December 2008
17 posts
4 tags
20. On the Nativity
Just a quick one - one my way to St. Nektarios monastery today and will be there to ring in the new year. Nothing like having food and drinks with monks at 2am after a 6 hour vigil to kick off another calendar year!
20. Those were the words of the unwavering Magi. Every word was ratified by the Blessed Mother of the infant who was the Lord of both speakers and hearer. The Lord kept her womb...
6 tags
18-19. On the Nativity
Up in Maine for the rest of the week, and finally feel like I’m able to officially relax and enjoy vacation. I always imagine the drive to Houlton to be longer than it actually is—the miles of forest and mountains provide for some great time for reflection and… I can’t lie… singing my favorite songs at the top of my lungs. People from Maine think I’m nuts when they...
4 tags
17. On the Nativity
17. When the Mother of God heard this reply, she said to the Magi: “What did they ask of you, King Herod and the Pharisees?” The Magi answered: “First Herod, then the leaders of your people wanted to know the precise time when this guide-star appeared to us. When they knew this, they pretended not to understand or really to want to see the one they sought to find— because he is destined to...
4 tags
16. On the Nativity
16. “What is this?” Mary exclaimed to these faithful Magi. “Have you explored all of Jerusalem, that city which slays her prophets? How did you pass through that city of torture unharmed? How did you escape Herod, whose breath reeks of blood, not royal laws?” The Magi answered, “Virgin, we did not escape the fox. We sent him on a wild goose chase by accosting everyone and asking where there...
5 tags
14-15. On the Nativity
In answer to Mary’s question, Where did you come from, how did you arrive?, the Magi continue to tell their story in the fourteenth and fifteenth strophes. Recalling the words from earlier strophes—To their eyes, my word is a star; in their hearts, an illumination (8.5-6)—Romanos continues to craft the Magi’s story using the language of enlightenment, and he now shows just what exactly...
4 tags
13. On the Nativity
13. When the radiant Virgin said these things to the Magi, the three beacons of the Orient replied: “Do you wish to learn where we have come from? From Chaldea, where they do not say, ‘God of Gods, Lord.’ From Babylon, where they do not acknowledge the Creator of the idols before which they salaam. The sky-spark of your Son came from the East and led us away from the Persian fire. Leaving...
4 tags
10-12. On the Nativity
In strophes 10-12, the dialogue continues but shifts its focus onto the character of Joseph. The gospel accounts of the nativity minimize the earthly father of Jesus, presumably in favor of emphasizing his Heavenly Father and the supernatural way in which His birth was accomplished. Romanos takes a similar approach, but does so obliquely. He addresses the question of Joseph through the voice of...
2 tags
New Frank Schaeffer Interview
Frank gave a great interview on NPR’s Fresh Air earlier this week - worth listening to. He even gave a shout out to Gordon College…
Some helpful thoughts on his conversion to Orthodoxy, and some very fair, honest reflections on his father. I especially appreciate his take on the religious right’s traditional hot button issues (abortion, gay marriage, etc).
...
4 tags
9. On the Nativity
Its been slow going this week. I’m falling behind a bit here in favor of not falling behind with the two classes I have exams in this week!
In the ninth strophe, following Christ’s dialogue, Romanos takes us on a brief excursus to elaborate on the identity of Mary, the one who “opened the door.”
9. “So now, my Blessed Mother, welcome those who have welcomed me; for I am...
4 tags
8. On the Nativity
8. Jesus, truly our Christ and our God, invisibly clasped his mother’s heart and said: “Welcome those whom I have guided with my word; my word has shone on those who search for me. To their eyes, my word is a star; in their hearts, an illumination. The star escorted the Magi here, acting as my deacon; it still hovers near, completing its liturgy, disclosing with its rays the place where I...
4 tags
6-7. On the Nativity, Pt. II
The thing that strikes me most about the sixth and seventh strophes (see below) of the kontakion is the posturing, the actions, and in particular their position/proximity to Christ. Mary bends in adoration to her infant Son. The Magi seek to behold the face of God. Her Son, the treasure she possesses, fills her with graciousness. The King of kings is revealed to the three kings. These vivid...
5 tags
6-7. On the Nativity, Pt. I
The sixth and seventh strophes together form an ode that Mary offers to her Son. One cannot help but be struck by the similiarities these lines bear to the Magnificat, Mary’s song of praise recorded in Luke’s gospel (1:46-55). Romanos clues the audience to this allusion in opening her dialogue with the word “magnificent.”
“Magnificent, my Son, everything is...
4 tags
5. On the Nativity
The wise men continue their dialogue from the fourth strophe:
5.“The oracle of Balaam made absolutely clear to us the meaning of his prophetic message: a star is destined to rise, a star that stifles all divination and augury, a star confounding philosophers’ calculations, their propositions and paradoxes. It is the star of the rising star, far more brilliant than any other, as if it were the...
5 tags
4. On the Nativity
The “wise men” (magoi, in Greek) are some of the most fascinating and perplexing characters in the Nativity account. Of the four gospels, only two give us the nativity account, Matthew and Luke. Of these, only Matthew recounts the journey of the Magi from the East and their subsequent worship of Christ.
So given their relatively minor share in the gospel narrative of the Nativity,...
5 tags
3. On the Nativity
In response to the paradoxes that confront Mary in and through the Nativity (as seen in the second strophe), she is left to marvel at the mystery—an infant now, yet God before all ages—and ponder many questions. Romanos begins the third strophe by posing some of these questions—Why? Why descend from on high to become low? As Creator, why become created?
3. “My King, your Highness, why do you...
4 tags
2. On the Nativity
My catechist used to say, “You can’t be Orthodox if you don’t believe in paradox.” I happen of the same mind, although I might not put such a specific limiter on the definition—its difficult to be a Christian and not believe in paradox. Paradox has been and continues to be one of the most attractive aspects of Orthodoxy and one of the things I find most beautiful about the...
4 tags
1. On the Nativity
1. Bethlehem has unbarred the gates of Eden. Come, see it. Primeval delights long hidden. Come, gather them; we have discovered Paradise in a cave. An unwatered root has blossomed; on its branches, forgiveness. An undug well has been sounded there— even King David desired to drink from it. A virgin gives birth to an infant there, and immediately quenches Adam’s thirst, and David’s. And so, my...