Milan Synod First Hierarch Resigns Episcopacy

The first hierarch of the Old Calendrist Milan Synod, Metropolitan Evloghios of Milan, together with his auxiliary, Archbishop Abbondios of Como, have both resigned from the episcopacy and begun to serve as priests in preparation for reception into the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. The status of the other three hierarchs still belonging to the Milan Synod is unclear. More (in Italian) here.

Head of Romanov Dynasty Repents for Tsars' Sins

In an address to the Russian nation on the 400th anniversary of the end of the Time of Troubles the head of the House of Romanov, Grand Duchess Mariya Vladimirovna, has recognized the failings of her dynasty during its rule of Russia, saying that "we repent before God for [the dynasty's] mistakes and sins, and we ask forgiveness of the Russian people—both for myself and on behalf of my ancestors."

The grand duchess, who described the period since the February and October Revolutions as a second Time of Troubles for Russia, went on to call on the Russian people to contribute to funding worthy celebrations of the anniversary by giving to causes that would assist those in need, to "erect monuments...not only on the streets and squares of our cities, but first and foremost in the hearts of the people."

Grand Duchess Mariya Vladimirovna's full address with its appeal can be found here.

Clean Monday

“Now, therefore,” says the Lord,
“Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”

So rend your heart, and not your garments;
Return to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.
Who knows if He will turn and relent,
And leave a blessing behind Him —
A grain offering and a drink offering
For the Lord your God?

Blow the trumpet in Zion,
Consecrate a fast,
Call a sacred assembly;
Gather the people,
Sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and nursing babes;
Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber,
And the bride from her dressing room.
Let the priests, who minister to the Lord,
Weep between the porch and the altar;
Let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
That the nations should rule over them.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?'"

From the prophecy of St. Joel.

Quote of the Day: St. Jonah the Prophet

It displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. So he prayed to the Lord...but the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left?"

From the Prophecy of St. Jonah.

Quote of the Day: St. Jonah the Prophet

So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord...and Jonah...cried out and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"

So the people of Nineveh believe God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, "Let neither man nor beast...taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?"

Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

From the Prophecy of St. Jonah.

"Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa..."

Dear brothers and sisters, I ask you to forgive me for any and every way in which I have sinned against you! You are all in my unworthy prayers as we prepare for the Lord's Pascha.

Despite the logistical issues involved in my getting to church here I'm going to be doing my best to continue to do my job well, get to the assorted Clean Week services, get my masters classwork done, and arrange an out-of-state trip to see an ailing family member, so my apologies in advance if that means this blog suffers as a result :-). (There's only so much that can be done in a day!)

I hope this finds you well as we begin the Fast! God help us all!

The Salvation of Nineveh

It displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. So he prayed to the Lord...but the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left?

Pictured is the Monastery of St. Hormisdas near ancient Nineveh (now Mosul) in northern Iraq, formerly a center of monasticism in the Church of the East and now under the Chaldean Catholic Church.

Quote of the Day: St. Mark the Ascetic

He who wants to do something and cannot is, in the eyes of God Who sees our hearts, as though he has done it. This should be understood as being so in relation to good and evil alike.

Quote of the Day: St. Isaac of Nineveh

There is no sin which cannot be pardoned except that one which lacks repentance, and there is no gift which is not augmented save that which remains without acknowledgement. For the portion of the fool is small in his eyes.

Quote of the Day: St. Basil the Great

"By fasting it is possible both to be delivered from future evils and to enjoy the good things to come. We fell into disease through sin; let us receive healing through repentance, which is not fruitful without fasting."

Quote of the Day: St. Peter of Damascus

"Should we fall, we should not despair and so estrange ourselves from the Lord's love. For if He so chooses, He can deal mercifully with our weakness. Only we should not cut ourselves off from Him or feel oppressed when constrained by His commandments, nor should we lose heart when we fall short of our goal...let us always be ready to make a new start. If you fall, rise up. If you fall again, rise up again. Only do not abandon your Physician, lest you be condemned as worse than a suicide because of your despair. Wait on Him, and He will be merciful, either reforming you, or sending you trials, or through some other provision of which you are ignorant."

Quote of the Day: St. Tikhon of Voronezh

"We see the water of a river flowing uninterruptedly and passing away, and all that floats on its surface, rubbish or beams of trees, all pass by. Christian! So does our life...I was an infant, and that time has gone. I was an adolescent, and that too has passed. I was a young man, and that too is far behind me. The strong and mature man that I was is no more. My hair turns white, I succumb to age, but that too passes; I approach the end and will go the way of all flesh. I was born in order to die. I die that I may live. Remember me, O Lord, in Your Kingdom!"