Die Schreiben von Schreiber

A bit of pious opinion. But first, a story! It was Thursday evening and we were in the living room watching TV when Lucas, my 9 year old nearly-nonverbal son with Down syndrome quickly turned to me as if prompted and said "Dad! DAD!  Gramma!" "You want to call Gramma and Grampa?" "Yes." "Why don't we call them on the weekend? It's late, they're an hour ahead of us, so it's later there. Wait and we'll call them this weekend." He sat back down on the couch and seemed to be Ok with that answer, but a few minutes later he sprang back up and said, kind of urgently, "DAD! Gramma!" We were only watching TV, so I stopped the show we were watching and we got a phone which I dialed for him. They answered, and he babbled away to them about sundry things we couldn't really decipher. He, thinking ALL phones work like smart phones on video calls, walked around the house and pointed the cordless handset at the variou...

If we could get the right people elected, if we could get the right laws passed... This is looking in the wrong place, for the wrong answer. Jesus said there will always be poor people, and that we should help them. He did not say we should pass laws so that we don't have to get our hands dirty dealing with the poor ourselves, nor did He say that we should MAKE other people help them by force of government. It is for us to do. Jesus asked, "When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith?" Seemingly rhetorically telling us that things are going to get tough. He said we must take up our cross, an implement of torturous death, and follow Him. He did not say "things are looking up! It's only gonna get better from here!" Helping the poor, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, burying the dead, these are the lot of Christians while at the same time suffering and persecution are the reward. Or do we think we deserve better than what they did to our God...

1. What are the impulses or inspirations that have led me to consider embracing “monastic” values while continuing to live and work “in the world”? I don't think I can cite a single inspiration or a time that I began to feel a draw towards a life of prayer and closeness to God. Rather it has been with me for quite some time now. Maybe it was begun by my father saying a bedtime prayer with me as a young child, but I have long felt an impulse for a life of prayer and drawing near to God. It's only grown stronger with time. It is ironic, because I was raised Lutheran, and Luther had little use for monastics. He famously said in a sermon that the barmaid does more and greater good works, and he would trust her more when she unloads a cart of supplies for her tavern, than if all the Carthusian monks were to kill themselves with all their singing. Luther was not lukewarm on the subject, and so neither are the Lutherans in general. For my desire to lead a quiet, separa...

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." Therefore if someone or something is attempting to give you a spirit of fear, it is not of God, but the devil, and should be avoided and actively resisted by the people of God. I'm not talking about sudden fear that is a natural response to stimulus perceived as danger. If a Semi tractor-trailer starts to drift into your lane, there's going be fear! And that's a good thing! But it's a momentary thing arising from the accident of our circumstances. What I am talking about is the "steady state" of fear to which so many things around us actively and intentionally contribute. It's a means to control us. If we constantly fear this thing and those people, we're very suggestible, and if our fear leads us to hate or mistrust our fellow man, we are very controllable. Measles, the wall, immigrants, the flu, the "carava...

The Angel Gabriel came to the Virgin Mary and said "Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη!" "Greetings O Favored One" says the ESV in Luke 1:28. The second Greek word [pronounced ke-char-ih-toe-MEH-nee] is a little deeper than that, tho. "O Favored One" seems like the Angel is using a nice descriptive term to politely address the Virgin; a few words to tell her that God thinks she's cool. But the word is a verb in the perfect tense, which denotes completeness. The mood is participle, which allows it to act as an adjective. My amateur armchair Greek translation would be something like "Greetings to you who are highly-favored by and filled with the grace of God because of your receptivity to Him." This is no ordinary woman! Because she was raised in the Temple (like Samuel), because she was humble and spent her life learning the Hebrew Scriptures, because she loved God, she was already filled with grace. This is why the Archangel Gabriel, who stands ...

On the veneration of Mary and the Saints Part 1 - Praise travels uphill: My parents visited me a few weeks ago and on that Sunday they went with me to church. They met some of my new friends, one of whom especially said some really nice things about me and closed with "of course, that's all a reflection on you and is to your credit." And I thought "what a great explanation of veneration of Mary and all the saints!" God is glorified in His saints, and the great things we say about them are *because of Him* and therefore praise of Him, ultimately. We call Mary Mother of God because of her Son. We call her "More Honorable than the Cherubim" etc because those bodiless powers serve God and He rides/sits on the Cherubim, but He lived inside and took flesh  from Mary. We could go on and on, and the Church does in the daily honoring of Her saints with hymns. Reading these short daily verses, you can see that the honor given the Saints is due t...

In the Spring of 2017 I made my first Pilgrimage: I visited an Orthodox Monastery. Here are my recollections of the weekend as I recorded them the day I returned: I was blessed with holy oil from a myrh-streaming icon on Mount Athos. I prayed more than ever in my life. I had a bird teach me about the Jesus prayer. I read three books, and as much as I could, I participated in, or more accurately, was swept along, in prayer hours and Divine Liturgy. I was ready to die. I longed for it. But not in a morbid way. It was so calming and peaceful, and all that I saw, read, prayed, and participated in made me feel that I just wanted to depart and be with the Lord. I was calmly confident in it, looking forward to it. When Father showed me the wood shop and told me that caskets for the cemetery were made there, I had to stop myself from asking him to make me one. Don't know if that makes sense, but it's how I felt, and it felt good. And about the bird: Saturday night as I...

I killed a man. He was a good man. Well, he would have been had I not snuffed out the light in his eyes. He was on track to be a saint; a decent man, on about Jesus all the time and how he wanted to "be perfect" as he says Jesus told him to be. He wasn't terrible to be around, just one of those "mildly annoying" Christians. And for no good reason, I killed him. You see, we were driving one day, and when we got off the freeway there was a guy standing on the side of the road begging. Our would-be saint said we should give him some cash, but I said "nah, he looks like the same guy that was here last time. He's probablty scamming." And I killed our would-be saint over a couple bucks. I do it over and over. I kill again and again. Every time I stop from helping someone out, every time I pass judgement instead of give alms, every kind word unsaid, all my sin kills again the saint that God desires me to be. The good man is put to death and the scoundre...

In Lesson Two in "Steps Toward Oblation," these thought provoking questions are asked. Warning: some of this is deep, and some of this reveals my hypocrisy and wretched sin. I hope we can still be friends!  ;-) 1. Am I ready to let God take control of my life? Are there areas in which I would prefer to hold onto the illusion of self-determination?  Of course not! Wretched man that I am, I fight for control almost every moment. Only with concentration and intent do I ever come close to loosening my death grip of my own so-called "control" of my life. I have to remember that God is with us, that He loves me. The morning prayer of St. Philaret helps me, especially when I pray  "Teach me to treat all that comes to me  throughout the day with peace of soul,  and with the firm conviction that Thy will governs all.  [...]  In unforeseen events, let me not forget  that all are sent by Thee." So I say "yes" anyway. I say "yes" kno...

• Mary, like Samuel, was born to aging, childless parents as an answer to prayer. • Mary, like Samuel, was dedicated to God from her youth by her parents. • Mary, like Samuel, was taken to the Temple at three years old, where she lived until her betrothal to Joseph at 12 or 13 years old. • Mary conversed with the Archangel Gabriel. • Mary was overshadowed by God the Holy Spirit. • Mary lent her flesh and blood to create God's incarnate body; He who created everything there is. • Mary contained God in her womb; Him whom the entire cosmos cannot contain. • Mary gave birth to God; He who gives life to every living thing. • Mary nursed God at her breast; Him who nourishes all creation. • Mary changed God's diaper and bathed Him; He who cleanses us that we may be whiter than snow. • Mary taught God to walk; He who calls us to and leads us on the path of righteousness and Whose Spirit leads us in the land of uprightness. • Mary taught God to speak; The Word m...

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5 “In humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Philippians 2 Inspired by Father Barnabas Powell, St. Macarius the Great, and, of course, the Scriptures, I offer this encouragement to my fellow Christians as a sort of “Lenten Challenge.” Ash Wednesday is this week, March 6, for Western Christians, and the first day of Lent for Eastern Christians is Monday, March 11. Lent, as you know, is a time of repentance and preparation for the events of Holy Week and, ultimately,  Easter or Pascha. Traditionally, whether Eastern or Western, Christians have utilized certain tools to aid them in their repentant preparation: Fasting, Prayer, and Alms-giving. However, the fathers of the church have said that observing a fast to the strict letter of the law is worthless if we still harbor anger, resentment, and other vices when it comes t...

As you may know, this novitiate year includes a booklet of 12 monthly lessons for me to read and they conclude with a few questions for me to reflect on.  I answer the questions and send them to my mentor. Here is lesson one: 1. How might Benedictine discipline positively influence my life? How might it challenge me? By commitment to prayer, the Scriptures, and learning and living by the Holy Rule, I hope my life will be positively influenced by being placed within this framework that is designed to help me “prefer nothing to Christ.” Being a “family man” in the world, I pray that any advancement God would grant would radiate out from me and enrich the lives of those around me, as Saint Saraphim famously said; “Acquire the Spirit of Peace and a thousand souls around you will be saved.” I hope to acquire that Spirit of Peace that God might use me to encourage others; my family, coworkers, and everyone I meet. How might it challenge me? Three to six hours of football, or se...

As a novice oblate, I was given the Medal of Saint Benedict. The medal was blessed or consecrated with a prayer asking God to remember those who wear the medal with the intent of charity and faith, that He would grant them aid in conducting such charity, including health and strength and forgiveness of sins. The medal is worn the same way and for similar reasons as we Orthodox Christians wear our baptismal crosses. It is a devotional act and a reminder to us that we set our minds on things above.  The medal, like the cross, is not merely a piece of fashion jewelry, and on the other hand, it is not a magical talisman or good-luck-charm. Neither of these are Christian attitudes. A friend asked me "what? No cassock?" after my vows. I held up the medal and said: "this is my cassock." I think that's a pretty good way to think of it.  As with vestments, which are donned and worn with intent, which also signify to others something about the wearer, so the medal i...

Tonight, 2/2/2019, at Vespers for the Synaxis of the Righteous God-receiver Simeon and Holy Prophetess Anna, I made a vow. The vow was to initiate my first year as a Novice Oblate of St. Benedict, administered by and with the blessing of my Priest and spiritual father. What does that mean?  Oblates are lay persons or clergy living and serving Christ in the world, who wish to model their lives on the Rule of Saint Benedict, in affiliation with a monastic community. Oblates are sometimes known as "third-order monastics." At the conclusion of the rite, I became "Brother Arsenios of the Benedictine Fellowship of Saint Laurence." Essentially, I will commit to prayer, "Lectio Divina" or meditative Scripture reading, and to study and live by the Rule of Saint Benedict. During the first year, the Novice year, I will be assigned a mentor and will go through a sort of study program where I will complete a brief lesson each month and answer some question...