What is Exciting About Truth?

A reflection by Mother Cecilia for the Sunday of the Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council & for the 1700th Anniversary of the 1st Ecumenical Council

I will admit that, as an artist, of the three transcendentals—truth, goodness and beauty—I am most attracted by beauty, and least by truth! I'm not saying I like untrue things, but I don't get as excited about truth as I do about beauty! However, in coming to understand that truth is not just about facts and information, but that Truth is a Person, I started to have a passion for truth too.

There are various ways in which we are tempted to choose what is not true, and some of them are quite subtle. A lustful thought (or act) may involve a real person and a real act, but it of itself is not true, meaning: it is not about a person given to me by God to love in a real way, with a true gift of self. To imagine something (or to act in a way) that is not true love, will never satisfy! Again, a thought (or act) of acedia may involve a real desire (to "look out my window" and desire a situation or life that is not mine), but it is not true; it is not what God has lovingly placed before me. It will never satisfy! And also, a self-condemning thought is not true. For a person oriented to God, His correction only comes in gentle, encouraging ways, not disturbing, accusatory, condemning ones. So, thoughts that come in this disturbing way do not come from Truth, even if there is something about them that is technically accurate. We are not to listen to these thoughts; we are to look at the Lord who encourages and strengthens us rather than tearing us down. We will never be satisfied or healed by listening to the accusatory thoughts and trying to "correct" ourselves.

What does satisfy and heal? Loving the real person in front of us, given to us by God, in the real way He is calling us; loving God in the real situation in which we find ourselves, by accepting the situation with our will; loving ourselves with God's own love, with patience and humility, courageously ignoring the disturbing voices and trusting in the gaze of the One who is looking at us with love.

Truth is a Person. "I am the way, the truth and the life" (Jn 14:6). He loves us, He fills us. He loves us in and through what is true. And He calls us to share in His love by loving what is real, in real ways. Jesus prayed for us in His great prayer to the Father, "Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth" (Jn 17:17).

This past Sunday we commemorated the Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council. There are several times throughout the liturgical year that we commemorate the Fathers of the Ecumenical Councils, and this year we celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the 1st Ecumenical Council. Why is this important? The Fathers were not just defining and clarifying pieces of information, they were the defending the truth of the Persons of the Trinity. They were honoring God and helping the people of God to understand who He is and how to live the Christian life. So, we frequently remember them and what they taught us. We always need to renew our faith and love.

Holy Fathers of the Ecumenical Councils, pray to God for us!—that we may love Truth Himself and know ourselves to be loved by Him. 

If you live in NE Ohio, join us for the Eastern Churches Seminar, Nov. 14-15, commemorating the 1700th anniversary of the 1st Ecumenical Council.

A Question from a Parish Priest

As the Byzantine Catholic Church in the United States begins a time of prayer for vocations, we share our thoughts in response to a question we recently received from a young Byzantine priest, in case it would be helpful to other parish priests or even parishioners or those discerning.

Q: Is there anything that you’ve found especially helpful that a parish priest can do to nurture monastic vocations?

A: This is a good question! Here are several thoughts:

1. Pray and seek holiness yourself. Pray the liturgical prayers of the Church and make time each day for private prayer. Those whom the Lord is calling to a life of prayer are aided by seeing it modeled in others. They will especially look up to their parish priest. But more importantly, the transformation that comes about in you through prayer affects everyone around you, even if you're not aware of it. Be with the Lord and let Him love you, because this is why He made you. When you are living as He made you to be, that is what is most important in every matter!

2. Offer plenty of opportunities for prayer at the parish, including services such as Vespers and Matins which round out the liturgical life and provide opportunities for discovering a thirst for liturgical prayer which is an important component of the daily monastic rhythm. Don't be discouraged if few people (or none) join you. Just keep doing it.

3. Work on making your parish a place where the Christian life is lived to the full. This begins with the Liturgy, and flows out from there. Try to live the Byzantine Tradition authentically, reverently, joyfully and richly. It is so attractive; let it be that. But to be truly attractive, it cannot be comprised of empty actions and rituals; it must be fueled by love.

4. Teach your people about praying with Scripture and contemplative prayer, and encourage them to spend time each day in private prayer. In order to teach it, you have to know it; so make sure you know it first! (You don't have to be an expert, just a doer of it!) Time in silence and stillness, in relationship with the Lord, greatly helps a person to hear His quiet, beckoning voice. Also, without a profound relationship with the Lord, a person cannot persevere in a monastic vocation, for only love can compel a person to make such a gift of self in response to an even greater love (God's). You may also want to consider keeping your church open for quiet prayer at certain times if you are able.

5. Encourage your people to participate regularly in the Mystery of Holy Repentance (Confession). The gifts of self-knowledge, repentance, healing, spiritual guidance and obedience that come through regular Confession are essential for the monastic life.

6. Take note of who is frequently attending services at your parish, and ask the Lord if He is calling you to invite any of the single people to consider monastic life. Several (if not all) nuns in our monastery were invited by their parish priest or other priests, and this invitation had a profound effect on us. If you do suggest the idea and someone is open to it, accompany this person in the discernment journey if he or she desires your help: pray for the person, offer to help research monasteries for visiting (byzantinecatholicvocation.com can help), and offer other spiritual support as needed. Here are some online resources we recommend for getting a little view into the monastic life: 

• The film: Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer
• The short film: From the Little Mountain: Reflections on Orthodox Christian Monasticism
• Short films produced by our monastery on our YouTube channel, such as Be Poor With Me: Reflections on Poverty, Receive the Gift: Reflections on Chastity, and Be it Done Unto Me: Reflections on Obedience.

7. Remember that monastic life is an option for men as well as women. Men are often immediately encouraged to pray about the priesthood, but it is important to remember that a man could also be called to be a monk (whether a priest-monk or a monk who is not a priest).

The Consecration of Our Chapel

On September 23, the feast of the Conception of St. John the Baptist, Bishop Robert, several beloved priests, some of our families (including the brothers of dokimos Rose, who served), and a few friends joined us for the consecration of our monastery chapel and its dedication to St. John the Baptist.  The rite of consecration was rich.  The bishop first processed around the exterior of the chapel, blessing it with holy water.  Then, as some of the priests assisted him and some of the priests chanted psalms particular to the consecration of a church, Bishop Robert washed the holy table (altar) with soap and warm water; poured upon it wine, rosewater and spikenard; anointed and finally clothed the holy table with newly-blessed linens.  Then he blessed the iconostasis.  After the consecration, we moved into the celebration of a hierarchical Divine Liturgy.  As we watched the holy table be washed, anointed, and prepared for His descent in the Eucharist, we were moved to realize more deeply the awesome reality of the Lord who has claimed, washed, anointed and clothed each one of us, coming to dwell in us through the Holy Spirit.

(Thank you Dom & Cassidy Mann of DM Productions for the video!) 

Why we chose St. John the Baptist as the patron of our chapel:

• He is a "desert-dweller," as are monastics
• 
  He is the greatest of the prophets, and monastics are called to live a prophetic life, pointing out the primacy of God and His love, and reminding ourselves and others of the true life
  beyond this earthly one
• He calls himself "the friend of the Bridegroom" (Jn 3:29), and our monastery is named "Christ the Bridegroom"
• He says, "He must increase, I must decrease" (Jn 3:30), which is what our life of repentance, poverty, chastity and obedience is all about
• He points to Jesus ("Behold the Lamb of God;" Jn 1:29), which is what our monastic life is meant to do
• The icon in the "patronal spot" on our iconostasis is St. John the Baptist
• He is the patron of our eparchy, and we are living in the heart (not geographically but spiritually) of our eparchy, helping to pump the blood of the Body of Christ by our constant prayer

Why we chose the feast of his conception as the feast day of our chapel:

This feast reminds us about the fruit that God brings forth from our human “barrenness,” just as God brought about the conception of St. John the Baptist in the womb of the barren Elizabeth. Each human being is “barren” in the sense that he or she can do nothing apart from God (Jn 15:5). We nuns become very aware of this reality as we face ourselves in the mirrors of community life, prayer and asceticism. We also feel our “barrenness” as celibate women: with the ache of not bearing our own physical children; and as monastics: without an active, visibly productive ministry. We are encouraged by the reminder that giving our lives to God is fruitful, even if we do not see the fruit. This feast directs our attention to God and His power and love, rather than ourselves, and it strengthens our faith.

Lifted Up? Or Lowered Down?

A Transfiguration Reflection by Mother Cecilia

One morning last week when I was driving to spiritual direction, the sky was blue and sunny and the temperature was quickly climbing through the 80s, when suddenly I was alarmed by a dark cloud shrouding the highway ahead of me. At first I thought it must be smoke from a large fire nearby! I slowed down a little. But as I kept driving and entered the mysterious darkness, I discovered that it was simply a large, solitary, low-hanging cloud, apparently too heavy and tired to rise up in the sky on this hot mid-morning.

Icon by the hand of Mother Iliana

I’ve lived my whole life in Ohio, but I’ve enjoyed many camping trips in the mountains. The cloud reminded me of driving at high elevations in the mountains, where the clouds are prevalent. In that instant, I felt like I was up on a mountain, and a thrill of joy went through my body! I let my imagination run free: the flowers between the two sides of the highway became mountain wildflowers, and along the edge of the road was a steep drop off!

In reality, I was at a low elevation on a flat highway in Ohio, and the cloud had come down very low…but I felt like I had been lifted up to the level of the clouds. In the Old Testament, when God revealed Himself to Mankind, He often did so in the form of a cloud, such as on Mt. Sinai. Man longed to speak to God face to face, but we couldn’t look at God and live (Exodus 33:20), so when the time came, God became Man. At the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor, God again spoke out of a cloud, but the Incarnate God (Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity) also revealed the glory of divinity through His body—the glory for which we are created to partake of through grace—and the Apostles fell on their faces in awe. In becoming incarnate, God came down to us like that cloud I drove through—except in a much more tangible way—in order to raise us up in glory. The Anaphora of the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil beautifully proclaims:

         When the fullness of time had come,

you spoke to us through your own Son,

the very one through whom you created the ages.

Although he is the reflection of your glory and the express image of your person,

sustaining all things by his powerful word,

He did not deem equality with you, God and Father, something to be grasped;

rather, while remaining everlasting God,

he appeared on earth and lived among men.

In becoming incarnate from the holy Virgin,

he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,

conforming himself to the lowliness of our body,

that he might conform us to the image of his glory.

As I drove last week, the cloud was down with me, but it was an image to me of being raised up. On Mt. Tabor, Mankind was shown the glory for which we were made and in which we hope. Were the Apostles Peter, James and John on earth or in heaven? In Jesus, the two are brought together. Let us burst forth with a jubilant hymn of thanksgiving!

Bridegroom's Banquet registration now open!

Click to Register

Enjoy an evening of comedy, enrichment and community at the “Bridegroom’s Banquet,” a benefit dinner for the nuns of Christ the Bridegroom Monastery, on Saturday, November 1, at the Astrodome Event Center in Parma, Ohio. There is no cost to attend the dinner, but registration is required (by October 13).  Adults 21 and older may attend. Featured this year is the premiere of the nuns’ new video, “With Sighs Too Deep for Words: Reflections on Prayer,” comedy by Shayne Smith and Mother Iliana, and Fr. Michael O'Loughlin as our Master of Ceremonies. Learn more about and support the nuns and their life of prayer and hospitality, and help them to begin the first steps of building a larger monastery. Donations can be accepted even if you are not able to attend. For more information, please visit the Bridegroom's Banquet tab. With questions, call 440-834-0290.

Pope Leo receives Mother Iliana's book!, & an EWTN interview with her

Pope Leo recently received a copy of Mother Iliana's book, "The Light of His Eyes," from Mother Iliana's uncle, Bishop Hlib Lonchyna! 

Below is an interview with Mother Iliana on EWTN's "Franciscan University Presents," hosted by Fr. Dave Pivonka, Dr. Regis Martin, and Dr. Scott Hahn. She speaks about her book as well as her martyred great-grandfather and other topics. The interview was aired last fall, but we are finally getting around to sharing it with you! (Also, happy feast day, Mother Iliana!--July 20, the Holy Prophet Elijah)

"Show us to be thrones of His spiritual fire"

A Pentecost reflection by Mother Cecilia

Each person has particular weaknesses into which he or she habitually falls. One of mine is scrupulosity. I periodically get stuck in mental circles considering my actions and thoughts, worrying about whether God and others are pleased with me. If the thought “I’m doing it wrong” enters my mind, I’m ensnared! I immediately try to figure out how to do it “right.” And this mental wrestling turns my gaze away from the Lord. I become like Peter, called by Jesus to come to Him across the water, distracted from the face of his beloved Teacher because of the waves, sinking into them even though the face of Love is right there. 

In my recent Confession, I said, “I need to ask for greater love, so that I will want to fulfill God’s will in love, rather than acting in fear—wondering if I’m ‘doing it right.’” This has been my request of the Lord for the Feast of Pentecost, that the Holy Spirit would increase the flame of my love, so that no matter what I am doing it may be for love, and that my concern would be about loving, not about pleasing. I am praying that love would be so stirred up in me that the questions, “Am I doing it right? Am I pleasing to God?” would be only faint, distant echoes because of the roar of the bonfire of love in my being. 

And in praying for this, I’ve realized that sometimes the love that needs to be stirred up is a loving gentleness for my own self! I am loved by the Trinity, and in loving myself I am united to the love of God. “Man was created because the three divine Persons wished to communicate to him some measure of their own intimate life” (“The Year of Grace of the Lord” by a Monk of the Eastern Church, p. 216). I can actually cooperate in God’s love for me by loving myself with Him. 

I was moved by this line from the ambon prayer for the Divine Liturgy of Pentecost: “Show us to be thrones of [the Holy Spirit’s] spiritual fire, like Your apostles who received His first-fruits, that, by His support, we may be led into the holy land of Your immortality and blessed promise.” My prayer for you is that no matter your particular weaknesses and sins, the fire of the Holy Spirit may be reinvigorated in you, so that in becoming “thrones of His spiritual fire,” love may be what overcomes them all. And I also pray for you for the grace to love yourself with Him.