The following message was published via Fr. Demetri Carellas' email chain this past August, around the Feast of the Theotokos' Dormition. While it was written a number of months ago, readers will find it just as timely today. Indeed, the world and its corrupt powers seem insistent on booster shots and hyping up a new variant of COVID. So at his request, Orthodox Ethos is now sharing this appeal from Fr. Demetri. We encourage you to sign up to his emailing list to receive spiritual nourishment every day. Orthodox Agape

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

I greet you, and each member of your family, in the never-ending JOY of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

We are truly in perilous times! Never would I have believed that my country would have changed - so dramatically, and be so devoid of Christ - in such a short time. However, what we are seeing are the fruits of what has been going on for at least three generations. In the past 60 years, we have been moving - day-by-day - further away from the Gospel of Jesus: We have legally murdered 62 million pre-born babies since the demonic SCOTUS decision 01/22/1973; tax payer dollars are being used by the University of Pittsburgh (and others) to do experiments on organ tissues derived, while they are still alive, from aborted babies as old as 27 weeks; the LGBTQIA movement now has a month (the so-called “marriage” month of June) dedicated to them, and you can be fired from your job by simply stating that you do not agree with their philosophy; same-sex marriages, transgenderism, surrogate mothering, allowing same sex couples to adopt children, are all working to destroy the second most important thing in the foundation of any healthy, Christian society (the 1st being the presence of Jesus Christ and His Gospel) — the traditional GOD-established family unit; and even individual personhood is being fragmented into multiple pieces. No longer do we simply have the God-established two genders, male and female. Now there is “gender fluidity,” which has created hundreds of new genders (You are free to create your own!); and you can use whichever pronoun (There are a couple of new ones being “tested.") that you feel best describes your identity! One professor at an Ivy League school recently told his students to call him, “there” (or was it “their!).

Finally, our government, big business, universities and the media are constantly trying to force everyone to take a “vaccine,” (all of which currently being used in this country have a connection with an abortive fetal line) for a virus whose overall mortality rate is less than the flu. And those college students under 25, who’s mortality rate is 0.002% (statistically zero) are being told that must be vaccinated in order to attend class. Thousands of people have died from taking the vaccine (over 12,000 as of the end of July, according to the VAERS figures provided by the CDC) and hundreds of thousands have had adverse reactions, over 50,000 of which are seriously, and often permanently, debilitating. And there are non-vaccine methods of protection and healing against this virus that have been blocked by the government for use. Please go to the website of Americas Front Line Doctors (https://americasfrontlinedoctors.org) to get all the proof you need for my comments.

This is all madness! This is all demonic! This is all devoid of the presence of the Gospel message of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ. And we Orthodox Christians, being the guardians of God’s Truth that has been passed down, through Apostolic Succession, are the most accountable before Christ. In March of 2020, we listened to the lies of the government, some scientists and main-stream media: that millions would die in the USA in a matter of months. And we closed down our churches. Then, we opened them with severely imposed restrictions, some of which were not canonical — to say the least.

Now we are being told that another lockdown is coming in the Fall, along with the first (and, most certainly, not the last), “booster shot” (Actually, the first booster has just been made available.). Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, we cannot allow “Mammon” to curtail our worship ever again! Our churches must remain open, even more services need to be done in every church, and what goes on inside our churches must return to what GOD expects to be taking place. There can be no more restrictions, or changes, allowed to occur within our Godly worship — absolutely none! Next to the risen Christ Himself, the evil one hates the Divine Liturgy. Therefore, the more Holy Liturgies we offer in our churches, the more we help, not only ourselves and our loved-ones, but also the entire world’s population, and the planet itself, to resist the demonic attacks, with which the evil one constantly assails us.

O most dear Orthodox brethren, it is now well beyond our human capabilities to establish a tenacious, uncompromising Christ-like presence within our society. You and I need to be on our knees, daily, and beg our Most Sweet Lord Jesus to bless us with tears of repentance for not crying out to Him — years ago. He would have certainly given us His Grace, to have prevented what is now occurring. However, we are so weak in our faith, that we have allowed fallen human rationalism to dominate out words and actions. Therefore, we desperately need an intercessor to plead for us before the throne of our Lord Jesus. And He Himself has given us that unique intercessor: “Behold, thy Mother” [John 19:27]. Our holy Church Fathers explain that this action by our Lord, shortly before He died for us, was the giving of His Mother to us. Our Most Beloved Panaghia is, indeed: the Mother of our Life, the Mother of our Church, the Mother of us all!

At the end of our weekly Orthodox fellowship last evening, we offered the Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos in Honor of Her Dormition. Then, we all fell to our knees; and I offered the long, Spirit-filled prayer that is at the end of that Akathist. Later that evening, I read carefully through that beautiful service. Permit me, please, to share - from various parts of the text - some of the words with you:

Rejoice, thou who savest those who call upon thy name with faith!
Rejoice, thou who art compassionate and merciful unto mankind!
Rejoice, thou who offer the supplications of the faithful to thy Son and God!
Rejoice, thou who dost continually intercede for all before the throne of thy Son and God!
Rejoice, O intercessor given by God for the human race!
Rejoice, O Mother of the God of all, who dost comfort tormented souls!
Rejoice, O joyful one, who in thy Dormition hast not forsaken us!

How blessed are we, who follow the new calendar, that the Holy Dormition falls on a Sunday this year! So many more souls will be able to come to the Holy Liturgy to honor our Panaghia’s “falling asleep.” And I humbly entreat all those following the traditional calendar to join with us in spirit this Sunday.

I have another request, however (no matter which church calendar you follow), and I entreat you to consider joining with me. God willing, tomorrow afternoon (the eve of the Feast), I plan to fall on my knees before the Holy Iviron (of Hawaii) Ikon of the Theotokos. And with my prayer rope, offer to our Holy Lady 300 times: Most Holy Theotokos save us! Then, begging Panaghia to forgive me for my filth and my weak faith, I will offer my personal prayer for her to beg Jesus to deliver us from this ungodly, faithless condition in which we find ourselves.

Brothers and sisters, there are 2652 of you, with whom I have the honor to share daily Patristic teachings. Please consider joining with me, and asking others not on my list to join with you as well. Personally, I hope to begin my plea to our Holy Lady around 3 PM — the time our Lord Jesus gave up His spirit for each one of us. However, you need to find the time that is best for you; and please get as many of your family members as you can to join with you.

I believe, with all of my heart, that our Most Beloved Panaghia will take our humble prayer-offerings to Christ. And our Lord will never say no, to our Panaghia! If, however, our Lady chooses to delay the presenting of our prayers, then I know that this is presently what is best. Nevertheless, our prayers will NOT be in vain. Never! Perhaps, one of the fruits of them will be that Panaghia will unite our hearts to one another; and assure us that she will always keep us under her divine, Holy Protection.

O my Most Beloved Panaghia! I love you so much! Bless everyone who reads my poor words. Heal us and deliver us from the demonic passions that bind us!

Most Holy Theotokos save us!

Your unworthy servant,

sinful priest, +Demetrio