Myrrh-Streaming Iveron Icon of Hawaii Coming to DC

The miraculous, Myrrh-streaming icon of the Theotokos of Iveron of Hawaii will be coming to St. George Greek Orthodox Church on Sunday, November 7 at 6:30 PM.  A Paraklesis will be served before the icon and the faithful who are present will be annointed with Holy Myrrh.  This icon is a copy of the Montreal Myrrh-Streaming Iveron Icon of the Theotokos.  Please come to receive the blessing of this holy icon.

St. George Greek Orthodox Church
7701 Bradley Blvd
Bethesda, MD   20817

On the Differences between Christ and Muhammad

One time, there was brought to Muhammad a woman who had comitted adultery. They asked him, “What shall we do with her?” Muhammad said, “Go away. Bring her back after the baby is born.”
So they brought her back after the baby was born, and Muhammad said, “Let her go and nurse the child. Bring her back when the child is two years old.”
So they brought her back and Muhammad said, “Take the baby from her and kill her.” And that is what they did.

Now let us compare Muhammad to Jesus. There was a time when people brought a woman to Jesus who had been caught in adultery. “Shall we stone her?” the people said. Jesus replied, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” Everybody went away. There was nobody left to stone her because they all knew they had sinned. Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”

I ask you – who would you rather follow, Muhammad or Jesus?

(Taken from "Salt of the Earth": http://solzemli.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/an-example-of-one-of-the-many-striking-differences-between-jesus-christ-muhammad/)

Holy St. Nicholas, Tsar of Russia and Passion-Bearer

O Holy Tsar-Martyr Nicholas, pray to Christ our God for the salvation of our souls!

A (Brief) History of Christendom

Hey Everyone-

Sorry for the long pause, I've had a busy month so far.  In one day, I managed to get a court summons for a Class 1 Misdemeanor in the State Commonwealth of Virginia and get a hematoma the size of my knee.  Apparantly, in the Commonwealth, speeding at 20+ mph over the speed limit is "reckless driving," which carries the same penalties as a DUI.  I like my (Maryland) side of the Potomac better, needless to say.  :)

While working today on my EE about the Christologies of the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, I had to find a good timeline of Christian history.  As I could find none that met my needs (i.e. included the Copts and the Assyrians), I had to make one myself.  It's pretty bad, but if anyone feels like using it, please help yourself!

We will never forget

I'm sure none of us will ever forget where we were on this day, nine years ago.  Very few singular events have ever changed the course of our nation like when 19 terrorists brought down the WTC, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and part of the Pentagon.  My priest has a cross made from the rubble of the Towers that he brings out every year on or near 9/11; a kind of secular relic for the death of nearly 3000 people of all creeds and walks of life, killed because they were American.  May their memories be ever eternal!

"Almost Christian," So Very True

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-08-27/living/almost.christian_1_teens-share-moralistic-therapeutic-deism-dean-talks?_s=PM:LIVING

I've read this article and it is very true.  Many of my friends do see God through the "therapeutic moralistic deism" prism that is so antithetical to the Christendom of the past 2000 years.  However, I have not seen this trend among the Orthodox youth I have encountered, nor many evangelical youth, though their knowledge of Christian dogma and tradition is often quite lacking.  Anyway, Happy Thursday!  Also, a blessed and joyous new ecclesiastical year!  Many Years to all!

The Power of Prayer

While yesterday began well, the afternoon and night after about 3 PM went downhill quickly.  My girlfriend, whom I love dearly, was very upset, and the majority of that (if not all of it) was my fault.  My grandfather probably suffered another mini-stroke, his 6th since last June.  I found out that a leader of my Boy Scout troop for 50 years was rushed to the hospital.  And, on top of it all, I had to do some school work which is due on Monday.  All in all, when I staggered into my room at 10:00, after a trying 14 hours, I was exhausted and was in no mood to pray.  However, I decided to pray the Small Compline, which I had prayed with my friends the night before, along with portions of the Supplicatory Canon to the Theotokos.  Though for the first few minutes, I was still exhausted and wanted to cut the prayers short.  But as I continued to pray, I no longer felt tired or anxious, but only repentence and joy.  Through prayer, sincere prayer of the heart, we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit, the παράκλητος, the Comforter, and allow Him to come into our lives, guide our steps and ultimately, to save our souls.

"O Heavenly King, the Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of blessing and Giver of life: Come and abide in us, cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Good One." (Prayer to the Holy Spirit)

Welcome and Explanation

To the readers (or reader) of this new blog, welcome!

The purpose of this blog is for me to talk about and express opinions on matters that interest me.  These matters are as diverse as theology and liturgics, philosophy, history, politics, foreign relations, science and art.  Being a Greek from Naxos, I have opinions on EVERYTHING, though they are often not fleshed out or fully supported, and I hope that this blog will help both you and me come to a better understanding of my opinions and stances.

A huge influence on my stances and opinions is my belief in God and my baptism into Christ.  I am a reader of the Holy Orthodox Church (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, New Jersey Metropolis) and my Orthodox and Hellenic heritage (in that order) affect many of my stances on politics and the like.  In my opinion, everything we do should be an act which gives praise to the Holy Trinity (hence the title of this blog).

That being said, what I say on this blog is in no way endorsed or supported by anyone other than myself, unless otherwise noted in the individual post.  Not by the Holy Orthodox Church, any one of the bishops or priests thereof, not by the Boy Scouts of America (of which I am a proud member), not by my own metropolis or parish, my metropolitan or priests, not by my wonderful girlfriend who convinced me to start a blog in the first place, and not by my family (especially not by them, they never agree on anything!).  These stances and opinions are mine and mine alone unless otherwise noted.

Finally, the rules.  I encourage comments and participation by everyone.  I will not moderate comments (unless problems arise), however, everyone must be respectful and provide valid reasoning behind their arguments.  No ad hominem attacks, no PC and, most importantly, no bullshit.  Seriously, no BS or PC, as there are few things I hate more.  Lastly, if ANYONE uses the word "retarted" on this blog as anything other than a referece to a mentally retarted person, they will be banned, permenantly.  My beloved uncle who passed away 8 months ago was mentally retarted and I hate when people use that word to mean someone who is stupid and doesn't think.

I look forward to this new adventure with all of you.  May God bless you all.

In Christ,

The Greek