Christos Anesti!

Again, a kala Pascha to my fellow Orthodox Christians!

As I have said, I am privileged to be a chanter in the Eastern Orthodox Communion. I am privileged to chant hymns which are so old, both in terms of musical style and also in text. The texts and the music are so inextricably linked unlike most of the music which comes out of modern expressions of Western Christianity which is painfully mediocre and stale with words that are so vapid and devoid of meaning that they may as well be put on pop radio stations.

Anyway, I look forward to this time of year if only to sing the Paschal Troparion: Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!

So simple, yet so moving. And the melody to which we sing it is in this haunting plagal of the first tone (i.e. Tone 5). That can be heard in the video. The monks singing are from the Vatopaidi Monastery on Mt. Athos in Greece, one of 19 monasteries on that particular mountain which I hope to see sometime soon for my own spiritual edification. And to to be able to sing this hymn while under the dome ornate with a fresco of Christ, trampling upon the doors of Hades and lifting up our ancestors Adam and Eve from their tombs and giving them life instead of death, joy instead of sorrow, is nothing short, I am sure of amazing. So, enjoy.

Christos anesti! Alithos anesti!

The Holy Light of our Lord's Pascha

Kala Pascha to all my fellow Orthodox Christians. Christos anesti! Alithos anesti!

As I have now gone through my fourth Paschal celebration, I can honestly say that I am no closer to understanding the mystery that has occurred at the original Pascha, namely that of a dead man, nay God Himself incarnate, arising from the dead, conquering it and shattering its gates and bringing those dead in the tombs to life. I don't understand it. I don't think anyone can. Explain to me how mercy can be so great and how death can be defeated by death itself. It defies logical explanation; it defies categorization. Yet, though I don't understand, I believe. As Augustine once said, credo ut intellegam--I believe to understand. One must precede the other. And I believe that Christ's Resurrection has most certainly occurred as I am certain that I am typing these poor words.

The celebration of Orthodox Pascha differs from many Protestant/Western expressions of Christianity. Though joyful, we are still somber. The great majority of our hymns for this day, especially the Paschal Troparion (Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowing life; I have included a recording) are in a very haunting plagal of tone 1 (i.e. 5th tone) melody. Though joyful, we are still in a sense of awe as to how something so wondrous could happen. To understand that, I am sure, is to understand God's incomprehensibility.

There is one particular ritual in the Orthodox Church which baffles and confuses many Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike. THis is the ceremony of the Holy Light. On Holy Saturday evening, the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem enters the sepulchre of Christ at the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem (which is where we believe Christ was buried). He is checked for any incendiary devices. While he is saying the prayers, a mysterious light appears overhead in the darkness. He emerges from the sepulchre with a lighted candle carrying the eternal light. No other clergy from any other expression of Christianity has been able to do this, not Catholic, not Protestant, not non-Chalcedonian Orthodox. It is not the Patriarch who does anything but it is the work of Christ Himself, revealing His Resurrection to the world every year. Some people have actually claimed to witness this. I recently read a book entitled "I Saw the Holy Light" where the author, who was the guard of the Sepulchre, responsible that the area at all times was properly cleaned and cared for. Desiring to see the holy light for himself, he devised a plan, a deception, for him to climb into a niche where he stayed for many hours just to have a glimpse of the Holy Light. And he did. It was a blue glow circling the Patriarch's head. I don't know if I particularly believe this account. It almost strikes me as too good to be true. But every year, this event happens. That is certain. There is no deception. All attempts to point this out as deception have utterly failed. And no one else has been able to duplicate this during the celebration of their respective Pascha. I am at a loss to explain. But, fortunately, Orthodoxy for me does not depend on, nor will it ever depend upon, my understanding and/or articulation of the hows of the Holy Orthodox Church and the Faith.

Nevertheless, questions remain. How does it happen? And why? Surely Christ's Resurrection can be proclaimed without this "miracle." And it can. We did not duplicate this at St. Mary's this year. Fr. Don lit the Paschal Candle with a match like he does every year. We must not forget that Christ has always used his creation to manifest his own glory. He has not shunned creation. Though corrupted, we are not utterly depraved. He uses creation because as it says in Genesis, God saw creation and saw that it was good. No sin can undo what God has wrought. If it could, then God would not be Almighty and would be limited. Christ uses what we can recognize and perceive with our senses so that we can come to understand. That does not mean that we will, but it will allow us to to perhaps make a beginning.

The Holy Light is a manifestation that God is among us. God is the Lord who has revealed Himself to us, we sing at Orthros. If God has chosen to dwell among us and to come to us in various manifestations, especially incarnate, it is only because he wishes us to dwell with Him. May they be one as we are one, Christ prays to His Father in the Gospel according to St. John. The Holy Light encourages us to draw near and to take Christ the true light into ourselves and to become one with Him. Christ does this especially in the sacraments, i.e. the Eucharist, baptism, etc. This is just another way to make Christ part of us, to partake of His Resurrection, not as an idea, but in a very real and life changing way.

As we come forward to take the light, this hymn is chanted, again in a very haunting, aweful and yet joyful plagal of tone 1 (tone 5): Come, take light, from the light which is never overtaken by night. And glorify Christ who is risen from the dead.

Kala Pascha! Al-Maseeh Q'am. Haqqan Q'am.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uvKDqpLhgQ

One last reflection on my grandfather

It's been well over a month now since my grandfather reposed. It's been a time for me and my family to reflect and count our blessings as to how he touched our lives. The following text is the homily/eulogy that was given at my grandfather's funeral on Wednesday, January 14. It was given by Pr. Robert Cochran, pastor at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Findlay, OH. Although there were several beefs my parents and uncle had with Pr. Cochran for reasons I won't get into, he nevertheless gave a very nice testimony to my grandfather, Christian Ziegler. Memory eternal!

BTW, as the season of Great Lent will be upon us come this Monday, I will not blog again until Pascha, April 19. Sorry for the hiatus.

Pr. Cochran's eulogy:

My parents, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles and most of my cousins grew up in Napoleon, Ohio. When we'd go tosee my older relatives, they all had names lin Ringhausen, Thielman and Meineke, good German names. It was always a mystery to me, then, why a town in which lived my three great uncle Carls, my great aunts, Tillie and Freta and my grandmother, Verna, should be named after a French emperor. It turns out that the great battle to name the area was actually won by the German farmers. They got to name the county, Henry, after their King Henry while the French who resided in the tiny clusters and houses in Henry County only got to name the town. Even today, Napoleon has a population of only 9,000 while 29,000 live in Henry County. Never underestimate the common sense and work ethic of German farmers!

Chris Ziegler was a German farmer whose wrk ethic and common snese were legendary. His grandson, Chris, said that whenever Oma and Opa came to visit, his parents could never get them to stop working! Oma would be making the beds while Opa would be mowing the lawn and working in the garage.

Emil said that Chris[tian] was 100% dedicated to his family and to his work. he asked his dad one time how he measured success. Chris said that he would see himself as having been successful if 1) he died owning one more acre of ground than what he strated with and 2) he had no enemeies. All right, let's take the measure of the man according ot his own criteria.

Did he die owning one mor acre of ground than what he started with? first notice he measured himself according to farm values. Chris entered his peak work years as a soldier, mostly on the Russian fron in WWII. He was a valiant soldier, as evidenced by receiving the Iron Cross. At a Luther Club meeting at our church one time, the WWII vets were asked to rise. Chris stood up and let everyone know that he fought on the other side. This is a small thing, really, but what an image of courage this is. He wasn't proud of having fought against people who were no his friends and church family, b ut he wasn't ashamed of who he was and what he had had to do when the situation called for it. Like all soldiers, he answered the call of duty out of love for his country and family. Everything Chris did arose out of his deep sense of duty and love for his family. When he had to leave his home to get his children the kind of education they needed, he once again flashed the courage he'd exhibited on the battlefield and, at 41, picked up his family and moved to a county that had considered him an enemy. He didn't even speak the langauge! He moved to Hanoverton, Ohio and worked there on farm for 24 years until he retired. So, considering he started with nothing, I'd say he retired with one acre of ground more than what he started with.

But did he die without enemies? I think we'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who didn't love and respect Chris Ziegler. He was generous and never had a bad word for anyone. Emil said that on the Russian front, Chris promised himself that he would never gain complain about the food or the weather. he was not a man who complained about anything. He was a quiet man but a thoughtful one. He would do anything for his grandkids and never wanted to miss a ball game or a recital no matter how far he would have to travel. He had many friends in the church and was always a delight to be around. As Emil said, it was unnecessary for him to talk: his presence lit upa room. He also had many friends in the Luther Club here in Findlay, the Saxon Club in Salem, Ohio and the Toledo Schwabenverein. Chris' presence lit up many rooms in many cities.

He was a loyal firned, but his real loyalties always rested with his family and his beautiful wife, Magdalena. Lena, he always took such good care of you and the two of you are such a wonderful couple, a model for all of us. Now, I don'tk now if this is true, but Lena claims that she and Chris had only one fight. He wanted to sell a horse to buy a push mower and she dearly loved that horse. Well, Lena if hte only fight you remember is one in which Chris gave you what you wanted, yours is a marriage for the ages and all of us are richer because we experienced the love that you and Chris shared.

I think it is safe top say, then, that Chris leaves nothing but friends and loved ones in his passing. Accordoing to Chris' own criteria, he died a successful man.

But I wanted to add one more way to measure a man:his relationship with God. As Emil said, Chris proclaimed his religion not in words but in his actions. He lived out his faith: he wasn't showy. After all, he was a Lutheran, and looking at the number of people we have in the back, I'd say we have some Lutherans here with us today! He had a simple faith, a deep faith, a faith he shared by example. We will dearly miss him at First Lutheran. It is said that for every member of Chris' generation we lose, we have to addd 10 new members to reach teh same levels of attendance and commitment. In Chris' case, we'd have to add 20!

Emil said that Chris was his hero, that he couldn't call him his idol because he couldn't live up to the standard that Chris set. There is real truth to this: Chris was who he was because of the trials he faced. We live in fear these days that the economy will collapse, that the world will become a dark and terrifying place, of war and pandemics and environmental catastrophe.

Well, Chris' generation, the Great Generation, became great because they survived a dark, terrifying world of economic collapse and war. We all need hte example of men like Chris Ziegler if we are to survive the days ahead. God bless you, Chris. You were a loygal friend, a devoted father, a dear grandfather, a cherished brother in Christ.

We all miss you.

May his memory be eternal. +

There are two Americas

John Edwards, during both of his failed attempts to run for President and while he wasn't banging his mistress instead of his cancer-stricken wife, claimed that there were two Americas--one for the privileged and one for every one else. Of course, he leveled this charge mainly against Republicans, claiming that they were representatives only of the prominent while Democrats always stood up for the little guy. Yeah, right.

This past week, two of Obama's nominees for cabinet positions--former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer--withdrew their names from consideration because of tax problems. Timothy Geithner who was confirmed, despite major opposition from both Democrats and Republicans for failing to pay over $45,000 in taxes during his stint as a consultant with the IMF, was grilled but managed to survive.

During the campaign, Joe Biden remarked that it was the patriotic duty of every American to pay their taxes, even to pay more taxes in these uncertain economic ties. While I am vehemently opposed to income taxes, which I believe are unconstitutional despite the amendment to the US Constitution, this is not the issue here. Why is it that when these prominent Democrats fail to pay their taxes, it is always an "honest mistake"? I fail to see that constant notices and warnings from the IMF and warnings could be overlooked and thus dubbed an "honest mistake."

The fact of the matter is that if any one of us ordinary schmoes had not paid our income taxes, we would have been severely audited, fined and even thrown in the jail. We wouldn't have been given all of this time to make amends.

If a Republican had done this, the media would have raked him over the coals for this same thing and called for the President who nominated him to be impeached or resign. It's the same old double standard that I've come to expect from our current political climate.

There is no change in Washington. It's just that a different party is calling the shots and has become drunk on its own power. Two Americas--one for honest, hard-working people and another for cheats.

+Memory Eternal to Christian Ziegler

Today, the 9th of January, 2009 at approximately 6:45 pm EST, my grandfather, whom I referred to affectionately as Opa, died. He was 93 years old. I suppose that in many ways I am lucky. How many people can claim to have had even one of their grandparents in their lives for this length of time? I would venture not many. For 32 years of my life, I have known this man and I have had the good fortune to learn a lot from him.

If I had one word to describe my grandfather, it would be this: tough. This man was a farmer and although I have never been a farmer, I can honestly say that being a farmer is nothing short of hard work. And my grandfather did this back in Germany, which was still crippled from the fallout of the first World War which left a great nation poor and bankrupt and her people destitute. But my grandfather, nevertheless, worked. And when he was called to serve in the army of the Third Reich, he went, not to defend Nazism or die for the Fuehrer but to defend his loved ones and his home from those who, even with the best of intentions, sought to do damage to him. On the Russian front, my grandfather was shot about five times. Most of the bullets went in and out; only one stayed. And, having seen it, it was a massive sucker. Nonetheless, he survived some of the worst fighting mankind has ever seen and returned, eventually, to Mehrstetten, where he started his family with his wife Magdalena. 11 years after the war ended, my grandfather, his wife and his two children, Emil and Elfriede, my mother, came to Hanoverton, Ohio where my great-uncle George had a business set up. My grandfather and two of his other brothers worked for my Uncle George and also worked on the farm wher they raised sheep, just like back in Germany. In fact, my grandfather was always called "SchaeferChriste", the Shepherd, Christian.

Living in America was difficult especially with little knowledge of the language, but my grandfather managed to keep his head up and worked hard for my great-uncle, who, in reality, treated his brothers and their kids very poorly. But he worked. I can't recall a time, except in recent memory, where my grandfather was not doing any kind of work, whether it was around the house or in the yard or wherever. He was a very active man.

Over the past couple of years, his health began to fail. He was diagnosed with kidney cancer some years ago. Year after year, pneumonia would strike. Diabetes became a problem. But my grandfather persisted through it all.

But now, his time has come. I will miss him. I know my grandmother, my Oma, will have a difficult time coming to terms with this and I ask that you pray for her. The two of them were married for 65 years nearly. My mother recently took a picture where my grandfather was helping my grandmother across the street holding her hand every inch of the way. A love shared for that long between two people is worth eulogizing any day of the week at any time.

He didn't go pleading or weeping, but simply content; a testimony to the tough man he was. Over the years, my many phone conversations with him were replete with the word "OK" which he would say over and over. I will never hear him say that word to me again, at least not here. But, I get the feeling that even as he was passing, he knew everything was OK and that everything and everyone he would leave on this earth would be OK, too.

I am grateful that I was able to see him one last time just a few short weeks ago. He was very weak, but I know that he was most pleased to see his children and his grandchildren. For a time, his condition did a complete 180. His life meant a lot to us and I can never forget how many times I saw him in my life, especially at his home in Hanoverton where we would so often take summer vacations. I think he had a good life. I only hope that I live a tenth of what he did.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord and let light perpetual shine upon him. A hymn O God is befitting for Thee in Zion and a vow will be paid Thee in Jerusalem. Hear my prayer, O Lord. All flesh shall come to Thee.

+Memory Eternal.

New Year's Resolutions

As cliche as it is, I am actually listing for all to see, my New Year's Resolutions. How well I will actually follow up on them is anyone's guess. All I think that New Year's Resolutions really do is pinpoint just how undisciplined most of us really are. Of course, I always have a substantial and substantive list and to actually accomplish everything on there would be a monumental achievement, but I should be merely content to have some of this achieved. So, without further delay, my list:

1) Go to the gym with as much frequency and intensity as last year.
2) Eat better and cut out fast food, which is really easy to succumb to.
3) Keep the fasts of the Holy Orthodox Church with greater faitfulness, not only for what I ingest but for those disciplines which really make it worthwile, namely, greater prayer and alms-giving.
4) Read every single day.
5) Finish up my certification credentials.
6) Keep chanting and learning new melodies as well as Byzantine notation.
7) Start learning some basic Arabic.
8) Watch less TV.
9) Get more control on my finances.
10) Be more peaceful and joyful.

So, that's my list. Let's see how well it plays out. Happy New Year to everyone.

This is not separation of church and state

Our country has a so-called "separation of Church and state." Now, there are a myriad of opinions as to how this is found in the Constitution (it's not) or how it should be applied through the protection clause of the 14th amendment. Whatever it is, it is clear that there is no state coercion with regards to the churches or its membership.

Now, the left wants the US to emulate Western Europe because it is so enligthened and progressive and everything is better over there. Really? Well, one thing you WON'T have in the US if we follow Western Europe's lead is this: SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. And that would be bad. How bad is it? Well, take a look at this article of something happening in Germany:

Reserve Christmas Service Pews for Paying Congregants, Politicians Say
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
By Patrick Goodenough, International Editor




Berlin Cathedral, the German capital's biggest church, is handing out seat passes to members for Christmas Eve services. (Photo: Berliner Dom site)(CNSNews.com) – Germans who attend church only on high holidays such as Christmas should not be allowed to take pew space from regular church members, two politicians are insisting.

Seating room at the popular Christmas Eve services should be reserved for those who pay church taxes, Thomas Volk of the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Martin Lindner of the Free Democrats told the Bild newspaper on Tuesday.

“I’m in favor of having church services on December 24 open only for people who pay church tax,” said Volk.

“Those who pay church taxes shouldn’t be like idiots locked out of their own churches during important services,” Lindner said. “Congregation members should be allowed to reserve seats ahead of non-members.”

Protestant and Catholic Church budgets in Germany are largely covered by taxes paid by all members of the respective churches, deducted automatically by the state. The right of recognized churches to tax members is enshrined in the constitution. Germans may opt out, but to do so they must also officially relinquish their membership.

As is the case elsewhere in Western Europe, church attendance in Germany is in decline. A Berlin newspaper, Tagesspiegel, reports that an average of just 17,000 people attend Protestant churches in the capital on most Sundays, while Christmas Eve 2007 saw almost 250,000 flock to services. Some 3.4 million people live within the Berlin city limits.

Past years have seen reported incidents of scuffling, as people elbow their way to seats before churches fill up.

After incidents at the Berlin Cathedral in 2006, the Protestant church – the city’s biggest – introduced a system of handing out free passes to members, guaranteeing them one of the approximately 1,650 seats.

This week’s proposal brought a sharp retort from church leaders, the Protestant Press Service reported.

The suggestion that only church tax payers be allowed to attend Christmas services was nonsense, said Ulrich Fischer, bishop of an evangelical Protestant church in Baden.

He noted that, according to the biblical account, the angels who brought news of Jesus’ birth to shepherds and encouraged them to visit the newborn messiah did not ask whether they had paid their temple tax.

Some commentators wondered how the suggestion would be enforced – whether aspiring church attendees would be expected to show their tax returns at the door.

The Deutsche Welle broadcaster remarked that Volk and Lindner seem “to have completely lost sight of the true meaning of Christmas.”

“The politicians may want to apply their market-oriented theories where they really belong, and look for a solution to overcrowded shopping malls instead,” it said.

And this is what some want to go to? Your membership in a Church has to be approved by the State? And then they can decide who can go and who can't at certain times of the year? Wow. This is what some want? Unless churches are forcing people to attend in this country (and they're not), this may be a solution. What ever happened to freedom of choice which the left espouses so much as its defining trait (but only for abortion rights, never for school choice, politicians, etc.)?

I favor the US model. That does not mean that I believe that certain opinions regarding the expression of religion in the public square are correct. I believe the state has a collected interest in maintaing the expression of religious faith in the public square, whether for politicians or for bureaucrats. I don't think we will follow Western Europe in this model, though I fear other things based on the Western European model will soon become a reality, but we should be on the look out for this. I'm pretty sure that when the choir of angels told the shepherds that they should see the newborn Christ in the manger, the angels didn't inquire first as to whether they were straight with their tax to the temple.