Usefull Texts
Psalm 46
God
is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will
not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the
heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble
with its tumult. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall
not be moved; God will help her right early. The nations rage, the kingdoms
totter; He utters His voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Come, behold the works of the LORD, how He
has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the
earth; He breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, He burns the chariots with
fire! "Be still, and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth!" The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of
Jacob is our refuge.
Psalm
56
Be
gracious to me, O God, for men trample upon me; all day long foemen oppress
me; my enemies trample upon me all
day long, for many fight against me proudly. When I am afraid, I put my trust
in Thee. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust without a fear. What
can flesh do to me? All day long they seek to injure my cause; all their thoughts
are against me for evil. They band themselves together, they lurk, they watch
my steps. As they have waited for my life, so recompense them for their crime;
in wrath cast down the peoples, O God! Thou hast kept count of my tossings;
put Thou my tears in Thy bottle! Are they not in thy book? Then my enemies
will be turned back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust
without a fear. What can man do to me? My vows to Thee I must perform, O God;
I will render thank offerings to Thee. For Thou hast delivered my soul from
death, yea, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light
of life.
Psalm
142
I
cry with my voice to the LORD, with my voice I make supplication to the LORD,
I pour out my complaint before Him, I tell my trouble before Him. When my
spirit is faint, Thou knowest my way! In the path where I walk they have hidden
a trap for me. I look to the right and watch, but there is none who takes
notice of me; no refuge remains to me, no man cares for me. I cry to Thee,
O LORD; I say, Thou art my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. Give
heed to my cry; for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors;
for they are too strong for me! Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks
to Thy name! The righteous will surround me; for Thou wilt deal bountifully
with me.
John
2:13-16
The
Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple
He found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers
at their business. And making a whip of cords, He drove them all, with the
sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and He poured out the coins of the money-changers
and overturned their tables. And He told those who sold the pigeons, "Take
these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade."
Mark
11: 15-17
And
they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those
who sold and those who bought in the temple, and He overturned the tables
of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons; and He would
not allow any one to carry anything through the temple. And He taught, and
said to them, "Is it not written, `My house shall be called a house of
prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers."
Luke
6:27-36
Words of our Lord
Jesus Christ
But
I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To him who strikes
you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your coat
do not withhold even your shirt. Give to every one who begs from you; and
of him who takes away your goods do not ask them again. And as you wish
that men would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what
credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you
do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even
sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive,
what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much
again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in
return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High;
for He is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your
Father is merciful.
Luke
12:4-7
Words of our Lord
Jesus Christ
I
tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that
have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him
who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear
him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten
before God. Why, even the hairs of
your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Romans
8: 18-28
I
consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing
with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager
longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected
to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in
hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay
and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole
creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the
creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan
inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For
in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes
for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with
patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know
how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs
too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the
mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according
to the will of God. We know that in everything God works for good with those
who love him, who are called according to his purpose.
Hebrews
11:32-34 and 12:1-2
11:
32-34
For
time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and
Samuel and the prophets who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice,
received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped
the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war,
put foreign armies to flight.
12:1-2
Therefore,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay
aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance
the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter
of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Ephesians
4: 22-32
Put
off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt
through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put
on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness
and holiness. Therefore, putting away falsehood let every one speak the truth
with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry but do not
sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to
the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing
honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.
Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for
edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in Whom you were sealed for the
day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander
be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
I Thessalonians 4:13-18
But
we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep,
that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with
Him those who have fallen asleep.
For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive,
who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have
fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of
command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.
And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left,
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another
with these words.
James
4
What
causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions
that are at war in your members? You desire and do not have; so you kill.
And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have,
because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly,
to spend it on your passions. Unfaithful creatures! Do you not know that friendship
with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend
of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is in vain
that the scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit which He
has made to dwell in us"? But He gives more grace; therefore it says,
"God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves
therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to
God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify
your hearts, you men of double mind. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your
laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to dejection. Humble yourselves
before the Lord and He will exalt you. Do not speak evil against one another,
brethren. He that speaks evil against a brother or judges his brother, speaks
evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are
not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge, He Who
is able to save and to destroy. But who are you that you judge your neighbor?
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such
a town and spend a year there and trade and get gain"; whereas you do
not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears
for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the
Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that." As it is, you
boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Whoever knows what is
right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Hymns for the Cross
TROPARION
in Tone 1
O Lord,
save Your people,
And bless Your inheritance.
Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians
Over their adversaries.
And by virtue of Your Cross,
Preserve Your habitation.
KONTAKION in Tone
4
As You were voluntarily
crucified for our sake,
Grant mercy to those who are called by Your Name;
Make all Orthodox Christians glad by Your power,
Granting them victories over their adversaries,
By bestowing on them the invincible trophy, Your weapon of Peace.
A
Soldier’s Prayer
We
thank Thee, O Lord our God for all the blessings that Thou givest unto us.
Thou hast kept us by Thy power in good health during the night, and Thou has
called us up from sleep, that we may enjoy the light of day and to marvel
at Thy majesty. We entreat Thee, O Lord, grant that we may live this day without
danger or sin, but full of Thy mercies and Thy divine care. Protect my family
and the families of my fellow soldiers from all evil. Enlighten the peoples
who conquer and torture other nations; make them repent and seek peace, leaving
other lands and their dwellers free. Open Thou the eyes of our mind to see
Thy divine law and incline our hearts ever to do Thy commandments, to the
glory of Thine all-holy Name; of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
O
Thou Loving Father of us all, Who art here and everywhere, let Thy blessing
be upon my loved ones at home. Keep them in Thy gracious care, protect them
by Thy power and make their hearts glad in the thought of Thy nearness. Help
them and help me to feel that however separated we are by distance, in Thee
we are close to each other. Amen
From
the Holy Synod’s Letter about the Tragedy
Pray
for those who perpetrated today’s evils, asking the Lord to “make
the evil be good” by His Goodness, as we pray in the Liturgy of Saint
Basil the Great.
On
behalf of the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church
in America, I appeal to the faithful of our Church and to all North Americans
to turn to God at this moment, to reach out to those who are forever scarred
by the tragedies of this day, to strive all the more fervently to see within
all whom we encounter the living and loving image of Our Lord, Jesus Christ,
and to pray with renewed fervor and intensity “for the peace of the whole
world” – for the peace that “passes all understanding,”
for which our world today so desperately hopes and seeks.
Typical
Questions
The
questions below are some, which people are asking in response to the terrible
events of September 11, 2001. We have included responses to these questions.
1.
Why would God let this happen?
One of the greatest gifts God
has given us as creatures made in His image (Genesis 1:26) is the ability of
free will: to choose good over evil. However, at some point each and every day
we usually end up choosing evil over good. When we lie, cheat, steal or harm
others (do evil), God does not interfere with our abuses of the freedom He has
given us. God has given us the ability to choose between what is of Him, and
therefore good, and what is not of Him, and therefore evil.
Evil is real. Suffering is real. Death is real. They are all part
of the world we live in. We don't live in the kingdom of heaven. We live
in a world in which evil, sin, and death are a regular part.
If we think about it, countless
sins have happened in human history without God stopping those who were responsible.
No one knows how many of the people living in North America (native Americans)
were killed after the European settlers arrived: whole tribes were completely
destroyed. In the last century, millions of people (both Jews and Christians)
were killed in Soviet and German concentration and execution camps. There is
not a day in the year, which is not the anniversary of the death of many martyrs.
Though sin, evil and death
are real, this is not the end of the story. God is real. God is still
dealing with this earth (not some other perfect world, but this sinful world,
which God amazingly still loves!) Christ died on the Cross, destroyed
death, and rose again. Christ is coming again! There will be a time when there
is no sickness, or suffering, but life everlasting. Ultimately evil will
not triumph. In fact, because of Christ, it has no more power than we allow
it to have. Unfortunately, however, evil can still inflict serious wounds and
pain on us.
Maybe these events will
remind us that we NEED God, that God is directly available to us through His
Son, Jesus Christ, and that we need to align our lives with Him and not with
money, power, or even political agendas.
2.
Am I safe? Could this happen again, even where I am?
Thanks to airplanes and satellites,
the world has grown steadily smaller. Huge oceans that once provided the US
a degree of security are today no longer the protective barriers they used to
be. To those who see America as their main enemy, attack is by no means impossible
and hasn’t been for a while. As we have just seen in New York and Washington,
even the strongest military and the largest spy networks cannot guarantee a
nation is completely safe from harm. But the problem isn't new. No one has ever
lived in a safe world, a world without enemies or tragedies. Those of us who
are Christian recall that Christ lived in a country under military occupation
in which crucifixion - one of the most terrible methods of death
and torture ever invented - was not a rare punishment.
Reports of terrorist attacks
have been in the news in countries throughout the world for decades. Up until
recently we have been extremely fortunate. We have the wealthiest and most powerful
country in the world focusing all its resources on working to insure our personal
safety from attacks such as these. While we may not be able to say that we are
100% safe, we are able to say that we live in one of the safest places, if not
THE safest place in the world.
Remember, what God
gives us is not protection from harm, but a way of living -- and also a way
of dying, when that time comes. The question for us is: How do I live a Christian
life in the face of danger, not how do I live without danger.
3.
I HATE the people who did this! They all should be rounded up and destroyed.
The terrorists will have won
if they make us a hate-driven, vengeful people, or a people who have become
prisoners of fear. That would be a bigger victory for them than any destroyed
buildings or murdered people. As Christians, Jesus is very firm in telling us
that we are to love and forgive our enemies. It is in the face of events such
as these that such words are the hardest to hear, but they are the words God,
Himself, has told us to live by.
The love of Christ, however,
is not a romantic or passive thing, as it is often perceived. St Paul writes
in his letter to the people in Ephesus to “be angry, but do not sin”
(Ephesians 4). Christ, Himself, showed anger many times during His ministry
in order to make people aware of the sinful nature of their actions. Sometimes
this anger even became violent, such as when He drove the money-changers from
the temple (John 2 and Mark 11), when, as St John describes,
“making a whip of cords, He drove them all, with the sheep and the
oxen out of the temple…poured out the coins...and overturned their tables.”
Anger is normal and can be
blessed. It is to be acknowledged and its energy directed toward making any
given situation better. However, if it is nurtured, allowed to fester, or flow
based upon passions such as vengeance, hatred, and pride, it pollutes our souls
and makes us no better than the person who has wronged us.
4.
Should Christians want the U.S. to retaliate?
As fellow neighbors on this
planet, it is our responsibility to do all we can to teach that this kind of
behavior will not be tolerated. It is upon this fact that we need to react toward
those who have perpetrated these events. Love
for enemies (see Luke 6 above) does not rule out allowing the civil authority
to exercise its God-given role to curb wickedness and to protect the innocent.
The Church’s saints and hymns are full of references to asking God
to save them/us from enemies both physical and spiritual (See Hymns for the
Cross, A Soldier’s Prayer).
While non-resistance and passion-bearing
is appropriate for individuals, it is inappropriate for the civil authority
not to defend its citizens from future or greater evil. The Church sees this
as a God-given responsibility of civil authorities. As Orthodox Christians in
America, it is our responsibility as citizens to urge our authorities to defend
and protect us in a way that does NOT imitate or increase the evil of September
11, 2001. We need to speak against words like “annihilation,” “retribution,”
or even “retaliation.” Rather, our goal must be to act appropriately
to stop acts of terrorism such as these.
It is good for all of us to
feel the tension between these two aspects. This tension exists because we live
in a fallen world and is a reminder that we are not yet in paradise.
5.
Responding to Hate
Bottom line – The Christian
teaching to love one's enemies is not merely a sentiment, but is an internal
commitment that leads to deeds and actions. Our first reactions to incidents
such as these are usually fear and anger, especially when viewing the news footage
of people and children in the streets, both overseas and even in the U.S., waving
flags and shouting "Allah akbar" ("Allah is most great").
There is a great temptation to respond with equal or even greater hatred.
The teaching of our Lord is
very clear and simple in these matters. If we are to call ourselves Christians,
we are to forgive those who hate us. We are to break the cycle of hatred by
responding with love. St Paul describes this love in his letter to the Corinthians
as patient, seeking not its own, not resentful, not rejoicing in wrong, and
bearing all things. We are to seek to
do what will end the hatred instead of perpetuating or even escalating it.
Out of love, we are to put aside the pain inflicted on us, in order to
do what we can to help open the heart of the person hurting us and eliminate
the possibility of others being hurt.
A few facts for those
who are quick to categorize all Arabic people:
