27 November 2012. Our Great Russian Motherland. The Komandorsky Islands (photography by Vadim Gippenreiter)

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The Komandorsky Islands are located 175 kilometres (109 miles) east of the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, in the Bering Sea. They’re the isolated westernmost extension of the Aleutians (they’re separated from the rest of the chain by 333 kilometres (207 miles), and the native people here are Aleuts, the same as their relatives in Alaska. I’m told that Aleuts from Unalaska AK flew into Bering Island when HH blessed a church here… that wouldn’t be surprising… after all, Vladivostok is far closer to Unalaska than Syosset NY is…

The above photo of sea lions is by the famous Soviet-era photographer Vadim Gippenreiter.

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27 November 2012. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words… THIS is What Orthodoxy’s All About

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This is a Belarusian soldier lighting a candle at liturgy. That’s what Orthodox people do… we DON’T badger others, we DON’T preach at them, and we DON’T make absolute pests of ourselves with Nosey Parker meddling in other’s lives. We pray for them and give them genuine good will. We save our own souls, knowing that God will lead others as He sees fit… not as we think that He should. There’s a difference! Those who want to ape Evangelicals and their “Have you heard the Word of the Lord Today” rubbish are all wet. It’s good enough to pray for others and to be decent to all, believers and unbelievers alike. I’m not God… I don’t have omniscience… I doubt that you’re any different. Keep it focused… our first duty is to save our souls… not the souls of others. “Save your own soul and thousands will be saved about you”… St Serafim Sarovsky said that, and it’s as true today as when he said it in the 19th century. That’s why I don’t preach at others… and the older that I get, the more irritating such jumped-up frauds get for me. “Love God… and do as you will”. Think on that…

Let’s keep to our traditions… what’s ours is ours, and what’s theirs is theirs, and I think that everyone can say “Amen” to that…

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