Homeland issued ‘extremism’ report despite objections

Napolitano apologizes to veterans offended by report

from the Washington Times

Homeland Security Department officials disregarded warnings from their internal civil liberties watchdogs before releasing a security assessment of “right-wing extremism” that had Secretary Janet Napolitano apologizing to veterans Thursday.

Read the whole thing here

Personally, I am not surprised at any of this.  I have seen this type of stuff coming down the tubes.  The erosion of religious liberty and really an even bigger erosion of our freedoms has been coming for a long time.

The DHS report simply confirmed that those who do not wish big government become the enemy when those who wish big government come into power.

Unfortunately, the republicans are not the party of small government anymore, they have failed, and I believe that it is time for a third party.  We have ceded too much responsibility to the central government.  However the reality is that big government never gets smaller.

We have now entered into Bright Week

Actually It started on Sunday…

The entire week is considered to be one continuous day, and the name of
each day of the week is called “Bright” (e.g., “Bright Monday”). Every
service during the week is completely different than at any other time
of the year. Everything in the services is sung joyfully rather than
read. Normally, the entire Psalter is read during the course of a week
(and twice a week during Great Lent), but during Bright Week no psalms
at all are read. Each of the Little Hours is replaced by a special
service known as the Paschal Hours.[3] The normal Prayers Before
Communion are replaced with the Paschal Canon. The hymns chanted every
day are identical to those chanted on the Sunday of Pascha, with the
exception of a few parts that are taken from the Octoechos (the “Book of
the Eight Tones”). Each day has a different tone assigned to it: Easter
Sunday is Tone One, Bright Monday is Tone Two, and so on through the
eight tones (skipping Tone Seven, the “Grave Tone”):

*    Sunday of Pascha (Tone One)
*    Bright Monday (Tone Two)
*    Bright Tuesday (Tone Three)
*    Bright Wednesday (Tone Four)
*    Bright Thursday (Tone Five)
*    Bright Friday (Tone Six)
*    Bright Saturday (Tone Eight)

During all of Bright Week the Holy Doors on the Iconostasis are kept
open—the only time of the year when this occurs. The open doors
represent the stone rolled away from the Tomb of Christ, and the
Epitaphios (Slavonic: Plashchanitza), representing the burial clothes,
is visible through them on the Holy Table (altar). The doors are closed
before the Ninth Hour on the eve of Thomas Sunday. However, the
Afterfeast of Pascha will continue until the eve of the Ascension. In
Bright Week the normal fasting rules are suspended, and the entire week
is fast-free, with special Paschal foods, such as pascha (a special dish
made of cheese, eggs and other products that were forbidden during Great
Lent), kulich and other easter breads being eaten every day. Red Easter
eggs are blessed at the end of the Paschal Vigil, and are eaten
throughout Bright Week (though some are usually reserved for Radonitza).
At the end of Vespers on the Sunday of Pascha there is a Cross
Procession three times around the church, at which the Icon of the
Resurrection and the Artos are carried. On the last circuit, there is a
reading from the Gospel and the priest sprinkles the faithful with holy
water. On Bright Monday through Bright Saturday, this Cross Procession
takes place in the same manner after Matins or the Divine Liturgy.

The Artos is a loaf of leavened bread that was blessed during the
Paschal Vigil, and is symbolic of the physical presence of the
Resurrected Christ among the Apostles. This Artos is kept in the church
during Bright Week, either in the nave, next to the Icon of the
Resurrection; in front of the Icon of Christ on the Iconostasis; or in
front of the Holy Doors. Throughout the week, whenever anyone enters the
church, he or she kisses the Artos, as a means of symbolically greeting
the resurrected Christ. On Bright Friday, in addition to the normal
Paschal hymns and the hymns from the Octoechos, special stichera and a
canon in honor of the Theotokos (Mother of God) are chanted in
commemoration of her Icon of the “Life-giving Spring.” On Bright
Saturday, after the Divine Liturgy, the priest says a prayer over the
Artos and it is broken up and distributed to the faithful. Bright Week
begins the liturgical season known as the Pentecostarion, the period of
fifty days which begins on Pascha and continues to Pentecost and its
afterfeast.[4] Every day throughout the coming year is dependent upon
the date of Pascha for determining both the Tone of the Week (Octoechos)
and the Epistle and Gospel readings.

The Easter Homily of St. John Chrysostom

If any man be devout and loveth God,

Let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast!

If any man be a wise servant,

Let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord.

If any have laboured long in fasting,

Let him how receive his recompense.

If any have wrought from the first hour,

Let him today receive his just reward.

If any have come at the third hour,

Let him with thankfulness keep the feast.

If any have arrived at the sixth hour,

Let him have no misgivings;

Because he shall in nowise be deprived therefore.

If any have delayed until the ninth hour,

Let him draw near, fearing nothing.

And if any have tarried even until the eleventh hour,

Let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness.

For the Lord, who is jealous of his honour,

Will accept the last even as the first.

He giveth rest unto him who cometh at the eleventh hour,

Even as unto him who hath wrought from the first hour.

And He showeth mercy upon the last,

And careth for the first;

And to the one He giveth,

And upon the other He bestoweth gifts.

And He both accepteth the deeds,

And welcometh the intention,

And honoureth the acts and praises the offering.

Wherefore, enter ye all into the joy of your Lord;

Receive your reward,

Both the first, and likewise the second.

You rich and poor together, hold high festival!

You sober and you heedless, honour the day!

Rejoice today, both you who have fasted

And you who have disregarded the fast.

The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously.

The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.

Enjoy ye all the feast of faith:

Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness.

Let no one bewail his poverty,

For the universal Kingdom has been revealed.

Let no one weep for his iniquities,

For pardon has shown forth from the grave.

Let no one fear death,

For the Saviour’s death has set us free.

He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it.

By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive.

He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh.

And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry:

Hell, said he, was embittered

When it encountered Thee in the lower regions.

It was embittered, for it was abolished.

It was embittered, for it was mocked.

It was embittered, for it was slain.

It was embittered, for it was overthrown.

It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains.

It took a body, and met God face to face.

It took earth, and encountered Heaven.

It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is thy sting?

O Hell, where is thy victory?

Christ is risen, and thou art overthrown!

Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!

Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!

Christ is risen, and life reigns!

Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave.

For Christ, being risen from the dead,

Is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be glory and dominion

Unto ages of ages.

Amen.

Wow…  What a season…

Now for the next 40 days we will be celebrating Easter, until the Ascension of our Lord.

One of my favorite parts of  Liturgy is when we get to sing the Hymn of the Ressurection.

click on the images to get a full sized Jpeg of the sheet music.

Having beheld the resurrection of Christ, let us bow to the holy Lord Jesus

Who alone is sinless, We bow to your cross, O Christ,

and we praise and glorify your holy Resurrection For you alone

are our God, and we know no other.

We call you by name

Come all you faithful, let us bow to the holy Resurrection of Christ,

for behold, through the Cross, joy has come to the whole world.

Always blessing the Lord, let us praise his Resurrection.

By enduring the Cross for us, he destoryed Death by death.

.

Another Hymn that is a favorite during this season is:

.

Again, click on the image to see the full size image

a

All You who have been baptized into Christ have have been clothed with Christ,

Alleluia!

All You who have been baptized into Christ have have been clothed with Christ,

Alleluia!

All You who have been baptized into Christ have have been clothed with Christ,

Alleluia!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever.  Amen.  Have been clothed with Christ.

Alleluia!

All You who have been baptized into Christ have have been clothed with Christ,

Alleluia!

Well today at dinner, our cat Sam, decided to jump on the table…  

And the candles were lit…

Well… You get the picture….

Burning hair stinks… 

really stinks

really really stinks…

He is ok…

One of the greatest treasures the Eastern Church has is it’s Chant.  I believe that the West has lost that tradition, in all but a very few places.  I give you a chant of “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.”  Chanted by a choir of seminarians from Eastern Europe.  Sadly the CD is out of production, for I would purchase it in a heartbeat if I could find it.  The MP3 is from a site which has permission to post it.  I cross post it here in hopes that it will enrich your Holy Saturday.

22-da-molcit-vsjakaja-plot_
Let all mortal flesh keep silence
and with fear and trem bling stand,
leaving all earth bound thoughts be hind.
For the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is coming to
be sacrificed and to give him – self as food to the
faithful.