Copied from Fr. John Cox via Facebook:

One of the main points of theology I grew up with was that the modern nation of Israel had a special and distinct place in God’s saving work right down to the present day and that the recreation of the state 1948 was the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. This idea is part of a theological package called Dispensationalism, which was developed in England during the 18th-19th centuries. One of the consequences of this theology is the belief that Christians have a particularly moral and theological duty to protect, defend, and promote the nation of Israel at all costs. Senator Ted Cruz gave an interview just the other day in which he expressed this very belief. Dispensationalism, particularly the belief that the modern state of Israel exists as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy and must be defended by Christians because the scriptures command it, is not something we Orthodox Christians believe. But even if we did, the same scriptures we would use to justify such a position are full of condemnations against the nation of Israel for all manner of wickedness. Israel, in the Old Testament, is not given a pass because they are special to God. Instead they are held to a higher standard of conduct. All this to say that, if you are an Orthodox Christian, your social and political views about the nation of Israel and its conflicts with its neighbors should be based on basic Christian morality and not on colonial era English Protestant theology.

Today is the feast of the nativity of the holy, glorious Forerunner and Baptist John.

John's nativity is right after the (northern hemisphere) summer solstice, when the days are beginning to shorten; while Jesus's nativity is right after the winter solstice, when they lengthen. As John said, "I must decrease, that He may increase."

Today I preached my first-ever sermon, taking as my thematic material the calling of Andrew and Peter in Matthew 4. As I was reading St. John Chrysostom's commentary on this passage, I was very surprised to read that this was the second time they followed Jesus; the first time is in John 1.

In John 1, Andrew leaves John the Baptist (of whom he was a disciple), gets his brother Simon, and hangs out with Jesus for an evening. At this time Jesus gives Simon the nickname "Cephas" or "Peter." Kefa means rock in Aramaic; Petros means rock in Greek.

In Matthew 4, John the Baptist has just been imprisoned, and Jesus calls Andrew and Simon Peter to follow him.

So it would seem that Andrew and Peter were familiar with Jesus, but were not prepared to leave John the Baptist to follow him. It was not until John the Baptist was in prison that they left their boats and nets and became Jesus's disciples.

Of course, there is another Biblical character that comes to mind who was called twice: Jonah. He refused the call the first time, and was petulant about heeding the call the second time.

Since today was the feast of All Saints of North America, I tied this in to the dual calling of St. Herman of Alaska: first to his monastic calling at a monastery in the northwest corner of Russia (a stone's throw from Finland). I am sure he thought he would live and die there unnoticed in quiet prayer. His second calling was to missionize the native Alaskans; that second calling must have seemed like an unsavory political move, since the Russian-American Company (which harvested seal pelts in Alaska) used the presence of the missionaries as a justification for an imperial monopoly on Alaska. But St. Herman heeded the call anyway, and he wound up being instrumental in defending the Aleuts from Russian abuse.

The core of Christianity has always been profoundly countercultural. There is no culture that has ever embraced the self-denial that Jesus Christ taught; certainly not medieval Christian empires at their height.

In every culture it has always been possible to give up all that you have, take up your cross, and follow Christ. But it comes at significant personal cost. Few in any generation are willing to pay that cost. I myself have been too cowardly to do so.

From tomorrow through Sunday, there will be services for the formal canonization of St. Olga of Alaska. She was a midwife in mid-20th century Alaska, in the village of Kwethluk, where her husband was both priest and postmaster. After her death, she has appeared to many people in dreams; she has often offered healing from the trauma of sexual abuse.

The canonization services will be live-streamed: https://www.oca.org/news/headline-news/livestream-services-glorification-righteous-olga-kewthluk

In the Christian West, the celebration of All Saints occurs on the first of November. But in the Christian East, it falls on the Sunday after Pentecost; that is, today.

Which, of course, means that #NoKingsDay was Halloween.

Tonight is the last hurrah before the Apostles’ Fast begins tomorrow (for the Eastern Orthodox). This fast lasts from the second Monday after Pentecost up until the eve of the feast of Ss Peter & Paul, which falls on June 29.

This fast is less strict than the Lenten fast. On weekends we may have fish; otherwise we are vegan. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we may eat foods cooked in oil. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, it is traditional to get by on bread and steamed (or boiled) vegetables, though many just try to avoid oil-heavy dishes; on these days we also abstain from wine, and by extension all alcohol.

I have some Brie cheese which must be eaten before I go to bed tonight.