~A Funny~
This morning when Maria~Angelica woke up she asked me, “Mommy, it’s ‘morning o’clock’ ? “ 
Month: September 2008
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Al Qaeda declares Coptic priest Zakaria Botros “one of the most wanted infidels in the world”
And offers 60 million for his head. More on Islam’s Public Enemy #1. “Exclusive: Al Qaeda targets leading Arab evangelist operating in the U.S. for preaching the Gospel to Muslims,” by Joel C. Rosenberg for Flashtraffic, September 9 (thanks to Erick):
You have probably never heard of Father Zakaria Botros. But you need to know his story. He is far and away the most-watched and most-effective Arab-American evangelist focused on reaching the Muslim world, and by far the most controversial. The Rush Limbaugh of the Revivalists, he is funny, feisty, brilliant, opinionated, and provocative. But rather than preaching the gospel of conservatism, he is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. And his enemies do not simply want to silence him. They want to assassinate him.
Last week, I had the honor of interviewing Botros by phone from a secure, undisclosed location in the United States, where he now resides. He told me that he had just learned that an al Qaeda website had posted his photograph and named him one of the “most wanted” infidels in the world. The Radicals have even put a bounty on his head. The Christian Broadcasting Network reported the figure was as high as $60 million. Botros does not know for certain. But just to put that in context, the U.S. bounty on Osama bin Laden’s head is “only” $25 million.
Why are the Radicals so enraged by an elderly Coptic priest from Egypt who is in his 70s? Because Botros is waging an air war against them, and he is winning.
Using state-of-the art satellite technology to bypass the efforts of Islamic governments to keep the gospel out of their countries, Botros is directly challenging the claims of Muhammad to be a prophet, and the claims of the Qu’ran to be God’s word. He systematically deconstructs Muhammad’s life, story by story, pointing out character flaws and sinful behavior. He carefully deconstructs the Qu’ran, verse by verse, citing contradictions and inconsistencies. And not only does he explain without apology what he believes is wrong with Islam, he goes on to teach Muslims from the Bible why Jesus loves them and why is so ready to forgive them and adopt them into His family, no matter who they are or what they have done.
If Botros was doing this in a corner, or on some cable access channel where no one saw him or cared, that would be one thing. But his ninety-minute program – a combination of preaching, teaching and answering questions from (often irate) callers all over the world – has become “must see TV” throughout the Muslim world. It is replayed four times a week in Arabic, his native language, on a satellite television network called Al Hayat (“Life TV.”) It can be seen in every country in North Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, as well as all throughout North America,Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. And not only can it be seen in so many places, it is seen – by an estimated fifty million Muslims a day.
At the same time, Botros is getting millions of hits on his multiple web sites in multiple languages. There, Muslims can read his sermons and study through an archive of answers to frequently asked questions. They can also enter a live chat room called “Pal Chat” where they are not only permitted but encouraged to ask their toughest questions to trained on-line counselors, many of whom are Muslim converts to Christianity who understand exactly where the questioners are coming from and the struggles they are having.
As a result, Botros – on the air only since 2003 – has practically become a household word in the Muslim world. An Arabic newspaper has named him Islam’s “Public Enemy #1.” Millions hate him, to be sure, but they are watching. They are listening. They are processing what he is saying and they are talking about him with their friends and family. When Botros challenges Radical clerics to answer his many refutations of Islam and defend the Qu’ran, millions wait to see how the fundamentalists will respond. But they rarely do. They prefer to attack Botros than answer him. Yet, the more the Radicals attack him, the more well-known he becomes. The more well-known he becomes, the more Muslims feel compelled to tune in. And as more Muslims tune in, more are coming to the conclusion that Botros is right and in turn are choosing to become followers of Jesus Christ. Botros estimates at least 1,000 Muslims a month pray to receive Christ with his telephone counselors. Some of them pray to receive Christ live on their air with Botros. And this surely is only the tip of the iceberg, as it represents only those who are able to get through on the jammed phone lines. There simply are not currently enough trained counselors to handle each call.
[...]He does not believe all Muslims are Radicals, but he does believe all Muslims are spiritually lost, and he wants desperately to help them find their way to forgiveness and reconciliation with the God who made them and loves them.
“I believe this is the hand of God,” Botros told me. “He is directing me. He shows me what to say. He shows me what to write on…the web sites. He is showing me more and more how to use the technology to reach people with his message of redemption.”
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~Pictures from my weekend with my girls from www.orthodoxchristianchat.com~
www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57238&l=e0dd6&id=735199552
www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57243&l=81359&id=735199552
www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57248&l=269cc&id=735199552I am too tired to write anything right now, so I will copy and paste what I had wrote on the board.
We had an amazing time… Meeting Emily, Beth and Tamara in person was no different then knowing them on line. It didn’t feel new or different it just felt real and comfortable. It was like I had known them my entire life. Saying hello face to face and hugging goodbye was like there was no beginning and no end just a circle.
The worship was AMAZING! I was in awe and am still basking in the peace and joy of my time at the monastery. We took lots of pictures and in fact Beth, Tamara and I went to The Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Nativity of The Theotokos in Saxonburg, PA for the Feast Day of the Nativity of The Mother of God- the Monastery’s Feast Day. It was 50 mins south of Holy Transfiguration Monastery. www.malf.net/nattheo.htm We arrived for the last few minutes of the service. The Church was packed, with over flow under a covering outside- mostly moms with little kids- but they had a speaker so you could here the service. There were a lot of beautiful little children, a lot of the the ds’s and dd’s of Priests and Presyteras. Many people drive for hours to attend the feast day of the monastery. I met a Fr. Basil A. from Saco, Main who comes from 12 hrs away for the last 20 years, to be a the monastery with his Pres. and 7 children. The neat thing is that Emily had visited his parish, at some point, but he was away. So now Emily will be able to go back and meet him and he is excited to meet her and he gave me the info. to put her in touch with the camp program they run out there.
At Transfiguration (OCA) we stayed in the house built for Mother Alexandra (Princess Ileana Romania) www.tkinter.smig.net/PrincessIleana/index.htm the founder of the Monastery. It was very homey and comfortable and allowed us to have time together to share meals and talk. Which we never had enough time for! We had to get to sleep eventually; the worship cycle in a monastery means you need your sleep! And your feet need a bit of a break too! I don’t feel like I even scratched the surface of all that I wanted to know and learn about Beth, Emily and Tamara! But this is just the beginning! Our hope is that we will be able to meet more of you wonderful ladies but going on pilgrimages to monasteries across the great US of A making it easier for all of us to get together. We remembered all of you in prayer and spoke of you all often during our time together.
The nuns were fantastic and many of them gave us their personal time to share with us and enlighten us. Mother Xaratina gave us the most amazing experiences to take away with us. Her words are still resonating with me. Especially as I made my bed this morning- Tamara, Beth and Emily will know what I am talking about.
One really neat surprise, which occurred early on in my stay, was seeing a picture of Mat.’s beautiful girls in the Monastery gift shop/bookstore! It is the SAME photo we have on our header! The girls are wearing matching t-shirts with a drawing of the monastery on them. Mat., you have greetings from the Sisters and I pray that we can meet at the monastery some time, soon! I do plan to go back! The drive was EASY – 3 hrs in a beautiful setting.
So what else do you all want to know? I am sure Emily, Tamara and Beth will share entirely different memories with you all so I am looking forward to reading their memories too! I know I have more but I just answered a phone call so I will leave it here and share more later.
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Happy Ecclesiastical New Year!
“Let the Church New Year truly be a time of renewal and recommitment to our lives “in Christ.” We can each be an “Olympian” as we strive for an imperishable crown with the same intensity and devotion as the Olympians we just watched and admired so much labored for gold, silver and bronze medals. Prayer and fasting are difficult practices to “master” over time, but certainly worthy of the effort of those who proclaim themselves as Christians and hence as belonging to Christ.”
~Fr. Steven Kostoff
Reading:For the maintenance of their armed forces, the Roman emperors decreed that their subjects in every district should be taxed every year. This same decree was reissued every fifteen years, since the Roman soldiers were obliged to serve for fifteen years. At the end of each fifteen-year period, an assessment was made of what economic changes had taken place, and a new tax was decreed, which was to be paid over the span of the fifteen years. This imperial decree, which was issued before the season of winter, was named Indictio, that is, Definiton, or Order. This name was adopted by the emperors in Constantinople also. At other times, the latter also used the term Epinemisis, that is, Distribution (Dianome). It is commonly held that Saint Constantine the Great introduced the Indiction decrees in A.D. 312, after he beheld the sign of the Cross in heaven and vanquished Maxentius and was proclaimed Emperor in the West. Some, however (and this seems more likely), ascribe the institution of the Indiction to Augustus Caesar, three years before the birth of Christ. Those who hold this view offer as proof the papal bull issued in A.D. 781 which is dated thus: Anno IV, Indictionis LIII -that is, the fourth year of the fifty-third Indiction. From this, we can deduce the aforementioned year (3 B.C.) by multiplying the fifty-two complete Indictions by the number of years in each (15), and adding the three years of the fifty-third Indiction. There are three types of Indictions: 1) That which was introduced in the West, and which is called Imperial, or Caesarean, or Constantinian, and which begins on the 24th of September; 2) The so-called Papal Indiction, which begins on the 1st of January; and 3) The Constantinopolitan, which was adopted by the Patriarchs of that city after the fall of the Eastern Empire in 1453. This Indiction is indicated in their own hand on the decrees they issue, without the numeration of the fifteen years. This Indiction begins on the 1st of September and is observed with special ceremony in the Church. Since the completion of each year takes place, as it were, with the harvest and gathering of the crops into storehouses, and we begin anew from henceforth the sowing of seed in the earth for the production of future crops, September is considered the beginning of the New Year. The Church also keeps festival this day, beseeching God for fair weather, seasonable rains, and an abundance of the fruits of the earth. The Holy Scriptures (Lev. 23:24-5 and Num. 29:1-2) also testify that the people of Israel celebrated the feast of the Blowing of the Trumpets on this day, offering hymns of thanksgiving. In addition to all the aforesaid, on this feast we also commemorate our Saviour’s entry into the synagogue in Nazareth, where He was given the book of the Prophet Esaias to read, and He opened it and found the place where it is written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for which cause He hath anointed Me…” (Luke 4:16-30).
It should be noted that to the present day, the Church has always celebrated the beginning of the New Year on September 1. This was the custom in Constantinople until its fall in 1453 and in Russia until the reign of Peter I. September 1 is still festively celebrated as the New Year at the Patriarchate of Constantinople; among the Jews also the New Year, although reckoned according to a moveable calendar, usually falls in September. The service of the Menaion for January 1 is for our Lord’s Circumcision and for the memorial of Saint Basil the Great, without any mention of its being the beginning of a new year.
