Crumbs, Not Full Servings

I am Fr. Theodore Obraztsov, rector of St. Elizabeth of Russia Parish in Mount Vernon WA. I am most certainly the least of priests and in no way deserve a podcast or my own “show!” Albeit, these tidbits (crumbs) that come across my desk or enter into my peripheral, sometimes they are worth sharing and they may be, by some miracle, profitable to your walk in Christ.

I heard tell of a little boy who, with his friends enjoyed kicking around the waterfront of his city. The boys enjoyed watching the ships come in from all around the world. The youths did their best to stay out of the way of the sailors and workers. The boys would run around the beaches akin to boys playing together all around the world, most likely. Until they began their favorite game: Playing Church.

The one boy declared himself to be the Bishop and he assigned the other boys their ranks and then together they would act out the Divine Liturgy and other services of the Holy Orthodox Church. The young “bishop” carried out “baptisms” with precision, but he also instructed his friends in the Christian faith without fault!

One on-looker was amazed by what he saw and decided to bring the actual Bishop, Alexander of Alexandria Egypt, into awareness of this peculiar boy. Bishop Alexander took the boy under his wings and saw to it that he received a fine education as well as participating in church affairs. After awhile, the boy, now a young man of around 22, was ordained a deacon. Bishop Alexander made the boy his personal assistant and together they traveled to Nicaea and the historic first of seven ecumenical councils.

The boy was and would become St. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria.

So…this the plan for “Crumbs!” I give you a little bit of something to whet your appetite and you go and look into it more deeply. May God bless you in your pursuit of Theosis.

In Christ,

Fr. Theodore