Secret Prayers vs. PA (Public Address System)
“I would like people not to forget this: why is it forbidden to read the secret prayers aloud? Why is it very harmful for the priest and the bishop to start reading the secret prayers aloud. The question why the Holy Fathers forbade reading them aloud must be explained…it is completely unOrthodox and it must be feared.”
“If the secret prayers are read aloud, then we will see renovationism: old grannies and all sorts of youths will know the secret prayers. And there will be blasphemy. And then he who is serving the liturgy and declaiming the secret prayers will forget that is standing before God. He will admire himself, he is emptied. The mystery is performed, of course, but he will go away, darkened in mind, with heaviness.”
“For example, this is what I have seen with Bishop …, who should be avoided. Here he is reading away with his emotions, haughtily declaiming the secret prayers, admiring himself and using his nervous system to influence those around him. And apart from heaviness and emptiness, no-one gets anything out of it. This is why St Seraphim of Sarov never dared to read the secret prayers aloud. He would have robbed himself, wouldn’t he? And this is what they don’t understand…”
— Fr. Sampson (Life of Fr Sampson -’Talks and Teachings of the Elder Hieroschemamonk Sampson’, source: [Orthodox England])
“General confession is a not a mystery. We do not understand this simple fact even today. It is dangerous to do a general confession and then read the prayer of absolution for all, not letting people come individually to the priest” (Vol 2, P. 106). “General confession has no validity. It does not absolve sins, but only reminds you of sins” (P.390). “General confession is the distortion of the mystery” (Vol 3, 2, P. 319). “General confession cannot be a mystery, but is only an introduction to the mystery itself, which can only be carried out personally over each person separately”. (Vol 3, 2, P.476) — Fr. Sampson (Life of Fr Sampson -‘Talks and Teachings of the Elder Hieroschemamonk Sampson’, source: [
“Whereas the Jesus of scripture wants to change the world, the Jesus that we invent in the American society approves of the world the way it is; he legitimates the social order. It becomes the OK world. And as a matter of fact, once we use Jesus to legitimate the society, youth leaders are basically prostituted into being people who are not so much individuals bringing people into a radical commitment to Christ as much as they are instruments for socializing young people into the American cultural lifestyle. And we have to move beyond that. Our call is not to make people into disciples of Uncle Sam, but into disciples of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” – Anthony Campolo (audio: “It’s Friday, Sunday’s Comin”)
One can easily observe those who say, “I am young. I am going to make my own choices and enjoy life.” transform into “That’s life. That’s what life throws at me. This is just the way things are.” They laugh, but it is increasingly the hollow, forced laugh of neurosis. The illusion of liberty, for the libertine, is the lure of a cage which seems, at times, comfortable as the womb, warm as a coffin. Again, St. Kosmas’ words are appropriate:
I often observe that we’ve become a culture of constant stimulation. The TV must be on, we cannot drive without the radio or walk without an mp3 player. A large part of our populace lives in video games or myspace. It is the equivalent of the soul being kept alive, in a kind of half-life, by machines. Coming across St. Kosmas again, this quotation stands out:
Grasp the depth of Blessed Theophylact’s point: “While the activity of the demons operates, even though we appear to be speaking, we are not.” Consider what assaults us through the channels, airwaves, and other media of contemporary life: the messages appear to be human speech but actually they are demonic chatter and lies. Think about the distortion of truth that claims to be communication in the contemporary world. The assault is massive. [source forgotten]
“The deification or theosis of the creation will be realized in its fullness only in the age to come, after the resurrection of the dead. This deifying union has, nevertheless, to be fulfilled ever more and more even in this present life, through the transformation of our corruptible and depraved nature and by its adaptation to eternal life.” – Vladimir Lossky
This is, in fact, the theme of every zombie-genre film from 28-Days to I am Legend: a race of people who are sick and who turn on any one who is not sick.
…As the prophets said, Angels and men keep spiritual festival, for God born of the Virgin, hath appeared in flesh, to those who sit in darkness and shadow. . . . And by His coming, hath saved us from slavery to the enemy. – Monk John (Stichera of Litya, Nativity Vigil)
Someone recently asked me why my wife and I follow the piety (pious custom) of standing on opposite sides of the Church. I’m not much in the mood for writing an answer to this, but since there are many answers available from the Saints and Fathers of the Church, I’ll just offer this quotation and perhaps write my thoughts at a later date:
Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it: but he that does the will of God abides forever.