No.

108

November2015

TheOrthodoxParish
oftheHolyandLifeGivingCross,
Lancaster,U.K.

TheStavronian

amonthlymagazine&newsletterpublishedbythe'HolyCrossSynodia'

TheParishoftheHolyandLifeGivingCross,
belongstotheAntiochianOrthodoxChristianArchdioceseoftheBritishIslesandIreland.
ThePatriarchateofAntiochisthirdsenioroftheOrthodoxChurches.
ThePatriarchisHisBeatitudeJohnX.

ThediscipleswerefirstcalledChristiansinAntioch
(Acts11:26)

THESIGNOFCAIN
HAMLET:AMATTEROF
ANCESTRALSIN
ThereligiousreferencesinShakespeares
Hamlet,asinmany of theBardsplays,
areindicationsoftheallpervadingramifi
cationsof16th c.reformationinEurope.
One of the major influences was the
newly published Geneva Bible of 1560
whichprovidedarichsourceofsupporti
venarrative.ThewishtobalanceCatholic
ritualsanddoctrinewithProtestantbibli
calandpuritanicaltheologywastheco
alitionpoliticsoftheErastianElizabethan
establishment.Itwasalwaysgoingtobea
wouldbemarriageofinconveniencethe
Capulet meeting the Montague! Shakes
pearesown(almostcertain)espousalof
Catholicism against the tide of fashion
and hisownreformed baptismaltraditi
on,juggledfaith,reflectionandconscien
cewithinthecircleofconflictingloyalties
tothestate.Suchthemeswereplayedout
notonlyonthestageofEuropeanhistory
butfromapersonalperspectivevicarious
lyinhisplays.
TheunseenactinHamletisthesinof
fratricide (and regicide) when Claudius
kills his brother King Hamlet, Prince
Hamlets father, and to add salt to the
mortal wound, marries the widowed
QueenGertrude.
The killing of Abel by his brother
CaininthebookofGenesis,whichisseen
byGod,iscondemnedwithdueindigna
tion The voice of your brothers blood
criesouttomefromtheground.,Genesis
4:10.Cainsresponseis:Myguiltistoo
greattobeforgiven.Genesis4:13.
Cainrefusestodealwithhispassions
through repentance. Indeed, he shows
them hospitality and his sorrow at his
unacceptable offering to God, leads to
seething resentment, anger, hatred and
themurderofhisbrother.Godplacesa
sign upon Cain. In the Septuagint, (the

GreekversionoftheOldTestament)the
curse or mark of Cain is described as
( ) groaning and
trembling.
LikewiseSaulsintensejealousyagai
nstthepopularity ofDavid inISamuel
(1Kingdoms)28,driveshimtosummon
upSamuelsghost,(orademonwhichis
theinterpretationofmostoftheChurch
Fathers) this ends in an ever spiralling
descentintomadness.ThewitchofEndor
(who also provides a source of interest
for Macbeth) claims that she sees the
ghostofamanrisingfromtheabodeof
thedead,whomSaulassumestobethat
ofSamuel.Sohesaidtoher,Whatdid
you perceive? And she said, A man is
coming up, standing upright and he is
coveredwithamantle.AndSauldiscerned
ittobeSamuel,andhestoopedwithhis
face to the ground and bowed down to
him.,IKingdoms(Samuel)28:14.
Thetroubledmindmayindeedfeign
madnessbutinentertainingthepassions,
being possessed by obsessions, these
worktheircompulsionsuponthedarker
labyrinthineregionsofthepsyche,likea
scratch on an old vinyl record that
repeatsasoundoverandoveragain.If
theneedleisnotremoved,itsendsoneto
distraction.
TherearevariouscluestoShakespe
ares own spiritual balancing act in his
acquaintance with ecclesial and biblical
doctrine.RomanCatholicflightsofangels
andpurgatoryarecarefullyweighedagai
nst protestant Old Testament scriptures
asinthereferencetotheJudgeofIsrael
Jephthah, whose virgin daughter like
Ophelia dies in tragic circumstance. Do
wehavefreewill(StAugustineCatholic)
or are things predestined (CalvinProte
stant)?Toparaphrase:Tobeincontrolor
nottobeincontrolofourdestinythatis
thequestion!
Those who are of Adams race are
notguilty simply becauseofAdamssin

but because of choosing sin rather than

obediencetoGodsword.However,inthe
shadowofAdamsdisobediencewhereby
thereisagivingintothetemptationin
ordertobelikeGodandthesubsequent
fall fromgrace; allhaveapropensity,a
disposition,aninclinationaweakness!
WediscoverinShakespearesspiritu
ality this interface between the human
willandDivineProvidence:
Hamlet : There's a divinity that shapes
ourends,roughhewthemhowwewill.
Proverbs19;21: Therearemanydevices
inaman'sheart;neverthelessthecounsel
oftheLord,thatshallstand.
Hamlet:Ourwillsandfatesdosocontra
ryrun.
Jeremiah10;23:OLord,Iknow,thatthe
wayofamanisnotinhimself;itisnotin
manthatwalkethtodirecthissteps.
Hamlet:Thereisspecialprovidenceinthe
fallofasparrow.
Matthew 10;29: Are not two sparrows
sold for a copper coin? And not one of
themfallstothegroundapartfromyour
Fatherswill.
Shakespeare explores our mortal
weaknesses through the prism of faith
whichisatthesametimebothmystical
and rational; God is knowable in His
energiesbutincomprehensibleinessence.
Who are we? Of what are we made?
Whatliesbeyond?Suchquestionsrequire
answersfromanauthenticjurisdiction.
ManyofShakespearescharactersare
dangerousrisktakersmovedbyspontane
ousaction,tousetheidiom,theysteer
closetothewind.However,thereistoo
anappreciation of thepositive potential
of humankind steered by the rudder of
Biblical authority which illustrates the
English renaissances reliance uponanti
quity:

Hamlet: Whatapieceofworkisaman!
How noble in reason, how infinite in
faculty!Informandmovinghowexpress
and admirable! In action how like an
Angel! In apprehension how like a god!
Thebeautyoftheworld!Theparagonof
animals!
Psalm 8;46: What is man, say I, that
thouartmindfulofhim?Andthesonof
manthatthouvisitesthim?Forthouhast
made him a little lower than God, and
crowned him with glory and worship.
Thouhastmadehimtohavedominionin
theworksofthinehands,thouhastputall
thingsunderhisfeet.
Shakespeare does not pretend to
havealltheanswerstothecomplexities
ofthehumancondition;hesimplyobser
vesandpresents.Nevertheless,hedoes
inviteustoparticipate,throughourown
faultlines,inmercy.FromtheApophatic
tradition of the Byzantine East to the
CloudofUnknowing oftheLatinWest
andindeedbeyond,tothedeclarationsof
Luthers Wittenberg theses there re
mainsquestions.OneofLuthersspiritual
descendants, centuries later, urged his
listeners to consider such questions not
with intellectual judgement but through
thecompassionateheart:Wemustlearn
toregardpeoplelessinthelightofwhat
they do or omit to do, and more in the
light of what they suffer. Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from
Prison.
Outcomes may be determined by
recklessactsorthroughpersistentwatch
fulness.Claudiusexpresseshisremorseful
posturing thus: My words fly up toward
heaven,butmythoughtsstay downhere
onearth.Wordswithoutthoughtsbehind
themwillnevermakeittoheaven.
The marks of Cain remain and are
visibleinthelightofsuffering.Groaning
and trembling appear where there is

guilt without grace, when there is

remorsewithoutrepentance.
Words may give voice to ideas but
thestruggleofthoughtswithactionmust
havesubstanceinandofthewill,Divine
andhuman.
Fr.JonathanA.Hemmings

SONNETI
NatureandNurture
Matthew 19:14; But Jesus said, Let the
little children come to Me, and do not
forbidthem;forofsuchisthekingdomof
heaven.
WhatisthistreasurewhichIholdsonear?
Closerthanmybreathwhichhernamerepeats;
Reservehercharactertilltimestandsclear
Toshapehermindasherownvoiceentreats.
Idonotcradlenowbyspokenwill,
Butbyparentalcareaslovedictates;
Herfragileframefrombirthiscausedtofill
Gentlearms,whoseenfoldingindicates.
Echoesaforesaidwhengrown,shewillbeA
woman,wifeandmothertoherchild;
Transferringgraceandformforalltosee
Thepatternsgift,thoughbyencountersstyled.
SweetNature,thyboundsarekindly,freeandfair
AsNurturesbondsfrombeautyseekstoshare.

As a parent every action you take is

important when you raise children. It is
notnecessarilywhatyousaybuthowyou
actthatteachesthemtheOrthodoxwayof
life.StPaisiosoftheHolyMountain
FrJonathan

WHATISTHECHURCH
IwalkedintoanOrthodoxChurchsome
timeagoandfoundaGreekflaghanging
fromthewall.Itcouldbe(asitisoften)a
Serbian, Russian or Romanian national
symbolinsteadIwouldfeelthesame.
This occasion prompted in me some
thoughtsandreflectionsaboutthenature
oftheChurch,whichIwouldnowliketo
sharewithyou.Therearetwomainways
in which human beings relate to each
other:kin(throughbloodandfamilyties)
andsharedinterest(groups,clubs,soci
eties,professions,etc.).Anationissucha
powerful and enduring concept because
it seemingly combines these aspects of
relationship; cementing them strongly
together with the help of common
language,customandhistory.Also,apart
anddistinctfromthesetwoways(natural
and social) of connecting with each
other, we were gifted with a third, a
supernatural way of relating the
Church. Founded nearly two thousand

yearsago,onPentecost,theChurchwas
born through the feast of Holy Spirit,
descending from above, transforming
confused followers into the great
apostles: holy, faithful and worthy
disciplesofJesusofNazareth.
WhatissupernaturalabouttheChur
chasopposedtotheothercommunities;
itisnotthelackofsinorthesinners,nor
isittheabilitytoconstantlyproducethe
amazing, superhuman acts. It is the
singlefactthatitisfoundedonthesolid
foundation of divine virtues of Faith,
HopeandLove,sowonderfullypresented
in the letters of St Paul. In fact, any
community that nourishes and displays
theseparticularvirtues,carriesthesignof
theChurchinitselfitdoesntneedany
specially assignedbuildingsorgathering
spaces. A supernatural community is
being established anywhere and every
where,whereLove,FaithandHopereign
supreme.Matthew18:20;Forwheretwo
or three have gathered together in My
name,Iamthereintheirmidst.
TheChurchisfoundedthroughand
intheHolySpirit,asanextensionofthe
ongoing and everlasting mission of the
Ascended Christ. Once we accept this, I
thinkthatitwillbeeasiertodealwiththe
heresy of ethnophyletism in the Ortho
dox Church, a problem that just lingers
on. In reality, bringing national flags in
thechurchspaceisanattempttoseculari
sewhatisspiritualandtounderminethe
most basic mission of the Church: to
bringtogethergroupsof totalstrangers,
in order to transcend their natural and
social loyalties and preferences, through
the Power of the Spirit in the Christ
Ascended.Iamnotsaying(anditisnot
realistic) that sometimes these three
aspects of human relationship: natural,
socialandsupernatural,doesntoverlap,
butourchallengeistotrytoalwayswork
against the grain of easy comfort and
instant solutions. That way, our own
identitieswillbecomelessfixedandrigid,

and will hopefully reflect more of the

divinefreedomoftheHolySpirit.Weare
called to deconstruct the worldly, and
then replace it with the heavenly
following the principles of our own
MasterBuilder. Matthew 12:48; Who is
MymotherandwhoareMybrothers?And
stretching out His hand toward His
disciples,Hesaid,BeholdMymotherand
Mybrothers!
AleksandarMiljkovic
London

ENTHRONEMENTOF
METROPOLITANSILOUAN
The Enthronement of our Metropolitan
Silouan and Patriarchal Divine Liturgy
will take place at the Antiochian
CathedralofSt.George.Allarewelcome!
Sat.28thNovember
> 4.30pm:GreatVespersalongwiththe
EnthronementceremonyofHisEminence
MetropolitanSilouanattheCathedralof
StGeorge.
>7.30pm12.00pm:Reception/Dinnerat
theRoyalGardenHotel,224HighStreet
Kensington, London W8 4PT. Tickets:
100perperson.Forreservation,please
contact either Dr Samir Hraiki, or Mr
SimonAbdelNour.
Sun.29thNovember
>11.00am:PatriarchalDivineLiturgyat
StGeorgesCathedralwithHisBeatitude
PatriarchJohnX,HisEminenceMetropo
litanSilouanand visiting Metropolitans.
TheLiturgywillbefollowedbylunchin
theCathedral.
Forfurtherinformationpleaseclickhere.

early bookers and a bursary for those

whomayneedalittlefinancialhelp.
Pleaseclickonthefollowinglinksfor
information regarding the programme,
posterandbookingform.

BEINGORTHODOXINA
MULTIRELIGIOUSSOCIETY

OurnewMetropolitanSilouan,tobe
EnthronedonNov.28thinLondon.

ARCHDIOCESAN
CONFERENCE2016
Our Archdiocesan Conference will take
place from the afternoon of Mon. 23 rd
Mayto Wed.lunchtime25th Mayatthe
Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick,
Derbyshire,DE551AU.Wearedelighted
thatournewBishopwillbepresent!
TheThemeoftheConferencewillbe
Lights from Antioch. We shall explore
thelivesandteachingsof5saintsofthe
Church of Antioch, ancient and modern
and reflect on their significance for the
life and missionof the Church today in
these Isles. The 5 saints will be: St.
Ignatios of Antioch, St. Ephraim the
Syrian,St.JohnChrysostom,St.Johnof
DamascusandSt.RaphaelofBrooklyn.
Demandforspacesislikelytobehigh
so please act now. There are reduced
rates for children, a 10 discount for

The OrthodoxfellowshipofStJohnthe
Baptistisorganisingaconferenceon13
July2016atTheHayes,Swanwick:Fri.4
pm to Sun. teatime. The title is Being
OrthodoxinaMultiReligiousSociety.At
thisConferencetheFellowshipwillconsi
derthewitnessoftheOrthodoxChurch
in todays diverse society. Archbishop
GregoriosofThyateiraandGreatBritain
will preside and preach at the Sunday
Divine Liturgy. Speakers include:Bishop
Kallistos of Diokleia; Fr Philip Hall; Dr
Mangala Frost; Dr Elena Narinskaya;
MarinaRobb.

NAMESOFDEPARTED
LOVEDONESTOBE
REMEMBEREDTHISMONTH
Nov.12:SirJohnTavener
Nov.29:Ioanna
MEMORY ETERNAL!
Pleasesendusthenamesofyourdepar
ted loved onesand dateoftheirdepar
tureinorderforthemtoberemembered.

OLDSTAVRONIANCORNER
AllaGanshynasendshergreetingstothe
Parishalongwiththefollowingletter:
DearFatherJonathan,
It is very important to have own
ChurchforLancasterOrthodoxcommuni
ty and for Lancaster Orthodox Church.
Theareaseemstobegood,manyRussian
and other Slavonic people live atMore
cambe area, I think you already know
someofthem.Wehope,youwillreceive
thisplace.Andplease,sendourloveand
greetingstoallattheLancasterOrthodox
Community.
InChrist,
Alla
~+~
Stella Christofi sendshergreetingsfrom
Cyprus!
HelloFather,
Hopemyemailfindsyouwell.Ijust
wanted to know how are you and how
ourbelovedchurchinLancasterisgoing.
Youareinourthoughts.
Today I went to a church with
Antoniaandtherewasapieceofclothof
Saint Nicholas Planas for the faithful. I
attach a photo for you, as you always
talkedtousaboutStNicholasPlanas.
Regards,
Stella

MAJORCELEBRATIONSTHIS
MONTH
st
1Nov
:StsCosmasandDamian,theHoly
Unmercenaries
th
8Nov:SynaxisofArchangelMichael&
GabrielandtheotherBodilessPowers
th
9Nov:St.Nectariosthewonderworker,
MetropolitanofPentapolis
th
10Nov:St.ArseniusofCappadocia
th
11Nov:St.MartinofTours(397)
th
13Nov:St.JohnChrysostom,
ArchbishopofConstantinople
th
14Nov:St.GregoryPalamas,
ArchbishopofThessalonica
th
15Nov:BeginningoftheNativityfast
th
16Nov:HolyApostleandEvangelist
Matthew
th
17Nov:St.Hilda,AbbessofWhitby
(680)
st
21Nov:TheEntryofourMostHoly
LadytheTheotokosintotheTemple
rd
23Nov:St.AlexanderNevsky

th
25Nov:GreatMartyrCatherineof
Alexandria
th
30Nov:HolyApostleAndrewthefirst
called

For the lives of Saints please visit the

CalendaroftheGreekOrthodoxArchdi
oceseofAmerica:www.calendar.goarch.org

ServicesduringNovember*
Sat.7th
10:00am HolyLiturgyinR.C.
Sat.14th
10:00am HolyLiturgyinR.C.
Sat.21st
10:00am HolyLiturgyinR.C.
Sun.29th

NoLiturgythisweek
*Helpsettingupthechurchisgreatlyappreciatedandstartsfrom9.15a.m.

Godcaresforeveryone.Despairisineffectalackoffaith
St.GeorgeKarslides

Forfurtherinformationpleasecontact:
FatherJonathanHemmings
67SibseyStr.,Fairfield,Lancaster,LA15DQ
Tel:+441524840759,+441524580600
Email:frjah@yahoo.co.uk
www.orthodoxlancaster.org.uk
www.antiochianorthodox.co.uk
ForOldStavronianblogsfollowthelinksinRomanianhereandinGreekhereandhere.

TopandbottomsketchesarecreatedattheHolyMonasteryofTheAnnunciationoftheTheotokosChios,Greece,courtesyofFrTheodosiosDendrinos,Ithaca,Greece.
ThesketchofChristbyPhotisKontoglouwasscannedfromtheOrthodoxcalendaroftheApostolikiDiakoniaoftheChurchofGreece.