Tag: Christianity

Sudanese Catholic Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andali of El Obeid Dec. 2 described narrowly escaping execution in his country, where he has remained with the faithful amid a deadly war between the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The bishop was returning to his diocese after attending a Eucharistic congress in Juba, the South Sudanese capital. The congress Nov. 24 was organized to mark 50 years — or golden jubilee — of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic bishops’ conference.

In a message written to fellow bishops and obtained by OSV News, Bishop Andali said that after arriving in El Obeid from the gathering, he encountered — in separate incidents — the army and, immediately afterward, the paramilitary. A deacon named Joseph was accompanying him.

“On the side of Rapid (Support) Forces, I was treated badly with heavy blows on the neck, the face and the sides of the head. I can’t bite food, and (even) worse … we narrowly missed martyrdom,” Bishop Andali said in a text message to local bishops Dec. 2. Its authenticity was confirmed by OSV News.

The attacks occurred near the South Sudanese border town of Renk. According to church sources, the bishop was traveling on public transportation when he was picked out at an army checkpoint, after a personal search confirmed he was traveling with money. The soldiers took away some of the money he carried in dollars — under the pretext that the bishop was carrying “forbidden currency” — and let him go.

Soon after, he fell into the hands of the paramilitary RSF.

“Guns (were) given to the lads and (they were) instructed to carry out their usual business,” the bishop said in his message to fellow bishops, underlining that they were clearly being led to execution.

“Thanks to the prayers of the church,” he was saved, he emphasized, as on the way to what seemed like imminent death, a leader of the paramilitary had emerged from his office and ordered the gunmen to free the church people.

“That’s how we survived,” he said, adding that he “will try to see the doctor and feed you with further information. My situation is stable, just some mild pains,” Bishop Andali told his fellow bishops.

As the war forced out clergy from cities and towns, Bishop Andali told OSV News in June 2023 that he would remain with his flock until it became impossible to do so.

“I prefer to stay with them (Catholics) till it is not possible for us to be there. We hold some services on Sundays and, when necessary, on other occasions,” he said.

Out of a Sudanese population of 46.8 million, 5.4% are Christians. Catholics account for about 1.1 million people, with a Muslim majority.

The war in the northeastern African country was triggered on April 15, 2023, after disputes between the army’s chief, Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, called Hemedti, boiled over.

An estimated 61,000 people have died in the war, according to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, with the United Nations saying 11 million people have been displaced, and 25 million are in need of humanitarian aid.

On Nov. 21, the bishops in Sudan and South Sudan expressed deep concern over the deteriorating conflict in Sudan. The bishop said war was continuous and there was no chance for dialogue between the two fighting sides.

“Thousands of Sudanese lost their lives and millions fled their homes to seek refuge in relatively peaceful states or in the neighbouring counties. The humanitarian consequence on the civilians has gone beyond toleration and must be condemned in the strongest terms possible,” said Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla, president of Sudan and South Sudan bishops’ conference in a statement.

The cardinal said the bishops urged the Sudanese people to learn to survive together, reject violence and work together.

Our Passions are IdolsWhom does the Lord receive? The Gospel answers this for us: the publican.

“>Part 20

War Against the Church

We continue our interpretation of the Revelation of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. Let’s recall our previous talk. We spoke about seven seals that were removed, and seven angels who blew their trumpets. The first angel sounded his trumpet and hail, fire, and blood fell upon the earth. The second angel sounded his trumpet, and one third of the creatures in the sea perished. The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the springs and rivers became bitter. The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun, the moon, and the stars were hidden; day and night were deprived of a third of their light. Then there appeared a soaring angel who spoke of the grief that came to those living on earth from the voice of the other three trumpets. The fifth angel sounded his trumpet and a star fell from the sky, and a well opened, from which came terrible locusts that began to do harm on the earth. The sixth angel sounded his trumpet and freed the four angels at the Euphrates River.

An angel by the Euphrates River. French manuscript, 14th C.     

Now we continue; let’s read the tenth chapter. And I saw another mighty angel come down from Heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire (10:1). The Apostle John continues to see these images by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Another angel appears, surrounded by a cloud, descending from Heaven. Above his head is a rainbow, and his feet are like pillars of fire.

And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth (10:2). This angel, who appeared in such amazing and magnificent glory, was holding an open book in his hands. He put his right foot in the sea, and his left on earth.

Then he continues to describe the angel: And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices (10:3). We’ve talked about how we can express all this in our everyday language, but we can’t explain it. It’s dangerous for us to start talking confidently about the meaning of images, naming times and circumstances. Nevertheless, we can make some definite conclusions from these texts.

And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not (10:4). Do you understand that these weren’t ordinary, natural thunderings, but voices uttering words—very loud and powerful words—similar to thunderclaps? When the Apostle heard them, he went to write it down. But what happened? He was told to conceal them, to keep these words secret, not to record them. God didn’t allow him to record these words. We don’t know why. Despite the fact that the Apostle and Evangelist John heard these words, God didn’t allow him to preserve them

And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to Heaven (10:5). A majestic vision: a huge angel, a giant, something supernatural, an angel of God, with one foot standing in Heaven and the other on earth. He lifted his hand to Heaven. What did he do?

And sware by Him That liveth for ever and ever, Who created Heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer (10:6). This angel raised his hand to Heaven and began to swear by the eternal, immortal God, Who created Heaven, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, swearing that that there would be no more time. There is no time left to wait; there will be no delay. And there’s another interpretation: Time no longer exists; we now live outside of time; we’ve gone beyond the boundaries of time. The usual interpretation is that there’s no time left—what’s going to happen will happen soon. He swore by Him Who lives eternally and created everything. He swore by Christ, the Creator of everything.

Christ will win in the end

But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to His servants the prophets (Rev. 10:7). This is one of the mysteries: When the seventh angel trumpets, then God’s plans will be fulfilled, which was revealed as joyful good news to His servants, the prophets. Maybe this was about the Nativity of Christ? Perhaps. Maybe this is talking about the On the Second Coming of ChristMercy will present to Christ also those who were only able to show mercy to themselves, who visited themselves with self-criticism and freed themselves from the poverty, sickness, and prison of sin through repentance. Repentance is impossible for the hardened heart: the heart must be softened, filled with sympathy and mercy toward its catastrophic state of sinfulness.

“>Second Coming of Christ? This is also possible. Either way, what Christ said will come true down to the smallest detail. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away (Mt. 24:35). Everything will be fulfilled with absolute precision.

Reading Revelation, we’ll always feel that everything that happens, although it seems terrible and horrifying (and it is), will end. Behind all this and amidst all this, there’s a light of hope for the good news given us by God, which is the Coming of Christ and His eternal Kingdom. Christ will win in the end. Evil won’t win; the devil won’t win; unrighteousness and sin won’t take God captive. God is powerful and strong. He is the One Who liveth for ever and ever, Who created Heaven … and the earth … and the sea, and the things which are therein (Rev. 10:6).

    

This is important for us—it’s the foundation of our faith, patience, and life, in which we encounter many serious problems and difficulties, temptations and sorrows. This sends us to the Living God. And the Living God can never be in a difficult position. For God, nothing is difficult, impossible, or unrealizable. Absolutely nothing. God won’t say, “This is difficult, and this is easy,” or, “This is easier, and this is harder.” This concept doesn’t exist for God, but it does for us. For God, everything is simple; nothing is hopeless. Hopelessness is the lot of man. God Himself is the way out and salvation for man, so we have to learn to resort to God. Let us learn to commit all our difficulties and trials, problems and sorrows to God. And when we see that everything is crumbling, lost, carried away by the wind and destroyed by a thunderstorm, then let us resort to God in strong prayer, in many prayers, and God will do His own thing.

I think each of you has a wealth of experience. Every one of us, in difficult moments in life, has prayed to God, that the Lord might come and show the way through this difficult situation, leaving everything in God’s hands. And when it seemed all was lost, that the end had come, God acted and again arranged everything so wonderfully and beautifully.

Our problem lies in the fact that we don’t pray, but we try to fix our problems ourselves—with our logic, our reasoning and arguments, our own strength, our own perspectives, our own way of thinking. But if we learn to place everything in God’s hands, pray with fire and fervor, as St. Ephraim of Katounakia put it, then we’ll fully trust God: “Let us commit ourselves and one another, and all our life unto Christ our God.” Then we’ll see that God manages everything much better than we do. Logic can tell us: “Of course, we’ll leave everything in God’s hands, and the world’s collapsing. We have to try to do something, to accomplish something.”

We work and we work, and in the end, we turn everything into shards and nails. Let us learn to give God a place to do what we can’t; let us learn to trust the Living God, Who controls nature, Who is the King of the world, Who loves every man who comes into the world, Who is the Father of all men.

And the voice which I heard from Heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey (Rev. 10:8-9). The taste in his mouth will be sweeter than honey, and the book will taste bitter in his belly. Why? We can’t know. The meaning of the words is a mystery too. Why was the book bitter? Why did he have to eat the book? Do people eat books? Of course, when we were babies we probably chewed on books, but to eat an entire book… I don’t think this is really about him eating a book, but about how he received grace, received a message, a gift from God; a message about everything that was written in this book, that was sweet in his mouth, because the gifts of God are sweet, but bitter in his belly, because the gifts of God often bring pain to human souls.

St. John Devouring the Book, Albrecth Dürer, late 15th C.     

For example, the prophets were people of pain; they suffered a lot. Why? Because through the gift of prophecy that they possessed, they saw a people making tragic mistakes, sinning before God; they saw a spiritual law that began to work in people, a punishment that came to them for their folly. They warned the people, they tried to protect them and stop them from making mistakes, and endured, seeing that no one was listening to them. Then came hardships into the world; the prophets remained among the people and suffered grave consequences together with the people of God. The gift is sweet, because it’s from God, and bitter because you’re compassionate, tormented, sick, experiencing love and pain together with the people.

One ascetic from the Paterikon received from God the gift to see human hearts and thoughts. Then he went and began to tearfully beg God both day and night: “Take this gift from me! I don’t want to see what’s beyond the visible.” Who can bear to see all this! We can’t even stand to hear things, but to live and see them… Those who possess this gift experience severe pain. Remember how Elder Paisios often said this phrase: “With great pain and love.” He had great love for the world, but was also in great pain for this world. He had such a gift that he could see the heart of a man better than the man knew his own heart. The Elder was greatly tormented when he saw people sinning, far from God. He suffered. A man could be having fun, thinking he was doing something good, while the Elder saw his true state, ached for him, and tried to help him change his way of life and reform himself. He saw the soul, how far it had retreated into unrighteousness without knowing it. There was a lot of pain and love for the world in his heart. And this pain led him to fervent, fiery prayer for the whole world. After he received this gift (in roughly his last twenty-five to thirty years), his life was filled with great love and compassion for man, for everyone who came to his kalyvia. But it was a torment, a torment of compassion for the whole world. He was a true pillar holding the universe in his hands. But to do this, you have to be a giant of spirit, as Fr. Paisios was. We’re not like that. He had a gift that was sweet in the mouth but bitter in the belly. This is my personal interpretation; maybe it’s like this, maybe not.

Everything that happens is under God’s watch

And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings (Rev. 10:11). He had to continue this path of the Cross—prophesying to all people.

And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the Temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the Temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the Holy City shall they tread under foot forty and two months (Rev. 11:1-2). The Apostle was given a reed, resembling a staff, to use it to measure like a ruler. He was told to measure the Temple and the altar. He saw the Temple of God. It was probably similar to Solomon’s Temple. But they told him not to measure the outer court because it was given to idolaters, who would then trample the Holy City for forty-two months. How many years is that? Three and a half. We will encounter this time period several times. Three and a half is half of seven. Here we encounter a prophecy about Jerusalem: It will be given to the Gentiles and will be trampled for a specific period of time. Perhaps this speaks of the time when the Jews returned and took it back? We don’t know. It’s possible.

The request to measure the Temple shows us that everything that happens is under God’s watch. Nothing happens beyond His control. Absolutely nothing. The slightest detail is under control; there’s nothing accidental, nothing that isn’t controlled by someone. Everything is under the control and gaze of God. Even that which is yet to happen.

Having said that, he continues: And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth (Rev. 11:3). 1,260 days is forty-two months, three and a half years. In those days, when the Holy City will be trampled by the pagans, two witnesses of God will be prophesying the whole time, dressed in clothes of mourning; they will call the people to repentance. Who are these two? According to Church Tradition, they are the Prophets Enoch and Holy Prophet Elias

“>Elijah.

These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth (Rev. 11:4). He mysteriously says that these prophets are fruitful olive trees and two candlesticks that constantly burn before the Lord of the earth.

And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed (Rev. 11:5). If someone wants to harm them, he’ll be burned by the fire that comes from their mouths. Whoever wants to hurt them shall be killed. Of course, we mustn’t think that these prophets will burn the world with the fire of their mouths. The fire coming from their mouths is the truth and power of Christ, the Gospel. Nothing can resist the truth of the Gospel and the truth of the preaching of these people of God. Absolutely no one and nothing. The word will have such power that it will be like an all-consuming fire. No one will be able to hinder them. All obstacles that arise before them will disappear. There will be many obstacles and oppositions, great resistance, but they will all fade away.

​Prophets Enoch and Elijah. 17th C.     

These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will (Rev. 11:6). In those days, when Jerusalem will be trampled by pagans, these two prophets will begin to prophesy. They will possess power from God to deliver the word of God. They’ll have the authority to shut up the heavens, to stop the rain, to turn water into blood. They’ll be able to perform various acts by the power of God. Let us dare to say a little about what seems obvious. I repeat, this could all be mistaken. I don’t know if what I’m going to say is true or not. But one thought comes to mind. Jerusalem was trampled by pagans. Then, after three centuries of persecution, the Church began to flourish. Then they stopped trampling Jerusalem, and the Jews returned. After their return, a new era began.

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them (Rev. 11:7). The power, boldness, and state that characterized these prophets became visibly suppressed. People will feel as though they’re defeated. The beast coming out of the abyss (we’ll see this often further on)—satan, possessing satan’s power, the antichrist—fights and kills them.

And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified (Rev. 11:8). Their corpses will be left on the square of the great city, which is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified. This is the city of Jerusalem.

To be continued…

At 53 years old, Capuchin Father Roberto Pasolini, the new preacher of the papal household, was among the youngest in the Vatican audience hall when he told Pope Francis and members of the Roman Curia: be open to change.

“We tend to imagine tomorrow always as a photocopy of today, and to repeat daily routines, gestures, sometimes without heart and without great hope,” he said Dec. 6 as he offered the pope and the Curia officials an Advent reflection.

Yet, he said, it is only by opening one’s heart that “we can open ourselves to the novelty of God and open the doors of hope in view of a new time, perhaps also of a new way of being a church in the world and for the world.”

The reflection was the first offered by Father Pasolini, who was named the papal preacher in November. He succeeded Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, who, at 90, had served in the role for more four decades.

In a reflection on the biblical prophets, Father Pasolini said that while people may hear the words of the prophets, they “may not receive it” because they may “harden” and “close in fear.”

“Our closure, perhaps the greatest, is before the hope that the prophets seek to communicate,” he said. “The temptation to believe that nothing new can happen is ingrained in our hearts.”

Advent, however, challenges Christians to “realize the presence of God” and to be astonished by “what he not only can, but still wants to accomplish in our lives and in the world.”

Citing the examples of Zechariah and Elizabeth — who had resigned themselves to infertility due to their age before miraculously conceiving John the Baptist — he said that people often believe that “life is always marked by its initial conditions,” whereas “the Gospel reminds us that between the premises and the development of existence, of any kind of life, there is also discontinuity.”

“Today we need to recover this deep, evangelical view of reality,” he said. ” We are sometimes too focused on the present. We struggle to invest in the future. We are surrounded by many concerns, imprisoned in a very oppressive materialism, and we can no longer accept either the dream or the touch of God in reality.”

Father Pasolini said developing an openness to that view of reality requires imitating Mary’s “yes” in the Annunciation, accepting the challenges and consequences of God’s will.

“Every true decision, according to the Gospel, costs us our whole life and exposes us to the risk of losing privileges and certainties,” the preacher said.

“It is not enough to make us listen to the good, true and promising words that God addresses us, especially in this time of Advent,” he said. “We must first dissolve the rigidity of the heart, knowing how to say no to everything that risks closing us and weighing us down: fear, resignation, cynicism.”

Athens, December 6, 2024

Photo: eadaily.com     

The Greek Orthodox Church has expressed deep concern about the deteriorating situation in Syria, where armed conflict and the capture of Aleppo threaten the survival of ancient Christian communities. The Church calls on the Greek government and international community to take diplomatic action to protect these communities and restore peace in the region.

The situation in long-suffering Syria has become extremely volatile once again, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens writes, with the internal armed conflict deteriorating and bringing dramatic consequences for civilians.

The advance of extreme armed elements and the capture of Aleppo threatens the region’s historic interfaith composition, including its ancient Greek Orthodox population under the Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, as well as Syriac Orthodox, Armenian, and other Christian communities.

The years-long conflict and its tragic consequences now pose a risk of completely eliminating Christianity from the broader region, with profound implications for its future, the Greek primate warns.

The Archbishop goes on to express the concern of the Greek Church and to call on the Greek government and international organizations to intervene:

The Most Holy Church of Greece expresses its deepest concern about the developing situation in Syria, as well as its sincere fraternal solidarity with His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and with His Eminence Metropolitan Ephraim of Aleppo and the long-suffering Greek Orthodox flock of Syria, as well as with the Brother Christian Primates of the Christian Churches of Syria, and with all those who are persecuted and in danger.

It encourages the Greek Government and particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to undertake diplomatic and other humanitarian initiatives to normalize the situation that has developed and to secure the presence of the Greek diaspora and Orthodox faithful in Syria.

It calls upon international organizations and the international community to contribute in every possible and effective way to end the long and destructive conflict, to bring peace and reconstruction to the region, and to preserve its valuable and unique interfaith coexistence and diversity under terms of mutual respect and cooperation.

The Greek diplomatic mission in Syria is maintaining close contact with the local Greek community, having received 40 requests from Greeks and their family members to join a UN-led evacuation to Damascus, according to Greek Reporter.

While advising against travel, Greece’s Foreign Ministry Crisis Management Unit remains ready to provide necessary assistance through both its Embassy in Damascus and Honorary Consulate in Aleppo.

The Albanian Orthodox Church has also made a statement Albanian Church condemns violence in Aleppo that threatens Orthodox ChristiansIn a statement released on December 2, the Church expresses deep concern over the escalating violence that threatens thousands of Orthodox Christians in the region and the historic Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch.

“>condemning the violence in Syria and in support of the Christian population.

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Five years after Parisians lined the streets of their city, wiping their tears as Notre Dame Cathedral burned, the faithful will have their jewel back as it victoriously reopens Dec. 7 and 8.

While the reopening of Notre Dame takes place on the second weekend of Advent, the celebrations will span from December to Pentecost, on June 8, 2025, so that more faithful can participate in the joyous rebirth of the cathedral.

French president and top politicians will be there for the reopening, with other heads of state and President-elect Donald Trump joining, and nearly 170 bishops from France and around the world will travel to Paris for the special weekend, with the reopening Mass to be celebrated Dec. 8.

On Dec. 7, the reopening service, presided over by the archbishop of Paris, will take place late in the afternoon, with President Emmanuel Macron, officials, donors, representatives of all the parishes of Paris, members of the cathedral board and the Parisian clergy present.

During the rite of the opening of the doors, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris will strike the closed door of Notre Dame with his staff. The cathedral will “respond” with the singing of Psalm 121 three times.

“I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’ And now our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem. Jerusalem, built as a city, walled round about,” the psalm reads.

The cathedral, which has been silent for five years since the April 15, 2019, fire, “will once again resonate with the song of praise,” and the third time the psalm is sung, the doors will open, the official Notre Dame de Paris website said.

Following the initial door-opening rite, the service will unfold in three parts, according to the website.

First is awakening the great organ. After beginning the service with the Sign of the Cross, the archbishop will bless the instrument and address the great organ eight times, and the organ will respond each time.

Olivier Latry, one of the cathedral’s four organists, awakened the organ a few times in his career before, and said it’s something that “profoundly affects you. You need to improvise with your gut. You are left completely shaken,” he told the Financial Times.

Latry traveled around the world with organ concerts for the last five years and told the Financial Times that for him, ahead of the reopening, there’s something obvious: “I finally realized that Notre Dame de Paris is in fact Notre Dame du Monde.”

Vincent Dubois, Thierry Escaich and Thibault Fajoles will also play the great organ along with Latry, while Yves Castagnet will accompany from the cathedral’s choir using a temporary organ, until the original choir organ is restored, the Notre Dame de Paris website said.

Another part of the reopening ceremony will be chanting the Divine Office, which will consist of a hymn, a psalm, the Magnificat, prayers for the world and the Lord’s Prayer.

Finally, the archbishop will give the final blessing, followed by the singing of the “Te Deum.”

The reopening service will be accompanied by the La Maîtrise Notre Dame de Paris choir.

The Maîtrise choir that “found itself orphaned” after the devastating fire that collapsed the spire and part of Notre Dame’s roof will now be back and for eight days, Paris’ famous musicians will be mobilized for a packed schedule of ceremonies, including a special concert on Dec. 17 and 18, featuring Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Magnificat.”

“We have sung in a lot of beautiful places in recent years,” Henri Chalet, a qualified organist and director of the choir, told OSV News.

“But at Notre Dame, there is ‘something extra.’ It is a place that speaks to everyone, and to the whole world. It is going to be a great thrill to be able to return there,” he said.

On Dec. 8, the second Sunday of Advent, the inaugural Mass, with the consecration of the high altar, will take place at 10:30 a.m., presided over by Archbishop Ulrich with President Macron attending.

Nearly 170 bishops from France and around the world will participate in the celebration, along with one priest from each of the 106 parishes in the Archdiocese of Paris, and one priest from each of the seven Eastern Catholic churches, accompanied by faithful from these communities.

The consecration of the altar will be carried out in five steps, the Notre Dame de Paris website said. First, the relics of five saints will be placed and sealed in the altar. These relics, belonging to three women and two men who marked the history of the Catholic Church in Paris, include those of St. Marie Eugénie Milleret, St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, St. Catherine Labouré, St. Charles de Foucauld and Blessed Vladimir Ghika.

The prayer of dedication will then be recited, followed by the anointing with oil, the central moment of the consecration. This will be followed by the offering of incense, before the altar is adorned and illuminated.

The Mass will be followed by a fraternal buffet to welcome the most disadvantaged and those who support them daily through charitable organizations in the Archdiocese of Paris.

Dec. 8-15 is the octave — eight days — of the reopening.

The consecration Mass marks the beginning of the octave, inviting the faithful of Paris in their great diversity, along with many individuals who helped make the reopening of Notre Dame possible, to join the services presided over by the archbishop.

Weekly concerts will take place on Tuesdays and numerous events will continue until Pentecost in June, “offering an opportunity for many to rediscover Notre-Dame,” the organizers said.

Ladomirová, Prešov Region, Slovakia, December 6, 2024

Photo: ​eparchiapo.sk     

Last month, the Archangel Michael Church in the Slovakian village of Ladomirová celebrated the 100th anniversary of its consecration.

The church is the only building to have survived from the Monastery of St. Job of Pochaev that operated in the village from 1923 to 1946. The founding monks came from the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra in Ukraine, and more than a dozen members of the brotherhood moved to Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York, in 1946 after a brief stay in Munich, among them the future First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus (Škurla). The monastery was known for its active publishing and missionary labors.

On Sunday, November 24, His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav of Prešov and the Czech Lands and Slovakia celebrated the Divine Liturgy in honor of the centenary, assisted by a number of local clerics, the Diocese of Prešov reports.

In his homily, Met. Rastislav addressed the disconnect between outward appearances and spiritual reality in Christian life, emphasizing that having certain attributes (like a brain, heart, or Baptism) doesn’t automatically translate to their proper spiritual use. Using the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, he warned against the dangers of self-centered comfort and indifference to others’ suffering, stressing that our final judgment will be based not on our words or traditions, but on the love and compassion we showed during our earthly life. Through this message, he challenged his listeners to examine whether they truly live as Christians or merely possess the external markers of faith.

Photo: eparchiapo.sk     

His Eminence also spoke about the anniversary of the church consecration:

Exactly 100 years and three days have passed since the local Church of the Holy Archangel Michael was consecrated by Archbishop Savvaty of Prague. A key role in its construction was played by the missionary work of Archimandrite Vitaly (Maximenko) [later the abbot of Jordanville and the ROCOR Archbishop of North America—Ed.] and other monks from the brotherhood of the Pochaev Monastery, who came to Slovakia in the period between the two world wars.

Met. Rastislav reflected on the church’s centenary by highlighting how their ancestors returned to Orthodoxy under difficult circumstances, understanding that both physical churches and spiritual renewal were essential for faith. He emphasized how generations of faithful contributed to the church through various means, creating a sacred space where Heaven and earth meet. The primate concluded by praying that the Archangel Michael would continue to protect them and that the church would remain a source of spiritual strength for years to come.

He expressed special thanks to the local parish priest Archpriest Mgr. Pavol Kačmár, whose sacrificial service, tireless work, and spiritual guidance are, according to his words, a precious gift from heaven and a great Divine blessing for Ladomirová.

Following the service, Met. Rastislav awarded the church rector Archpriest Pavol Kačmár a jeweled cross “as an expression of recognition not only for his many years of priestly service but also for his extraordinary care for the liturgical life and spiritual formation of the local community, as well as for preserving the cultural heritage of the village.”

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Sacoșu Turcesc, Timiș County, Romania, December 6, 2024

Photo: mitropolia-banatului.ro     

His Eminence Metropolitan Ioan of Banat of the Romanian Orthodox Church is well known for his constant social-philanthropic activities.

The Archdiocese of Timișoara, part of the Metropolis of Banat, is known for Romanian Archdiocese donates house to victim of domestic violence with 5 childrenIn the village of Babșa in Timiș County, the Archdiocese bought and donated a house to a mother with five children who was herself a victim of domestic abuse.

“>donating houses to large and needy families, and during this Nativity Fast, the Metropolitan aims to help a family with more than a dozen children.

With the support of the faithful, work has already begun on the expansion of a house in Sacoșu Turcesc, Timiș County, for a family with 3 boys and 10 girls between the ages of 3 and 16, the Metropolis reports.

Photo: mitropolia-banatului.ro     

Under His Eminence’s care, two teams of craftsmen have begun their work, building the upper floor masonry, forming and pouring the columns and support beams, as well as constructing the truss structure and installing a tile roof. The entire operation is proceeding at a rapid pace, scheduled to be completed in just a matter of days.

“We will do everything so that this family has a roof over their heads and is no longer affected by rain,” said Fr. Timotei Anișorac, diocesan counselor.

Romanian hierarch donates new house to elderly man living in poor conditions (+VIDEO)The house was also furnished and equipped with all the necessities for decent living.

“>In March 2023, Met. Ioan donated a house to an elderly man who had been living in a dilapidated building.

Ukrainian Diocese provides home for priest’s widow and children after eviction by schismaticsThe project came to fruition following the untimely death of Fr. Sergei, who recently reposed at just 32 years of age, leaving behind his wife Tetiana and their three children.

“>Earlier this week, OrthoChristian reported that the Rivne Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church had completed an initiative to provide a new home for a widowed priest’s family.

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Tallinn, December 6, 2024

The building in Tallinn where the Estonian Church’s chancellery is located. Photo: Kesklinna valitsus     

Starting this month, the Estonian Orthodox Church has to pay more than double the previous rent for the premises housing its administration in the Kesklinn District of Tallinn.

Estonia is pressuring the Estonian Church to break ties with the Moscow Patriarchate and Estonian Orthodox Church formally rejects proposal to join Constantinople’s jurisdictionOn September 19, the head of the EAOC proposed at a session of the Estonian Council of Churches to create a Russian vicariate to subsume parishes of the EOC-MP.

“>join the Constantinople Patriarchate, which has its own presence in the country. While the Estonian Church has opposed the war and authorities confess they have Estonian gov’t sees no tangible threat from Estonian Church but pressuring its parishes to join Constantinople“We’ve already held the first [parish] meetings and plan to further expand this activity next week,” said Raivo Kuyt, Vice Chancellor for Population and Civil Society of the Ministry of the Interior.”>found no evidence of wrongdoing, the government expelled His Eminence Metropolitan Evgeny of Tallinn Metropolitan Evgeny forced to leave EstoniaHis Eminence Metropolitan Evgeny of Tallinn and All Estonia was forced to leave the country today after the authorities refused to renew his residence permit.”>in February and is demanding that the Church unilaterally end its connection to the Moscow Patriarchate, despite its autonomy in administration.

Estonia: Bill submitted to ban churches tied to the Moscow PatriarchateThe Estonian Ministry of the Interior has seriously ramped up its pressure on the Estonian Orthodox Church as Minister Lauri Läänemets has proposed new legislation to ban religious organizations connected to the Moscow Patriarchate.

“>In October, Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets proposed to prohibit the activities of any parish connected to the Moscow Patriarchate.

And on a local level, the Kesklinn District Administration sent the Church a letter in April terminating the lease agreement for the premises on Pikk Street. The building was to be vacated by July 21, but the Church challenged the termination in court, which has yet to issue a decision.

In response, the district administration has bumped the monthly rent from $865 (820 euros) to $1,800 (1,707 euros), reports err.ee.

“The legal dispute over this matter isn’t resolved yet, and while the Church continues to use these premises for its activities, the district administration will issue monthly damage compensation bills,” said Sander Andla, head of the Kesklinn District administration.

“I consider it unjustified that a tenant whose contract the city terminated continues operating in city-owned spaces while paying significantly below market value. Therefore, we set the damage compensation amount at market rate. And I still believe that the EOC-MP should vacate the office space in the Old Town,” said Andla.

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In February 1945, Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn was sentenced to eight years in the Russian prison camps. Passages in letters to a friend had been found by military censors to be insufficiently respectful of Stalin.

After his “rehabilitation,” in 1959 he wrote perhaps his best-known and most well-loved story: “Matryona’s House.”

It begins like this:

“For at least six months after the incident took place every train used to slow down almost to a standstill at exactly a hundred and eighty-four kilometres from Moscow. The passengers would crowd to the windows and go out onto the open gangway at the end of the carriages to find out whether the track was under repair or if the train was ahead of schedule. But these were not the reasons for the delay. Once it had passed the level crossing, the train would pick up speed again and the passengers would go back to their seats. Only the drivers knew why they had to slow down.”

“And I knew too.”

Matryona is an older, semi-destitute woman who lives by herself and willingly agrees to share her house with the narrator of the story, a teacher named Ignatich. Like Solzhenitsyn himself, Ignatich is an ex-prisoner who, after serving a prison term in the Gulag, has been released from “perpetual exile” and has been allowed to reintegrate into a village.

She has growing indoors a jungle of fig plants she loves so much that when she once wakes to find the cottage full of smoke, instead of trying to save the building she throws the fig plants to the floor so they won’t suffocate. Her other possessions consist of a loom on which she occasionally practices the old craft of weaving; a neat, spare bed; a dim mirror; and a couple of ikons.

Matryona is one of those people upon whom falls so much suffering that you begin to wonder whether she is inviting it. All six of her children died soon after being born, so that she never had more than one alive at the same time. Then her husband, who had rejected and emotionally abandoned her all along, went off to war and never returned. 

Work is her salvation. She tends the milch goat. She toils for others without pay. She never complains, never shirks, never whines, never draws attention to herself. Her cheerfulness and good humor, her refusal to take offense, make her an outsider in the village.

She likes the old songs, arias composed by Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857). Greedy relatives dismantle her beloved outhouse for the lumber, her three sisters berate her for her softness, her lame cat wanders into the road and is killed.

In her quiet way, Matryona seems fearless. She walks her own path and stands her own ground in spite of being ridiculed, marginalized, and made a laughingstock by the people she serves. Her days are ordered; her time, though given away seemingly haphazardly, is disciplined. She insists on helping out the men in grueling physical labor.

But she is afraid of three things: fire, lightning, and the trains that, belching smoke, thunder down the tracks from faraway cities to shatter the village calm and its old, settled ways of farming, wood-chopping wood, and goat-raising.

In the end, she is killed by a train, virtually dismembered while helping the men who have dismantled her outhouse move a tractor-pulling sledge.

“At dawn the women brought home all that remained of Matryona, drawn on a sledge and covered with a dirty piece of sacking. They removed the sack to wash the corpse. It was hideously mangled — no legs, half the torso missing, and no left arm. One of the women said: ‘The Lord left her right arm so she can pray to Him in heaven.’ ”

Many see “Matryona’s House” as a demonstration of the impossibility of resisting the modern world, or as a study of the simple Slavic soul.

I’d go a step further and posit that Matryona — the first syllable of her name is the Russian word for “mother” — is a Christ figure. She emblemizes the inefficiency, borderline foolishness, and almost completely hidden heart of those who live by the Gospels.

Her decrepit house is a sanctuary of love that, like her body, by the end of the story, is torn apart (“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up…”).

So in this season when we’re encouraged to strive for picture-perfect dinners and Instagrammable family gatherings, we might do well to remember Matryona’s house:

“She was a poor housekeeper. In other words, she refused to strain herself to buy gadgets and possessions and then to guard them and care for them more than for her own life.”

“She never cared for smart clothes, the garments that embellish the ugly and disguise the wicked.”

“Misunderstood and rejected by her husband, a stranger to her own family despite her happy, amiable temperament, comical, so foolish that she worked for others for no reward, this woman, who had buried all her six children, had stored up no earthly goods. Nothing but a dirty white goat, a lame cat, and a row of fig plants.”

“None of us who lived close to her perceived that she was that one righteous person without whom, as the saying goes, no city can stand.”

“Neither can the whole world.”

Russia, December 6, 2024

Photo: rbk.ru     

Bible sales in Russia have spiked over the past three years. During the first three quarters of this year, sales of various editions jumped by 52% as compared to the same period in 2023.

According to Russia’s largest bookstore, Chitai Gorod, which has 560 locations throughout the country, the Synodal translation of 1876 (edited by St. Philaret of Moscow) is the most popular version, reports RBC.

Its sales increased by 38% in January-September 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, and doubled compared to 2022.

The online marketplace Wildberries also reports growth in Bible sales by volume. From January to November 2024, purchases increased almost 2.2 times compared to the same period last year. In 2023, growth was 94% compared to 2022. Gospel sales on Wildberries also increased by 46%.

This is a marked change compared to the 20–30% decrease seen in 2019–2021.

Among other religious publications, the New Testament by itself is the most popular, according to Chitai Gorod.

According to the Bombora publishing house, sales of religious literature in general grew by 73% this year as compared to 2023, while demand for Orthodox Christian books jumped by 98%.

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