A MOMENT WITH OUR FATHER OUR LADY OF FATIMA - AN ORTHODOX CATHOLIC VERSION:
This particular video is being especially dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos, the Mother of God. It is also being dedicate to my very good and special friends, Paul and Maureen Warhach.
I would also like to dedicate this to Maryann, a close friend of Maureen's, and I pray for the well-being of my Metropolitan Archbishop, Joseph Thaddeus, my brother in the Lord, Monk Michael and his precious wife, Jackie, and for all the sick and suffering throughout the world, to the countless number of unborn babies murdered in the womb, and to those who faithfully visit my blog.
I pray, also, that all would repent of their sinful ways and turn to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and accept his gift of Salvation.
This I ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.
"Abouna" +Gregori
NOTE: Please watch this video all the way to it's very end. It appears much better if you watch it in "Full Screen" mode.
9 comments:
That was quite insightful, Abouna. Thank you for sharing.
Bishop,
A wonderful presentation and let me compliment your parishoners on your beautiful church. I am quite familiar with the Fatima events having been raised Roman Catholic and reading on the subject extensively. I fondly remember the Marian May devotions and Catholic devotion to Her as Mother of God Incarnate. As the World becomes ever more chaotic and wicked She offers a refuge of protection and solace against the insanity that threatens us from every side.
The last two Popes had strong devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. It is rumored that the secrets relayed to the children by Our Lady have not been fully disclosed. Pope John 23rd deemed them too horrible to release. Pope John Paul 2nd reportedly told some German faithful that, in part, it predicted a flooding that would take millions of lives world-wide expeditiously. John Paul believed that Mary saved him from death in the assassination attempt but that the bishop-in white and Rome-in-ruins prophecies (part of the recently disclosed secrets) are of future events. In God's time we shall see. Reason and Faith suggests that chastisement inevitably results from the mass rejection of God and Nature's Law.
Good material on Fatima and Marian devotion can be obtained from Father Gruner's organization- Fatima Center. They also have a Web-site.
Indy, The church in the video is not my church, it is a church in Russia. Since the American Orthodox Catholic Church is a small independent group (meaning that we are not under any of the Patriarchates of the, what may be called "mainstream" Orthodox Church groups, such as the Greek, Russian, or Serbian Orthodox Churches) of Churches here in America, all of our churches are primarily Missionary in scope. My congregates are mostly those who arrived as refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, following the Vietnam War. I also have some recent immigrants from Russia and the Ukraine. Most of our people are of very modest means financially, so we cannot afford to build a church. Instead, much like the apostles and early Christians, our Liturgical celebrations are held in private homes. All of our deacons, priests and bishops hold or have held secular jobs to support themselves and their families, which is what the apostles and early Christian priests did. In fact, even today in the Russian, Greek and Serbian churches, this is the rule rather then the exception.
AWESOME video, Bishop Gregori, thank you for this.
The Theotokos is the perfect example of womanhood we have to follow.
That was wonderful, Bishop. Have a great night!
Yes she is Karen, yes she is.
Thank you Teresa, and you also.
Bishop,
I'll bet that God nods with approval at uncomplicated worship that your Church , as well as some other denominations, practice. There wasn't anything more basic and simple than early Christianity. Jesus Himself was completely without earthly ambition and desired only to elevate we mortals to spiritual heights. Truth was most important to Him. We sorely need His return. Mankind's opinion of what is best for our own good has gotten us to a sad and vicious place.
Indy, there is something beautiful when members of the congregation not only offer up their modest homes for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, but also go out of their way to decorate the rooms to be used.
Each of the families who come, each bring foods for the small community dinners that follow the Liturgy. It is, at least to me, more beautiful then having a huge church building.
The members of our congregations also make, by hand, the vestments of the priests, which they present to the priest on the day of his ordination. One complete set of Orthodox priest's vestments, if they were to be bought from a religious supply store, would cost any where from $700.00 to $1300.00 dollars. Those for a Bishop would run from $2000.00 to $8000.00 or more, which most of us cannot afford.
Jesus lived a humble life, so did the Apostles, so why should we not do the same?
Abouna, are you okay??
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