Recently I wrote about loving your enemies. I spoke on this topic in church last Sunday and had some comments after from parishioners. Like I said, this is a hard topic for us to deal with as Christians. I mean of all the scriptural things that we have to deal with, this has to be the biggest one.

This past week we saw play out on TV the shooting of the girls at the Amish school in Pensylvania. I cannot imagine what that must have been like for the girls or for their families. To see the way the community came together and prayed was an amazing thing. Part of the Amish belief is this intense sense of forgiveness. It was reported in the news that the families have already forgiven the man who took the lives of their daughters. That is forgiveness. Try that one on for size. I also just heard on the news that one of the girls volunteered to be shot first. Such courage in one so young. Such faith in people that we know very little about.

Another act of forgiveness came to my attention this week. Sister Leonella Sgobarti a Roman Catholic Nun of the Consolata Missionaries was murdered in Somalia in September. It has been reported that as Sister lay on the ground dying she was heard whispering that she forgives the people who did this to her. WOW that is big.

Here are two examples of what I can only imagine are many. We find it hard to forgive someone who cuts us off in traffic and these people forgave people who killed. Such faith.

In my previous post I mentioned my work as a fire chaplain. This has been a very rewarding ministry for me for the past few years. I serve a small department made up of both volunteer and full-time firefighters. Not much happens in the town and most of the time I spend at the station is just ministry of presence.

Yesterday however, we were called to Thompson, Connecticut for a house fire. House fires are never good and thankfully no one was hurt. The house was a complete loss and the three families will have to be relocated. A fire scene can be very chaotic and anything can happen. The chaplain walks around speaking with the FF’s and brings water and makes sure that all is well with them. In small town we usually know people who live in the houses where the fire is so it becomes personal. This can be a stressful time for all.

I asked in my last post to pray for the FF’s and EMT’s. Pray for all public safety people that they remain safe and well. Pray for their families as well as they give them up each day to keep us safe.

One of the most difficult parts of ministry is to be at the side of a family after the death of a loved one. This time is one of great spiritual grace for me as priest. That might sound a bit self serving but it is true. To be able to minister to people at that time reminds me of Jesus at the tomb with Martha and Mary after their brothers death.

This past Sunday I had the opportunity for this type of ministry. My work as a fire chaplain brings me into contact with people that I might never come in contact with. Sunday there was an accident near my home. The 16 year old driver was killed and his father badly injured. As the hospital tried in vain to find someone to come and be with the family, the fire department paged me. The humorous thing there is that I was in the supermarket when this happened. I arrived at the hospital to find the young man’s brother in a state that I can only describe as inconsolable. His mother was in shock. I prayed for them and then went to the room and prayed for this young man taken so early from this life. No matter how many times I do this type of thing it never gets easier. I spent a few more minutes with them family and slipped quietly away. Pray for Michael and his family as they come to grips with this tragedy in their life. Pray also for the Firefighters and EMT’s as well as all those at the hospital. It never gets easy for them either and they are often over looked in these situations. If you have time left, say a little prayer for me also.

I mentioned this last week, but Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston is in Rome and has begun a blog. Although he does not make the posts himself, someone on his staff does it for him, he does write all of the entries. It is his travel log and very interesting. Check it out if you have a few minutes.

The Gospel reading for today’s Liturgy is taken from Luke’s Gospel chapter 6 vs 31-36. A very short Gospel reading by Orthodox standards but a very powerful one. The end of the selection for today I think is the most important one of all. Love those who do not like us. How hard is this for us to do? I would say this has to be the hardest thing that we as Christians are called too but also the most rewarding.

The fathers of the church speak of the soul as the center of the body, and if the soul is sick the body will also be sick. If you are carrying around hatred for someone because the wronged you, or your family, then you need to find a way to forgive them and let go.

A new theological concept has come about in the last few years called restorative justice. It is through this concept that victims and perpetrators of crime are brought together for healing. Dorothy Day was a big supporter of this concept although it was called something different in her day.

The message from this Gospel is clear. We must love everyone, and not just the people who love us.

Last Sunday, as I mentioned in the previous post, I was at a Krking service in New Hampshire. The minister spoke about faith and about how much time we spend on the “things” of life. He asked us to ask ourselves how much time we spend doing things other than practicing our faith. I have been thinking about that this week. How much time do we spend on other things? What else could we be doing? Makes me stop and ponder.

Today is a very strange day for me. For the first time in the more than 2 years since I have been ordained, I am not celebrating the Divine Liturgy today. I am on a little vacation with my family in New Hampshire and I have been invited to participate in an ancient ceremony called the Kirking of the Tartans. This ceremony dates back to the time when the tartan was outlawed in Scotland and people would sneak a small piece into the church. At some point in the service, the minister would bless the small swatches. This is a very moving ceremony as it calls to mind a time when all was not free in Scotland. Although it has been many generations since my family lived in Scotland, it is still nice to keep up the old traditions.

Otherwise the time has been fun. Lots of rain yesterday but it did not dampen the excitement of the pipe bands, dancers, and others who have come from so far to participate in the activities of the weekend. It is also nice to be back at Loon Mountain. What a great place this is.

It would seem that your host and Fr. Greg might just be starting a radio ministry. The Council of Eastern Orthodox Churches here in Worcester has the ability to get some air time on a local station WCUW a public radio station. The time slot is 4:30-5:30 on Wednesday afternoons. This is hot and I think it will be great. We need to do some work on this so stay tuned for more information. Try and tune the station in 91.3 on FM. Post here if you can get it. Of course whatever we do we will make available on the web somewhere.

On Monday, October 23rd Fr. Greg and myself will celebrate the Liturgy of St. James. This rather involved liturgy is as old if not older than the present Divine Liturgy used in the Orthodox Church. The Liturgy of St. James is usually only celebrated on his feast day. Stay tuned for more information. If anyone has more information on the Liturgy, please feel free to post it here.

Your Host is off for a little R&R; in New Hampshire. This weekend is the New Hampshire Highland Games at Loon Mountain in Lincoln, New Hampshire. Although the place I am staying advertises that is has wifi, we shall see. I might be able to post some pictures during the weekend if not, look for a complete report early next week.