I have been reading “Russian Orthodoxy on the Eve of Revolution” by Vera Shevzov recently. In the book she mentions that in pre-Communist Russia the parishioners generally preferred to beautifying their local churches to helping the poor (which was felt to be a job for village leaders). Thus, the priests often had to deliver sermons telling people that there were other important means of sacrificing for God and doing His work.

I think there needs to be a balance between the two things (obviously). On the one hand, if you attempt to aid every poor person before building a church, you’ll never build your church, and what’s more, without a church building, the faith will wither and after a generation there will be no one left to help the poor. On the other hand, a gold plated church that neglects the poor, the naked, the imprisoned, etc. is a “whitewashed tomb.” These two prerogatives need to be balanced in their concrete manifestation by prayer and the direction of the Holy Spirit. That said, I think in general today that Orthodoxy in America is so small, that our impact on charity in America can be only slight, but by building churches that can serve as a beacon to the future generations we can lay the groundwork for greater accomplishments later. So, I think that for now a slightly greater emphasis on church building than public charity is permissible, though of course, public charity must not be entirely neglected.

apropos of point three, does Hebrews 8:5, “they serve a shadow and copy of heavenly things” relate to the question of icons?

I felt very reluctant to read this post today, because just a few days ago I took down all the posters and pictures, gradated from and moving away from UT.

I was very generous with the thumb tacks these past two years and tacked up almost every memoir, picture or memorable scrap in addition to my little icon corner.
To give your note some representation: This time the room really did feel emptier and I was ever more thankful for the memories.

No, I didn’t have an unclad woman, but I couldn’t help but ponder about what he meant when you brought it up. It could be so many things: probably hormones, but maybe deeper it could even be a symbol of life and inner desire for love and unity in marriage - a symbol that had been mangled to the point of a scantily clad pin-up… We can’t procreate with our clothes on, however non-kosher that may sound.

Thank you for another impactful post!

He isn’t Orthodox. I hope this will help change his mind.

Father, your post brought to mind the photo of the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima. As a former Marine and proud US citizen this photo has layers upon layers of meaning, and sadly not all positive ones. But the photo seems to be part of our consciousness (at least I hope it is). As an extremely amateur aphotographer and former newspaper report I have seen how messages can be manipulated by and through images. Your advise is well taken, photos are not necessarily reality. Thank you Father for such an insightful and instructive posting.