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Recent content by rusmeister

  1. rusmeister

    "Most Holy Theotokos, save us"

    I’m flattered, but I don’t pretend to deep liturgical understanding. I can only tell you what I hear and understand. Lucky for me, having learned the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom In Russia, that much of it is in the same Old Church Slavonic here in Montenegro and the Balkans in general. They...
  2. rusmeister

    A Though on St Olga of Kwethluk

    Well, the obvious answer is that we need to become that kind of person ourselves. It’s a side note, but Fr Peter Heers is a problem because of irresponsible bishops. He, like most of us, is right about some things and definitely off on a few. Since he is a canonical priest whose main problem is...
  3. rusmeister

    Prayer requests post here!

    I have been left totally alone for the summer, again. My wife and daughter flew off to Russia for the summer. Grandmother is already there, at her dacha. Depression hits really hard, all the time. I had so been hoping the war would be over. And with Stalinism on the rise I no longer want to go...
  4. rusmeister

    "Most Holy Theotokos, save us"

    In Russian and Serbian, they say “Bogoroditsa”, which translates as “the one who gave birth to God”. She is constantly referred to as the Mother of God in both languages in one way or another. Right now, I hear a lot of “sveto Majko” (Holy Mother) in the singing, though some things the Serbians...
  5. rusmeister

    Nostalgia

    The Stalinism and Sergianism is in the Church. No argument about hypocrisy, but they’re right about this one.
  6. rusmeister

    Nostalgia

    Actually, based on my experience of the people I know, it’s that they had protected childhoods in a society that guaranteed everyone a basic minimum - on a low level, but when you’re a kid, you don’t care about that. You knew nothing of oppression, of church attendance being punished, of food...
  7. rusmeister

    "Most Holy Theotokos, save us"

    I don’t get it. The expression is all over our prayers. Who in the heck can say “out of respect”? We don’t do the Liturgy out of mere respect, and we shouldn’t hide part of our Tradition out of fear of Protestant sensibilities and misunderstandings.
  8. rusmeister

    Lenin and Russia

    It is so easy for us to offend each other! Let’s try not to do that! My mother was an inquirer into Orthodoxy when she apostatized to Islam several years before her death. The kindness of her Muslim chiropractor was a more powerful witness than the worldly Orthodox Christians who had the Truth...
  9. rusmeister

    Proposals to restore Eucharistic unity with Ecumenical Patriarchate not supported at UOC meeting

    I do agree that the canonical part is complicated. I think the primary issue is acceptance by consensus over time. However, the creation of a parallel church that was definitely schismatic in the same territory as a canonical church that already exists is very unlikely to ever get that...
  10. rusmeister

    Sister Vassa.... duuuuuude

    What I have come to see over time is the overvaluing of academic study in the modern world. It has its place. (I’m a big fan of intellectual pursuit myself). But when those pursuing it come to challenge things that the Church has always taught, it has assumed an authority it does not have...
  11. rusmeister

    Proposals to restore Eucharistic unity with Ecumenical Patriarchate not supported at UOC meeting

    Hi! I think you are right about the evils being done in Russia. But there is an awful lot of uncanonical stuff going on right now, and canonicity ought to be of some concern to us. Without it, we fall away from the Body of Christ and become a bunch of Protestants with differing opinions. What...
  12. rusmeister

    Sister Vassa.... duuuuuude

    Hi EC! While I generally agree with you, I would encourage a tone that seeks understanding and reconciliation as much as possible. I do agree that the violent actions of the OCU could be characterized as fascist, but it would be better just to get everyone, including ND, to agree at least that...
  13. rusmeister

    Prayer requests post here!

    I am at a major crossroads, have no one left to talk to, have just lost 20% of what income I have. It looks like I will be left alone for the summer again, something I’m not sure I can stand. My daughter is spiraling out of control. Prayers appreciated!
  14. rusmeister

    Lenin and Russia

    Agreed. But it didn’t HAVE to be this way. I watched, from the inside, over the 1990’s and 2000’s, as the USSR fell,the Russians were so eager to be our friends and allies, though their civilization was falling down around their ears. If we had Marshall-planned them, like we did with Germany and...
  15. rusmeister

    Sister Vassa.... duuuuuude

    My sympathy with ND springs from the fact that we cannot always trust our bishops and Patriarchs. When they really go wrong, we have to go on believing anyway. The people who can screw up the witness of the Church are not its enemies, but its members, especially its leaders. And he is right that...
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