Myrrh-streaming Iveron Icon of Hawaii Frederica Mathewes-Green 2016-07-23 | Subdeacon Nectarios, who lives in Hawaii, found this factory-made icon(a photo of an icon depicting the Theotokos of Iveron) streaming alight oil with a strong scent of roses (called myrrh). It began in2007. Many people have experienced healings after praying before theicon or being anointed with the oil.This video was shot Sunday, July 17, 2016 at Holy Cross Orthodox Churchin Linthicum, MD.
Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West Frederica Mathewes-Green 2022-11-14 | I have a new book! It examines the Scriptures and the theology of the Cross, East and West. Orthodox Christians have seen the Cross as a Victory over Death and the evil one, while Western Christians, while never denying that meaning, have had it overlaid with a theology of payment for our sins. That Christ's suffering and death were the perfect offering that won forgiveness of our sins. The cover demonstrates the contrast: the painting on the right (from Belgium around 1625) shows Christ dying in agony. "Every drop of blood pays for a sin." The 13th c. icon shows Christ victorious on the Cross, with the power to vanquish the devil and set mankind free. So the Cross is a good place to start, for people trying to understand the different views of the Scripture, in Orthodoxy and Western Christianity. "Two Views of the Cross" is a short book, inexpensive, and brings together all relevant Scriptures, showing how Orthodox theology fits together (something that can be hard for converts to figure out).
Effects of Prayer Frederica Mathewes-Green 2022-03-04 | (The subtitles aren't quite right--see the transcript below) Fr. Steve Mathewes, pastor of Christ the Savior Orthodox Church in Bluff City, TN, speaks about the effects of prayer, after a service for the suffering in Ukraine, 2022-2-28."…If we want to know the grace of God, we have to embrace even our enemies. And furthermore, we should remember the means [effect] prayer has upon us when we pray for others, when we pray for perpetrators of evil, when we pray for our enemies. Prayer is not something that we do merely to placate our own feelings. Prayer is not good vibes or happy thoughts. Prayer is electrifying through the cosmos and the spiritual realm, and terrifying to the demons. And if you find yourself doubting that, doubting that prayer at a time like this actually makes a difference, keep in mind, for those half a world away, the evil actions that they’re committing, if they’re bringing darkness to *your* soul—through anger, frustration, grief, worry, doubt--if they can have that effect on you, half a world away—you can have that effect on *them,* half a world away. By your prayers in the name of Christ the Lord. So let us pray, each of us, I mean it, every one of us on a daily basis, commit to prayer for the people of Ukraine, for the victims, for the perpetrators, for the church, for all those affected, that the Lord come speedily. "
2022 2 14 Peanut Brittle Frederica Mathewes-Green 2022-02-14 | On a last visit to clear out my grandparents' summer house (an old orange farm) I came across a favorite family prank. 1950s I think.
2021 Doxacon: Charles Dickens, MCU v LOTR, and Bees Frederica Mathewes-Green 2021-11-18 | Doxacon is a gathering of Orthodox Christians with an interest in fantasy, sci-fi, and gaming. This year they asked me to deliver the lay keynote (conference theme: "Making Virtuous Decisions in Fiction"), and I confessed that I don't know much about those popular forms of media. So we compromised. First, I speak about Charles Dickens, and how some non-virtuous personal decisions affected his life and his writing; then my son, Fr Steve Mathewes, relates the "virtuous decisions" question to some popular books, movies, and videogames. At the end I came back with a few thoughts about bees. Enjoy!
2021 2 14 Fr Stephen Mathewes Sermon Frederica Mathewes-Green 2021-02-25 | A powerful sermon by Fr. Stephen Mathewes, pastor of Christ the Savior Orthodox Church, Feb 14, 2021.
2020 Paschal Homily Frederica Mathewes-Green 2020-05-01 | The Paschal Homily (Easter sermon) of St. John Chrysostom (347-407 AD) is read every year at the Orthodox Pascha service, even in 2020 when most of us are "locked-down" at home. Fr Stephen Mathewes, pastor of Christ the Savior Orthodox Church in Bluff City, TN, delivers the sermon here.
On Live TV without a Clue Frederica Mathewes-Green 2020-04-22 | This is a live viewer-call-in political talk show. The show's producer asked me to come in and talk about my work with Common Ground for Life and Choice, which brought people from both sides of the abortion debate together for conversation. But when I was standing off the set waiting to go on, I heard the host say I was going to talk about common ground on Capital Hill, and how Republicans and Democrats were being encouraged to work together. I guess the producer had written "Common Ground" on the schedule without any more specific description, so that's what the hosts thought I was there to talk about. I knew ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about that topic. I don't really follow politics. But I had two seconds to walk onto the set, sit down, and fake it for 25 minutes! I wrote a column about how you sometimes see people on talk shows and think "That idiot there beside the potted plant, she has no idea what she's talking about. Well, that would be me. Here's the link to the column: http://frederica.com/writings/whos-that-idiot-next-to-the-potted-plant.html
Sermon for Lazarus Saturday, April 11, 2020 Frederica Mathewes-Green 2020-04-12 | Fr Stephen Mathewes, pastor of Christ the Savior Orthodox Church in Bluff City, TN, delivers a powerful sermon on the Raising of Lazarus, John 11:1-44.
News Odyssey Commentaries Frederica Mathewes-Green 2020-01-18 | In 1997-2000 I was a commentator on the Odyssey TV Network (it is now Hallmark). They had a weekly show about religion news, and I would write a commentary at home and email it for them to put up on the TelePrompter. Then I'd fly to Nashville one morning, where someone would pick me up at the airport and take me to the studio. There they'd put me in makeup, and I'd record the commentary, which was only a few minutes long. (I don't know if they still use something like a TelePRompter, but it was a screen that fit over the camera lens, so as I read the words I was looking into the camera.) In the afternoon I'd fly home again. This is a compilation of the commentaries I did over that time period, and it's an interesting mix. You'll see me gain weight and lose it again, try out different glasses and give up on contacts, and grow my hair out. I had learned to wear a sweater or jacket that provided something they could clip the mic to, with the mistake that when I went to record the Princess Diana one, I was wearing a jacket with a narrow black and white stripe, and it was "strobing" under the cameras--the lines appeared to vibrate. So I had to do that one with the jacket off, and felt so self-conscious about my extra-plump arms. Another thing that changes: while most of the pieces were shot in Nashville, some of them were recorded remotely, from a borrowed studio at CNN on Capital Hill. The longish piece on the Bill Clinton scandal was done there, and the other commentator with me was also wearing a red dress, something you really hope won't happen. One thing that seemed odd to me was that, when I wrote a commentary for NPR, the editor would go over it very closely and make lots of changes, like she was editing a magazine. But recording for television was different, and they were very hands-off, seeing it as my right to say whatever I wanted, as if it was a news event. (In fact, with a late commentary called "Squirrel," when I went to record it I found that the hosts and crew couldn't understand it, and I really wished they had given me some feedback ahead of time.) I have never figured out why those two similar media are so different in that way. Fun to see these clips again, and see what issues everybody was talking about (and what outfits we were wearing) at that time.
Problem - Solution Frederica Mathewes-Green 2019-10-23 | My 1952 house has one bathroom that has been left completely untouched--everything in it is vintage. I love it, except for the way the door of this mirror cabinet swings shut. I'm pleased with my solution.
Ron Rich and Guitar Coolness Frederica Mathewes-Green 2019-10-15 | Recorded Oct 4, 2019, at the home of Ron and Jennifer Rich in Portland, OR. Ron is a guitar aficionado (that word seems perfect) and a skilled player of gypsy jazz. Here he introduces me to his current collection of vintage and historic guitars.
I Love Geography Frederica Mathewes-Green 2018-04-21 | This is a song I learned in elementary school. I wanted to sing it for my grandson Mike, 11, who enjoys studying geography.
An Unexpected Guest Frederica Mathewes-Green 2017-08-27 | Warren Farha, founder of Eighth Day Books, was given the St. John of Damascus Award at a "Toast and Roast" July 26, 2017. Among those who showed up to praise him was an unexpected guest.
Entrance of Iveron Icon Frederica Mathewes-Green 2016-07-27 | My husband, Fr. Gregory, carries the miraculous Iveron icon of Hawaii into Holy Cross Church on Sunday July 10, 2016. We call this beautiful setting of "It is Truly Meet" the "Shenandoah" version.
Visit of the Myrrh-streaming Iveron Icon of Hawaii to Holy Cross Church Frederica Mathewes-Green 2016-07-18 | Subdeacon Nectarios, the keeper of the Myrrh-streaming Iveron icon of the Theotokos of Hawaii, visited Holy Cross Church (Linthicum, MD) with the icon on July 17, 2016. This is the ending of his talk. He had had the myrrh for years when he and his wife began to smell a strong floral scent in their home (October 2007). After awhile they realized it was coming from this icon, which had slipped down and was lying unseen, flat on top of a bookcase. It is not a hand-painted icon but a photo of an icon of the Theotokos of Iveron, laminated to a wooden plaque. When they found it, it was covered with a very fragrant liquid with the consistency of a light oil. The oil continued to flow for many years, beading up over the whole surface of the icon. It flows less often now but still does on occasion. Sdn Nectarios travels all over the world with this icon (in addition to holding down a full-time job at home in Hawaii, as a criminologist with the police department). Many miracles have happened when people where anointed with the oil, or even just touched the icon.
2016 Holy Saturday Frederica Mathewes-Green 2016-05-01 | April 30, 2016, Holy and Great Saturday, at Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Linthicum, MD. On this day every year, in the middle of the service, the priest walks through the congregation throwing laurel leaves. Athletes in ancient times were crowned with laurel branches, and this is a reminder of Christ's victory over death.
Some Useful Advice Frederica Mathewes-Green 2015-04-30 | Useful advice passed down for generations in Charleston, SC.
1993-4-11 Burke [Fr Mark] Vair Baptism Frederica Mathewes-Green 2015-04-13 | This video consists of excerpts from the Divine Liturgy at Holy Cross Orthodox Mission on April 11, 1993, Palm Sunday. It contains the baptism and chrismation of Burke Vair, now Fr Mark, as well as the Palm Procession.
1993-4 11 Holy Cross Palm Sunday Frederica Mathewes-Green 2015-03-18 | This video is of the Divine Liturgy, with baptism and chrismations, on Palm Sunday, April 11, 1993. It was the 8th Divine Liturgy of Holy Cross Orthodox Mission. 9-year-old Burke Vair [now Fr Mark Vair] was baptized, and four people were chrismated: his dad Doug Vair, Charles Wackerman, Gerard Bugge, and Mike Widmyer.
1993-4-4 Holy Cross Divine Liturgy Frederica Mathewes-Green 2015-03-18 | On April 4, 1993, Holy Cross Orthodox Mission gathered for the Divine Liturgy for the seventh time. It was St. Mary of Egypt Sunday in Great Lent. At that time we were meeting in the old 19th century rectory on the grounds of St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Catonsville, MD. Poor Steve had bad allergies that day.
Iconography at Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Linthicum, MD Frederica Mathewes-Green 2015-02-04 | This church building was constructed by the local Methodist congregation, and opened in 1911. After that it was used by Episcopalian, Baptist, and Korean Pentecostal congregations. We bought it in 1997. The iconography on the walls was begun by Seraphim O'Keefe in July 2012, and completed May 2014.
Fr Stephen & Khouria Jocelyn wedding Frederica Mathewes-Green 2014-06-13 | June 4, 2004, at Steve & Jocelyn's wedding reception. Steve surprises Joc with a little Ol' Blue Eyes rendition.
2014 Holy Week & Pascha Frederica Mathewes-Green 2014-04-26 | Holy Cross Orthodox ChurchLinthicum, MD
Happy Baby Frederica Mathewes-Green 2014-02-15 | Good for what ails you. One minute of laughing baby.
1989-9-8 C- SPAN Frederica Mathewes-Green 2013-12-24 | The first time I was on TV, it was a viewer call-in show on C-SPAN. Along with me was Nancy Piccione of the National Right to Life Committee. I knew so little about the media that, when the producer called and invited me on the show, I asked if I could do it from home; I thought it was a radio show. How I got started writing: When I became pro-life I still identified as a liberal/progressive, and was kind of snobbish about associating with conservatives. (I got over this in time, and saw how deeply good and humble they were; being socially despised is good for your humility.) The only organization I wanted anything to do with was Feminists for Life--a tiny group that was non-religious, feminist, and "consistent life" (anti-war, anti-euthanasia, anti-injustice, anti-capital punishment). Feminists for Life is much bigger and more professional now, but at the time it was pretty thin. (Consistent Life is another good group; they're at consistent-life.org.) In 1989 I volunteered to edit their tiny newsletter (circ. 2000) and learned that this made me a vice-president--and also that it was the first time they'd had an officer near a major city (Washington, DC). That July the Supreme Court Webster decision came down, and the FFL president told me to go there and try to get on TV; lots of news teams were set up on the Supreme Court steps. Well, that's how I started. I met pro-life leaders and had some great conversations, learned that they were not stupid and anti-woman (so many women leaders!). Pretty soon I was being invited to do speaking engagements, be interviewed, and to write about my cause. My first essay, "The Bitter Price of Choice" was reprinted all over the place, and got me more invitations to write, speak, and be interviewed. It just snowballed.I kept a running total all these years, and last time I counted it was:690 media interviews537 speaking engagements715 published essaysand 9 books -- the 10th is being edited and I hope we'll see it summer 2014.With time it wasn't only the pro-life issue I wrote about, but my Christian faith, the Orthodox Church, and all kinds of other things: humor, movie reviews, you name it. Meanwhile, over the course of the 90's the abortion controversy began to recede. It wasn't resolved, but the public got tired of hearing about it. I guess it was replaced by a new controversy, gay rights. Ironically, I think diminishing of attention has actually helped the pro-life cause; polling shows a consistent drift to the anti-abortion position, particularly among young people. (It's the only issue they're "conservative" about, though viewed from the anti-abortion side this is not so much conservative as a justice and human-rights issue.) I noticed when I was doing a lot of pro-life speaking the main argument against it was that pro-lifers were bad people, so there was a stigma against that position reinforced incessantly in the media. With the cooling-off, I think people have been able to let their natural ambivalence about abortion to surface; they don't have to block those thoughts for fear they're turning into one of those despicable pro-life idiots. They can actually listen to their hearts and admit what they've always known. Things are changing, but it's going to be slow because the Baby Boomers still control everything, and they find this change impossible to believe, so it doesn't make the news. But as I say in speeches sometimes, the good news is that one day all of the Baby Boomers are going to be dead. Then a younger generation can begin to deal with it more honestly.
1989-11-28 Evening Exchange Frederica Mathewes-Green 2013-12-24 | Kojo Nnamdi interviewed me and Eleanor Smeal about RU-486, on the WHUT show Evening Exchange. I kinda like the oversized glasses.
1990-1-22 March for Life Frederica Mathewes-Green 2013-12-24 | Nellie Gray introduces the pro-life leaders on stage at the March for Life, 1990.
1989-10-12 Prime Time Live Frederica Mathewes-Green 2013-12-23 | PrimeTime Live had been on the air only 2 months, when I was invited to be on set with Diane Sawyer and talk with Polly Bergen about abortion. 80's hair, woo hoo!
1990 4 28 ABC News Clip Frederica Mathewes-Green 2013-12-23 | April 28, 1990, Rally for LIfe on the Mall in Washington, DC. ABC Evening News interviewed the Mathewes-Green family at home and at the Rally.
Scooters Frederica Mathewes-Green 2013-10-10 | Ruthie and Lucas on their new scooters. What a view of the mountains, from Fr Steve & Kh Jocelyn's front door!
Adam Larkey Band Frederica Mathewes-Green 2013-10-09 | Last weekend (10/5/2013) I went to the Unicoi Apple Festival in Erwin, TN, with my son Fr. Steve Mathewes and grandkids Ruthie and Lucas. It was the first time I'd heard the Adam Larkey Band and was impressed by talent of the young man on the fiddle (he just turned 17). Then his little sister Sarah Grace began to sing. That's their proud dad on the bass, standing behind them.
Icon Restoration - St Alexander Nevsky Lavra Frederica Mathewes-Green 2013-08-09 | On a visit to Russia in July 2013, my husband, Fr. Gregory, and I went to St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra (Monastery) in St. Petersburg and had a guided tour of the icon restoration workshop. Icons have to coexist with smoke from candles and incense and get darkened over time, and over the course of centuries someone will decide to repaint on top of them. The Soviets destroyed many icons, too. There is a lot of work to be done to preserve and rescue icons.Our translator is Elena Morozova, a parishioner of our church, Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Linthicum, MD; she grew up in Moscow. Editing this I can hear how very tired she is. I didn't realize translating was so exhausting. At the UN, I'm told, they let a translators work 30 minutes at a time. Elena had been translating for us continually for days.
ConversiontoOdoxy1997 Frederica Mathewes-Green 2013-07-06 | In 1997, when my book "Facing East" was published, there were a number or news stories about conversions to the Orthodox Church. Here's a 5-minute TV interview video of worship at Holy Cross, right before our iconostasis was installed. That's Basil pulling on the bell rope.
