Stories People Tell

Today, I was shocked when the head carpenter of the theater gig I was working (who I didn't know) walked up to me and said:

"Hey, you're that guy that got knocked out by a pimp last year, huh?"

"Ummmmm.....ya?"

He says, "That's crazy man." He shakes my hand. "You know, I really appreciate what you did, standing up for that woman like that, but I hope you learned your lesson. Geez. I can't believe you're not dead."

"Ya me neither," I reply. Pause, pause. "How did you find out about that?"

"Ah, you know. People tell stories. Word gets around."

The fact that this story 'got around' was shocking to me. I mean, what do people care that I put myself out there for someone I didn't know? I thought: that is the power of the actions of the Church's saints (not in any way that I'm one). They did things that brought on persecution, and they did it for justice, for Christ, and people paid attention. That made me think:

What action in my life since that moment of pimp-confrontation has been so extremely put-yourself-out-there-for-others that people would talk about it? Would know me by it? Hmmm. A sober line of questioning, but one that inspires me to action.

More Orthodox Writers!

I discovered, very randomly, a treasure trove of Orthodox writers. They are authoring blogs and offering - some of them DAILY - far more valuable content than this blog's infancy could possibly offer. So I will list them here in the hopes that you will run to wiser lay-people:

The Handmaid: One could get lost for hours in this blog, traipsing through sayings of the Holy Fathers, or imagining snowy winters in prayerful Russian churches.

Abba Moses: This "Orthodox Christian living with my family in a small village in rural Ohio" has managed to crystallize a list of amazing Orthodox resources in a very tight space. Great thoughts here from a real, family man. His son in college writes about Orthodoxy and higher education, here.

Full of Grace and Truth: This blog format is probably closest to mine, though the content far surpasses my very beginning attempts. It seems, though, that this author's work will be the long-form of my short-hand. Great for reading occasional, longer sermons.

Peace to all! More will follow!

Church as Department of Social Welfare

From Cyril Mango's Byzantium: The Empire of New Rome

"In the early Byzantine period the Church grew extremely rich, or, to put it another way, huge resources were channelled through it. [...] The Church of Antioch at the end of the fourth century provided for three thousand widows and virgins in addition to invalids, strangers, prisoners and beggars."

"It has been rightly pointed out that the Byzantine Church did not constitute an organization sui juris [Latin: 'one's own law']; in modern terms it may be described as a Department of Social Welfare. The task of providing for the indigent, for strangers, for widows and orphans was an evangelical obligation which the Church took upon itself in the forth century. As municipal councils declined, bishops assumed, more and more, a variety of extra-religious functions. We find them dispensing justice, overseeing the market, regulating weights and measures, repairing bridges, building granaries. Where a provincial governor was in residence the bishop was his equal, while in other cities he became the top man, equivalent to a governor. The bishop was thus an administrator, and he was normally selected from the gentry because he had to be presentable and possess managerial experience. It was perfectly normal for a layman, even if he was not particularly religious, to be directly ordained bishop."

Other Orthodox writers...

...are many, and I intend to find them. My buddy Alex just launched his own Orthodox-thinking blog: here. He copy/pastes the reading from the Prologue (a daily reading about the Saints of the Day) then comments.

Alex and I and Kellie and Erin built CommonLifeSF together - a concept/website/presentation around Orthodox Service Internships at Raphael House. All this was before the new "raphael house" ripped it down.

Cheesefare, Meatfare

The entire Orthodox Church worldwide unites for 40 days of preparation for the FEAST OF FEASTS, also known as Easter, or: Pascha.

Lent, as this preparation time is called in the Church, begins March 6th and lasts until the FEAST on April 24th. Like a doctor who writes a prescription for her patients, the Church prescribes a fast from all meat, dairy, oil, and wine.

This Sunday, February 27, is Meatfare Sunday, which means to the layman, "Time to eat all the meat that's left in your refrigerator, because there's no more for a loooong time after today."

The following Sunday, March 5th, is Cheesefare Sunday, which means to the layman, "Throw a party in which you can serve tons of crackers and all the dairy you have left in your house."

Happy Lenting, everyone.