaret (the wife of Hanks’ character) brings home her “Life Coach” to explain to her husband why he must “put in the work” to save their marriage.  

Here is another place where the sincerity of the actor’s performance suggests a different movie than the one Zemeckis actually made. In a scene lampooning psychotherapy, this life coach is played as an intelligent man clearly serious about his work. If Zemeckis had taken him seriously too, the scene could have been poignant rather than dismissive, depressing, and cynical.

By the end of the film, Margaret suffers from dementia and can’t remember things like her lifelong frustration with her own identity, or the unhappy marriage and the unexpected pregnancy that forced her into it. As she is brought into the living room where she’s lived almost all of her life, the camera swings around for the first time in the film, and we see what Margaret sees: the bland wall on the far side of the window. The point of view shifts from extrinsic to intrinsic as she speaks the final lines of the film, “I have always loved this place.”

One could read into these lines many things, but it’s clearly not an affirmation of anything.  Margaret didn’t always love this place; she has forgotten that. And so the film ends with another lost, unlived life in a world where life’s events unfold in a material historical continuum seeded by doubt, skepticism, false memories, and cynicism. 

The soulless world of a graphic novel writ large and gaudy — taken more seriously than it ought to be — somehow commands our attention through the advertising, film trailers, and star power. 

Even great directors like Zemeckis make bad films from time to time. His next film will probably be much better. But you can skip this one. I wish I had.

Firefighters and police officers formed a human chain to rescue the crown of thorns from the inferno at Notre Dame on April 15, 2019. On Dec. 13, this holiest relic of Paris’ cathedral was returned to its proper home on the Île de la Cité.

Though temperatures were cold, the facade of Notre Dame was sunny in the late afternoon, as the procession arrived on foot along the cathedral from Palais du Louvre, on the other side of the Seine River, where the treasure had been stored since the fire.

A knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, dressed in a large black cloak trimmed in red, held the crown of thorns, in its crystal circle frame, on a red velvet cushion. Over 400 members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, including 200 knights dressed in white coats marked with the red Jerusalem cross, participated in the procession. They have been the crown’s honor guard since the archbishop of Paris entrusted it to their care in 1923.

The crown of thorns, placed on Jesus’ head by his captors to cause him pain and mock his claim of authority, was acquired by St. Louis, then-King Louis IX of France, in Constantinople in 1239 for 135,000 livres — nearly half France’s annual expenditure at the time, according to the BBC.

It was moved to Notre Dame’s treasury from the magnificent Sainte-Chapelle in 1806.

A crowd of faithful and curious onlookers gathered on the forecourt of the cathedral as the relic made its way to Notre Dame. Among them was Bénédicte de Villers, a 50-year-old woman who had come to do some Christmas shopping in central Paris. “I was not far away, and realizing what was happening, I took the Metro to come,” she told OSV News.

“I arrived in front of Notre Dame just as the procession was beginning to enter the cathedral through the central door. Hearing the organ and the singing, I begged the security guards to let me in, explaining that I am a practicing Catholic, and that praying in front of Christ’s crown of thorns meant a lot to me,” she said. “I had already come to venerate it at Notre Dame during Lent.”

The lucky onlooker said that the guards let her in, and she was able to witness the ceremony from up close.

Once the crown of thorns had been placed on the main new altar inside the cathedral, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris addressed the 2,000-strong audience of faithful.

“We are moving from the time of Advent to the time of the Passion, but that is the way it is all the time in life, and in the Christian life,” he said. “We come to adore the Lord in the gift he made of himself to all humanity, as the Son of God.”

During the Passion reading that followed, the cathedral’s rector-archpriest, Father Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, presented the crown to the faithful in a long, deep silence.

The procession of chaplains, canons and knights then made a complete tour of the cathedral through the side aisles, with the crown of thorns, while the choir sang the Litany of the Passion.

“It was a very slow, very contemplative tour, so that everyone could see the crown (of thorns),” Villiers recounted. “Everyone was silent, very respectful … It was a solemn but joyful ceremony, with everyone in awe of the cathedral’s beauty,” she said.

Night had fallen by the time the procession reached the back chapel behind the choir, in the axis of the nave. Here, under a vault in which the blue color has been revived, the new reliquary of the crown of thorns has been placed.

It is the work of French designer Sylvain Dubuisson, and takes the form of an altarpiece in marble and cedar wood, with the altar wall 12 feet high and 10 feet wide. It evokes the iconostasis of Orthodox churches with its notched panels enclosing gilded bronze thorns. This serves as a reminder of the history of the crown of thorns. For several centuries, before St. Louis purchased it, it belonged to the Byzantine Empire.

The marble altar is lit by small candles, and the central part of the cedar wall is a gilded disk, adorned with 396 hand-crafted glass blocks that reflect the light. At its center, some 7 feet high, a blue niche, matching the chapel’s vaulting and stained-glass windows, shelters the crown of thorns.

Archbishop Ulrich blessed the new reliquary, and prayed for all those who will come to pray there.

Father Pascal Ide, one of the cathedral’s chaplains, told OSV News he was mesmerized with the new design. “This new reliquary is all radiance,” he said.

The relic of the crown of thorns will be displayed every Friday from Jan. 10, 2025, until Good Friday; on other days it will be stored in the safe inside the marble altar.

For Father Ide, Notre Dame is now entirely a “cathedral of light.”

“Reopening day was a historic moment,” he said. “I spent three hours discovering it (anew), and prayed in each of its 29 side chapels. The physical path around it is like a mystical itinerary, which allows you to inscribe your personal story in the great story of salvation.”

In the nine days before Christmas, the predominantly Catholic Philippines begins its traditional novena of daily dawn Masses in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary prior to the birth of her son Jesus Christ.

Closer to home in the United States, the Masses, called “Simbang Gabi” or “Night Mass,” are mostly on an evening anticipatory schedule. Filipino-Americans have brought the tradition to their adopted homeland and added some multicultural flair to their celebrations.

Dioceses around the country typically hold evening Masses from Dec. 16 through Dec. 24, with churches decorated with “parols” or colorful thin paper lanterns in the shape of a star symbolizing the star of Bethlehem.

Other popular dates are from the 15th through the 23rd, leaving the 24th fully dedicated to Christmas Eve. Some individual parishes may choose to schedule 4 and 5 a.m. Masses throughout the nine days.

The early morning Mass called “Misa de Gallo” (“Rooster’s Mass”) keeps the original schedule in which, historically, Filipino farmers, before working the land, would go to the novena Mass and afterward have light snacks at home, usually of traditional rice, cassava and coconut-based sweets, according to Divine Word Father Adam MacDonald.

The Chicago-based priest is in high demand at this time of year, with four Masses on his schedule this year. He told OSV News he has been celebrating Simbang Gabi Mass yearly both in the U.S. and the Philippines since his ordination in 2000.

“What we came to discover … is that the communities that I’ve served in here, generally in the Chicago area and a few other places I could mention, they are of the desire and of the inclination to make these parish-wide celebrations where it’s not limited to being in a Filipino heritage,” said Father MacDonald.

“And so when I look out upon the faces in the crowd from the privileged place that I stand or sit in the sanctuary, I see a lot of white faces, black faces, brown, yellow, and other, and it occurs to me automatically, if this Mass was all in Filipino, it probably would not appeal to a wide cross-section of God’s people.”

The missionary father was assigned to the Philippines for his first four years in the priesthood, quickly learned the national language, Tagalog, and became very popular with Filipino-Americans once he returned to the U.S.

Father MacDonald, 54, said the Masses are predominantly in English, sometimes with a reading or two in Tagalog or another dialect of the Philippines and some Tagalog hymns. But his homilies are a mix of English and Tagalog and he translates the Tagalog parts.

He and other Simbang Gabi organizers around the country told OSV News that oftentimes homilies are done only in English. After the Mass, usually in a church hall, Father MacDonald said, huge meals of roasted pig and typical Filipino party dishes are shared, sometimes along with cultural performances.

Clarissa Martinez organized Simbang Gabi Masses at several parishes for 18 years in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, until last year. In 2023, she attended Simbang Gabi Mass from the pews — a first in a very long while — after moving to San Diego to work at the diocese there.

Martinez, 43, told OSV News, “The good part about it is that when we enter into the novena of Masses, in the nine days, it falls right into the third Sunday of Advent — which is where we’re really focusing a lot and centering our hearts into the anticipation with joy of the coming of Christ. And so, that kind of takes the tone as well into the liturgies appropriately.”

Martinez pointed out that in the Philippines, it is the period in Advent in which parishes receive special dispensation to sing the Gloria and have presiders wear white.

She is also part of an advisory committee to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Island Affairs. In that capacity, Martinez said that she has seen Simbang Gabi becoming more and more widely accepted and part of the mainstream calendar of liturgical events in the past 10 years.

The Archdiocese of Chicago lists 55 parishes that will celebrate Simbang Gabi Masses this year and a spokeswoman told OSV News that the Filipino tradition is “as strong as ever.”

In the Richmond Diocese, the Office of Ethnic Ministries confirmed to OSV News that over 32 Simbang Gabi’s Masses are on the schedule, making this the highest number of such Masses there.

And they take significant planning and coordination, according to Luz Rayel-Straub, a volunteer on the Richmond Diocese ethnic ministry advisory board. She has had the demanding task of juggling schedules of Filipino, foreign and American priests for the past five years, starting as early as the day after Labor Day.

Still, Rayel-Straub told OSV News she was grateful for her role.

“Simbang Gabi is a means of gratitude and generosity (for) all the blessings we receive during the entire year, the bounty of harvest the farmers had back in the Philippines that was originally why they (still) do it at dawn,” she said. “So we try to express and share this uniqueness of our faith as a means of evangelization with the Americans.”

Painted by Pantelis Zografos

I heard this story during my memorable trip to the Holy Mountain in December of 2018. I was then able to venerate two Greek saints who were of great importance to me. I had this feeling as if they took me by hand and walked me all the way from Athens to Mount Athos, helping me reach my destinations, always sending people I needed the most at that particular moment. My visit to St. Nektarios of Aegina

“>St. Nectarios of Aegina at the beginning of my journey was accompanied by a few minor and unremarkable miracles and acts of blessed help. It was quite late when I arrived on the island, so public transportation had stopped running. When I managed to finally get to the monastery by hitching rides and walking, the gates were already closed. I was able to find a wicket gate left open at the back of the monastery and I stepped inside the backyard, when a monastery worker spotted me there through the fence. Having learned that I was a pilgrim from Russia, he called a nun who settled me in a nice and empty pilgrim house for the night and even brought a packed meal to eat. Next morning, I went to liturgy and venerated the relics of St. Nectarios, thanking him for not leaving me without shelter late in the evening in an unknown place.

None of them have seen St. Nectarios alive, but each of them had a relative who personally knew the saint

After Liturgy, we had coffee with local Greeks in the monastery guesthouse, a really touching and family-style experience. They spoke about St. Nectarios as if they spent all their lives near him. None of them, of course, saw him alive, but each and every one of them had a relative who knew the saint in person. So, they’d reminisce about their loved ones—someone had a father, another an uncle or a relative who labored in the monastery during the life of the saint or who simply visited the monastery to see him. Among those family members, the name of St. Nectarios was pronounced in such a way as if he were one of them—and also someone truly special and dear to them, who infused their lives with prayer, blessing, and protection. Having learned that I was traveling to Mount Athos, they gave me prayer lists filled with the dear names of their loved ones who had passed away long ago—fathers and mothers, uncles and cousins, whom they asked to be remembered in prayer on Mt. Athos, along with the still living members of their families. It was as if I recieved a pocketful of fragments of life from several generations on Aegina, near St. Nectarios, a fruit of his prayers that I was about to deliver and share with Athos.

I planned to visit St. John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of EuboiaThe Holy Confessor John the Russian was born in Little Russia around 1690, and was raised in piety and love for the Church of God. Upon attaining the age of maturity he was called to military service, and he served as a simple soldier in the army of Peter I and took part in the Russo-Turkish War. During the Prutsk Campaign of 1711 he and other soldiers were captured by the Tatars, who handed him over to the commander of the Turkish cavalry.

“>St. John the Russian on Euboea and then go up north along the eastern coast of Greece towards Macedonia. But, this being said and as it typically happens, I had only a limited amount of time and barely enough money. I had at best around a hundred euros, and I had to arrive to the Holy Mountain on Saturday morning in order to make it to the cell and serve a Liturgy there on Sunday. It meant I had to make use of a method so well-tried and so well-tested from youth called hitchhiking—because waiting for all those sloth-like buses that lazily crawled out of the bus stations once every two hours was a sure guarantee that I would never make it anywhere on time. Therefore, once I reached Chalcis, I walked to the outskirts to catch a ride while praying to St. John the Russian to send someone to help me out. It was getting darker and my adventure began to look more and more risky. Then, some time later, a well-worn dark green pickup truck with a folding ladder in its bed drove out of a side lane not far from me. It slowed down and the people inside the truck waved me in.

Georgios and Ioannis, a father-son duo, were heading home after just finishing their work as builders somewhere in the area. Having learned that I was planning to go to St. John the Russian, they said that they can only take me to their home and from there I would have to travel by myself. It was December and darkness descended early, so, when we drove up to their house, twilight died into dark. After talking it over, they stepped inside and I was told to wait for them inside the truck. When they soon returned, they said their family was aware of their plans and they were ready to take me to St. John. It was getting dark fast and the narrow winding road straggled among the hills overgrown with thick pine groves—but before we reached Prokopi, we still had to travel across the large island stretched along the coast of the Peloponnese. During our ride, they told me that their ancestors were among those who, according to a 1920 treaty, came here from Proconnesus in Turkey. Like their most sacred treasure, they carried with them the holy relics of their saint and intercessor John the Russian. Ioannis, whose birth was a miracle attributed to prayers to this saint, was named after him. That’s why the church in Prokopi was like a native home to them and they’d come there at every opportunity, as if paying a visit to their beloved family member. When they venerated the reliquary with the relics, they did so with such reverence and without any fuss, as if they were hugging a living person. It all looked as if Ioannis simply really wanted to see his godfather and they finally met after a brief time apart.

Georgios and Ioannis left, but I was unable to walk away from the relics of St. John the Russian, despite having already read the akathist a long time before and venerating his relics more than once. I was simply standing there for about two hours, and I was feeling so warm inside; I so wanted to stay right there, and nowhere else. I watched other people coming to pray to the saint, who also venerated his relics and asked of him some favor. Some were old, others middle-aged, some with children. Schoolchildren, who had just begun their Christmas break, filled the church as entire classes—the following morning they were to attend a special Liturgy for children, when almost all of them were to partake of the Holy Mysteries. Then there came some local punks, looking totally unbothered about their appearance, no one inside the church actually minding their presence, and they venerated the tomb of the saint just as habitually and devoutly as everyone else. This sight aroused a particularly heartwarming feeling—because for the saint, all of these people were like his family, his kin. He knew their grandmothers and grandfathers in their youth, and then many others among their remote ancestors who grew up before his eyes and with his prayers. This alliance of the people and the saint made me feel happy for all of them, who are so fortunate to live under his grace-filled protection.

Then came a priest who made arrangements for me to stay in a comfortable pilgrim house right across the road from the church. It was late and I was hungry, so I went to find something to eat. It is actually a problem for small Greek towns lying some distance away from tourist routes. They have an abundance of coffee houses, where the locals while away the evenings sipping coffee and homemade, milky white, cloudy anise ouzo mixed with water and eating bits of tiny cakes and Turkish delights. They lazily argue with one another, share news and gossip, watch soccer on some prehistoric TV, or listen to traditional music in those family-owned taverns that see the same visitors year in, year out. However, if you need to eat, especially if you are there during a Nativity fast, you can’t count on having anything else but coffee, ouzo, soccer and Turkish delights. I had to pop into one of those bakeries, or “artopoio,” that was still opened. Its owner, an elderly Greek woman, was excited to see me, a Russian “pateras,” and called for her Russian daughter-in-law. Katya, a beauty from Siberia who married a Greek and made him a father of four sons, was also extremely happy to see a compatriot and asked me to stop by again before my departure. I did as she requested and she gave me a whole bunch of homemade breads and cookies, as well as prayer lists and money to commemorate her family on the Holy Mountain. And that’s how I looked for the rest of my trip—bedecked with all sorts of bags, like a petty shuttle trader from notorious late 1990s in Russia.

The saints continued to take me by the hand as if I were a child, on my way to Mt. Athos

At this point, my readers must have already asked a legitimate question: What am I talking about here? Where is that German mentioned at the title, and his wondrous story? Well, there is neither a mistake nor coincidence that I bring out all those kind-hearted Greek people that the Lord has sent on my way through the intercession of saints so intimately connected with them throughout their whole lives. As if I were a child, the saints continued to take me by the hand on my trip to Mt. Athos. Again and again, they’d send me someone who would gladly and freely pick up a strange hitchhiker from the edge of the road and drive him for some distance in their car. That’s how I ended up in Larissa, and once I came to the city’s bypass road, even before I raised my hand, a car that just whizzed by me suddenly backed up and its door was cordially swung open to let me in.

Inside were a married couple, George and Joanna, and their children—Silouana, named in honor of our St. Silouan the Athonite: Holy Russian Hero“I read St. Symeon the New Theologian and my soul grieves over how far I am from a real Christian life. When I read Elder Silouan, then my soul is comforted in the Lord and rejoices in Him Who loves me, a sinner.”

“>venerable Athonite saint, and Michael. They were driving to Thessaloniki to spend the Christmas holidays together. “Just think of it!” George wondered. “We always take another road, a faster one, but today for some reason we decided to take this one. It must be because we had to meet you!” These kind-hearted and deeply religious people took care of me and we drove right up to the bus station in Thessaloniki, where I managed to catch the last bus traveling to Ouranoupolis. Thanks to them, I was able to reach the Holy Mountain with all of those piles of bread offerings and serve a Sunday Liturgy in the kaliva where I was expected to arrive.

On the way from Larissa to Thessaloniki, my friendly fellow travelers and I talked about all kinds of things. Among other things, it turned out that George and Joanna live in London where he works in a banking sector, and that they came here to visit his parents and children from his first marriage. He said that he is German on his paternal side, but he always felt more like Greek—his mother’s native tongue and her faith were closer to him, even if German has always been his second native language. His father, also a very kind man, also loved Greece, and would eagerly visit the country, but he preferred to reside in Germany. However, a few years ago he was diagnosed with a devastating illness—doctors discovered a massive tumor in his brain. He had complex surgeries, underwent all the necessary treatment and then started a lengthy recovery period. As it turned out, after all those interventions in the brain area, he suffered a loss of self, and in so many ways, George’s father practically became like a child again. He did remember his family, his wife and the son, but he had to once again learn to be himself. He also had to learn how to speak again, to get immersed in culture and society, and to become a new person. His family, who took him to Greece to spend this recovery period and make it more convenient to care for him, did everything they could to help him recover. But, under these circumstances, he returned to a meaningful life not as a German, but a Greek, because his family couldn’t make him someone they weren’t themselves. Thus, in his rather advanced years, George’s father was wondrously reborn as another person, starting life practically with a clean slate.

“We don’t just believe in saints—we live next to them.” The saints are the Greeks’ most precious treasure

So, despite all the hardships and sufferings he and his family had to endure during his illness, it seems as if the Lord bestowed upon him the greatest and priceless gift. It’s true that Greece may be inferior to Germany in certain things. It may have never had a “miracle economy” or it isn’t as well developed in terms of economy and the quality of life, just as it can’t boast of having the universally recognized brands such as Mercedes or BMW, or even Volkswagen. Still, with all due respect to the German people and other nations, the Greeks possess something far more precious; something that has been long dead in other countries. As they themselves express it: “We don’t just believe in saints—we live next to them.” The saints are the most precious treasure they possess. They are the fruit of the two millennia of Christian history of this land, its spiritual “capital.” Their country is still nurtured by that grace-filled “interest” acquired from that wealth. It is the blessed fragrance that fills the air in this country, transforms the hearts and illuminates the people’s faces. It is possible that not everything is perfect and beautiful in Greece, or with the Greeks, and there are things that one would want to change or fix there. But all of that will ultimately belong to the past, while the life next to the saints will last forever. And this is the priceless gift this German man received by becoming a Greek.

But I also think: Doesn’t this also happen to all of us, albeit minus the agonizing lobotomy and a poisonous chokehold of chemotherapy sessions? Because we also undergo the process of gradual replacement of one identity with another. Because of this change, we become a part of a new nation that has neither foreign languages nor borders. With the surgery that skillfully surpasses anything known to the mind of man, the Lord gradually removes from us the tumors of abomination and the metastases of filth, heals the glaucoma of ignorance and impassable stupidity, thus making us who we can and should become—citizens of the Heavenly City, where the only passport necessary is our participation in holiness. Basically, this is what will be our shared nationality in a place where it no longer matters whether you are born into this world as a Hellene or a Scythe. What matters is our rebirth as “new man” in Christ.

“Christ and the Rich Young Ruler” by Heinrich Hofmann. Photo: wikipedia.org     

And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God (Luke 18:18–27)

Among the Gospel passages, there are many that can be called self-evident—those that require no explanation or interpretation, as they are already expounded and clarified by the Gospel text itself. The passage we heard today belongs to this category. Its general meaning is perfectly clear: riches can deprive a person of the Kingdom of Heaven, but not in and of themselves; only if a person becomes attached to them, if possession of earthly and visible goods becomes a small “god” that overshadows the true God.

However, despite the evident overall meaning of today’s passage, it contains much that is curious and beneficial for us to consider. The first point of interest is the personality of the young man who approached the Lord Jesus Christ with his question. We are told that he was rich and that he had authority—he was a ruler. From both our personal experience and humanity’s collective experience, we know well that the combination of youth, wealth, and power in one person almost inevitably deprives them of any lofty religious aspirations. Often, any one of these—youth, wealth, or power—is enough to entirely erase or prevent any interest in the spiritual realm, let alone in eternal life and life beyond the grave.

Yet the hero of today’s story somehow managed to preserve himself not only from obvious sin but also from complete immersion of his thoughts and desires into the material world. Without a doubt, he was an extraordinary young man—unusual and sincere. So sincere and pure, in fact, that the Apostle Mark, in his Gospel’s account of this episode, includes an intriguing detail: The young man did not merely approach the Lord Jesus Christ but knelt before Him—a gesture quite uncharacteristic of someone who, as the subsequent narrative shows, saw no sin in himself.

It is clear that we cannot accuse this young man of deceit or cunning when he begins his question with an unconventional address, which might seem flattering: “Good Master.” As it is written: And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God (Mark 10:18). Goodness is a natural and unchanging attribute of God, but it is not inherent to man. Human goodness or kindness is a matter of will, and the same person can change and cease to be good or kind at any moment. Often, all it takes is a split second, a single unpleasant word addressed to us, or one disagreeable look.

Christ’s response to the young man’s words serves two purposes. On the one hand, it reminds us of our human instability in goodness and kindness. On the other, it underscores the unique attribute of God—His divine goodness, which is most evidently manifested in His providential care for us. Christ reminds us of this so that we do not place our trust in human goodness but always remember that God exists and that He cares for each of us more than even the kindest and most loving person could ever care. All that is required of us is to trust in our Creator and Provider in all things.

    

In the rush of fast-moving days, it happens that even people who are very devoted to the Church can lose their connection with Christ. Church services, the sacraments and prayer can sometimes pall on both laity and clergy, because, as we know, people are receptive to everything new, being fickle in heart to what has long been familiar.

Of course, in no case can we say this about everyone: there are people akin to the Apostle Peter, distinguished by an ardent disposition and a burning heart. Even having doubted something and cooled down to righteous deeds, they, by virtue of their character, quickly embark again on the right path, zealously searching for God in their souls, and feel out of place until they have found Him.

The longing to feel the thrill of awe for and fear of the Heavenly Father over and over again, which has been accompanying us since the days in Paradise, when Adam was absolutely open and pure before God, is incomprehensible to many and seems to be a kind of “drudgery” to them. This was also the case in the time of Jesus, Who warns us in the Gospel: If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you (Jn. 15:19). The desire for unity with the Almighty is natural and easy for man; as, for example, a child’s desire to feel the tenderness of his mother, with who, especially in infancy, he feels and thinks to be one whole, and after learning to crawl, stand on his feet and walk, he discovers that he is a separate person. Surprisingly, if we consider these relations as an example, the degree of our need for God and our separation from Him on account of our sins becomes clear.

Jan Brueghel the Younger. Adam and Eve in Paradise. The seventeenth century Perhaps all Orthodox have noticed how in a pious life, when we still perceive the origin of our desires and thoughts, cut off evil thoughts and try to live righteously, what we ask for is revealed so noticeably, there are fewer sorrows, they are easier to bear, and we interpret them as future crowns, and “the light does not go out in the dark tunnel”. We want to be thankful for no particular reason, we often involuntarily remember God in everyday things, even in public places, we are not ashamed of talking about our faith, thereby feeling our being guided by the will of God. This is exactly how Adam felt before the fall, because the purity of his heart and his voluntary longing for goodness made him impregnable against darkness and all that is alien to the Creator Himself.

Being in conscious spiritual and physical isolation from God, it is increasingly difficult to stand up to pray, see the right path and act as a Christian. The denial of God, the struggle with Him, undoubtedly, noticeably divide people already during their lifetime, because the Lord does not tolerate violence and, having come into the world, gave people free will, which so clearly demonstrates His all-encompassing love for us. As we know, even at the Last Judgment it is not the Almighty Who will judge us, but our own deeds will.

Reliable knowledge about the existence of God in the modern world can be given by people who have unceasing communion with Him. Not only can they describe His presence in words, but also answer the question: how does God work in their lives, how can one notice His hand in solving numerous problems, in suffering, trials and tribulations? After all, so many books have been written, so famous are the miracles of God, which have been revealed to the world and still continue through faith in Him!

“For example, I do not believe that God exists—I know that He exists, because for several decades I have been in daily communion with Him. If I move away from God, stop turning to Him and stop thanking Him, then after a while it may seem to me that He really does not exist. Because God is very tactful, and He doesn’t even seem to exist for a huge number of people who refuse to believe in His existence. If we have no contact with God and hide like Adam in the Garden of Eden, then for us He does not exist at all. The main proof of God’s existence is our continuous communion with Him. Because, believe me, if you enter into this contact, if you are seriously immersed in it, you will have the greatest Companion for conversation. And you will see the existence of God clearly, miraculously and obviously, daily and permanently,” says Archpriest George Roshchin from Moscow with conviction.

The words of Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov)Tikhon (Shevkunov), Metropolitan

“>Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) of Simferopol and the Crimea about life with Christ and His Providence in the TV show “Faces of the Church” echo this topic: “When a moment of despondency, despair or sadness comes, remember how many times the Lord has shown His love, mercy and Providence in your life. As you ask such questions about meanings, about higher meanings, the Lord will gradually guide you to knowing Him: Seek ye God, and your soul shall live (Ps. 68:33).”

“Once I had visited the monastery,” Metropolitan Tikhon says of his first visit to the Pskov-Caves Monastery, “I saw this amazing world, I saw those who had a great, beautiful, incomparable reflection of God, a reflection of the higher Heavenly realm. And then there were a whole host of such father-confessors—’elders’, As we call them—Father Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)

“>John (Krestiankin), Father Seraphim and many others. Of course, this made a special impression on my soul. And it was completely natural: I just stayed there—that’s all.

“The process of getting to know the will of God is a lifelong task. Sometimes we need consolation, and to comfort is to give strength. That’s what Father John was just perfect at. He was always an amazingly joyful, spiritually joyful man. A calm and peaceful toiler who made every effort to ensure that those who came to him received the maximum spiritual and prayerful benefit and advice. He labored, really labored, despite his age: at seventy, at eighty, at ninety, and at ninety-five—can you imagine that? And he remained surprisingly young. When he turned ninety and we were modestly celebrating his birthday in his cell over tea, he took me aside and said: ‘You know, I’m ninety, but I feel like I’m twenty-two!’

“And it was really so—his soul was absolutely young. The Spirit creates forms for Himself. Fr. John’s attitude to people, his attitude to God, his faith, his enthusiasm, faith in God’s Providence—everything was absolutely wonderful; it was not forced, but a sincere and living example that gave us strength to live. There was the most important thing, and it should not be missed—community, unity, peace, and happiness from this. The Lord says, I am the way, the truth, and the life (Jn. 14:6).

“A person left to his passions becomes stubborn, hard, and cruel, and bringing him to the Heavenly Kingdom is, of course, the art of all arts. When he does not want it himself, he does not understand his own good, God will not force or break him: the Lord will not give it; the Lord Himself will not give it! Because it is not in God’s nature to violate human freedom,” Vladyka Tikhon says confidently.

If we think seriously about it, then indeed, how can God impose something, especially Himself, breaking the attitudes of someone He loves? After all, love is always about freedom—it does not go with force. And how can you help a person gain experience and acquire wisdom if you do everything for him without his labors and efforts? We know that wisdom comes from experience, and experience is gained from mistakes. By doing them a person learns and improves: you should never despair, and even after the most serious falls, whether in a monastery or in the world, you must stand up firmly, trusting in Providence, love and mercy of God for everyone.

Loving and trusting, the Lord does not want to see us led and deprived of choice, which means that He does not regard us as slaves, but, on the contrary, as equal to Himself (in His image and likeness) since the creation of the world: And God said, Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness… So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them (Gen. 1:26-27). The Psalter of King David describes our essence very precisely: I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High (Ps. 81:6).

In his sermons Fr. John (Krestiankin) often said very important words, a kind of rule that does not allow you to lose God: “Return to Christ,” that is, repent and follow Him again. According to Vladyka Tikhon’s reminiscences, there was much joy in the elder’s life: in childhood, in his priestly ministry, and in the monastery. But his happiest years were spent in prison, because there God was closer than ever…

Tbilisi, December 16, 2024

Photo: sazu.ge     

The Patriarch of Georgia has called on clergy and faithful to take up a special prayer rule in response to recent events.

In a recent statement, His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II directs priests to ring church bells at 1:00 PM daily for a prayer service to the Theotokos, while laypeople are asked to pray specific prayers including the Our Father, Psalm 90, and several prayers to the Theotokos and Georgia’s most beloved saints.

In his message, the Patriarch emphasizes that recent events threaten Georgia’s sovereignty and statehood, warning that hatred and violence can only harm the nation. He stressed that Christianity itself ends where love for neighbor ends, and called on all Georgians to distance themselves from violence and seek constructive dialogue.

Writing on the feast day of St. Andrew the First-Called, who founded the Georgian Church, the Patriarch affirms Georgia’s place as an inseparable part of European civilization while emphasizing the importance of maintaining the country’s traditional Christian values. He concludes by invoking the prayers of Georgia’s patron saints for the nation’s unity, peace and prosperity.

Read the Patriarch’s full statement:

My spiritual children, the events that have unfolded in our country in recent days clearly show that every one of must take up the duty of caring for peace. Every person—young and old—must distance himself from violence and realize that sharply escalating tensions in our difficult times poses a real threat to our country’s main achievement—statehood and sovereignty!—and should determine his steps accordingly.

Moreover, to prevent uncontrollable processes, it’s crucial to achieve dialogue through constructive means.

Our problem today is also that we fail to see how we’re distancing ourselves from God and acting against His commandments; we forget that lack of love, cynicism, disrespect, which, unfortunately, has become habitual for part of our society, are destructive sins; (this is manifested in hate speech and physical retaliation).

We cannot solve any national task through mutual hatred, anger, and spite, and will only harm ourselves and the state. Our Christianity ends where love for our neighbor ends.

I have prayed for Georgia my entire life. Today too, I constantly ask the Lord to give us a wise and merciful heart.

Love for our homeland unites us all; that is why I address you: Let us unite in prayer for Georgia’s wellbeing, so that with God’s help and inner peace we can take proper steps.

Joint prayers have great power. To our clergy serving in Georgia and abroad, you blessed to ring the bell daily at 1:00 PM and offer an intercessory prayer service to the Most Holy Theotokos, and I ask the congregation in Georgia and abroad to pray (along with their personal canon) throughout the day: Our Father, Psalm 90, “Open unto us the door of thy mercy,” “Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos” (3 times), also the troparia of St. Andrew the Apostle, St. Nino, St. George and St. Nicholas, and finally “Save, O Lord, Your people.”

Georgia is an inseparable part of European civilization, and it is our duty to support the strengthening and development of a European-type national state based on our centuries-old Christian spiritual-cultural heritage and traditional values.

Today is the feast day of St. Andrew the First-Called, founder of the Georgian Church. It is also the commemoration day of Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali, Catholicos Peter I and Samuel I. Through their intercession and that of other patron saints of Georgia, and through the mediation of the Most Holy Theotokos, may God grant unity, peace, and prosperity to our country.

The Georgian Church has issued repeated calls for peace over the past several weeks, as protestors have filled the streets of Tbilisi. Georgian Church condemns blasphemous acts during pro-EU protestsIn the official statement released yesterday, the Church expressed particular concern over protesters burning a coffin bearing an image of Christ.

“>Most recently, the Church condemned as blasphemous a display in which protesters burned a coffin bearing an image of Christ. According to media reports, the coffin depicted the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, which announced that talks on joining the EU will be suspended until 2028, after the European Parliament refused to accept the outcome of Georgia’s democratic Parliamentary elections in October.

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A short, simple statement — “Marley was dead” — ranks high in any list of the most famous first lines in all literature. Marley, we soon learn, is the deceased former partner of Ebenezer Scrooge, the memorable central figure in Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol.”

As the story begins, Dickens introduces us to Scrooge in typically Dickensian fashion, piling on the adjectives in a manner that leaves no doubt about the kind of fellow Scrooge is: “a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner.” And then, lest anyone have missed the point about this man: “solitary as an oyster.”

I don’t know about you, but I make a point of giving “A Christmas Carol” a fresh reading every year, and it never disappoints. Neither does the 1951 British film version with Alistair Sim as Scrooge, nor the 1930s radio reading of the tale by Lionel Barrymore. These too never disappoint, and I hope they will be readily available on TV and radio again this year.

“A Christmas Carol” was first published in 1843 and is still going strong.

Besides my two personal favorites, as well as the small book of course, there are many other versions — stage and film, TV and radio — and I have no doubt that the adaptations will keep coming for many years yet.

What accounts for the perennial popularity of this story, no matter which medium? While there is no single answer, an obvious one does stand out.

In the movie version that I mentioned, it’s the stellar performance of Alistair Sim as Scrooge, together with a peerless supporting cast of British character actors. Possibly there have been better renderings than this, but if so I don’t know them, and this one is memorable. So, for that matter, is the reading of the story by Lionel Barrymore in his best Scrooge-ish voice.

One mild reservation I have about the British movie concerns the fact that while it originally was in black and white, color has been added more recently. The color isn’t bad, but black and white was better suited to some settings — London slums, a cavernous old house, a cemetery — as well as the atmosphere as a whole. But in either version, the film is a gem. 

How about religion? Some readers (or viewers or listeners) may find it off-putting that Charles Dickens himself identified at times with various churches and eventually seems to have felt at home with Unitarianism. But not only does “A Christmas Carol” have what one might call a generically religious background, it also contains many quite concrete religious references.

The action of the story, after all, takes place on not just any day of the year but, very specifically, on Christmas Eve, when Scrooge has his life-changing encounters with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come. And the change in Scrooge is best described as a conversion. After the third ghost shows him his own neglected grave, Scrooge lifts his hands in prayer “to have his fate reversed.”

And so it is.

Now he is truly a changed man. “He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old city knew. … Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh and little heeded them. His own heart laughed, and that was quite enough for him.” 

And this heart-warming tale of conversion closes with the repetition of Tiny Tim’s famous invocation, “God bless us, everyone!”

Evangelos Nikitopoulos is primarily a translator of rare hagiographies into the English language for the publisher Scriptorium Press. In 2023, he and Anthony Pavoni published The Life of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite by Michael Syncellus.

Within this edition, the introduction of the book argued that according to the most thorough review of the Patristics and scholarship, the works ascribed to St. Dionysius the Areopagite are in fact authentic. This thesis was then elaborated upon and condensed, being published by the Romanian journal Revista Teologica in 2024 as “In Defense of the Authenticity of the Dionysian Corpus.”] Not since 1996 has scholarship (then St. Dmitru Staniloae) seriously defended the authenticity of the corpus. Mr. Nikitopoulos agreed to an interview about his most recent research and published work on the subject.

—What exactly is the Dionysian Corpus?

—The Dionysian Corpus refers to four treatises and ten letters ascribed to the first-century saint and Church Father Dionysius the Areopagite, who is mentioned in the Book of Acts. They cover a variety of topics, mostly having to do with the ideas of hierarchy and the knowledge of God. The Corpus was very influential on the Church’s theology over the centuries and was pretty much universally accepted in both East and West until the Renaissance, when certain doubts as to its authenticity began to be raised, mostly in Protestant circles. Since the late nineteenth–early twentieth century, the scholarly opinion has been that the writings are inauthentic, although there is no consensus on the identity of the supposed author or his motivations.

—Was your inclination always that the writings ascribed to St. Dionysius the Areopagite were authentic? How did you originally square this with the previous scholarly consensus?

—As a matter of fact, I was not very familiar with the Dionysian Corpus, or Corpus Dionysiacum [hereinafter referred to as CD] until I started working on translating St. Dionysius’ Life. I knew by reputation that the writings were very profound and formed the basis of much of Eastern Patristic theology, but not much else. I suppose I simply trusted that the consensus of Holy Tradition was correct. What I did find off-putting, however, was the tendency in academia and beyond to dismiss the Corpus’ author as a fraud who had simply repackaged pagan philosophy. The tone of these criticisms struck me as irreverent, especially considering the influence that the Corpus had on great luminaries like St. Maximus and St. Gregory Palamas (not to mention it being quoted in the Sixth and Seventh Ecumenical Councils). I therefore became curious to examine for myself what the precise reasons were for why the CD was commonly dismissed as a forgery.

—What moment in your research gave you the conviction that the CD was authentic not only as a matter of Sacred Tradition, but of vigorous scholarly inquiry?

—There were many. I would say the first “aha moment” was finding a very close linguistic parallel between St. Dionysius’ Divine Names 3 and Clement of Alexandria’s Stromata. At one point in his treatise, St. Dionysius likens the spiritual life to a man on a ship pulling at a rope that is moored to a rock: He uses this simile to show that when we pray to God, we do not draw God (the “rock”) to ourselves, but we actually pull ourselves up to God. The same precise image is used by Clement. We are frequently told that there is no evidence that anyone before the year 500 AD was aware of the CD. But seeing this parallel in such an early text really convinced me that there was more to this story than meets the eye and that we were plausibly dealing with a very ancient document.

—How did your convictions change the more you researched? What additional finds did you make?

—My convictions only became stronger as the research progressed. The most important discovery was a comment found in one of the works of the Neoplatonic philosopher Proclus. Just to give you some context, modern scholarship since the time of Joseph Stiglmayr and Hugo Koch in the late nineteenth century has held, on the basis of certain linguistic similarities, that St. Dionysius plagiarized large parts of his Divine Names from several of Proclus’ treatises, particularly one on the nature of evil. This is currently the main justification for the Corpus’ late dating. But there is an equally-valid explanation of these similarities that is rarely considered, namely that Proclus is the one who drew from St. Dionysius.

A close linguistic comparison of the texts in fact bears this out. One of the common expressions found in both texts is “supersubstantial flowers.” St. Dionysius uses this term in a fitting way to refer to the Persons of the Son and Holy Spirit (understood as “outgrowths,” if you will, of the Divine substance of the Father—language which you find in some of the other Fathers), whereas Proclus uses it more generically to describe the highest manifestation of the pagan gods. What is significant is that this same expression is found in yet another of Proclus’ works, but when Proclus uses it there, he introduces the expression with the phrase, “as one says.” In other words, he is quoting someone else, and it very much looks like that someone is St. Dionysius.

—How did you feel when you discovered such proofs? Were there any doubts considering the scholarly consensus such conclusion would upend?

—I remember the exact moment I came across this particular proof. I almost fell out of my chair from excitement! Up to that point I had had my suspicions, but to find them validated so unexpectedly was very exhilarating. I truly felt like the saint was guiding me towards the truth [Nikitopoulos’ article was published on St. Dionysius’ name’s day according to the Old Calendar, this being providential and unintentional, as the journal operates according to the New Calendar—Ed.] In fact, I think my role in general has largely been to connect dots that have been in plain sight. Of course, I recognize that any time one challenges long-standing ideas, there is sure to be some resistance. But I also firmly believe that any objective appraisal of the evidence shows that the CD must, at the very least, pre-date Proclus’ time. And I think we have now reached a point in academia where such ideas can be seriously entertained.

—In short, what are the major proofs that the CD is authentic?

—Well, number one are the parallels to other early Christian writings. I have already mentioned Clement of Alexandria. You also have Pantaenus of Alexandria and Origen. The second piece of evidence are indirect references to the Corpus found in later authors. For instance, St. Gregory the Theologian quotes an anonymous predecessor’s interpretation of the angelic hierarchy in his Homily 38. Many of the phrases that St. Gregory uses in this passage are found verbatim in the Dionysian Corpus.

Finally, there is the complexity of the Corpus. A forger who lived four centuries after the fact must have put in a lot of effort to not only compose the writings (which are works of genius in themselves), but also to develop a unique style of Greek which matches the grammar of the period. He also must have invented fake correspondence and fictional scenarios which he refers back to, and lost works which he never in fact composed. I think all this is highly implausible. What’s more, the exact motive to forge the Corpus in the first place is unclear, as even its staunchest critics admit.

—Early sources often explicitly name a saint or earlier writer when referencing them—for example, your article speaks of St. Jerome specifically naming St. Gregory the Theologian. However, when referring to St. Dionysius, they never seem to name him directly, instead using phrases like “one of the God-bearing men” or “a certain Greek.” Is this a point against the authenticity of the CD?

—I do not think so. The ancients did not have the same fastidiousness as we do when it comes to citations. Especially when they were composing scriptural commentaries, the Fathers freely borrowed ideas and language from one another, often without attribution. It is also possible that some of the Fathers like St. Gregory actually had some qualms about citing St. Dionysius directly as the latter explicitly warns his readers not to share the texts he has written indiscriminately to the uninitiated.

—What other scholarship concurs with the findings of your research?

—There is some very interesting research being done in the past few years on the interaction between Neoplatonism and early Christian thought. For example, there is an Italian scholar named Ilaria Ramelli who has produced excellent studies on the philosophy of Origen and his possible influence on Plotinus, Porphyry, and Proclus. Furthermore, since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 1940s, scholarship has belatedly come to realize that many of the details of the CD which were formerly attacked as anachronisms—like monasticism and the angelic hierarchy—are actually things that existed in first-century Judaism. To give you but one example, one of the texts found at Qumran is a liturgy dating from the first century BC which clearly speaks of angelic ranks and worship in Heaven mirroring the worship on earth, a theme you find explicitly in the first book of Dionysius’ Celestial Hierarchy.

—Originally, there was a fragment ascribed to St. Dionysius of Alexandria that appeared to be a proof of the early existence of the CD. This fragment has not been cited in your subsequent published work. Is the fragment falsely ascribed or is the jury still out?

—The scholion in question is found in St. Maximus’ commentary on the Celestial Hierarchy. St. Maximus says that the interpretation he is citing comes from a commentary on the CD composed by Pope Dionysius of Alexandria. If we take this at face value, it would suggest that St. Dionysius’ writings were known in the 3rd century, which would be hugely significant. Unfortunately, the manuscript tradition of St. Maximus’ commentary is very complex, and some plausible objections to the genuineness of this scholion have been raised by Hans Urs von Balthasar. As such, since we wished to focus on the strongest and most incontestable evidence in favor of authenticity, we decided not to refer to this particular scholion.

—What roles did Anthony Pavoni and Patrick (Craig) Truglia have in your research?

—Anthony, my partner and fellow-translator at Scriptorium Press, greatly helped me polish the thesis and present it in the form you find in the book. Craig initially helped break the story to the world and encouraged me to publish the thesis academically. He also contributed to some excellent additional research that will be appearing in Part II of the article.

—Why did you choose to publish in a Romanian journal?

—My co-author had experience with publishing with this particular journal before and recommended it to me. Furthermore, given the rather controversial nature of the topic, we thought that a scholarly publication with an Orthodox background like Revista Teologica would be the most receptive to the thesis, and the most appropriate venue to initiate such a discussion. It is also fitting given that St. Dmitru Staniloae, the last major supporter of the Corpus’ authenticity, published in Romania. However, now that the ice has been broken, I am optimistic that some of the prominent Western journals like Studia Patristica and Vigiliae Christianae will be willing to publish research on this question, and I in fact intend to make submissions to them.

—What findings in your research do you anticipate will be published in future work provided that you can confirm their veracity?

—I am working towards publishing further research covering similarities between Dionysius’ theology and second-century theological sources. One objection to authenticity we often encounter is that the CD “doesn’t read” like something from the early centuries or is just “too advanced”. The point I will be making is that not only does the Corpus fit that time period, but the specific references that St. Dionysius makes could only have been made by someone who wrote in the late-first to early-second centuries. The focus will be primarily on early Gnostic and Jewish texts. I have also found what I believe is a direct quote of the Divine Names in St. John Chrysostom’s Homily 14 on John, but that will probably have to wait to be published in a part 3 to receive a proper exposition.

—Where are some future areas of research relevant to this topic that you hope other scholars will undertake?

—The CD is often analyzed through the lens of Neoplatonism. As ironic as it sounds, I would love to see more studies reading St. Dionysius as a Christian. For instance, Fr. Maximos Constas of Holy Cross Seminary and Dr. Panagiotis Pavlos of the University of Oslo have done some recent work in this regard, looking at the influence of Pauline Theology in the Corpus or at the meaning of the term theurgy independent of its pagan connotations.

—What are the ramifications of there being a recognition of the CD’s authenticity and this becoming the new scholarly consensus?

—It is hard to overstate the ramifications of authenticity. Dionysius’ writings contain our earliest canon of the Bible, the earliest description of the Liturgy, a detailed exposition of the Sacraments and the role of Church orders, as well as the theology underlying iconodulia. If the writings are authentic (which I believe they are), they would be the most detailed record of Church life in the early centuries that we have, surpassing the Didache and the Ignatian letters in terms of their dogmatic significance.

For nearly as long as he can remember, Sebastian Gonzalez, 12, has watched his grandmother help lead the rosary during the annual Las Mañanitas vigil at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Each year, Gonzalez and his family settle into the pews for a long night of prayer and song, a tradition that’s endured from one generation to the next. 

“I’ve always seen her go up and read the rosary, and I’ve always thought to myself how amazing it would be to be able to do that,” said Gonzalez, a student at St. Bernardine of Siena School in Woodland Hills.

Gonzalez finally got the chance to follow in his paternal grandmother’s footsteps when he led a decade of the rosary in Spanish during this year’s Las Mañanitas event, becoming the youngest person ever to do so.

“I admire her and when I see her practice, I’m just inspired by how faithful she is,” he said of his grandmother, Rosa Gonzalez. “And I want to also lead a life of faith.”

The Gonzalezes were among thousands of faithful who turned out for the cathedral’s festivities this year. As in so many churches that celebrate the Mañanitas, the vigil runs from the evening of Dec. 11 into the early hours of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12, which commemorates the Virgin Mary’s apparitions to St. Juan Diego in Mexico City in December 1531.

In addition to the rosary, the event also included indigenous dances, a musical serenade to Our Lady, a rendition of “Las Mañanitas” — a traditional Mexican birthday song to honor the Virgin Mary on her feast day — and more. 

This year’s serenade featured multiple performers, including Mexican ranchera singer-songwriter Ángeles Ochoa, mariachi singer Julián Torres, Latin-Grammy nominated singer Carmen Jara, and others, backed by Mariachi Ángeles de Pepe Martínez Jr.

The vigil culminated with midnight Mass celebrated by Archbishop José H. Gomez, who in his homily reminded attendees that Our Lady is there to love and console them, and to support them in continuing her mission to bring salvation to all.

“She still wants to make a place in this world and in our lives for her child Jesus,” he said. “So she tells us tonight: Go with haste to bring Jesus into your home, into the lives of the people in your families.”

“You are the precious sons and daughters of the Queen of Heaven, and she is calling each of you tonight to help her to build the kingdom of her son on earth.”

For Rosa, participating in the Mañanitas rosary for the past decade has been a way for her to evangelize to those around her. 

By assisting with the rosary, she aims to teach people how to pray and to share the power of that prayer with her family in the pews, and with her spiritual brothers and sisters who are following along.  

Rosa — who said she experienced a Eucharistic miracle 21 years ago — has had a strong love for the Church and Our Lady of Guadalupe since she was a child in Mexico.

She said she is proud that Sebastian wanted to participate in this year’s rosary because it shows that the Catholic faith that was passed down to her is also taking root in her grandson’s heart, even at his young age. 

Over the last three years, Rosa said she’s seen many signs of spiritual growth in Sebastian and that they’ve had many conversations about the importance of reading the Bible, learning about Church teachings, and cultivating a personal relationship with God.

“I was very happy and excited to see him up there,” said Rosa, who attends St. Ferdinand Church in San Fernando. “To see that the same seeds of faith that my father and mother sowed in us as a family I can now sow in my children and grandchildren.” 

For Sebastian, participating in this year’s rosary was an opportunity to further grow his relationship with — and his devotion to — Our Lady of Guadalupe. 

Gonzalez said he was “in awe” and moved to tears when he saw the tilma in person during a visit to the Guadalupe shrine in Mexico City this summer with several relatives, including his grandmother. 

While at the basilica, he also prayed for his maternal grandmother to be healed from lung cancer, and bought a rosary that he used during this week’s Mañanitas vigil.

Sebastian’s mother, Elizabeth Gonzalez, said she was glad to see her son carry on the family tradition, as it can help strengthen his faith and inspire others.  

“I’m just proud of him,” she said. “And I’m really glad that his faith has driven him to want to do something that he gets to share with the religious community, and further increases his belief in God and the Virgin Mary.”