I Found the Joy of Easter

Me and the other guys just a moment before we became members of the church.
I am second from left.

Father Matti, and me (second from right) and the other "catechumens".

On the Great Saturday, we were accepted to become amembers of the parish in a formal
and beautiful ceremony called Chrismation (Russian: миропомазание, Finnish: mirhalla
voitelu, a direct translation: "anointing").

The priest anoints the recipient with "chrism", making the sign of the cross on the
forehead, eyes, ears, nostrils, breast, back, hands and feet using the following words
each time: "The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit."

We got candles and also white roses after the ceremony.

As I told you before, I spent the Easter weekend at the Orthodox Church of Vaasa. I attended many services, and on the Great Saturday I was accepted to become a member of the parish in a formal and beautiful ceremony. At last, I am officially Orthodox Christian. A long, long journey has come to an end. This process began already in the summer of 2011, after my mother's passing. Now I feel like I have returned home.

Easter Night Service in the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church was stunningly beautiful, and it lasted for three hours (from 11:30 pm till 2:30 am). There were a lot of people from many different nationalities: Finns and Russians, Ukrainians, Greeks, Serbs, Ethiopians, and so on. All in all, our church has members from 24 different countries and they speak 14 different languages. Indeed, it's a very international organisation.

On the Easter Vigil, all who wanted, got the chance to ring the church bells. So I tried it too, and it was not easy at all to make it sound good. Haha. (One of my friends, Victor from Moscow, is a professional bell ringer, and I really admire him.) There was also a traditional outdoor procession around the church. In the procession, I carried the icon of the Mother of God.

I spent two nights in the church basement, in the room called playfully the "Crypt" by the members of the parish. My good friend also visited me on Friday evening. When I wasn't participating services, I was reading and praying in the Crypt. For me, it was like a monk's cell. （＾—＾） The book I was reading was the Orthodox Catechism written by Ivan Glukhov (he was a great teacher of theology from Moscow, died in 1999).

In summary, this was the happiest and the most memorable Easter in my life. I can say that now I have found the joy of Easter. Indeed, Christianity is a religion of joy, like Ivan Glukhov said.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I put here some photos from my trip.

Note! A new photos added on 24 April, 2014.
Please click on the pictures to see them bigger.

Text by Teisuka
Photos by Jussi and Teisuka

Me in the church on April 19, 2014.

 St. Nicholas Church in the Easter morning light.

 A dome of the church.

 A view inside of the church before the service.

 My modest bed in the church basement.

 Orthodox Catechism written by Ivan Glukhov. This book is a real gem,

an extensive and detailed guide to the Orthodox faith, including more

than 500 pages.

Next to the church is the Lotta Svärd statue, designed by Tea Helene-
lund, unveiled in 2005. Lotta Svärd was a Finnish voluntary national
defence organisation for women that was active between 1921 and 1944.
The organisation was religious-patriotic, unarmed and non-political.

A view from the city center of Vaasa.

Happy Easter to My Friends!

The Resurrection of Christ, the icon of the Holy and Great Saturday.

I'd like to wish a Happy Easter to all my friends in advance, because I'm going to spend the next few days (from Friday to Sunday) in Vaasa and the Orthodox Church. I will spend my nights in the church basement. I have a special permit for that. （＾—＾） On the "Great Saturday" (April 19), I will become a member of the Church.

Probably, I'm not able to see my messages or blog comments before I return home on Sunday evening. So let me say once again: Happy Easter to my dear friends! I keep you all in my prayers. До свидания – "Until we meet again"!

Peace and blessings,

Teisuka

P.S. On the Easter Night, I'll whisper these words (with three kisses) to my angel: «Воистину Воскресе!» Because I know you will say the first words... (￣ー￣)

P.S. 2. In the Orthodox Church, Easter is called Pascha. See also my previous blog article titled "Christ is Risen!" Easter Greetings in Many Languages.

Are We Living in the End Times?

Is the time running out for the planet Earth?

The Bible teaches about the end times, meaning the time before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. A few days before his death, Jesus spoke to his disciples about the signs of His second coming and the end of the present age. I want to take some quotes from this speech according to The Gospel of Matthew chapter 24, and The Gospel of Luke chapter 21. Please read them carefully and ask yourself: Is He talking about the time we are living in right now? In any case, everything is in God's hands. He is the Lord of history. Faith in Him can bring us peace and safety.

This is what Jesus Christ taught two thousand years ago:

"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven."

"At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

A burning tank in the Syrian civil war.

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011.

"If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time."

"So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man."

"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ... So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

A meteor exploded over Russia in 2013.

"The stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies
will be shaken." (The Gospel of Matthew 24:29)

A Significant Milestone

My home church (the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church) covered in snow.

Photo by Gilmore.

This morning, I attended the Liturgy of the Orthodox Christian church. It was a very special Liturgy for me, because in the middle of the ceremony, they accepted me to become a "catechumen". I stood in front of the church hall.  The priest laid his hand on my head and said a few certain words, and then everyone at the ceremony prayed for me. As I walked back to my spot, I was moved to tears. It was such a sacred and touching moment. In a sense, I have been a catechumen already since last year, but only now it's official. What does it mean?

According to the OrthodoxWiki: "A catechumen is one who is preparing for baptism in the Church. In modern usage, catechumen can also refer to one who is preparing for chrismation (or another form of reception) to be received from a heterodox Christian communion. In the ancient Church, the catechumenate, or time during which one is a catechumen, often lasted for as much as three years and included not only participation in the divine services but also catechesis, formal instruction from a teacher, often the bishop or appointed catechist. Catechumens are understood to be Christians upon beginning their catechumenate, and should they die before baptism, they are traditionally given an Orthodox funeral."

 «An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him...»

The catechumenate (Russian: оглашенные) period is a long process. At times, I have been frustrated, and I've been asking myself: "Why they make it so difficult and slow to join the church?" I have had to be patient... God has strengthened me by sending me an "angel" and spiritual guide (cf. the Gospel of Luke 22:43). Without her, I would have given up long ago. Like she used to say, "We are instruments in the hands of God". Amen to this. Afterwards we can understand the Divine providence. No matter how you feel, there is the guidance of God behind it all.

Today, I also found a "godfather" (Finnish: kummi, Russian: крёстный) for me, and he even lives on the same street as I do. That's really great because I had no idea who could be my godfather when I am going to be accepted to the church on April 19 (may God grant it). Now all these problems seem to have been solved...

Indeed, this was a great day for me! Thank God for the guidance, in spite of my weak faith. Thanks also to my "Russian angel" and to my friends.

Peace and blessings to all. （＾—＾）

Teisuka

The St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Vaasa. Православная церковь

Св. Николая Чудотворца в Вааса. The church was completed in

1866, and was originally built for the Russian population of Vaasa.

Photo by Teisuka.

A Parcel from Russia

The Vladimirskaya icon, as Russians call it.

Last week, I received a big parcel from my dear Russian friend. The parcel included many kinds of items: a great religious book called Everyday Saints and Other Stories written by Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), four CD's full of Russian Orthodox music sung by the Sretensky monastery choir, three T-shirts (very beautiful), sacred images (out of which one was a refrigerator magnet), an Orthodox bookmark, the Vladimirskaya icon, and a wonderful handmade Easter egg. Wow!

This was the best birthday gift I have ever gotten in my life and it made me really happy. I feel that the whole content of this parcel is caused by the guidance of God. I mean, I can recognize "the God's hand" or Divine providence in these gifts and it strengthens my weak faith. Thank you very much, my dear friend. Большое спасибо, мой ангел! You really are an angel sent to me by God. （＾—＾）

Blessings to all of my friends!

Teisuka

A handmade Russian Easter egg.

One of three Russia T-shirts (all different).

Four CD's, full of Russian Orthodox music sung by

the Sretensky monastery choir.

A religious book (Everyday Saints and Other Stories),
sacred images, a refrigerator magnet, and a bookmark.

Love Beautify the World

After a long time, I wrote a poem.

What a day for you whose heart is in love,
the sun is shining, the world is in harmony,
the unspeakable peace lives in your soul,
pure joy and gratitude – no shadows at all.
Everyone, everywhere is smiling, is happy,
you see all the beauty as for the first time,
all is clear, all is pure and white –
blessed are those who are in love.

Teisuka (January 22, 2014)

Long Range Patrol – the Best Finnish War Film for Years

Kaukopartio (Long Range Patrol) movie poster.

The film crew and some cast members. The premiere night

party at the museum. Sitting in the foreground, a film
director Harri J. Rantala (a submachine gun in his hands)
and a costume designer / a makeup artist Sanna Panula.
Photo by Teisuka. (Click the photo to see it bigger.)

This time, I tell something about a new Finnish war film called Kaukopartio (English: Long Range Patrol), written and directed by Harri J. Rantala, starring Eerik Kantokoski, Ali Ahovaara, Hannu Rantala, Eeva Putro, Kalevi Haapoja, and Kristiina Karhu. The world premiere was held on December 27th 2013 in the Civil Guard and Lotta Svärd Museum. Earlier, the Finnish crew also filmed one scene in the museum.

First of all, I want to explain the term "long range patrol" (Finnish: kaukopartio, Russian: дальний патруль, Chinese: 長距離巡邏, Japanese: ロングレンジパトロール), if some of my readers doesn't know that. Long-range reconnaissance patrols, or LRRPs (pronounced "Lurps"), are small, heavily armed long-range reconnaissance teams that patrol deep in enemy-held territory.

In Finland, long-range patrols were especially notable in the World War II. These units penetrated Soviet lines and conducted recon and destroy missions. During the trench warfare period of the Continuation War (1941-1944), long-range patrols were often conducted by special Finnish sissi troops. In English, a Finnish word "sissi" means something like patrolman, partisan, or commando.

The Finnish movie called Long Range Patrol is not a typical war film. I mean, it's not a heroic story. It shows the cruel and nasty side of war. To be exact, this movie tells about the Finnish war crime during the Continuation War. In 1943, a Finnish long-range patrol (three young men) makes a campaign to the Soviet Union, and they get a mission to bring a prisoner of war. The mission fails badly, and the end result is ugly. There is one truly shocking scene in the film. Despite this, the two soldiers receive a medal of honor at the end.

In my opinion, Long Range Patrol is a good movie in many ways: screenplay, theme, directing, acting, setting, costume design, cinematography, editing – all is well done. The only minus side is a little bit scruffy picture quality (not sharp enough). The running time is only 60 minutes, so the movie could be a little longer, too. Anyway, the shots or scenes are long and lingering, and I like that style.

For me, the movie raised up many questions, but it's just a good thing. The story is not too simple, not too obvious, and black and white. You have to use your brains and think – think hard. Long Range Patrol gives you a food for thought, indeed. What really happens? What's going on? Are there heroes at all, or are they all just an "inglorious bastards"? Well, for my part I believe, there are also heroes and good men in the war, but this film don't tell about them.

All in all, Long Range Patrol is a brave Finnish film. Brave, because we must have courage to talk about the war crimes too, and not only about the heroic acts. I dare to say that Long Range Patrol is the best Finnish war film since Ambush (Finnish: Rukajärven tie) from the year 1999.

You can find the official Kaukopartio website by clicking here. Facebook site is also available to everyone, please click here. Thanks for supporting the Finnish cinema – kiitos! （＾—＾）

Teisuka

A real Finnish ski patrol during World War II.