Romania’s Communist Past

Posted on by Fr. Peter

Thanks to Missionary Floyd Frantz for this information.

Dear Friends of the St. Dimitrie Program,

Often times, we all get pretty bleak about the situation here in Romania. Well, I guess that it is normal, given that we focus so much on the negative side of life, the “hard side” so to speak.

Well, today I got in a little early, and our President, Mr. Traian Basescu was making a speech on national television, and on all the Romanian stations. I could sense that it was something special. It was. He was blowing the whistle on the old hard line Communist’s who are still in the government. Everyone knows about them, its just that they are never confronted in public, by one of their peers.

Now, before you read the article, consider that many people consider the Romanian “revolution” in 1989 to be not much more than the manipulation of the people by the Communists (mostly by the secret service) to stay in power. Knowing that Communism and the Soviet Union was rapidly falling the revolution was probably a manipulation of the secret police to control the change of power in the government. There has been quite a lot written about it. Then, when the Romanian army, (not the people, as many believe) shot Ceausescu and his wife at a firing squad affair, the “Communist Party” disbanded. Well, not really. They simply put on different hats and formed the political parties that are now in Romania. About 1 billion usd in gold bullion that came up missing during that time has also never been accounted for.

In reading the article, you will notice that both the far right, (ultra-nationalists) and the left (Social Democratic Party) are represented by former Communists. That is how they have kept control of the government, money, and generally, the people here in Romania since 1989, after the Revolution. And these guys are still in power, one of them has been president twice since 1989 and is now a senator.

I don’t usually write about all the political scandals over here, there are too many to note. But this one is worth mentioning because this fellow, Traian Basescu, is really trying to do something to help his country. And, in the last few years things have gotten better. It’s a “progress rather than perfection” type of thing, but Romania is improving.

Anyway, the link to read the BBC article is: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6190931.stm you might need to copy and paste it into your browser.

I am doing a “copy and paste” of a second, related article, in case the link does not work in your program. I hope you enjoy reading the article.

Have a good one,

In His Love,
One day at a time,
Floyd

By DPADec 18, 2006, 17:32 GMTBucharest – A Romanian parliamentary session aimed at making the first official condemnation of the communist era was disrupted Monday by an ultra-nationalist writer and lawmaker who lambasted President Traian Basescu as well as guest Michael I, the country’s former king. Senator Corneliu Vadim Tudor and colleagues from the Romania Mare (Greater Romania) party heckled, whistled and booed Basescu during his early afternoon speech.The parliamentary session was held to discuss a report commissioned by the president which condemns the 1945-1989 communist era as ‘criminal and illegitimate.’
Tudor, the one-time writer-in-residence of former dictator Nicolai Ceausescu, is angered at his portrayal in the report, in which he is charged with helping the communist regime.
The report and the official condemnation has also provoked the ire of the opposition Socialist (PSD) party, whose honorary chairman Ion Iliescu is also named as having aided communism. Iliescu, Romanian president from 1990 to 1996, and again from 2000 to 2004, gained power following the ouster of Ceausescu.
Tudor on Monday described the report as ‘anti-Romanian and criminal,’ saying Basescu was a ‘worm’ in comparison to Ceausescu. He accused Michael I meanwhile of having ‘brought the Russians into the country’ via his 1944 break with Nazi Germany.
Tudor’s Romania Mare party is seen by many in the country as being largely made up of officers from the former communist-era security police.

Orthodox Funeral Service

Posted on by Fr. Peter
I have been wanting to write something about the funeral service since the funeral last week. So I thought today would be a good day. The Funeral Service is actually a series of services that begins with the Office of the Parting of the Soul from the Body. This takes place with family and friends gathered around the person who is gravely ill. There is a slightly different office when the person has been suffering for a prolonged period of time and the people pray for a merciful parting.
Office of the Burial of the dead. This begins with the wake service. Usually held in the funeral home but as of late here in the village we have been having the wake services in the church. The priest and chanter will come into the wake and begin the wake service like the liturgical services usually begin. “Blessed is our God now and always and forever and ever.” Then the prayers begin including the Troparion:

Among the righteous spirits departed this life, O Savior, rest the soul of your servant, bringing it to that blessed life with you, O lover of mankind.

Followed by the Litany of the dead and the prayer of the priest:

O God of spirits and of all bodies, who trampled down death and overcame the devil and bestowed life on your world, yourself O Lord rest the soul of your servant (N) who has fallen asleep, in a place of light, in a place of green pastures, in a place of rest from where pain, sorrow and sighing have been driven away. Forgive him every transgression committed in word, in deed, or in thought, for you are good O God and the lover of mankind. For there is no man born who does not transgress and you alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting and your word is true.
For you are the resurrection, the life and the repose of your servant (N) who has fallen asleep, O Christ God, and we offer glory to you, together with your Father who is without beginning and your all-holy, good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Another litany, followed by a reading from the Gospel depending on the day of the week. Then another Litany and the dismissal. Usually during the litanies the incense is used. However I have found this can lead to some unwanted guests at the wake service in the funeral home as the Fire Department shows up so I usually don’t use it at the funeral home. In the church I will use the incense during the wake service.
At the conclusion of all of the services for the dead we sing Memory Eternal three times while ringing the bell.
The concludes the wake service next the funeral service itself, and then the memorial services that are conducted for the departed.

Christmas Shopping

Posted on by Fr. Peter
So yesterday I was able to finish my Christmas Shopping. This is far in advance for me as I am usually running around on Christmas Eve finishing up. Now I just need to start wrapping everything. Nothing on the schedule for today so maybe I can get it done.
The other day as I was working in the church I noticed that one of the furnaces was on the fritz. I need to call the repair man and have them come and give us the annual gouging on the cost. Maybe we need to just light a fire in a 55 gal. drum in the middle of the church for heat. I once went to this little church in Romania and the heat was a fire place. There was this guy in the church and his job was to keep the fire going. Could be a good alternative. Oh well thankfully we have not really used the heat that much this season. Maybe we can squeak by with a small heating bill this year.
Blog

Coat of Arms

Posted on by Fr. Peter
I have recently had a coat of arms designed. I have to give a very large shout out to Deb Simmons at DKS Designs. She did a great job capturing both my English and Scottish background as well as displaying my arms in the correct ecclesiastical way for an Orthodox Priest. Thanks Deb. The hat on top of the Mantle is the hat an Orthodox Priest of my rank would wear. Below the shield is the motto I have chosen. On the arms it is in Romanian to denote that I am a Romanian Orthodox Priest. Translated it means “Be Not Afraid” I choose this motto because as Christians we cannot be afraid to step out and do what needs to be done. The lion’s head and the diamonds are taken from the arms of the Ships that bear the name Preble.

Old Friends

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Today I had lunch with an old friend. After graduation from High School I enlisted in the Army and ended up at Fort Polk, LA. I met this guy named Dave who was also from Massachusetts. We were together there for three years and had some great experiences. We went our separate ways, and now almost 20 years latter we had lunch together. He is still in the Army and just came back from a year in Afghanistan. It was so great to see him. We shared stories and laughed a lot. Great day!

Weekend

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Although is is Tuesday I am finally getting around to posting the weekend activities. What a weekend it was. Saturday night I attended a wonderful concert at a Synagogue in Hingham, Massachusetts. At the invitation of my Sister-in-law. Five cantors from various places came together for this concert. The first half was all religious music and the second half was filled with show tunes. Great singing and the people were very warm and welcoming. We could learn much from them and from their attitude. At the beginning of the concert they lite the candle for the second day of Hanukkah. Great little ceremony and man can the people sing.
Sunday was the usual except we had 64 people in church, a new record. A memorial service for a parishioner who fell asleep in the Lord 40 days ago, then off to bless the food for the family Christmas party, quick trip to the cemetery to bless the grave, then back to the hall to the Christmas party and the visit of Santa. What can I say.
All would have been fine except at 5:15am the fire alarm pager went off for a 3 alarm fire that I responded too. I got back to the church at 8am to get ready for Liturgy. I was exhausted by days end, but the final episode of Survivor was one so I got 40 winks and then watch the show. Good ending to a great weekend.

28th Sunday After Pentecost

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Colossians 1:12-18
Luke 14:16-24
The Gospel for this Sunday is about the man that throws a great banquet and everyone has an excuse and decides not to come to the banquet. So the man sends out his servant to try and get people to come but everyone is busy and refuses to come.
This is a great example of the Eucharistic banquet that we serve each liturgy in the church. How many times do we have a liturgy and very few people come or on Sunday when the church is full, very few people come forward at the time of communion to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. At each Divine Liturgy we prepare a great banquet and the Lord Himself invites all to come and partake. The words, “approach with the fear of God, in faith and with love.” Are the words that the priest uses to call the faithful forward to receive this great sacrament. Many people are not prepared due to grave sin, but are not prepared because of laziness in their preparation and hence the reason they do not come forward.
The great Orthodox Theologian Fr. Alexander Schemman once described this very same thing and used this analogy to describe what the Gospel is trying to say. Imagine that you prepare a great meal and invite your friends over. You put all the food on the table and you all sit down and look at the table. What a wonderful spread you have laid out for your friends. After sometime, you gather up all the food and throw it in the garbage and you never eat any of it. This is what happens on Sunday. We prepare the feast and invite people to come, and then when no one comes, we throw it away, in a figurative sense of course. If reception of the sacrament is not the reason we are there, then why are we? What is the purpose of coming to church if we are just going to watch what is going on? Perhaps we should just have a movie shown in the church on that day, and people can come and eat popcorn.
Sadly for years in the Orthodox Church people strayed away from frequent reception of communion. Twice a year was, and for some, still is the norm. We need to do something to change this practice. The grace we are missing is a grace we cannot afford to miss.
We are called to bring the light into the dark world. This light needs fuel to keep burning, that fuel is the Body and Blood of Christ that we receive at the Divine Liturgy. If we do not keep the light burning, who will? And if there is no light, then darkness takes over… And that is unacceptable.

Funeral

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Yesterday was my fourth funeral since coming here almost three years ago. In the grand scheme of things that is not many, but in a parish this size that is many more than we should have.
The funeral liturgy itself is very beautiful and the priest does not have much to do. It is a work out for the cantor who has to chant every part of it.
I preached on the fact that although we will miss the person, we should rejoice at the same time because for us it is not the end, there is more and we will be together again one day. I did not know the gentleman that well but I can tell from the stories I heard over the last week that he was truly a gentle man and a great friend to many. We waked him in the church, an old tradition that is making a come back. He then spends the night in the church before the funeral. This man loved his church very much so it was indeed a fitting send off for him to be able to spend the night in the church.
The service at the cemetery is very short, and then off to a local place for the mercy meal. I will try and post more about the Orthodox Funeral Liturgy at another time.

Bum Fights

Posted on by Fr. Peter
Yesterday I tuned in to the Dr. Phil show. I am a somewhat regular viewer of the show and tune in when the topic catches my eye. For some reason I knew this one was going to be real stupid. There is this guy who goes around paying the homeless to fight on camera. He paid this one poor soul in booze to pull his teeth out with a pair of pliers. What is this world coming too. He actually said that he is helping these people. Someone needs to help this guy for sure.
What has happened to people that we treat others as entertainment? Now I am a fan of reality TV and watch my fair share, but this is crazy. As Dr. Phil said, he is a supporter of everyones first amendment rights, but I think this goes too far.

27th Sunday after Pentecost

Posted on by Fr. Peter

Ephesians 6:10-17
Luke 13:10-17

This past Sunday the Gospel passage was about the woman who had an infirmity for 18 years and was healed by Jesus. On the surface another healing took place, however this one was a little different. Jesus healed this woman in the synagogue on the Sabbath, and that is a big no no. Right away the leadership gets mad and chastises him for healing her. Jesus fires back that each of them would save an animal if it got caught in something on the Sabbath why not this woman.
For me, this passage is more about the rules than about healing. We are faced with people who are caught up in the rules and not the fact that Jesus just saved this woman from a life of pain. I think that sometimes in the church the same thing happens. We get caught up in the rules and not necessarily in the fact that something miraculous is happening. Is the liturgy any less valid if it is served in the parking lot with no vestments, or rather in a splendid cathedral with all the trappings of the church. Now don’t get me wrong, I love that stuff, but is it necessary? The guys and gals serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have church on the back of HumV and the priest, if there is one, serves in his fatigues with his body armor on and maybe, has a stole on. Is this a valid service?
There is this term that we use in Orthodoxy called Convertitis. This is an affliction for us converts that we get hung up on all of the rules of the church and not on what the rules are for we cannot see the forest through the trees. Can we have oil today, is meat allowed this time of year, was my metania low enough, are the candles in the right place, did I say 300 Jesus Prayers and is my prayer rope tied right around my wrist. These are the kinds of questions that we converts ask ourselves. Notice I lumped myself in there…
What Jesus is saying here is not that the rules don’t matter but sometimes there are more important things than the rules. We have liturgical rules for a reason, so we don’t have priests just making things up, even though they do! The point is that sometimes for pastoral reasons we change things.
What is important is the Cross, the grave, the third day Resurrection as we say in the liturgy. That’s what is important. Sometimes how we get there is not as important as what we do when we get there.
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