We were missionaries in the Región de Arequipa whose capital city was Arequipa. That city is about one and a half miles up in the Andes mountains in southern Perú. In our second term there, I used to ride a mule to the small town of Choco. I have published other stories about it. The video shows a parade in the city that includes participants from various of the small Quechua towns way out in the outback. You can tell that they are not the dancers of Brazil, nor are they anywhere near their proficiency. It is not Carnaval, but a fiesta celebrating the Province of Arequipa.
No, it is not very professional in any way. The camera work is most certainly not up to “modern” reportage. But, my heart walks down that street in memory. My eyes cloud as I remember the difficult trips, the worn legs, the dried out body at the end of the trip. And yet, if I could make that trip again, I would. May God bless the inhabitants of the Province of Arequipa.
While one Orthodox blogger is reflecting on Peru, another was sharing news about Guatemala.
http://byztex.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-explosive-growth-of-orthodoxy-in.html
Hi
on the use of the Title “Father” one more question if I may … What is the proper context for for the “call no man father” scripture/Text…Thanks
I just re-read Mat 23-9…and it seems to me…as I read it, and think of the Scriptures You Ref’d…the end result I see is “respect as Fathers but don t Use The Title except in ref to Or Heavenly Father”. .???
Acts 22:1 — “Brethren and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.” — Saint Paul.
Acts 7:44 — “Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness …” — Saint Stephen
2 Peter 3:4 — “For since the time that the fathers slept, …” — Saint Peter
Apparently there were quite a few saints in the New Testament who did not understand what Jesus meant since they keep calling all sorts of people father, both living and dead! Actually in the New Testament you can find the term father used for a biological father, a father of the faith (see the quotes above), father as applied to a Church leader, etc. One of the principles of Biblical interpretation is that no Scripture may be interpreted in isolation and that whatever interpretation one comes up with must not contradict other existing Scriptures.
What Protestants do is that they quote one Scripture in the New Testament, in isolation, while ignoring the many many Scriptures in which human beings are addressed as father (or fathers) in the same New Testament. This practice continues on into the Early Church Fathers. Saint Irenaeus and Saint Clement of Alexandria call Church leaders father.
But, let’s keep going. You see, the verse does not end there, it also says to call no one teacher. So, this means that the New Testament saints violated both commandments, since Saint Paul talks about “pastors and teachers,” and other Apostles also use the term. In fact, it means that many many Protestants also violate that second commandment because there are most certainly many Protestant pastors who clearly state that their role is to be a “pastor and teacher.” Are you beginning to see the contradictions?
So, what does the verse mean? It could not possibly mean that it is wrong for a Church member to call any person either father or teacher. If that is true, every Christian on Earth has sinned by using one or the other term or both of them. Rather, given that the verse turns up only once and is never interpreted by any New Testament writer or early Christian as the way in which the Protestants interpret only half of the verse, then the interpretation must be other.
It was a rebuke to the Pharisees and scribes for their false teachings. Thus, in the context of his ministry in Israel, Jesus was warning the disciples against false fathers and teachers.