First Peter chapter 5 verse 8-9 reads: "Be sober, be vigilant,
because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion,
seeking who he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith,
knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood
in the world." The notes in the Orthodox New Testamnet says" The
Devil and his angels explore us individually; looking for our
weakness. The enemy offers appealing visions to our eyes, music to
our ears, to each of our senses setting forth whatever might tempt us
to sin. He arouses our tounges to speak evil about others, and urges
our hands to injure them. He sets forth profits to be earned by shady
and immoral means, and holds out earthly honors and false values to
be preferred to heavenly ones. When he is unable to tempt us, he
brings forth a threat of persecution so that fear may cause us to
betray the faith. Thus we must always be alert for his many-faceted
attacks, ready to resist him at every turn."
Saint Ambrose of Milan teaches us in his exposition on the Gospel
According to Luke that the disciple who cut off Malchus ear was non
other than Peter.
Luke 22:50 Saint Ambrose: "The zeal of the disciples was not lacking.
So Peter, skilled in the law, ready with good will, who knew that it
was counted to Phineas for righteousness that he killed the
blasphemers {Num. 25:7-11}, struck the servant of the chief priest."
Luke 22:51. Saint Ambrose: "The Lord turned away the bloody wounds
and substituted divine mysteries, so that the servant of the prince
of the world... incurred a wound to his ear, because he had not
hearkened to the words of wisdom... But the good Lord restored his
hearing, showing according to the words of the prophet that even
those who were wounded at the Lord's Passion can be saved, if they
are converted.... Why Peter? Because it was he who received the keys
of heaven; for he who absolves also condemns [Mt.
16:19]....Comprehend if you can, how pain passes at the contact of
the Savior's hand. The clay recognizes its Maker, and the flesh
follows the hand of the Lord who formed it, for the Creator repairs
His work as he wishes...These wretches did not understand the mystery
nor did they revere such compassion of piety, because He did not
suffer even His enemies to be wounded. They inflicted death upon the
Righteous One, and He healed the wounds of His persecutors."
1 Peter 5:5-7;10-11 says"...and be clothed with humility, for"God
reists the proud, but gives grace to the Humble." Therefore humble
yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due
time." "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal
glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect,
establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be glory and the
dominion forever and ever. Amen"
Hang in there we all share this same burden weather we are in the
same Jurisdiction or not it effects all of us. We need to fight
against our passions, get down on our knees and pray To God to have
Mercy on us Sinners and then pray that His will and not ours be done.
Because of His Love
Ambrose Stapleton
Monday, August 27, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Dont Shoot the Wounded
DON'T SHOOT THE WOUNDED
(by Chuck Girard)
Don't shoot the wounded, they need us more than ever.
They need our love no matter what it is they've done.
Sometimes we just condemn them, and don't take time to hear their story.
Don't shoot the wounded, someday you might be one.
It's easy to love the people who are standing hard and fast.
Pressing on to meet that higher calling.
But the ones who might be struggling, we tend to judge too harshly, and refuse to try and catch them when they're falling.
We put people into boxes and we draw our hard conclusions, and when they do the things we know they should not do, we sometimes write them off as hopeless, and we throw them to the dogs.
Our compassion and forgiveness sometimes seem in short supply, so I say...Don't shoot the wounded!
We can love them and forgive them when their sin does not exceed our own. For we too have been down bumpy roads before but when they commit offenses outside the boundaries we have set,we judge them in a word and we turn them out, and we close the door.
Myself I've been forgiven for so many awful things. I've been cleansed and washed and bathed so many times that when I see a brother who has fallen from the way I just can't find the license to convict him of his crimes.
So I say... Don't shoot the wounded!
That doesn't mean we turn our heads when we see a brother sin and pretend that what he's doing is all right.
But we must help him see his error, we must lead him to repent. Cry with those who cry, but bring their deeds into the light .
For it's the sick that need the doctor, and it's the lame that need the crutch. It's the prodigal who needs the loving hand.
For a man who's in despair, there should be kindness from his friends. 'Lest he should forsake the fear of Almighty God and turn away from God and man, So I say...Don't shoot the wounded!
©1982 Sea of Glass Music/ASCAP
Because of His Love
Ambrose Stapleton
(by Chuck Girard)
Don't shoot the wounded, they need us more than ever.
They need our love no matter what it is they've done.
Sometimes we just condemn them, and don't take time to hear their story.
Don't shoot the wounded, someday you might be one.
It's easy to love the people who are standing hard and fast.
Pressing on to meet that higher calling.
But the ones who might be struggling, we tend to judge too harshly, and refuse to try and catch them when they're falling.
We put people into boxes and we draw our hard conclusions, and when they do the things we know they should not do, we sometimes write them off as hopeless, and we throw them to the dogs.
Our compassion and forgiveness sometimes seem in short supply, so I say...Don't shoot the wounded!
We can love them and forgive them when their sin does not exceed our own. For we too have been down bumpy roads before but when they commit offenses outside the boundaries we have set,we judge them in a word and we turn them out, and we close the door.
Myself I've been forgiven for so many awful things. I've been cleansed and washed and bathed so many times that when I see a brother who has fallen from the way I just can't find the license to convict him of his crimes.
So I say... Don't shoot the wounded!
That doesn't mean we turn our heads when we see a brother sin and pretend that what he's doing is all right.
But we must help him see his error, we must lead him to repent. Cry with those who cry, but bring their deeds into the light .
For it's the sick that need the doctor, and it's the lame that need the crutch. It's the prodigal who needs the loving hand.
For a man who's in despair, there should be kindness from his friends. 'Lest he should forsake the fear of Almighty God and turn away from God and man, So I say...Don't shoot the wounded!
©1982 Sea of Glass Music/ASCAP
Because of His Love
Ambrose Stapleton
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Some light during a rather dark time
It is true as Brian Martin of the Kodiak Daily Mirror has pointed out “There is a dark cloud hanging over St. Herman’s Seminary right now”. As a part time seminarian, a fairly new resident to Kodiak, and a member of Holy Resurrection Cathedral I find this “dark cloud” to be a unique source of healing and an opportunity for us to come together as a community and reach out to those who are in a time of need. This isn’t a time for us to sit back on our pedestals and cast judgments and hateful comments but a time for us to ask what can we do to help, how should we pray for you?.
My first experience here in Kodiak was back in the early 90’s while serving as a deck hand aboard the USCG Yoconna, after getting out of the service I remained here for a while doing odd jobs, I also managed the transient workers campground at the old Gibson Cove camp site for one summer. After that I moved across the bay to Homer where I met my beautiful wife got married and had our first son, we moved to the lower 48’s for school when tragedy struck and our first son passed away at the age of 6 weeks. We spent a lot of time moving and trying to rebuild our family, which we now have three wonderful boys. Back in 99/2000 we moved back to Kodiak with the intentions of setting our roots down and meet a lot of great people unfortunately just as we were starting to settle down I became gravely Ill and was diagnosed with Cohn’s disease. Medical help was very difficult for us to find mostly the expense of the medicine so we once again moved back to the lower 48’s all with the dream of returning some day. During our stay in Texas, Virginia, and Arizona we worked hard to instill love and values that was shown to us through the people of Alaska that influenced our live over the years, into our children and tried to gain training and skills that would help us to become productive members of this great land and to be able to give back to those who are in need. We don’t have much but if all we can give is a kind word, or some sober and sound advice, or maybe you need help getting you bag to the garbage can or you need a friend or your hurting inside don’t know what to do. We try to help those who are in a time of need the best we can. When we were in a time of need, help was given to us, love, compassion, shelter, food, friendship, a shoulder to cry on, and a strong arm to hold onto when ours was failing.
Just last summer a “Dark Cloud” was hanging over my family while I set in the Hospital bed in Anchorage not sure if I was going to live or die during the surgery, which was believed to be cancer. I survived the surgery, blessed to not have cancer even though approximately 3 feet of my large intestine had to be removed. While in the Hospital Bishop Nickoli visited me, twice and prayed for me as a loving father would for his son, Father Chad, Father Yaakov visited and prayed for me and helped me in my times of needs. Before going to Anchorage for surgery I was in and out of the emergency room because of so much pain and feeling like I was going to die Fr. Innocent was there holding my hand at one time he help me over to the sink and stood by my side as I was throwing up. Father Innocent spends a lot of time praying with and for the people of this community, weather they are in the hospital or at home, he spends a lot of time in tears in the homes and hearts of who he serves and those whom he serves he has come to love and protect.
It is true there are a lot of things going on at the Seminary which gives those of us who are faithful to Gods command an opportunity to love and serve each other, and not just those directly involved but those in the community weather they reject message of the Church which is Christ Love or embrace it. These “Dark Clouds” just reinforce the need for the words of this prayer of Saint Herman ;”… May the hearts of your spiritual children be filled with that faith and love of the Holy Church which you manifested in your holy life; pray Him to deliver us from the temptations which cause us to fall; renew in us a child-like faith in our Heavenly Father; teach us to place our trust in God, and in Him alone; satisfy our thirst for the true knowledge of God; show us how to serve God faithfully; transfigure our life that it may truly reflect the image and likeness of God within us. O Holy Father and Patron of the Church in America: be a physician to the weak in faith; be a support to the fallen; be a defender to the defenseless; be a bulwark of strength to the weary in spirit; be a guide to the travelers by sea, by land and by air; be our heavenly intercessor. O Venerable Father Herman of Alaska, together with all the saints and the heavenly hosts, pray to God that on each of us He will bestow wisdom for our mind, strength for our will, light for our spirit, enabling us to attain to the true peace of life which is from God alone. We praise with joyous and grateful hearts, the Life-Creating Trinity: Father Almighty, Only-Begotten Son, Comforter, Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”
This is a dark time not just for St. Herman’s Seminary or for the Holy Resurrection Cathedral, but a dark time for the community of Kodiak and the whole state of Alaska. We need people to gather around us and help pray that God will be blessed and those who do not know God will be able to see and believe in our Heavenly Protector and lover of Mankind. Now is the time to come home and pray.
Because of His Love
Ambrose Stapleton
My first experience here in Kodiak was back in the early 90’s while serving as a deck hand aboard the USCG Yoconna, after getting out of the service I remained here for a while doing odd jobs, I also managed the transient workers campground at the old Gibson Cove camp site for one summer. After that I moved across the bay to Homer where I met my beautiful wife got married and had our first son, we moved to the lower 48’s for school when tragedy struck and our first son passed away at the age of 6 weeks. We spent a lot of time moving and trying to rebuild our family, which we now have three wonderful boys. Back in 99/2000 we moved back to Kodiak with the intentions of setting our roots down and meet a lot of great people unfortunately just as we were starting to settle down I became gravely Ill and was diagnosed with Cohn’s disease. Medical help was very difficult for us to find mostly the expense of the medicine so we once again moved back to the lower 48’s all with the dream of returning some day. During our stay in Texas, Virginia, and Arizona we worked hard to instill love and values that was shown to us through the people of Alaska that influenced our live over the years, into our children and tried to gain training and skills that would help us to become productive members of this great land and to be able to give back to those who are in need. We don’t have much but if all we can give is a kind word, or some sober and sound advice, or maybe you need help getting you bag to the garbage can or you need a friend or your hurting inside don’t know what to do. We try to help those who are in a time of need the best we can. When we were in a time of need, help was given to us, love, compassion, shelter, food, friendship, a shoulder to cry on, and a strong arm to hold onto when ours was failing.
Just last summer a “Dark Cloud” was hanging over my family while I set in the Hospital bed in Anchorage not sure if I was going to live or die during the surgery, which was believed to be cancer. I survived the surgery, blessed to not have cancer even though approximately 3 feet of my large intestine had to be removed. While in the Hospital Bishop Nickoli visited me, twice and prayed for me as a loving father would for his son, Father Chad, Father Yaakov visited and prayed for me and helped me in my times of needs. Before going to Anchorage for surgery I was in and out of the emergency room because of so much pain and feeling like I was going to die Fr. Innocent was there holding my hand at one time he help me over to the sink and stood by my side as I was throwing up. Father Innocent spends a lot of time praying with and for the people of this community, weather they are in the hospital or at home, he spends a lot of time in tears in the homes and hearts of who he serves and those whom he serves he has come to love and protect.
It is true there are a lot of things going on at the Seminary which gives those of us who are faithful to Gods command an opportunity to love and serve each other, and not just those directly involved but those in the community weather they reject message of the Church which is Christ Love or embrace it. These “Dark Clouds” just reinforce the need for the words of this prayer of Saint Herman ;”… May the hearts of your spiritual children be filled with that faith and love of the Holy Church which you manifested in your holy life; pray Him to deliver us from the temptations which cause us to fall; renew in us a child-like faith in our Heavenly Father; teach us to place our trust in God, and in Him alone; satisfy our thirst for the true knowledge of God; show us how to serve God faithfully; transfigure our life that it may truly reflect the image and likeness of God within us. O Holy Father and Patron of the Church in America: be a physician to the weak in faith; be a support to the fallen; be a defender to the defenseless; be a bulwark of strength to the weary in spirit; be a guide to the travelers by sea, by land and by air; be our heavenly intercessor. O Venerable Father Herman of Alaska, together with all the saints and the heavenly hosts, pray to God that on each of us He will bestow wisdom for our mind, strength for our will, light for our spirit, enabling us to attain to the true peace of life which is from God alone. We praise with joyous and grateful hearts, the Life-Creating Trinity: Father Almighty, Only-Begotten Son, Comforter, Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”
This is a dark time not just for St. Herman’s Seminary or for the Holy Resurrection Cathedral, but a dark time for the community of Kodiak and the whole state of Alaska. We need people to gather around us and help pray that God will be blessed and those who do not know God will be able to see and believe in our Heavenly Protector and lover of Mankind. Now is the time to come home and pray.
Because of His Love
Ambrose Stapleton
Christ is in our midst
As many of you know Saint Herman Seminary, Holy Resurrection Cathedral and the Dioce of Alaska is going through some very tough times right now. Glory Be to God that we are going through these struggles and that we can do this together. I am reminded of a scripture verse in Proverbs 4:23 which say’s: “Keep thine heart with all diligence; for out of it flow forth the issues of life.”
We are faced with an opportunity to guard our hearts and to pray and help one another to do the same, and not only within the Orthodox community but for the community of Kodiak at large. It is so easy for us to focus on the wrongs that were committed and to make more or less of the accusations that were brought up, and to judge the hearts of those who are in a position to act upon these charges, especially if we see them not acting at our pace or with our understanding.
This is a time for us to humble ourselves, as well as praying and fasting for those who are in involved, that God blesses them and raises them up to be the leaders they were called to be. Let us pray for the healing of both their souls and bodies.
We are in the midst of a turmoil which will only destroy us if we allow it to. We need to hold people accountable for their actions, just like you would if someone broke into your house and stole your jewelry. You would make sure that guy was caught and brought to trial and have justice served on him. It’s no different in this situation we are facing together as a community. Most importantly we need to get down on our knees and pray asking God for his forgiveness of our sins and for His great mercy on our souls. We need to prepare our hearts through repentance and confession and strengthen it through partaking of the holy and life giving mysteries of Christ By consuming His body and Drinking His blood and when we meet one of those involved in these scandals we can embrace them and give them a thrice holy kiss and ask how we can pray for them.
St. Theophan suggests: “In the morning, after prayer, sit and figure out what you must do during the day, where you will be, with what and whom you will meet, and, when applicable, determine ahead of time what to think, where, what to say, how to keep your spirit and body and so on. This means, that the true Christian must “control himself,” keep control over the actions of his soul, and not permit them to crawl wherever they want. He must be the ruler of his internal condition.”
We need to Guard our hearts and allow the Life Giver to flow forth for all to see and upon seeing they may believe and be Blessed of God. Hang in there dear friends and pray and when prayer just doesn’t seem enough, pray some more.
Because of His Love
Ambrose Stapleton
We are faced with an opportunity to guard our hearts and to pray and help one another to do the same, and not only within the Orthodox community but for the community of Kodiak at large. It is so easy for us to focus on the wrongs that were committed and to make more or less of the accusations that were brought up, and to judge the hearts of those who are in a position to act upon these charges, especially if we see them not acting at our pace or with our understanding.
This is a time for us to humble ourselves, as well as praying and fasting for those who are in involved, that God blesses them and raises them up to be the leaders they were called to be. Let us pray for the healing of both their souls and bodies.
We are in the midst of a turmoil which will only destroy us if we allow it to. We need to hold people accountable for their actions, just like you would if someone broke into your house and stole your jewelry. You would make sure that guy was caught and brought to trial and have justice served on him. It’s no different in this situation we are facing together as a community. Most importantly we need to get down on our knees and pray asking God for his forgiveness of our sins and for His great mercy on our souls. We need to prepare our hearts through repentance and confession and strengthen it through partaking of the holy and life giving mysteries of Christ By consuming His body and Drinking His blood and when we meet one of those involved in these scandals we can embrace them and give them a thrice holy kiss and ask how we can pray for them.
St. Theophan suggests: “In the morning, after prayer, sit and figure out what you must do during the day, where you will be, with what and whom you will meet, and, when applicable, determine ahead of time what to think, where, what to say, how to keep your spirit and body and so on. This means, that the true Christian must “control himself,” keep control over the actions of his soul, and not permit them to crawl wherever they want. He must be the ruler of his internal condition.”
We need to Guard our hearts and allow the Life Giver to flow forth for all to see and upon seeing they may believe and be Blessed of God. Hang in there dear friends and pray and when prayer just doesn’t seem enough, pray some more.
Because of His Love
Ambrose Stapleton
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