Memory Eternal!

Liviu Librescu (1930 - 2007).

John 15:13 Greater love than this no man hath, that he lay down his life for his friends.

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

When words are at a loss ... on this year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, 76 years old Romanian Holocaust survivor, Professor Liviu Librescu, gave his own life so that those of others might be spared, sacrificing himself while saving his students, in the horrible massacre that took place at Virginia Tech University last spring, just eight days after Easter, the Great and Glorious Feast Day of our coming Resurrection and future Victory over Death.

1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

1 Corinthians 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

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Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore ...

Degrading Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then so is degradation, right ?

And if, -by any chance-, You might even as much as dare think, -even if only for a split second-, Dear Reader, that these are just some very lame and very poor excuses, which, -of course-, nobody nowadays, in our oh-so-civilized and presumably post-modern world, believes anymore, then may I please kindly suggest You take a better look at the number of unborn children, butchered, slaughtered, and then finally watered down the drain, in the year 2,000 in U.S. abortion-mills ? And, -more especially-, to the same old, lame old, and, -by the way-, completely unimaginative line that they, -even as until today-, still use. I mean, ... unborn aren't really people, now, ... are they ?

Elisha On Ecumenism

2 Kings 5:1 ¶Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. 3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. 4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. 5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. 6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. 7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. 8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. 9 ¶So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. 11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? 14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15 ¶And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. 16 But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. 17 And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD. 18 In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing. 19 And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.

Elijah On Ecumenism

1 Kings 18:21 ¶And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: 24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. 25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. 26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. 27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. 28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. 30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: 32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. 34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. 35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. 36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God. 40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

The Holy And Glorious Prophet Elijah

My father, my father: the chariot of Israel,

and the horsemen thereof !

Troparion - Tone 4

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets, the second forerunner of the coming of Christ, Glorious Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha, to dispel diseases and to cleanse lepers. Therefore, he pours forth healings on those who honor him.

Kontakion - Tone 2

Prophet Elijah of great renown, seer of the mighty, mighty works of God, by your command you held back the rain ! Pray for us to the only Lover of mankind !

From a Prayer to Saint Elijah:

We confess that, just like the Israel of old, have we estranged ourselves from the Lord our God, through our iniquities, and, though we do not worship Baal, and other unworthy idols, yet, nevertheless, through the slavery of passions, and our lustful desires, do we serve the idols.

We confess that therefore did the heavens close and became like unto brass and copper, for our hearts have closed before the mercy and true love for our neighbor. Therefore did the earth dry and became unfruitful, for we have not brought to our Lord the first-fruits of good deeds. Therefore doesn’t He give us rain and dew, for we did not have tears of humility and the life-giving dew of our minds and thoughts towards God. Therefore did all food sear, and all the grass of the field wither, for all good thought in us has dried-out. Therefore did the sky darken, for our mind has been darkened by evil thoughts, and our heart has been stained by unlawful lusts and defiled by wicked desires.

We confess that, even unto thee, Holy Prophet of our Lord, are we unworthy to raise our prayers: for you, being a man just like unto us, according to the passions, yet with your life have you likened yourself unto the angels, and just like a bodiless one have you ascended to the heavens; yet we, through our shameful deeds and thoughts, our soul just like unto the body have we made. You, through fasting and wakefulness, have made angels and men wonder, yet we, slaves to our immoderate excesses and lustful desires have we made ourselves. You coveted the Lord’s glory, yet we, on the other hand, distance ourselves from the glorification of our Lord and Creator, and shame ourselves from confessing His glorious Name. You eradicated unworthiness and evil habits, yet we only farther enslave ourselves to the vices of this hostile world, more than to the hearkening of His commandments.

Liviu Rebreanu: John - The Earth-Kissing Scene

Liviu Rebreanu (1885 - 1944).

The weather thawed. The winter, worn out as a grumpy old woman, was constantly scrooging, feeling the spring’s all the more delightful approach. The ragged snow-garment tore itself off, unveiling the black body of the fields.

John eagerly awaited these days. Now, master of all the lands, he coveted to see, caress and fondle them as faithful, loving mistresses. In vain had he paid visits to them as they were hidden away under the snowdrifts !

His love needed the estate’s heart. He desired to feel the clay underfoot, he wanted it to stick to his sandals, to devour its smell and his eyes to be filled with its ravishing color.

He came out all by himself, empty-handed, all dressed up in holiday-attire on a Monday. He climbed straight up to the Meadows, where the corn-field was at its highest and at its best, on the hill's ridge ... The closer he came, the clearer he saw how the place got undressed of the snow, like a beautiful young maiden, stripped of her shirt, revealing her naked, tempting body.

His soul was imbued with happiness. It was as if he was no longer longing for anything and as if there was nothing else in the whole wide world besides his happiness. The land was prostrating itself, in its entirety, before him, ... the land ... And it was all his, it was all his now ...

He stopped in the middle of the hill’s everglade. The black, sticky clay nailed and fastened his feet, making them heavy, drawing him like the arms of a passionate lover. His eyes laughed, his whole face was soaked in a warm, impassioned sweat. A wild lust filled him, urging him to embrace the humus, to tear it to pieces with his kisses. He stretched out his arms towards the straight, rough and moist furrows. The sour, fresh and fertile smell stirred up and kindled his blood.

He bent down, took a clod in his hands and broke it to pieces between his fingers, with a frightening pleasure. His hands remained smeared with the gluey clay as with a pair of mourning-gloves. He devoured the smell while rubbing his hands.

Then, slowly, piously, without realizing it, he bent on his knees, lowered his forehead and stuck his lips voluptuously on the moist ground. And, in this rash and hasty kiss, he felt a cold, staggering, bewildering thrill ...

He suddenly rose up ashamed and took a look around to find out if anyone saw him. His face, however, was smiling with an endless joy.