The Lord Who, on Mt. Sinai, commanded by His Fifth Commandment: “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12), showed by His own example how one should respect one’s parent. Hanging on the Cross in agony, He remembered His mother and indicating to the Apostle John, said to her: “Woman behold your son” (St. John 19:26). After that, He said to John: “Behold your mother” (St. John 19:27). And so providing for His mother, He breathed His last. John had a home on Zion in Jerusalem in which the Theotokos settled and remained there to live out the end of her days on earth. By her prayers, gentle counsels, meekness and patience, she greatly assisted the apostles of her Son.

Primarily, she spent her entire time in Jerusalem often visiting those places which reminded her of the great events and of the great works of her Son. She especially visited Golgotha, Bethlehem and the Mount of Olives. Of her distant journeys, her visit to St. Ignatius the Theophorus [God-bearer] in Antioch is mentioned, as well as her visit to Lazarus (whom our Lord resurrected on the fourth day), the Bishop of Cyprus, her visit to the Holy Mountain [Athos] which she blessed and her stay in Ephesus with St. John the Evangelist [The Theologian] during the time of the great persecution of Christians in Jerusalem. In her old age, she often prayed to the Lord and her God on the Mount of Olives, the site of His Ascension, that He take her from this world as soon as possible. On one occasion, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and revealed to her that within three days she will find repose. The angel gave her a palm-branch to be carried at the time of her funeral procession. She returned to her home with great joy, desiring in her heart once more to see in this life, all of the apostles of Christ. The Lord fulfilled her wish and all of the apostles, borne by angels in the clouds, gathered at the same time at the home of John on Zion. With great rejoicing, she saw the holy apostles, encouraged them, counseled them and comforted them. Following that, she peacefully gave up her soul to God without any pain or physical illness.

The apostles took the coffin with her body from which an aromatic fragrance emitted and, in the company of many Christians, bore it to the Garden of Gethsemane to the sepulchre of [her parents], Saints Joachim and Anna. By God’s Providence, they were concealed from the evil Jews by a cloud. Anthony, a Jewish priest, grabbed the coffin with his hands with the intention of overturning it but, at that moment, an angel of God severed both his hands. He then cried out to the apostles for help and was healed since declaring his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Thomas was absent, again according to God’s Providence, in order that a new and all-glorious mystery of the Holy Theotokos would again be revealed. On the third day, Thomas arrived and desired to venerate [kiss] the body of the Holy All-pure one. But when the apostles opened the sepulchre, they found only the winding sheet and the body was not in the tomb. That evening, the Theotokos appeared to the apostles surrounded by a myriad of angels and said to them: “Rejoice, I will be with you always”. It is not exactly known how old the Theotokos was at the time of her Falling Asleep but the overwhelming opinion is that she was over sixty years of age.

There aren’t many situations in which it’s good to be called a fool —  except in one little-known category of the Orthodox spiritual tradition: The fool for Christ. This is exactly the sort of strange yet thoroughly Orthodox figure that inspired the producers of the 2006 film “The Island” (directed by Pavel Lungin).

The film takes place during the later years of the Soviet Union in a remote Russian monastery — a setting that encapsulates the film’s prophetic strength. It is completely foreign, a world so unlike the one we see on an average sitcom. But, at the same time, it is not completely other. The medieval fool, so easy to dismiss as a phantom of different times, is reborn in a world that is, in fact, quite modern. The message is obvious: This man’s spiritual journey is ours as well.

This event has been well received and very enjoyable to those who have attended in the past.

By Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov

The Church is the Body of Christ, and just as Christ united in Himself human and heavenly nature, in the Church the heavenly is united with the earthly. The Church is not only comprised of apostles, saints, and holy monks, but also of us—exactly in as much as we submit our earthly selves to the heavenly—”I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20); in as much as we live in Christ. As the Lord builds His Heavenly Church through the saints, He builds the Earthly Church through us.

In the Old Testament times, God gave His people commandments by which they could live righteous lives that were pleasing to God. One of the commandments was a law about tithing. Having received earthly blessings, the people of God gave the first and best—a tenth of all they had—for the upkeep of God’s Temple. The Temple of the Lord was magnificent and the services went on without ceasing.

Now that we no longer live under the law; we are not required to fulfill the Old Testament commandments: we don’t have to eat kosher foods, nor are we forced to tithe ten percent of our income. But Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). That is, He came to fulfill with everything perfect and good; and now it is not the fulfillment of commandments that God requires of His people, but holiness: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). It is no longer “an eye for an eye,” but “love” (Matt. 22:39); no longer “give ten percent”, but “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me ” (Matt. 25:40).

From the very beginning, the time of the holy apostles, the Church of Christ has cared for orphans, fed the hungry, cared for the needy, sent missionaries to those people who had not yet heard the Gospel: to the Romans and Galatians, to the Jews and Greeks, to the Franks and Slavs. And what churches were built! How the people cared for the House of God! And how they loved the Church services!

Sadly, nowadays not very many Orthodox Christian communities can care for the poor, send missionaries, or even hold daily services to the One Who continually cares for us. The priests and deacons who serve in the Holy Altar are forced to leave God’s services and, in violation of canon law, obtain secular employment in order to feed themselves and their families. The Church is now standing with an outstretched hand, begging Christians (!) to give to God’s temple at least a small part of what rightfully belongs to Him.

We are not required to bring a tenth of our income to the Church; we can bring twenty, thirty, or even one-hundred percent, as did the poor widow (Mark 12:42-43). But we can start with a small step. We can at least bring as much as the Old Testament Hebrews, at least the ten percent that rightly belongs to God and not us. But if we don’t have as much zeal for the temple of God as the Old Testament people had, then the Lord will accept and bless even seven or five percent or any other amount offered with a pure heart. We must begin somewhere!

Please feel free to drop in for a chat and a cup of coffee or tea.

No appointment is necessary.

Fr. Martin commented that, “The property is a blessing as the new church built there will be both visible and accessible  to literally thousands of people every day, and will serve as a beacon attracting people to Orthodoxy.”  Father said, “This is a historical moment for the parish, as it is more than just the groundwork for a new building. It is an opportunity for St. Basil’s Church to more assertively fulfill the Great Commission given to us by our Lord, Himself .”(Mt. 28:19)

The property is located just west of the intersection of Interstate 270 (the outer beltway around St. Louis) and Dougherty Ferry Road, in the city of Des Peres. This parcel of land, which is part of a larger 11 acre tract, offers easy access from virtually any location in the St. Louis metropolitan area.  Mr. John Surgant, who was instrumental in helping to identify and secure this location said “It really gives parishioners and visitors about a 20 minute commute from almost anywhere in the metroplex. Even our parishioners from Illinois can enjoy the convenience of using the east/west Interstates 64 (to the north of the property), or 44 (to the south), exiting at Dougherty Ferry Road from either direction.” 

Mr. Mike Orlando, President of the parish council, indicated that this contract launches several due diligence activities including property survey, title insurance review, and environmental analysis. “While several months are allocated by contract for these activities, we are optomistic that we will not need that much time. We will also need to secure approval of a site plan and architectural drawings from the city of Des Peres, but we are not expecting any surprises there.”

Stay tuned for future announcements on the web site, and articles in the monthly newsletter with property photos and descriptions.