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Mother Maria of Paris and "New Monasticism"

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:51:06 GMT

A few years ago, I became aware of a movement in North American Christianity which referred to itself as "New Monasticism." A website representing those who associate themselves with that movement defines new monasticism as "an attempt to discern the Holy Spirit's movement in the abandoned places of the Empire called America". At the time, I was generally interested in the idea and even considered perhaps buying an old house in the middle of a run-down neighbourhood in Niagara Falls, beginning to hold the daily office (according to the Book of Common Prayer as I was an Anglican then) and trying to meet the needs of the people around me. I have come to look with a bit of healthy suspicion on my own desires to do such though after conversations with traditional monastics and much spiritual reading, mainly because of the threat of delusion, a mixture of vainglory and deception that often overtakes those who attempt to live something of a monastic life without the formation one gains within the framework of cenobite monasticism. (Without spiritual direction or under self-direction, the risk is very high as the Fathers always say "He who has himself for a spiritual director has a fool for a spiritual director.")

All that being said, I was interesting to discover that the idea of a new monasticism had its origins, not in the "Emergent" Christianity of "post-Evangelicals", but, in the writings of a an Orthodox nun and martyr in the early part of the twentieth century. The holy and glorious venerable-martyr Maria Skobtsova (also known as St. Mary of Paris or Mother Maria), was brought up in Russia during the period leading up to the Bolshevik Revolution. As a teenager living in St. Petersburg she embraced the atheism that was prevalent among the intellectual circles and she became a writer and a poet. But, after her marriage to the Bolshevik Dmitri Kuzmin-Karaviev fell apart, she found herself drawn back to the Christianity of her childhood by the humanity of Jesus.

She married again and gave birth to children, but as the political tides became uncertain, she fled with her husband and family, first to Georgia, then to Yugoslavia, and finally to France. In Paris, Elizaveta (Mother Maria's name in the world), began to devote herself to the study of theology and to serving the poor. At this time also, she was shaken by the death of her daughter Anastasia and the disintegration of her marriage to her second husband Daniel. As this all happened, Elizaveta moved deeper into Paris to work more directly with those in need and was soon encouraged by her bishop to take monastic vows. With her husband's permission, an ecclesiastical divorce was granted and she received the monastic tonsure and the name Maria.

It was at this point the Mother Maria realized the necessity of a new monasticism. The monastic life that was led up till that time in her home country had been brought nearly to an end by the rise of communism - the Party had gone around closing and destroying monasteries and sending most of their inhabitants to death camps. Many had fled the country to form monasteries in neighbouring countries, like the New Valaamo in Finland. But for those who had fled further away, into non-Orthodox countries where monasticism had never really existed, the formation of cenobitic communities was incredibly difficult. With these changes in conditions, monasticism as it had been known in the immediately preceding centuries had become a virtual impossibility.

Mother Maria sought, therefore, to plunge into the essence of monasticism and to find away to live as a monastic in her new setting, as a poor Russian emigre nun living in Paris in a time of economic and spiritual depression. Looking into the heart of the monastic life, Maria pointed out that it was built on the three vows of chastity, obedience, and poverty. Chastity was a self-evident vow and, in the mind of Mother Maria, its necessity and nature would not change in the new situation.

Obedience, understood as the cutting off of one's will and keeping the instruction and commands of a spiritual elder, would be frustrated by the new situation - such elders did not exist, at least in the number necessary for all monastics to have access to them, and their own inexperience would keep them from exercising their authority to any great extent. Because of this, Mother Maria offered the following direction:
"Obedience as such remains unchanged, but its meaning becomes different. A monk should be obedient to the work of the Church to which he is assigned; he should give his will and all his creative powers to this work. Obedience becomes service,. In essence, this service should be no less strict than obedience to a starets [spiritual elder]. Only here responsibility rests with the monk himself, he himself takes the measure of his conscientiousness, his sacrificial self-giving. The Church herself becomes his starets, and also judges him, while the obedience requested is the responsible fulfillment of what the Church has charged him to do."
Therefore, obedience is not done away with, or changed - rather the historical circumstance of the lack of elders necessitated that obedience be directed towards another and that other became the Church.

The third vow of poverty, or "non-possession" as Mother Maria liked to put it, in the new context needed to be interpreted as something much larger than the renunciation of personal property. The accumulation of material wealth, in Mother Maria's mind, was not the opposite of the vow and virtue of poverty, but rather the egocentrism which she found as a vibrant reality, even amidst the destitution and depression that surrounded her in early twentieth-century Europe (and we must admit is alive and well today in our American context). Of modern man, Mother Maria says: "He is the center for which creation exists. Divine justice and divine mercy are measured from the point of view of his needs . . . We may say that any relationship, external or internal, material or spiritual, can always be an expression of egocentrism - religious life is also not free of it." This being the case, the vow and virtue of non-possession needs to be lived out in every one of these relationships: "In exactly the same way, the principle of non-possession can be expressed in any relationship. The subtler the egocentrism, the higher the limits of the human spirit it reaches, the more repulsive it is. The subtler the non-possession, the greater the spiritual values a person renounces, the more fully he gives his soul for his friends, the holier he is, and the more he corresponds to what Christ demands."

Mother Maria does not mean, by this, to trivialize the renunciation of material goods, but only to take poverty in its fullness: "A monk who makes a vow should strive to fulfill it in the most absolute and all-embracing sense. In the sphere of external things, a monk should first of all be non-money-loving and a man who owns no private property, or if he does, he should place no value on it." But ultimately, non-possession must be understood as "the renunciation of one's spiritual exclusiveness, it is the giving of one's spirit to the service of God's work on earth, and it is the only path to common life in the one sobornoe [Russian word, bearing the idea of a communion of free persons] organism of the Church."

This non-posession, says Mother Maria, should not simply give help to those who seek it, but ought actively to seek those in need to give of the gifts God which the monk receives. This activity is expressed in the world in the form of social work, charity, and spiritual aid. Mother Maria did this herself, in turning her rented house in Paris into a "convent," a place with an open door for refugees, the needy and the lonely, and where one could always find theological conversation.

Mother Maria spent herself fully, renouncing everything to help Parisian Jews during the Nazi occupation. She, along with Fr. Dmitri, provided a place of refuge for Jewish children, distributed baptismal certificates to Jews in an attempt to protect them from the Gestapo, and helped many others escape. When this was uncovered by the Gestapo, the closed down the house and arrested Mother Maria, Fr. Dmitri, Sophia (Maria's Mother), and Yuri (her son). They all were sent to concentration camps. Mother Maria was sent to a camp in Ravensbruck, Germany where, on Holy Saturday in 1945, taking the place of another prisoner, she was put to death in a gas chamber.

Mother Maria of Paris offers us an image of a life lived in the world in accord with the two commandments of Christ, loving and living totally for God and for the neighbour. May she inspire us by her own life and strengthen us by her prayers to live ourselves according to Christ's commandments. Mother Maria, pray for us sinners.

As witnesses of truth and preachers of piety,
let us worthily honour through divinely inspired chants:
Dmitri, Maria, Yuri and Elias,
who have borne the sufferings,
the bonds and unjust judgment,
in which like the martyrs
have received the imperishable crown.

Christ is born! Glorify Him!

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 02:19:20 GMT

Today is born of the Virgin Him Who holdest all creation in the hollow of His hand.
He Whose essence is untouchable is wrapped in swaddling clothes as a babe.
The God who from of old established the heavens lieth in a manger.
He Who showered the people with manna in the wilderness feedeth on milk from the breasts.
The Bridegroom of the CHurch calleth the Magi, and the Son of the Virgin accepteth gifts from them.
We worship Thy Nativity, O Christ. Show us also Thy divine Theophany!

Today the Virgin cometh to the cave where she will give birth in an ineffable manner to the Word Who is before all ages. Rejoice, therefore, O universe, when thou hearest it heralded: Glorify Him, with the angels and the shepherds, Who chose to be seen as a new-born babe, the God Who is before all the ages.

Faces of Monastic Life

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 20:15:44 GMT

St. John Chrysostom on the Holy Nativity of Our Lord

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 17:09:44 GMT

I behold a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd's song, piping no soft melody but chanting forth a full heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised.

Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the starts the singing of angelic voices; and in the place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of Justice. And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed, He had the power, He descended, He redeemed; all things move in obedience to God. This day He Who Is, is Born' and He Who Is, becomes what He Was Not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Word, He became Flesh, His nature because of impassability, remaining unchanged.

"This day, He Who was ineffably Begotten of the Father, was for me born of the Virgin: in a way no tongue can tell. Begotten according to His nature before all ages from the Father; in what manner He knows Who has begotten Him; born again this day from the Virgin, above the order of nature, in what manner knows the power of the Holy Spirit. And His heavenly generation is true, and His generation here on earth is true. As God He is truly begotten of God; so also as man is He truly born from the Virgin. In heaven He alone is the Only-Begotten of the unique Virgin.

Though I know that a Virgin this day gave birth, and I believe that God was begotten before all time, yet the manner of this generation I have learned to venerate in silence, and I accept that this is not to be probed too curiously with wordy speech. For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of Him Who Works.

And what shall I say? And how shall I describe this Birth to you? For this wonder fills me with astonishment. The Ancient of Days has become an infant.

He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness. For this, he assumed my body, that I may become capable of his Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His Spirit; and so He bestowing, and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sanctify me. He gives me His Spirit, that He may save me.

Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Come and we shall commemorate the solemn festival. It is a strange manner of celebrating a festival; but truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been implanted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels.

Why is this? Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He has come on earth, while being Whole in heaven; and while complete in heaven, He is without diminution on earth. Though He was God, He became Man; not denying Himself to be God. Though being the impassable Word, He became flesh; that He might dwell among us, he became flesh, He did not become God, He was God. Wherefore He became flesh so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. He was placed in a manger so that He, by Whom all things are nourished, may receive an infant's food from His Virgin Mother. So, the Father of all ages, as an infant at the breast, nestles in the virginal arms, that the Magi may more easily see Him. Since this day the Magi too have come, and made a beginning of withstanding tyranny; the heavens give glory, as the Lord is revealed by a star.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:32:19 GMT

76%

Kontakion on the Nativity of Christ of St. Romanos the Melodist

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 15:09:41 GMT

On the Nativity of Christ
Prelude

Today the Virgin gives birth to him who is above all being,

and the earth offers a cave to him whom no one can approach.

Angels with shepherds give glory,

and magi journey with a star,

for to us there has been born

a little Child, God before the ages.
1

Bethlehem has opened Eden, come, let us see;

we have found delight in secret, come, let us receive

the joys of Paradise within the cave.

There the unwatered root whose blossom is forgiveness has appeared.

There has been found the undug well

from which David once longed to drink.

There a virgin has borne a babe

and has quenched at once Adam’s and David’s thirst.

For this, let us hasten to this place where there has been born

a little Child, God before the ages.
2

The mother’s Father has willingly become her Son,

the infants’ saviour is laid as an infant in a manger.

As she who bore him contemplates him, she says,

"Tell me, my Child, how were you sown, or how were you planted in me?

I see you, my flesh and blood, and I am amazed,

because I give suck and yet I am not married.

And though I see you in swaddling clothes,

I know that the flower of my virginity is sealed,

for you preserved it when, in your good pleasure, you were born

a little Child, God before the ages.
3

"High King, what have you to do with beggars?

Maker of heaven, why have you come to those born of earth?

Did you love a cave or take pleasure in a manger?

See, there is no place for your servant in the inn,

I do not say a place, not even a cave,

for that too belongs to another.

To Sara, when she bore a child,

a vast land was given as her lot. To me, not even a fox hole.

I used the cavern where willingly you made your dwelling,

a little Child, God before the ages."
4

As she spoke such words in secret

and entreated the One who knows what is hidden,

she heard the magi seeking the babe.

At once, the Maiden cried to them, "Who are you?"

They answered her, "And you, who are you,

that you have borne such a Child?

Who is your father, who is she who bore you,

that you have become mother and nurse of a son without father?

On seeing his star we understood that there had appeared

a little Child, God before the ages.
5

"For Balaam laid before us precisely

the meaning of the words he spoke in prophecy,

when he said that a Star would dawn,

a Star that quenches all prophecies and auguries;

a Star that resolves the parables of the wise,

and their sayings and their riddles,

a Star far more brilliant than the star

which has appeared, for he is the maker of all the stars,

of whom it was written of old, ‘From Jacob, there dawns

a little Child, God before the ages.’"
6

When Mary heard these amazing words,

she bowed low and worshipped the offspring of her womb

and with tears, she said, "Great, my Child,

great is all that you have done for me in my poverty;

for see, magi are outside seeking you.

The kings of the East

seek your face,

and the rich among your people beg to see you,

for truly your people are those to whom you have been made known as

a little Child, God before the ages.
7

"So, since they are your people, my Child, bid them

come under your roof, that they may see

rich poverty, precious beggary.

You I have as glory and pride,8 therefore I am not ashamed.

You are the grace and beauty

of my dwelling9 and of me. Nod and let them enter.

My poverty does not worry me;

I hold you as a treasure that the kings have come to see,

for kings and magi know that you have appeared

a little Child, God before the ages."
8

Jesus the Christ and truly our God

secretly touched his mother’s mind

saying, "Bring in those I have brought by my word,

for it is my word which shone on those who were seeking me.

To the senses it is a star,

but to the mind a power.

It accompanied the magi as my minister,

and still stands fulfilling its service

and showing with its rays the place where there has been born

a little Child, God before the ages.
9

"Therefore now receive, holy Lady— receive those who have received me,

for I am in them as I am in your arms;

I did not leave you and yet I came with them."

She opens the door and receives the company of the magi.

She opens the door— she, the unopened

gate through which Christ alone has passed.

She opens the door— she who was opened

and yet in no way robbed of the treasure of her purity.

She opened the door, she from whom was born the door,

a little Child, God before the ages.
10

The magi at once hastened into the room

and, seeing Christ, they trembled as they saw

his mother and her betrothed.

And in fear they said, "This is a son without ancestry.

And how is it, 0 Virgin, that at this moment we see

your betrothed within your house?

Was your conceiving blameless?

Will people not find fault at Joseph’s living with you?

You have a multitude of jealous people enquiring where there has been born

a little Child, God before the ages."
11

"I will tell you," Mary said to the magi,

"why I keep Joseph in my house:

to refute all those who slander me.

He will tell what he has heard about my Child.

For in his sleep he saw a holy angel

who told him how I had conceived.

In the night a fiery vision told

the creature of thorn about the things which grieved him.

That is why Joseph is with me, to show that there is

a little Child, God before the ages.
12

"He proclaims clearly all he has heard.

He declares openly all that he has seen

in heaven and on earth:

the story of the shepherds, how beings of fire sang praises with ones of clay,

that of you, magi, how a star hastened before you,

lighting your way and guiding you.

And so, leaving aside all that you said before,

now recount to us what has befallen you.

Where have you come from, how did you understand that there had appeared

a little Child, God before the ages?"
13

When the Shining One had spoken thus,

the lamps of the East said to her,

"Do you wish to learn from where we have come here?

From the land of the Chaldaeans, where they do not say, ‘The Lord is God of gods.’

From Babylon, where they do not know

who is the maker of the things they reverence.

From there it came, the spark from your Child,

and raised us from the Persian fire;

we have left an all-devouring fire and see a fire which brings dew:

a little Child, God before the ages.
14

"Everything is vanity of vanities.

But there is none among us who thinks this,

for some deceive while others are deceived.

Therefore, Virgin, thanks be to your Offspring, through whom we have been freed,

not only from deception but from hardship

in all the countries through which we passed,

of nations unknown, of tongues incomprehensible,

as we wandered through the earth and searched it,

with the lamp of the star seeking out where there had been born

a little Child, God before the ages.
15

"But while we still had this lamp

we journeyed through all Jerusalem,

fitly fulfilling the words of the prophecy.

For we had heard that God had threatened to search her thoroughly,

and with the lamp we wandered,

wishing to find a great judgment.

But it was not found, because her Ark

had been taken away with all the good things It had held before.

The things of old have passed away, for he has renewed all things

a little Child, God before the ages."
16

Mary, Scripture says, said to the faithful magi,

"So, have you journeyed through all Jerusalem,

that city which slays prophets?

How did you pass unharmed through the city malevolent to all?

How did you avoid Herod,

who breathes out murder, not justice?"

But they answered her, "Virgin,

we did not avoid him, we mocked him.

We met them all and asked where there had been born

a little Child, God before the ages."
17

When the Mother of God heard this from them,

she said to them, "What did King Herod

and the Pharisees ask you?"

"First Herod, then, as you said, the leaders of your nation

inquired of us exactly the time

of this star which is now visible.

And when they knew, as though they had not learned,

they had no desire to see the one of whom they sought to learn

because, for those who seek, there must be seen

a little Child, God before the ages.
18

"They thought us mad, the fools,

and asked, ‘From where have you come and when?

And how have you journeyed by unseen paths?’

But we in turn asked them what they already knew,

‘But how did you of old journey through

the great desert which you crossed?

He who guided those who came from Egypt

himself now guides those who come to him from Chaldaea;

then by a pillar of fire, now by the star which shows

a little Child, God before the ages.'"

"Everywhere the star traveled on ahead of us,

just as Moses once carried a staff before you—

a lamp shining with knowledge of God.

Of old the manna nourished you, and a rock gave drink:

as for us, hope of Him has made us full.

Nourished on joy of Him

we could not tarry in Persia;

we took in mind to travel the trackless road

desiring to see, to worship, and to glorify

a little Child, God before the ages.’"
20

These things were spoken by the unerring magi,

and they were all sealed by the holy Virgin.

And what both had said was confirmed by the infant;

he left her womb unsullied after childbirth,

and showed their mind, like their steps,

unwearied after their coming.

For none of them had undergone toil,

as Avvakoum had not been wearied when he came to Daniel.

For he who appeared to the prophets was the same who appeared to the magi,

a little Child, God before the ages.
21

When they had told all their story,

the magi took the gifts in their hands and worshipped

the Gift of gifts, the Myrrh of myrrh.

They brought Christ gold and myrrh and then incense

and cried, "Accept our triple gift,

as you do the Thrice Holy Hymn of the seraphim.

Do not reject them like those of Cain,

but embrace them like Abel’s offering,

through her who gave you birth, and through whom you have been born for us,

a little Child, God before the ages."
22

When the blameless Virgin saw the magi bringing

new and radiant gifts and worshipping,

the star showing him, the shepherds praising him,

she implored the Maker and Creator of all these, saying,

"Accept, my Child, a trinity of gifts,

grant her who gave you birth three requests.

I pray to you for the seasons

and for the fruits of the earth and for those who dwell on it.

Be reconciled to all, because through me you have been born

a little Child, God before the ages.
23

"For I am not simply your mother, compassionate Saviour;

it is not in vain that I suckle the giver of milk,

but for the sake of all I implore you.

You have made me the mouth and the boast of all my race,

and your world has me

as a mighty protection, a wall and a buttress.

They look to me, those who were cast out

of the Paradise of pleasure, for I bring them back.

May all things understand that, through me, you have been born

a little Child, God before the ages.
24

"Save the world, O Saviour. For this you have come.

Set your whole universe aright. For this you have shone

on me and on the magi and on all creation.

For see, the magi, to whom you have shown the light of your face,

fall down before you and offer gifts,

useful, fair and eagerly sought.

For I have need of them, since I am about

to go to Egypt and to flee with you and for you,

my Guide, my Son, my Maker, my Redeemer,

a little Child, God before the ages."

Vladimir Lossky on the Ultimate End of Theology

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 02:19:39 GMT

Christian theology is always in the last resort a means: a unity of knowledge subserving an end which transcends all knowledge. This ultimate end is union with God or deification, the theosis of the Greek Fathers. Thus, we are finally led to a conclusion which may seem paradoxical enough: that Christian theory should have an eminently practical significance; and that the more mystical it is, the more directly it aspires to the supreme end of union with God. All the development of the dogmatic battles which the Church has waged down the centuries appears to us, if we regard it from the purely spiritual standpoint, as dominated by the constant preoccupation which the Church has had to safeguard, at each moment of her history, for all Christians, the possibility of attaining to the fullness of the mystical union. So the Church struggled against the gnostics in defence of this same idea of deification as the universal end: 'God became man that men might become gods'. She affirmed, against the Arians, the dogma of the consubstantial Trinity; for it is the Word, the Logos, who opens to us the way to union with the Godhead; and if the incarnate Word has not the same substance with the Father, if He be not truly God, our deification is impossible. The Church condemned the Nestorians that she might overthrow the middle wall of partition, whereby, in the person of the Christ himself, they would have separated God from man. She rose up against the Apollinarians and Monophysites to show that, since the fullness of true human nature has been assumed by the Word, it is our whole humanity that must enter into union with God. She warred with the Monothelites because, apart from the union of the two wills, divine and human, there could be no attaining to deification—'God created man by his will alone, but He cannot save him without the co-operation of the human will.' The Church emerged triumphant from the iconoclastic controversy, affirming the possibility of the expression through a material medium of the divine realities—symbol and pledge of our sanctification. The main preoccupation, the issue at stake, in the questions which successively arise respecting the Holy Spirit, grace and the Church herself this last the dogmatic question of our own time—is always the possibility the manner or the means of our union with God. All the history of Christian dogma unfolds itself about this mystical centre, guarded by different weapons against its many and diverse assailants in the course of successive ages.

On the Caution Necessary in the Acquisition of Knowledge

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:58:03 GMT

Whatever be the natural tendency of knowledge itself, so many temptations are called into action in the course of acquiring it, and still more in the display, which is necessary in order to make it useful to others, that it can hardly be considered upon the whole, more of an advantage towards the practice of piety than riches or honour or high birth.

-John Keble

In Memoriam: His Eminence Archbishop Peter, Retired Archbishop of New York and New Jersey

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:33:50 GMT

SYOSSET, NY [OCA Communications] -- On Monday, November 19, 2007, His Eminence, Archbishop Peter, retired ruling hierarch of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey fell asleep in the Lord.

Archbishop Peter was born as Paul L'Huillier on December 3, 1926 in Paris, France. In his youth he became interested in Eastern Christian theology. In 1945, while enrolled at the St. Denys Institute in Paris, he embraced the Orthodox faith. In addition to studies at St. Denys, Archbishop Peter did graduate work at the University of Paris and received a Licentiate of Theology from the Moscow Theological Academy in 1962. From the same institution, he earned the prestigious Doctorate of Canon Law degree in 1985. His doctoral dissertation, "The Church of the Ancient Councils -- The Disciplinary Work of the First Four Ecumenical Councils", was published by St. Vladimir's Seminary Press in 1996.

Archbishop Peter began his ecclesiastical life on August 30, 1954, when he was tonsured a monk. On September 4 and 5, 1954, he was ordained hierodeacon and hieromonk. As a hieromonk, His Eminence served as parish pastor at two Orthodox churches in Paris, Three Hierarchs and the Church of our Lady the Joy of Those who Sorrow. In 1960, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. On September 12, 1968, on the Feast of St. Alexander Nevsky, he was consecrated Bishop of Chersonese at St. Alexander Nevsky Monastery in St. Petersburg (then called Leningrad).

In 1979, Archbishop Peter was invited to come to the Orthodox Church in America by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius, to serve as the Bishop of Brooklyn. In 1981, he was installed as the Bishop of New York and New Jersey. In 1989, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America bestowed on him the title of Archbishop.

Archbishop Peter was deeply involved the academic world. He lectured at the Institute of St. Denys, Paris, France, from 1949 to 1950. From 1952 to 1962, he taught at the Three Hierarchs Seminary in Villemoisson, France. He was a Professor at the Catholic University in Paris from 1966 to 1978. In 1979, he became Adjunct Professor of Canon Law at St. Vladimir's Seminary, Crestwood, New York. As a specialist in Orthodox Canon Law, Archbishop Peter occupied a prominent position. He was often sought as an expert in this field by other Orthodox jurisdictions and represented the Orthodox Church at various conferences, meetings, and ecumenical dialogues.

In addition to his archpastoral ministry and academic work, for many years Archbishop Peter was chair of the External Affairs Department of the Orthodox Church in America. His dealings within the international Orthodox community often brought him face to face with other notable hierarchs and Church leaders, many of whom he knew personally. Archbishop Peter's service in this role played a great part in forging strong relations between the Orthodox Church in America and other Orthodox Churches. His Eminence was also Canonical Advisor for the Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America (SCOBA), and was an active promoter of Orthodox unity in North America.

From the spring of 2004, His Eminence was on leave of absence from His archpastoral duties. In March of 2005, the members of the Holy Synod of the OCA accepted Archbishop Peter's request for retirement, which became effective April 30, 2005.

Funeral services for His Eminence, Archbishop Peter, will be served at Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral, 59 East 2nd Street, New York, NY. On Monday, November 26, he will be waked from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., with a Panikhida served at 7:00 p.m. On Tuesday, November 26, His Eminence will be waked from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., with the Funeral Service for a Hierarch served at 7:00 p.m. On Wednesday, November 28, a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at 9:00 a.m., celebrated by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman and members of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America, with final prayers following the Liturgy. After a memorial luncheon, Archbishop Peter will be interred at St. Tikhon's Monastery in South Canaan, PA.

May His Eminence, Archbishop Peter's memory be eternal!

St. Silouan the Athonite on the Knowledge of God

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:09:26 GMT

We do not need riches or learning in order to know the Lord: we must simply be obedient and sober, have a humble spirit and love our fellow-men. The Lord will love a soul that does this, and of His own accord make Himself manifest to her and instruct her in love and humility, and give her all things necessary for her to find rest in God.

We may study as much as we will but we shall still not come to know the Lord unless we live according to His commandments, for the Lord is not made known through learning but by the Holy Spirit. Many philosophers and scholars have arrived at a belief in the existence of God, but they have not come to know God.

To believe in a God is one thing, to know God another.

Both in heaven and on earth the Lord is made known only by the Holy Spirit, and not through ordinary learning. Even children, who have no learning at all, come to know the Lord by the Holy Spirit. St John the Baptist felt the presence of the Lord while still in his mother's womb. St Simeon Stylites was a seven-year-old boy when the Lord appeared to him and he knew Him; St Seraphim a grown man of twenty-seven when the Lord showed Himself to him during the liturgy; and another Simeon was stricken with years when he received the Lord in his arms in the temple, and knew Him. Some there are who spend their whole lives in trying to find out about the sun, or the moon, or in seeking like knowledge; yet this is of no profit to the soul. But if we take pains to explore the human heart this is what we shall see: the kingdom of heaven in the soul of the saint, but in the soul of the sinner are darkness and torment. And it is good to know this because we shall dwell eternally either in the kingdom or in torment.