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News Russian Orthodox archbishop offers liturgy in catacombs, rues liberal Protestantism
Russian Orthodox archbishop offers liturgy in catacombs, rues liberal Protestantism
Tuesday, 22 September 2009 08:49
CWNews.com - Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the leading Russian Orthodox ecumenical official, celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the catacombs and rued divisions among Christians, including the Protestant abandonment of fundamental principles. “We should clearly understand, that division is sin, tearing apart body of Church and weakening the power of Christian witness in secular world,” he said.
In doing so, Archbishop Hilarion returned to a theme he emphasized in his recent meeting with Pope Benedict, in which he noted the similarity between Catholic and Orthodox teaching on marriage and family life, as opposed to “Protestant communities which had pursued the liberalization of the Christian teaching,” in the words of the Russian news service Interfax.
Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
- Archbishop Hilarion urges to overcome disputes Orthodox and Catholics had for thousand years (Interfax)
- Archbishop Hilarion shares with Pope his concern about Orthodox dioceses in Ukraine destroyed by the Uniates (Interfax)
- Vatican official sees huge strides in relation with Russian Orthodox (CWN, Sept 18)
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O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, You are everywhere present and fill all things. Treasury of Blesings and Giver of Life, come and dwell within us, cleanse us of all stain, and save our souls, O Good One.
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Wisdom from the Church Fathers
| The soul has followed Moses and the cloud, both of these serving as guides for those who would advance in virtue; Moses here represents the commandments of the Law; and the cloud that leads the way, its spiritual meaning. The soul has been purified by crossing the Sea; it has removed from itself and destroyed the enemy army. It has tasted of the waters of Marah, that is, of life deprived of all sinful pleasure; and this at first had seemed bitter and unpleasant to the taste but offered a sensation of sweetness to those who accepted the wood. Next it enjoyed the beauty of the palm trees of the gospel and the springs; it filled itself with the living water, that is, the rock. It took within itself the bread of heaven. It overwhelmed the foreign host - a victory due to the extended arms of the Lawgiver, which thus foreshadowed the mystery of the Cross. Only then can the soul go on to the contemplation of transcendent Being. St. Gregory of Nyssa |