www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Need some advice

Dear Joe: Another difference has to do with Lenten observations. Eastern rites observe the "Great Lent," starting with Sexagesima Sunday, and for some of them (at least the Syro-Chaldaean rite I was once a part of) the Lenten fast not only includes no meat, but no dairy products either. Done with devotion, this practice has a transformative effect.
Charles

Dear Dr. John,

Ouch? Ouch? The only "ouch" I ever get to say is when I accidentally hit my finger with the hammer I use to put up more icons

Well, I don't know you civilized Greeks do it, but we barbaric Slavs just fell in love with Constantinople and I guess we overdid a few things . . .

Like icons . . .

I have a few on my wall, to be sure.

They all represent either a "rite of passage," or a particular saint I have happened to either discover or find out more about. There are lots of miraculous Icons of the Theotokos among the Slavs, over 1,000 etc.

The more the merrier, I say! The icon corner, like our experience in Church, should place us in Heaven where, as I understand it, there are many more saints

I recently got a brass Byzantine Cross from Greece. The brass is used to recall Christ's words in the third chapter of John when He said, "As Moses raised the (brass or bronze) serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be raised up etc."

That Cross will have a prominent place in my corner.

I like to spend as much time there as possible.

Sometimes I just like looking at Him, in the peaceful knowledge that He is looking at me.

Alex

Dear NDHoosier,

Perhaps my use of "collect" was not the best.

But I do collect icons, not like baseball cards or anything like that.

I love their beauty and what they tell me about God and His special friends.

This is a Slavic tradition, to have many icons, although I have Greek friends who have many too.

I have Roman Catholic friends who have many pictures and statues of saints.

Not one of them has ever engaged in a trading session with me.

It is a matter of preference to be sure.

St Tikhon of Zadonsk had a life-size Orthodox 'Stations of the Cross' in his cell.

Frankly, I have so many Saints on my icon wall that I can go to it on any given day and stand before the particular Saint who is being commemoratedon that day to say the Troparion to him or her.

They are my friends, the Saints. When I invoke them, I know they fall down before the Throne of God to pray for me.

I have also given many icons to friends and relatives.

I know this strengthens their prayer life.

Years ago, I gave an icon to a little girl whose brother I went to school with.

She was in the hospital and I visited her with the icon.

23 years later, we met each other again. The first thing she did was pull out the little icon I had given her. She had carried it with her all those years.

Frankly, Dr. John and NDHoosier, you wonderful people have, I believe, unfairly imputed motives to me re: the icons that I don't believe I have.

Although I understand your motives, I think . . .

It was Fr. Serge Keleher who first developed this habit in me. Again, the Orthodox I know have great icon corners with lots of icons.

As long as this thing isn't a "Latinization" I will continue with it, with your kind permission of course

Alex

"I'll give you a St. Vladimir for and Our Lady of Kazzan." (just a spoof of what it might look like.)

I sincerely doupt that Alex is enganging in "trading Icons like baseball cards." I am a collector of religious art. I have over 600 pictures and statues, most of which were rescued from the dumpsters of churches turning liberal. I see nothing wrong in "collecting" large quantities of religious art. I often give mine away, but barter with a blessed object never. The very thought of doing such borders on blasphemy.

Just a few thoughts,
Joe Zollars

Dear Joe,

Right on! I really don't know where Dr. John et al. are coming from on this one. After more than 2,000 posts here, you'd think someone would know one . . .

I had a collection of icons, pins and other materials in high school.

I gave 95% to nuns living under communism. My aunt and I sewed the things into clothing we were sending them.

They wrote back and thanked us for the items in the code that we agreed on.

Alex

JMJ

Alex:

The part about the nuns is fascinating. You should write a book. It would almost read like one of those adventure novels.

Anyway, I have been told by too many people that I was being "too Catholic." I just had to come to the defense of another collecter. The thing I worry about is, If I had not gotten those religious articles, would some occultist gotten them and defiled them?

Joe Zollars

I do too. I didn't mean to imply that Alex was "trafficking in icons". His choice of words did cause me to do a double-take.


This is so sad (not that you're recovering sacred objects from desecration, but that those churches thought they had to throw them out).

When I was in seminary, I heard that the new pastor of the church I had grown up in was going to throw out the magnificent older chasubles in favor of newer ones. I nearly cried...I wish I could have recovered them. Even though I didn't make it to ordination, I know a priest that would have cherished those magnificent vestments!

--NDHoosier