Achoretos

epigram 3

2011-10-10T14:40:00.002-04:00

[L]iturgy serves no purpose outside itself.

-Robert Taft, S.J. "Eastern Presuppositions" and Western Liturgical Renewal

Ortho HumbleBrag #1

2011-10-06T13:41:00.002-04:00

crzy4met-n-ya
Wow, ttly lost my place on new 1,000-knot prayer rope. Guess that happens after u do Reader's All-Nite vigil! :P

epigram 2

2011-09-28T10:35:00.002-04:00

Anything worth doing, is worth doing slowly.

epigram 1

2011-09-19T10:16:00.004-04:00

"Something has fallen on us that falls very seldom on men; perhaps the worst thing that can fall on them. [...] We have found the truth; and the truth makes no sense.”

-'The Honour of Israel Gow', The Innocence of Fr. Brown. Chesterton, G. K.

Λειτουργία: A Modest Proposal

2011-02-03T11:06:00.007-05:00

The historical meaning given for the Greek word 'liturgy' is one of the most commonly made mistakes following the 20th cent. Liturgical Movement. The fashionable trope goes like this:

'Liturgy' means 'work of the people'.

This is wrong.

It is no more true than to say that the English 'cupboard' is ‘a plank of wood used as a drinking vessel’. Yes, 'cup' and 'board' individually have the meanings of 'drinking vessel' and 'plank of wood', and one can try to envision the compound word having the absurd meaning given above, but this would be a mistaken understanding.

What 'liturgy' actually meant to the Greek-speakers who chose to use it in the Scriptures was:

a public duty, which the richer citizens discharged at their own expense.*

Examples of a 'liturgy': a private citizen paying to build a theatre, throwing a public festival, or building a war ship. It was the act of one for the benefit of all.

This dramatically alters the meaning from the current popular, mistaken understanding. It is not what 'we do' all together, it is rather what One does for our benefit. This correct understanding is enshrined in the opening dialogue; this, from deacon to priest:

It is the time of the Lord to act. **

Thus, the One effecting the 'liturgy' is not the congregation in a 'work of the people' (neither is it a clericalistic performance piece), rather it is the Lord Who acts, for the benefit of all—the people then enter into His action.

The modest proposal:

Stop proliferating a false understanding of 'liturgy' as 'work of the people'.

If you hear someone mistakenly use this etymology, you may kindly direct them to this blog post.

I hope to post a follow-up to this and begin to engage the political child of 'work of the people': the obsession with 'active participation'.

*Liddell, Scott. An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon.

** Καιρός τοῦ ποιῆσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ.

Orthodoxkcd #2

2011-01-21T10:21:00.003-05:00

[Stolen from: http://xkcd.com/843/]

Orthodoxkcd [a.k.a shameless xkcd ripoff] #1

2011-01-21T10:15:00.003-05:00

[Stolen from: http://xkcd.com/849/]

Amateur Orthograph: the 'Discerning' American

2010-11-18T11:04:00.001-05:00

Beauty: Dignity and the Liturgy

2010-04-13T11:11:00.007-04:00

You must therefore take all the attention and care possible because dignity of the liturgy shines even in the smallest details in the form of true beauty. We must remember that those saints that lived poverty with particular ascetic commitment always desired that the most beautiful and precious objects be set apart for divine worship.

-Beauty in Each Aspect of the Liturgical Rite [unofficial NLM translation]

(cf. John 12:3-8)

photo: jordanville.org

Albion and the Dry Hem

2010-03-11T13:48:00.002-05:00

The indefatigable Aaron Taylor of Logismoi has announced a contest. This reference to said contest is one component of my participation--the other, is that I must posit an answer to the question: 'What is Albion's Error?' See the comments section at the contest post for my theory.

...μήποτε καὶ θεομάχοι εὑρεθῆτε

2009-02-13T11:21:00.005-05:00

I just discovered today that the teacher of St. Paul (yes, that St. Paul), Gamaliel, had converted to Christianity, and is in the Calendar of the Church.

Next August 2nd, remember the rabbi's Rabbi.

For more information on the discovery of the relics of St. Gamaliel and of his good friend, St. Nikodemos, go here.

In all honesty...

2008-07-15T08:38:00.001-04:00

I have no idea when/if I'll be posting--but I'm holding out in case I change my mind.

Coming Soon

2007-11-07T12:44:00.001-05:00

More to come...