Synaxis Study Group: St. Arsenios of Cappadocia: BLESSING-PSALTER (Selections)

Monday, July 8, 2013

St. Arsenios of Cappadocia: BLESSING-PSALTER (Selections)

Saint Arsenios used to use the Psalms for blessings, especialy when there was no prescribed blessing for a particular occasion. Here is the correspondence between the psalms and different occasions.

[NOTE: The FIRST number is the number of the psalm in the Greek Septuagint Bible. The SECOND number is the number of the psalm found in the Masoretic text and in most English language Bibles, such as the King James!]

HEALTH & HEALING

4 (4) So that God heals the sensitive people who fell ill from depression because of the behavior of hard-hearted people.

12 (13) For those who suffer from their liver.

18 (19) So that women give birth successfully.

27 (28) So that God heals those who suffer from illnesses of nervous or mental origin.

44 (45) For those who suffer from heart or kidneys.

85 (86) So that God saves the world when plague comes and people die.

97 (98) So that God gives comfort for those who are in sorrow so that they stop being depressed.

125 (126) So that God cures the people who suffer from continual headaches.

FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS

18 (19) So that women give birth successfully.

43 (44) So that God reveals the truth to couples when there has been a misunderstanding, so that they come into mutual peace and love again.

65 (66) So that the evil one does not bring obstacles in the homes and cause families to be in sorrow.

76 (77) When there is no mutual understanding between parents and children, that God illumines them, so that the children listen to the parents and the parents show love.

116 (117) So that families keep unity and love and glorify God.

126 (127) So that God brings peace to a family when there are arguments.

FAITH & LIFE

1 (1) When a tree or a vine is planted, so that it may bring forth fruit.

2 (2) So that God illumines those who go to meetings and councils.

24 (25) For people who temptation troubles a lot and so brings continual problems into their lives, making them lose their peace and complain.

80 (81) So that God takes care of the poor who are in need and sorrow and are depressed because of poverty.

91 (92) So that God gives prudence to people so that they progress spiritually.

97 (98) So that God gives comfort for those who are in sorrow so that they stop being depressed.

134 (135) So that people concentrate at the time of prayer and their mind is united with God.

149 (149) From gratefulness and thankfulness to God for His many kindnesses and for the plenitude of His love, that knows no limit and bears with us.

For the complete Blessing Psalter go to: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/arsenios.asp

The Life of Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia written by Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain: http://www.amazon.com/Saint-Arsenios-Cappadocian-Elder-Patsois/dp/B000XQPIXA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373383921&sr=8-1&keywords=Arsenios+Cappadocia

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Synaxis Manifesto

4 Pillars of Synaxis
1) We gather because the Spirit of God brings the Word of God to us.
2) We gather because we are authentically human when in relationship with each other.
3) We gather to discuss the words of the Holy Fathers and Mothers because our relationship with them transcends time, space, and death itself.
4) We gather to celebrate the greatest gift that God has given us- the Other: God, neighbor, and our ancestors.

4 Canons of Synaxis
1) Synaxis is for everyone.
2) Synaxis has the text as teacher and the group as moderator.
3) Synaxis reads texts that are Orthodox Christian Classics which are any text that is written by an Orthodox Christian and is both loved by the Church and doctrinally formative.
4) Synaxis is organized by its elder members whose sole responsibility is to arrange a convenient time and place and to select and distribute the readings.

4 Foundations of Synaxis
1) Works of the Apostolic Fathers and Apologists (Particularly St. Iraneaos’ Against Heresies for its dogmatic, anthropological, and soterlogical significance).
2) The Works of St. Athanasios (Particularly On the Incarnation and the Life of St. Antony).
3) The Works of the Cappadocians (Particularly the Orations of the Theologian which were considered by the Church as Second Scriptures, the Letters of St. Basil together with his defense of the Holy Spirit, and St. Gregory Nyssa’s Catechism).
4) St. Maximos the Confessor.

Thy Kingdom Come...

The Messiah, this King, this new David, Himself, the expected Royalty, came and founded His kingdom, the Church, inaugurating it on the day of Pentecost through the descent of the Holy Spirit… At that moment the Church was born, the new Israel of God, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people”, a people dedicated to God. The event of Pentecost is not limited in time, however, but is an eschatological experience of the believer, daily living the life of Christ in the Church. So when we speak of the Church, we refer to an eschatological event, a permanent Pentecost.
-Archimandrite Aimilianos