May 29, 2013, marked the 560th anniversary, according to the new calendar, of the fall
of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks and thus ushering in centuries of
persecution and martyrdom for thousands of Orthodox Christians under
the Turkish Yoke.
Greeks and Latins alike, crowded into the great
church to pray together for their deliverance. Common fear and common
danger worked more of a wonder than all the councils of the church.
Orthodox bishops, priests and monks who had loudly protested that they
would never again set foot in their cathedral until it had been purged
of the Roman pollution, now came to the altar to join their Catholic
brethren in the holy liturgy.
Among the celebrants was Cardinal Isidore, whom many of the
faithful had branded a traitor and a heretic. The Emperor Constantine
came to pray and to ask forgiveness and remission of his sins from every
bishop present before receiving communion at the altar. The priest who
gave him the sacrament cannot have known that he was administering the
last rites to the last Christian Emperor of the Romans.
The greatest mystery:
ReplyDeleteWhy does God allow the phony religion of Islam to grow and spread? So many innocent Christians continue to be butchered.....
I guess the fall of man simply has enormous consequences.
ReplyDeleteOh, no! Anonymus don't tell me you're so backwards as the politician who blamed birth defects on sin!!??
ReplyDeleteJOKING.
You are right.
And the not so great mystery:
ReplyDeleteWhy does God allow the phony religion of Islam to grow and spread? So many innocent Christians continue to be butchered....
Oops, should be:
ReplyDeleteAnd the not so great mystery:
Why does man allow the phony religion of Islam to grow and spread? So many innocent Christians continue to be butchered.
In fairness, however, Islam butchers innocent Muslims as well.