When the Homily is about Immunology

Highlights

I'm a bit under the weather today, so I'll need to be brief for the moment...so some highlights:

• Meeting Rdr Nectarios and hearing all sort of neat stories about "old" (wink) Christian musicians I grew up with and at least one of their exposures to Orthodox through him.
  
• Meeting long time internet contact and reader of Paradosis, Scott (Hi Scott and Annette!)
• Hearing Father Joseph laud going to Liturgy at 4am by saying it allows you to enter into the Kingdom "before the world starts going crazy." (I really pondered that...and was encouraged by the fact that as I laid down last night to sleep, that the sisters would be up praying for the crazy world long before I joined it.)
• A personal account of the Holy Fire at the Holy Sepulchre.
• Should the Church be a hospital or a massage parlor? (I'm gonna blog on this one later)
• Innumerable Elders of Athos and Saint stories from the speaker who was able to rattle them off like the life of a party can jokes.
  
• Having a cold that forced me to talk much less than I'd normally would have. A blessing to many I am sure.
• Hearing a half dozens personal stories of "how I found the Orthodox Church." So much similarity, but always with a slightly different twist...encouraging.
  
• We are not responsible for thoughts that initially assualt us...and we need to learn to swat them away with all the attentiveness that we might give to a gnat landing on our nose.
• I'm not the only one to occassionally have bizarre and freakish thoughts during liturgy. (I think I knew this already, but it was nice to see everyone nodding as the speaker noted it)
  
• I was amazed at how young many of the sisters looked. Sister Ephremia told me that she figures about half of them (16 now) are converts...like herself.
• The "stand back and let the sisters pass" attitude of the men (we all stood in the back of the bus - ummm I mean nave) further convinced me that we are NOT a "sexist" Church.
• A book on Martyred Saint Tsar Lazar of Serbia. (Rade are you going to visit his Relics? Can you get me an little Icon? :) )
• Long and profitable (albeit raspy) conversations with my friend and Godfather of two of my kids during the nearly 8 hours of driving.
• The importance of earplugs. (Someone needs a C-Pap machine)
  
• Returning home encouraged to be a better Orthodox Christian.

More later...