Thu Jan 28, 2010
Archbishop Of Canterbury Honored By Orthodox Seminary
The Archbishop of Canterbury will speak and receive an honorary degree this Saturday at St. Vlads (where I was an exchange student). Details are here. Predictably the Orthodox blogosphere is lighting up like crazy over this. He recently received an award from an award from a Catholic-affiliated organization; Mike Potemra has a nice take on it here. I am interested in reading what Dr. Williams has to say on Saturday. My opinion on this is that it is great the Vlads is hosting him and having him speak. I may disagree with the honorary degree part but I of course respect the institution's right to grant one.
Sat Jan 23, 2010
Ecumenical Movement
A picture from tonight's service:
Tue Jan 19, 2010
Ecumenical Prayer Service
Ecumenical Prayer Service
Fri, Jan 22, 2010 starting at 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
A celebration of the week of Prayer for Christian Unity
On Friday, January 22, 2010 Assumption College will hold a Ecumenical Prayer Service to celebrate the week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The service will take place in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit and begin at 7:00 p.m.
Presenters will include the Most Reverend Robert J. McManus, D.D., S.T.D., Catholic Bishop for the Diocese of Worcester; the Right Reverend Gordon P. Scruton, Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts; and His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston. All Clergy are welcome to vest.
The Assumption College Chapel Choir, under the direction of Ms. Ray Yu, associate director of music ministry and accompanied by organist /pianist Dr. Frank Corbin, director of music ministry, will perform.
A reception will immediately follow in the Atrium of the Janet and Richard Testa Science Center. Please respond to Sandy Bousquet at sbousquet@assumption.edu by January 18, 2010 if you plan to attend, or call 508 767 7322.
This event is sponsored by the President’s Office, The Ecumenical Institute and Campus Ministry of Assumption College.
Fri Jan 08, 2010
An Interesting Orthros
We just got through three straight days of liturgy at the Cathedral as well as a vespers and two orthros and two blessings of the water services. I noticed something very unusual during Orthros on Thursday for the synaxis of John the Baptist - there was no orthros Gospel reading. Now, on feasts of the Lord and the Theotokos the orthros service is indeed different - the Gospel is read from the doors rather than the side of the altar, the 50th psalm is read rather than sung by the chanters, there are no evlogitaria, etc. but it is highly unusual not to have a Gospel reading for a major saint. The feast of John the Baptist is not a feast of the Lord or the Theotokos but there is always a close association; his birthday, for example, is one of only three celebrated in Orthodoxy along with that of Christ and Mary. So why no Gospel?
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Thu Dec 24, 2009
Genealogy In Matthew
I am a few days late on this, but I thought I would post a few notes about the genealogoy from last Sunday's Gospel reading (Matthew 1:1-17). It is easy to tune out during this reading because of the long list of names, but there is meaning behind everything.
-The list connects Abraham, to whom God made his promise, with Jesus, in whom the promise if fulfilled.
-There is a helpful breakdown of the list at the end - there are three sets of fourteen generations, so you have the divine numbers of three and seven in play repeatedly.
-The three sets include people from scripture until Zerubbabel's gang, which takes things into the Judaism of Jesus's time.
-As always, the names are important, especially with the names of the third set of fourteen.
-There seems to be a set-up for the celebration of a jubilee, with Jesus at the beginning of the seventh set of seven.
-Among the people listed are some big-time biblical sinners, so the implication is the jubilee goes on because of God despite the sins of his people.
There is much more going on here, but these are some things to keep in mind when hearing all the names read. I will have a handout on this subject at the table outside church in time for the Christmas Eve service.
Fri Dec 18, 2009
Christmas Message From Metropolitan Methodios
During Christmas, we will again hear a message which remains ever new. It is a proclamation brought by an angelic emissary instructing humanity---"those who lived in a land of deep darkness," (Isaiah 9:2) not to fear, for "a great joy has come to all the people" (Luke 2:10). It is a message of salvation first brought on a "silent night, a holy night when all was calm and all was bright" that the Incarnate Savior, Christ the Lord "was born in the city of David" (Luke 2:11). Back then, the Angel of Christmas evangelized the shepherds. This Christmas, the Angel repeats the joyous news to all humanity throughout the world: "Fear not for I bring to you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people."
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Tue Dec 15, 2009
Cardinal Sean At The Metropolis
I write often here about the ecumenical relations we have with our Cathedral and Metropolitan and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester and Bishop McManus. Well, one related tradition, and I believe it goes back to when Cardinal Law was in Boston, is the presence of Cardinal O'Malley at the Metropolis chapel for the feast of St. Andrew (patron of our Metropolis). Every year Metropolitan Methodios returns the favor and joins Cardinal Sean at a Catholic service for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. Here is Cardinal Sean's take on this year's feast of St. Andrew from his blog. Below is a picture from our Metropolis's website that shows both the Cardinal and our Metropolitan. May God grant them both many years.
Wed Dec 09, 2009
Axios To Deacon Vasile
This past Sunday I served at St. Nicholas in Shrewsbury. There was a confluence of many things - the name day of the parish, its pastor, and Archbishop Nicolae, the 60th anniversary of the community, and the ordination of Vasile Muresan to the diaconate. Vasile has been the chanter at Fr. Peter's parish in Southbridge for the past several years. Fr. Peter and I were honored to participate in the ordination. The below picture shows Fr. Peter and me escorting Vasile around the altar three times - the same three hymns as during the wedding but in a different order. Fr. Nick is off to the right, and His Eminence is out of view sitting in a chair to the left of the altar. Axios indeed to Vasile, and may he have a blessed diaconate.
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Mon Nov 23, 2009
Thanksgiving Thought
Here is a brief reflection from our Metropolitan from the Metropolis website:
“And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites, So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” (Luke 21, 1-4)
Jesus calls our attention to a poor widow who donated the last two coins in her possession into the collection box at the Temple. The “widow’s mite” is synonymous with the generosity of those who give gladly from the little they possess. Her gesture expresses a most significant characteristic of people of sincere faith: the total gift of themselves to the Lord and to their neighbor. The widow of the Gospel offered everything she had---most importantly her SELF, placing herself in God’s hands. Jesus praised this act of faith, stressing that the widow gave more than the rich who offer part of what is superfluous to them. “She out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood” (Mark 12, 44).
As I reflect upon the sterling example of the widow of the Gospel text, I am thankful to Almighty God this Thanksgiving for all those faithful in our parishes that joyfully give not what is superfluous to them, but give of themselves---for offering “their whole livelihood” to Almighty God and His Church.
-----------Metropolitan Methodios of Boston
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Mon Oct 19, 2009
Pictures
As promised, here are a couple of photos I took with my phone of relics. I did not get a chance to take any of St. Paraskeva's robe because I was serving and didn't think it would be appropriate to brandish my phone during the service, but I have one of the altar relics from St. Sophia, below, and one of the hand of St. Edmund. I will post that one "under the fold". I should also note that the picture of St. Spyridon's relics in the wiki article is from our own Cathedral and taken by our friend Fr. Andrew.
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