Fr Daniil Sysoyev - Martyred

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From the New York Times, November 19th -

MOSCOW — The Rev. Daniil Sysoyev, a priest in the Russian Orthodox Church who was known for promoting missionary work among Muslims, was shot and killed in his parish church late Thursday night ...

From Archpriest Peter Perekrestov of Holy Virgin Cathedral, San Francisco:

On Thursday, November 19, 2009 35 year old Fr Daniel Sisoev, a very active and straightforward missionary priest in Moscow, was gunned down by a masked gunman inside the St. Thomas Church. Below is a statement his wife issued.



Fr. Peter is the priest at Holy Virgin Cathedral, where St. John Maximovitch relics' rest.

The Good Fight

ON THIS DAY, we commemorate the martyrdom of St. Philopater Mercurius. Raised by converted Christian parents, he was given the name "Philopater" which means "Lover of the Father." When he reached adulthood, he joined the Roman army and quickly became known as a good swordsman and tactician in battle.

The Roman army, led by Emperor Decius, was attacked by the Berbers. The Berbers were great in number and the Emperor was fearful. Mercurius assured him not to worry saying that God would bring them to victory. When he left the Emperor, an angel appeared to him in the figure of a human dressed in white. The angel gave him a sword saying, "When you overcome your enemies, remember the Lord your God." (That is why he is called, 'of the two swords,' Abu-Saifain; one is the military sword and the other is the sword of the Divine power.) When the battle was over and they conquered the Berbers, Mercurius was given the title 'Supreme Commander of all the Roman Armies' (in 250 A.D., at the age of 25). Mercurius was martyred that same year for refusing to worship idols saying "I do not worship anyone except my Lord and my God Jesus Christ." Mercurius became worthy of the crown of martyrs after being beheaded on December 4th 250AD.

St. Mercurius has performed many miracles in the lives of Christians. His life shows us the power of faith in life's dealings, even the military. We pray for his intercessions in our own lives.

All that saw me mocked me: they spoke with their lips, they shook the head, saying, He hoped in the Lord: let him deliver him, let him save him, because he takes pleasure in him.

Do Not Despair

LIFE IS A DRAG. Anyone who tells you otherwise, is lying to you. It isn't meant to be easy, an easy life would be boring; the goal is to not become discouraged for despair is simply a lack of hope. As His Holiness tells us: "The strong spirit does not worry, or get troubled, or fear, or break down, or hesitate. But the weak one imagines scary things and is troubled by them." The strong spirit is one who understands God's hand in our lives. The strong spirit is one who knows God.

An example of a strong spirit is the widow in Zarepath in which Elijah visited. With only a small amount of food, Elijah asked her to make him food first, and give whatever is left to her family. She did just that and her small portion of flour became endless. The symbolism in our lives is obvious. Give first to God, and He will Bless your efforts. A strong spirit will rejoice in tribulation, because in overcoming it, God is glorified. For we are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair...

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of God

I'VE ALWAYS LAUGHED at the idea of people not knowing what they want. I have known of this since a fairly young age. Sure, people want to be happy, but what is it that will make them happy? Henry Thoreau likened happiness to a butterfly saying "the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder." What Thoreau did not know is that he was almost two thousand years behind on this concept. Thoreau simply summed up our Lord's emphasis on whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

C.S. Lewis commenting on happiness said that "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." God knows we are unable to be happy without Him, which is precisely why He emphasized seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

It's simple really, and it is actually about patience. Gone for now, is a lot like gone for good. It is our own stubborn and impatient ways that make us unhappy. Are we willing to accept delayed gratification? I mean that in both the micro and the macro sense. Would we rather accept a little happy now, or the better plan God has for us for when He deems us ready? Are we unwilling to sacrifice this temporal life for the sake of eternal paradise? The choice is obvious, but unfortunately it is a tough one.

The Greenhouse

AS A YOUTH, I had the most difficult time understanding that plants were alive. As a young adult, I now understand that not only are they alive, but they are very similar to us as human beings. Aside from the obvious biological similarities, which is such that plants need food, water, and air just as we humans do, I was reminded this week of an amazing analogy by His Grace Bishop Angelos. His Grace analogized our intimate relationships with a plant that is grown out of season. It is well understood that a plant cannot grow out of season, it will simply wither and die. But if a plant is out of season, it can safeguarded and sustained in a greenhouse until it is ready to grow and bear fruits.

Plants are beautiful, but are very delicate. In the ignorance of my youth, I would wonder why people put so much time in effort into something so volatile, something that, on paper, held no constructive value (referring to plants of course). But I realized, that some things simply cannot be quantified. They just are. The reward is always worth the struggle. "There is a time and a place for everything" my mother would always say, but now the old adage doesn't only refer to me playing basketball to avoid homework.

Time

IN AN INTERVIEW, Thomas Merton was once asked what he believed to be the leading spiritual disease of our time, and his response was efficiency. According to Merton, “from the monastery to the Pentagon the plant has to run…and there is little time or energy left over after that for anything else.” It is partly a sign of the times, but we are slowly depleting time for what is most important, and that is contemplation.

One thing that is counteracting this idea of contemplation is achievement. I can almost imagine the argument against it, saying "imagine all that you could accomplish in your time spent doing nothing!" It stems from society's value of self-worth as opposed to who we are; such as our morals and integrity. Monetary worth has trumped moral values and this has affected the way we organize our lives.

Don't get me wrong, it is important to apply yourself and excel in whatever it is you wish to do, but there must always be time for you. Don't give up what makes you the person you are. If you find peace and contemplation in reading, in running, in yoga, or even just sitting outdoors and enjoying God's creation, make that a priority along with your spiritual life. There is always time for what you make a priority.