In response to questions concerning the official position of the Metropolis, please be apprised of the following:

1. CREMATION: Because the Orthodox Faith affirms the fundamental goodness of creation, it understands the body to be an integral part of the human person and the temple of the Holy Spirit, and expects the resurrection of the dead. The Church considers cremation to be the deliberate desecration and destruction of what God has made and ordained for us. The Church instead insists that the body be buried so that the natural physical process of decomposition may take place. The Church does not grant funerals, either in the sanctuary, or at the funeral home, or at any other place, to persons who have chosen to be cremated. Additionally, memorial services with kolyva (boiled wheat) are not allowed in such instances, inasmuch as the similarity between the “kernel of wheat” and the “body” has been intentionally destroyed.

2. SUICIDE:  Suicide, the taking of one’s own life, is self-murder and as such, a sin. More importantly, it may be evidence of a lack of faith in our loving, forgiving, sustaining God. If a person has committed suicide as a result of a belief that such an action is rationally or ethically defensible, the Orthodox Church denies that persona Church funeral, because such beliefs and actions separate a person from the community of faith. The Church shows compassion, however, on those who have taken their own 

life as a result of mental illness or severe emotional stress, when a condition of impaired rationality can be verified by a physician.

3. AUTOPSY:  When a person dies for reasons that are uncertain, a qualified medical examiner may, with the permission of the next of kin, perform an autopsyto determine the cause of death. In some states, this is required by law. In all cases, however, the Orthodox Church expects that the body of the deceased be treated with respect and dignity. 

4. FUNERALS:  Concerning the funeral service itself, our Parish Priests are often approached to include hymns from other traditions, both Christian and non Christian. Some families have even requested that secular songs be permitted during the funeral service.  This practice is foreign to the ethos and tradition of the Orthodox Church. Therefore, non Orthodox hymns are not permitted prior, during or following the funeral service held in Parishes of the Metropolis of Boston.

At the end of the funeral service, the priest will offer the eulogy. Laymen are not permitted to speak. Those wishing to offer reflections are welcome to do so at the funeral home, the gravesite or at the memorial meal following services.

Priests and Parishes in the Metropolis of Boston are required to abide by these guidelines.

The first three paragraphs are taken from pages 265-266 of the 2012 Yearbook of the Archdiocese.

In any case…Myra Kraft was an extraordinary woman and I can’t help but think of my mother who passed away around the same time after a struggle with health problems.  Clearly Myra was an “away mother” for many players.  My own mother, for her part, was a bit of a sports sage, in the way that is peculiar to old school Boston fans.  Some memories:

-She was an unreconstructed Red Sox fan who never could really get comfortable with the fact that they won the World Series.  I mentioned this in my eulogy.  Last summer, when they were winning like crazy before the epic collapse, I would go to the hospital and tell her they won, and she would say “they are doing TOO well” meaning it was bound to fall apart – a true veteran Sox fan.

-She was so into the games that when Vinatieri trotted out to kick the field goal in the first Pats Super Bowl win she ran and hid in another room – she could not bear to watch it out of nervousness!

-My mother – Carol – was a huge, huge Bruins fan.  She could probably dress for a week in nothing but Bruins clothing – she had that much stuff.  She even had special Boston Bruins bowling balls for her weekly bowling with the church seniors.

-She was a devout Orthodox Christian but would talk about how she “hated” Roger Clemens, or Ulf Samuelsson, or some other such sports figure.  I asked her about this once and she said “it is sports hate, not regular hate.  It is different”.  As a sports fan I totally understand what she meant – she didn’t wish bad upon these people in real life but only in the arena of sports.

I miss her so much.

People think we are crazy for going because it is so cold and the mountain is covered in ice usually, but that is part of the attraction.  Making the summit and then returning safely gives us quite a feeling of accomplishment, and the social part – breakfast beforehand, the climb and the after party – is super fun.  The temperature at the base was about 18 degrees, which I would normally say is very cold.  However, the main challenge on the mountain is not overheating from the exertion, so in addition to our ice axes and crampons we all had many layers that were shed as we ascended, and even then everyone was pretty warm.  It was a beautiful day and we made great time – up and down, with a stop for lunch and periodic brief rests, in under four hours.

At the after party, graciously hosted by Stephen, we celebrated with the traditional toast of Harvey’s Bristol Cream sherry and ate cheese and Sophie’s famous keftedes.  No one really likes the Harvey’s, but we toasted the group and George’s retirement, and memorialized Randy, and all presented downed half a finger of Harvey’s.  With much relief we then switched to refreshing beer.  This year George enlightened us to the origins of the toast.  That first trek up the mountain George and Randy came back soaked and Randy’s wife made them go in the basement and sit by the furnace.  The only provisions down there were a bottle of Harvey’s and a block (or ball, depending on the source) of cheese, so they indulged accordingly.  Hence our yearly tradition.

This year we added a few rookies and welcomed them to the fraternity.  There is a big European bent to the group, with members of Norwegian, British, German, Swiss, and Greek (guess who) extraction.  Conversation was all over the place but stories were shared of the Brenner Pass, the White Mountians of Crete, Chamonix and other places.  We also went to a new breakfast place, Joseph’s in Westminster, which was awesome.  Breakfast is a big part of the event – we all catch up, the new guys get a chance to meet everyone and vice versa, chops are busted and we fuel up for the hike.  Here are a few pictures:

This is me at the summit.  Note the beard, which I grew specifically for the trip but am keeping as a “playoff beard” for the Pats.

Chris, a new member of the group and the other Greek on the trip, took this cool picture, which looks black and white but is in color and untouched up:

And yet…just when you form an opinion about something, your worldview is turned upside down.  While catching up on sports news I read this post (warning – very grim language) which has a reference to a watch fob (or watch and fob – a pocket watch with a chain).  The article got me thinking – a watch fob is one of those things that is very outdated.  Most people wear wristwatches – how silly to have a whole get-up where you pull something out of your pocket to check the time.  But…we are now, and have been for a while,  in the cell phone era.  And I (a person who never wears a watch and doesn’t even own one, as a point of pride) pull my cell out a dozen times a day or so to check the time.  For me, and I imagine for others with a similar bent, the cell phone has become a watch fob without the chain.  Funny how things come around again…

May I begin by acknowledging and thanking the hundreds of brethren that are attending the funeral service this morning in this church and the thousands that have lined the streets of this city these past days to pay their respects and honor Jim.

I thank His Excellency Bishop Uglietto and Father John MacGinnis, the pastor of this community, and thank them for extending their welcome to the Saint Vasilios Greek Orthodox Community. I thank the firefighters and policemen of Peabody and throughout the Commonwealth and from neighboring states that are in attendance. I am grateful to our governor and all officials of the Commonwealth together with the mayor in Peabody who have come to honor the memory of a man loved by all.

We gather today to pray that Almighty God may open His arms and welcome into His loving embrace a man respected and befriended by everyone. We offer our sympathies to his beloved family – his parents, his loving wife Amy and his three precious children, Katelyn, Alyssa and Ryan.

The Church and the streets of this city are filled with Jim’s colleagues and friends from the Peabody Fire Department who mourn the passing of a man of character and courage, of inner strength and ethos who earned their friendship and admiration.

Last Friday when I learned the tragic news, I recalled what our Lord and Savior taught His Disciples. He told them that “greater love hath no man than this, to lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). That truth, treasured in the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel according to John, was surely etched upon the heart and soul of Jim Rice.

On December 23 he and his fellow firefighters rushed into a burning building to save the endangered lives of the residents. In the line of duty, James was ready to even lay down his life – (if need be) – to save, his friends. Yes his friends! The residents of that building on Hancock Street were Jim’s friends, even though he may never have met them. They were God’s children. They were Jim’s brothers and sisters in the household of God.

What Jim did last Friday was heroic – but I’m sure he would say that he and his fellow firemen were only doing what they loved to do, to be firefighters – to serve the public – to save lives. To be a firefighter or a policeman is not a job, it’s a vocation. It’s a calling. It’s a special life lived by very special people.

In a generation that has come to be known as the ME generation, when many of us selfishly think only of our selves… in an age of entitlement – when many of us feel we are entitled to what we have or what we can get from others (including our government)… In times such as these, I thank God for men like Jim Rice and men and women like him that have character, ethos, courage and inner strength that help make the world a better place.

Every day as they leave their homes to go to work, firemen and policemen know in their hearts that it could very well be the day that they may be called to prove, “greater love hath no man than this – to lay down his life for his friends.” For Jim Rice that day was December 23, 2011.

Let us join in prayer that our Benevolent Lord grant eternal rest to this beloved son, this dedicated and loving husband, this adoring father, this respected and revered colleague and friend.

-I definitely prefer the Roth era of VH to the Van Hagar era.  Early Van Halen was fun party music, while the Sammy stuff is VH for grownups.  There are some great moments with Sammy and he is technically a better singer but Dave is an awesome frontman and I like his stuff best.

-Dave’s leaving of the band in the mid-80s was shattering to us little VH fans.  People forget this now but initially Dave had a very successful solo career although within a few years he slid into irrelevance.  But there was always the pull of him coming back to Van Halen, as the Sammy Years became a time of soap opera – like drama.

-It is hard to believe that Sammy last recorded an album with VH in 1995 – 17 years ago!   (There was a touring reunion and the recording of a few new songs in 2004).  I was an avid reader of various guitar geek magazines at that time and the back and forth between Eddie and Sammy in interviews was dizzying.  It really seemed then that fifty years on we would still be talking about the Dave vs. Sammy argument.

-I mentioned above that I loved the new song Tattoo.  It is catchy in a way that new material from heritage bands (and I don’t mind calling VH that – it is a good thing) often isn’t.  The lyrics are clever Dave-speak and it is good to see the guys bouncing around on stage.  The song is way better than the two they recorded during their initial reunion in 1996.  It is sad that Michael Anthony is no longer welcome in the band.  To me the sound of Van Halen was four special parts combined – the guitar prowess (and keys) of Eddie, Alex’s drumming, which is the most easily identifiable drum sound this side of John Bonham, Dave’s unique voice and phrasing, and the distinctive backing vocals of Michael Anthony.  We will see how much his vocals are missed on the album.

4 large leeks – greens removed and finely chopped

4 potatoes peeled, quartered and sliced

3T olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 C water

1/4 C miso, mild

salt and freshly milled pepper

1 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed

Soak leeks in a bowl of water once chopped to remove dirt.  Heat olive oil in a large stock pot.  Add leeks, garlic and potatoes and cook covered over low heat until softened (about 10 minutes).  Add the water and salt and bring to a boil.  Simmer partly covered for 30 minutes.  Process 1/2 the soup in a blender until creamy then return to pot.  Add miso (optional).  First, melt it in a bowl with broth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add beans and stir well.  Serve hot.

Below is the picture of the public works guys fixing the water main.  Check out the old trolley tracks that were buried and were, at least for today, once again visible:

Sandie filled me in on the epidemic of pet obesity, which is a very real problem that mirrors the larger problem of American obesity.  Surely the well-intended use of dog food like Beneful (the name is, I assume, meant to invoke the word beneficial) is a contributing factor.

Here is the ingredient list (emphasis mine):

INGREDIENTS
Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), salmon, rice flour, soy flour, sugar, propylene glycol, meat and bone meal, water, tricalcium phosphate, soybean oil, animal digest, salt, phosphoric acid, sorbic acid (a preservative), potassium chloride, dried carrots, dried green beans, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 2), ferrous sulfate, DL-Methionine, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.