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FROMTHEFATHERS

TVr W hen the dal of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled

rF Ihe Spirit who has been sent by the Son to men, not to the unbelieving, nor to the friends ofglory nor to orators, nor to philosophers, nor to those who have studied the

the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as offire, appeared among

works ofthe Greeks, nor to those who are ignorant of our Scriptures, the interior

them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in olher languages.as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them

meaningonor to those'rvho have held a role on the world's stage, nor to those who speak with affectation and with a great flow of words, nor to those who have achieved great names, nor to those who have succeeded in being loved by renowned personages,nor to the accomplices of those who act illegally, nor to those who give titles nor to those who

speaking in the native tongue of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it

receive them, nor to those who amuse themselves, nor to those with whom we amuse ourselvesobut to those who

that we hear,each of us, in our own natir,e language?

are poor in spirit and in their way of living, to those who are pure in heart and body, to SaintLuke the Evangelist those w-hospeak simpln live Actsof the Apostles2:I-9 more simply, and whose thinking is simpler still. Saint Symeon the New Theologian Hymns oJ'Diuine Inue

If1ou uoul d kn ou t he Lor d. humbleyourselfto the utmost.Be obedientand soberin all things.Love truth. And the Lord of a suretywill give you to know Him throughthe Holy Spirit; and then you will know by experiencewhatlove towards Godis, and whatlove towardsman.And the more perfect the loveothe more perfectyour knowledge. Thereis love in small measure;there is a mean of love; and thereis greatlove. The man who fears sin loves God.The man with a tender heartlovesHim more.Still greateris the love of the rnan in whosesoul dwell light and joy. But the man with grace in soul and body has per{ect love.This is the gracethe Holy Spirit gaveto the Martyrs,the gracethat helped them to bear every SaintJohnChrysostom sufferingwith fortitude. H omi l rcs on

Fu. u" soonas we are baptized,the soul beameth evenmorethan the sun, being cleansedby the Spirit; and not only do we behold rhegloryof God.bul fromit alsoreceivea sort of splendor.Just as iI pure silver be turnedtowardsthe sun'srays, it will itself also shootforth rays,not from its own natural property merely but also from the solarlustre;so also doth the soul being cleansedand made brighter than silver', receivea ray from the glory of the Spirit, and sendit back. Whereforealso he saith, Reflecting as a mirror we are transformedinto the same imagefrom glory (that of the Spirit) into glory (our own, that which is generatedin us); and that, of suchson, as one might expectfrom the Lord, the Spirit.

Second Coriniltians

Staretz Silouan Wlsdamfrom Mount Athos

Beloved EconomosFrank, It gives me great pleasurehereby to extend to you, to your staff,and to your readershipmy upon archiepiscopalblessing theinauguration of the journal Praxis. I pray that the Lord our Cod may consecratethe labors of the writers, the editors, and lhe readersoi lhis journal, so that it may prove trul,v to be a fruitful and edifying part of the mission of our Holy Archdioc'ese of America. Horv fitting it is that the theme of the premiere issue of Praxis shouldbe "Pentecost"!For the peopleofthe Old Covenant, Pentecostwas a commemorationof the giving of the Larv on MountSinaito Moses.For:theChurch,the significanceof Pentecostis fulfilled in the descent of the Holy Spirit, Who writes the Law of God on the tablets of our hearts. Our praxis as Chlistians-our very ability to live the life of the Nerv Covenantin JesusChrist-finds its ultimate sourceand power in the event of Pentecost"in the living and abiding presence of the Triune Cod in our lives through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I pray that this inaugurai issue of Praris, with its emphasis on Pentecostand the command to bring the Cospel to all nations, nTayinspire us as a Church to a deeper commitment to the spiritual harvest to which the Lord calls us all as laborers. The fields are rvhite, the grain is ripe. the world is ready for the Good News of authentic Orthodox Christianity. Mav we, through the intercessionsof the Holy Theotokos, be faithful in our Orthodoxy and our Orthoprary, until the Creat Day of the Lord shall come. NIay God bless you as'youundertakethis newestministry of our Church. With paternal ";.in Christ -""--" love /

,/ .'/ I (4.{a;'-/7(27*,r'V r I ?rz / /

*SPYRIDON Archbishonof America

T E N T S

Praxis t VolumeI NumberI F

THEPRACTICE OF tIFEFORCHRISTIANS

AS TONGUES OF FIRE

Metropolitan Iakovos of Krinis

Dr. Michael Massouh

INTERVIEW FrankSchaeffer withRev.Dr.Maraneos o o

TEACHINCTHEMESSACE

FORTHE NEWTERM GETTINCSTARTED LizLazarou

Fr. Paul Costoooulos

MISSAGEFROMDOXA PaulSieben

THECHURCHON THEDAYOF PENTECOST Fr.PeterE. Gillquist

t6 INFORMED, FORMED, AND TRANSFORMED BYTHE ICONS" "EDUCATING Dr. T<rnvVrame

I9 SAINTNEKTARIOS PeterLos

22 A PENTECOST FORORTHODOXMISSIONS Pres.ReneeRitsi

26 tF GOD tSOUR FATHER, THENWHAT? Fr. Anthony Coniaris

28 KNOW YOURNEIGHBORS Dr.BrantPelphrey

30 PENTECOST POWERFUL, PRACTTCAL PARAD|cM ElaineRegopoulos

TOO "COOL"TO PRAY? Maria Angeliades

RETIGIOUS EDUCATION RESOURCES ON THEINTERNET Phil Lawrence

3B WE HARVEST WHAT WE SOW Makredes George

39 OUR PERSONAL PENTECOST PhyllisMeshelOnest

40 BOOKREVIEW Rev. Dr. Stanlev Harakas

42 IN OUR MIDST UNDERSTANDINC THEEIDERLY Fr. Nicholas Pilavas

43 A TREASURY OF BLESSINGS Johanna Manley

PRaxs Pentecost 1999

Fon Sr nscnlprro\ I:-F()RlL{TroN Praxis is a quailerlr publication of the

Dear Reader. I anrpleasedto introducethe inauguralpublicationof Praxis.

D epartrnentof R el i gi ous E rl ucati on of the Creek Orthoclor Archdiocese of .{tnericra. rate $15 per \.ear. Contac,t -Subsclipticin Lisa Metlopoulos" Pra:rl.sCirculation Manager

the quarterl.-v magazineof the Departmentof Religious

Praxis

Educationof the Creek OrthodoxArchdioceseof America.

50 Goddard A'r'enue

The goalof this periodicalis to provideeducational resources,insightfulessays,and theologicalmaterialto pastors,catechists,parishleaders,and families.It is the hope of the entire editorialstaffthat Praxis will help contributeto an overallrenaissance of Orthodoxunderstandingand practice in the 2l" century! This issueof Praxis is dedicatedto the GreatFeastof Holy

Brookline l{-{ 024,15 61 7/850-1218 Strsrttsslrix Grrlonlrsrs Pra.i is u'il I consider-articles for pul rlication u'hir.h ale 1,000 to 2,000 words in length antl nhi ch di recth'cl i scuss educati on i n ll .re theologl and Traditions of the Orthoclox Church. Articles acconrpanied br' photc copies ol electlonic files of photograph-*. lesson airls. and relelarrt graphic enhance-

Pentecost.Consequentll,, the materialprovidedwithin these

merrts are preferred. Please also plolicle a

pagesby Hierarchs,priests,theologians,churchleaders"

photocopl of terts from uhi<.h quotations ale

and experiencedinstructorsconcentrates on the liturgical,

taker.r.Endr-rotesancl footnotes rtill not lle used. A brief biographical sketch shc,uld also

scriptural,patristic,and doctrinalaspectsof the Church's

be attached.

evangelisticfoundation.As on the day of Pentecost.the

Material prei.iousll published or uncler consi derati onfol publ i cati on el sew herew i l l

resourcespublishedwithin this issueofPraxis are provided

not be <:or]sideled$-ithout coDsent of the

to assistOrthodoxfaithful to nurturethe fourfoldOrthodox

Eclitor.

patternoflife, namely:(a) doctrinalintegrity.(b) philanthropic veracity,(c) liturgical fidelity, and (d) spiritual authenticity

S-e reserve the right to edit for usage and stlle ancl all acceptecl rnanuscripts ale subjer't to eclitorial nroclificatiol. All biblical quotatior.rsn'ill be taken fi'onl the ,\eir'

(Acts 2:42). You will observethat the magazineis structuredaccording

Stondard lbr.sion of the Hctlr Bihle Reui-sed C ontai ni ng The OLd and \eu Testan tents

to the liturgical outline of the Sundayof Orthodoxy.Most

phul/D etLterocanonic al B,toks. w ith Ap ot'r'1

specifically,the four sectionsof Praxiscorrespondto the

The American l-lible Societr'. Nen \brk. Articles shoulcl be submitted in tvped.

four-stationvesperalprocessionof holy iconsduring which generationsof OrthodoxChristianshavepausedto celebrate and recommitthemselvesto the theologicalprecisionand

double-spaced hard copr or as al1 electronic fi1e on a iJ.5" diskette. tr{icrosoft [irrcl for S-irrdows or for \lacirrtosh is the pleferlerl 'norcl-processi r.rg fonnat. Atldress subnrissior.rsto: Sharon I'elphrer'.

sincerepurity of their spiritual ancestors. Accordingto SaintJohn Climacos."the climax of puritv is the foundationof theology. . . it makesits disciple a theologian,who of himselfgraspsthe dogmasof the Trinit-v."It is my ferventprayerthat eachquarlerlyissueof Praxiswil]. indeed. assistits readersto rediscoverthe original purit.l'of humankind'snaturestampedbv the uncreatedImageof God throughHis Wordand His Spirit. Onlv in this wav mat' Orthodoxytruly becomea praxis of Life. This is the Faith of the Apostles.This is the Faith of the Fathers.This is the Faith of the Or-thodox! Father Frank

Editor, at the acldless abor,e.

Cnnorts: Executive Editor Rev. Dr. Frank Marangos Editor Sharon Pelphrev Consulting Editor Frank Schaeffer Circulation Nlanager Lisa }letropoulos Layout Marge Ann Jameson Layout Consultant Staz Tsiavos Art Editor Luke Nlelacknnos Printing Double Eagle Industries Photography Gary Kyriacou All biblical quotationsare takenflonr the lYeu'RetisedStandardlersionofthe Holt BibLeCotttainingThe Okl oul Ner Testaments u'ith .Apocr ph al/Deuterocartorti caI BooA'.s" The {merican Bible Societr'"Net' \ork.

Pzuq.xrsPentecost1999

LETTER

To the Editor: I strongly feei that much of the effort and work of the Sunday schools of our communities has focussed more on the educational aspect of "teaching" rather than providing a paradigm of behavior, guidance and formation, all within the liturgical life of the Church. And so, if I were asked what irould be the primary area of concern for the content oflPraxis], it would be to promote catechesis, the Orthodor pAronema and an understanding of iiturgy and worship within those concepts.

O CHRIST OUR COD, TOYOUWEASCRIBT CLORY YOUR BECINNINCLESS TATHTR WITH SPIRII ANDYOUR AtL.HOLY ANDTIFE.CIVING

Without developing a strong sense of the liturgical life of the church and our participation in it, the "educational process" we seek becomes just that: a process that fails to develop prayer, mvsticality of sacraments and spirituality, a process that fails to understand our rootedness in Judaism and a process that fails to understand one of the definitions of orthodox as "cot-rect glory"cclrrect glory as being correct worship (liturgy) to God. Simply stated then, I would hope ihai the content of this proposed publication rvould promote the integration of catechesis within the liturgical cycle and life of the Church. striving to help us achieve theosis. Noie that I have used the word us, for I again feei strongly that such a publication should carry a significant element of ministry to the catechetical formation of adults. In m-vlimited experience, it seems that we have at least one generation of Greek Orthodox who do not fully understand liturgy, worship and the catechetics ofthe Church. Further, to a great degree, they may not be willing to admit it, and this ma,vbe part of our ongoing problems in the American Church todar'. Sincerely, Harold A. Peponis ffilmette. Iilinois

Pnaxis Pentecost1999

THEPRACTICE OF tIFEFORCHRISTIANS by MetropolitanIakovosof Krinis PresidingHierarchof the Dioceseof Chicaqo

...not becauseof our ou)n righteousness

(for we haue not done anything good upon the earth), but becauseof Your nxercyand compd,ssion... -The Divine Liturgr of Saint Basil the Great

The authentic Christian life is living the life of Christ: ,,... lr is no longer I who liue, but it is Christ uho liues in me,,, exclaims the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians (2:20). It is a life where we put the belief in Jesus Christ-and all He has taught us-into practice. Yet it is also a life of practice, in the common meaning of the term, meaning that we must constantly try and iry to live this life; it is not something that

ACAIN WEPRAY IOROURARCHEISHOP SPYRIDON, Att oRTHoDoX HtIRARCHS, CttRCyLAtTyAND ALtOURBROTHERS ANDSISTERS INCHRIST

comes easily. To live truly as Christians we must be vigilant and allvays try. And in a similar wa,v,the Christian life is a o'rehearsal" for the per{ect and blessed life which awaits us at the end. The actor in a play must first come to remember the spoken lines to be recited and the various actions to be carried out at the behest of the director. All the other actors must likewise work in concert to give the written words ofthe script a life in action. During the first rehearsals the dialogue may be mechanical and forced, delivered in a dry reading without much emotion. But at the end of the rehearsal period for a production, the good actors have come to take on their characters almost as a second natureodeliverine their lines with ease as if they were their own words. The actors have become, during the performance, people living a different life. They come to 'ounderstand" their roles and characterso the motivation and meaning of the action and words that the character is called to play in the production. As an analogy, we undertake a similar process in living our Orthodox Christian lives. At first we may not understand the direction given to us. We may know what we are expected to do as Christians, but not why. We may say and do the right things, but in a mechanical way that requires much effort and concentration. We are prone to making mistakes, and sometimes we say or do the wrong things. We may not understand our roles in the grand scheme of iife. We have a script-in fasl ssy6lsl-on which to base our per{ormance: the Holy Scriptures, the canons of the Church, the texts of prayers and services. By listening to our director, our Lord, and constantly seeking to perfect our words and actions as He desires over time, lve will come to an understanding of our Christian life and act accordingly. There is a crucial difference in the analogy: we do not live up to our character in order to entertain an audience" but in

Pnexrs Pentecost 1999

order to bring auther-rticand eternal life to the l'orld. W.edo not usually reacl or recite from a gi'r'enscript. ltut must often create our own dialogue using our o\\n lr-ordsand actions; our scripts are guides. not ahrals specific instructions.And our director in the immense and often dran'raticcreation of life does not lbrce us to act or behar-e in a certain predetermined ival-, but allons us the freedom to act in accordance rrith His tlesire. fbr our director in this ar.ralogyis oul Lord. Our realization of authentic Christian life is not about taking on someoue else's personaiitt, and pretending: ratherit is tire transfonnation of our ou n personal characters^ conforming our nature to the image rif Christ. The Chlistian life is not a matter of being like actors in ancient times. nearirlg a rnask-pro.sopeio in Creek-that can be discarded following a per-formance.It is the transfiguration of our entire person-Prosopon. One can read the scripts ofthe Christian life anclbelieve what they say. Holy Scripture, the sacred canons of the Church. the lritings of the Fatl.rers"the terts of the sen-ices and sacraments all rer,eal to us the great treasure of our Orthodox Faith. The Creed can be recited ancl explained. and the theologv of the Church can be studied. Without our putting these "scripts" irrto living pl'actice. thev mean nothing. Like the Apostle Paul, we knor. that "u-ithout love" they mean nothing (1 Corinthians l3). Love is not a theoretical svstem. It is faith and trust in the lir-ing Gocl put into action. It is the giving of one's seif to anoiher, and it is the Lord's single commandment" lioth old and ne\\-.that n'e "love otre another."

Love is the single motivation f o r l h e C h r i s t i a n ,f o r C o d i s love. Love is not sornething mechanical. and it is not sometl-ringwe can find on our or-n. It is a gift of tlie Holy Spirit rrithin our hearts. If Saint Basil the Creat statesthat "...we have not done anything good upon the earth..." he does not mean to sa] tl.rat'ne can do nothing good. He adcls."but because of Your rnercr and compassion lhich lbu har,e so richlv poured upon us...." This indicates that rrhen rr-ed<igood to our brothers and sisters. our neighbors and the stranger. it is a reaction to God's lor,e for us. God initiates ior-e. and \\ e must respond. This lesporrseis not all'avs easv and sometirnesfeels "unnatural." This carr be overcorneI'ith the proper training or practice. Forcing ourselvesand disciplining ourselvesto act lith the same mercv anclcolnpassionthe Lord extendsto us will serr.eto open our hearts and allon the Spirit to dwell r-ithin us as love. This is lhv rr-el'rearat each Dir.ine Liturgr'. "Let us love one another.. .." This is l.hv l.e do not onll' commune n-ith Chri-stonce in our lives, but at every gathering for the Dir,ine Liturgr. This is uhr.we are told: pral tr:ithoutceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:1 7). This is r-h-vr,e repeat the c,vclesof the r,olship in the Church vear after rear. The Church is the stage on which l,e both practice and act accorclirlgto oul calling in Christ as those who love one another. The Lord also tells us: Be perJect,thereJbre,as )our hernenb Father is perfect (Matthel 5:48). Sre shoulcl ahravs keep in nrind the common saling: Per{ect practice makes pelfect.

Pnexs Pentecost 1999

INTERVIEW On March 24, 1999, DRE DirectorFather Frank Marangos talked about his aiewson religiouseducationwith Franlt Schaffir. Excerptsof their discussionfollow.

Frank Schaeffir:How long hctueyou beenin chargeof the Greek Orthodox Archd,ioceseeducation program? Father Frank: In July,it'll be two years. And before that? St. Mark in Boca Raton, Florida. I was there for eight years,from 1989 to 1997.Prior to that it wasPensacolaaboutsix yearsand four yearsin Houston,Texas,as an assistantpriest-before that, Holy CrossSeminaryin Brookline. Tha,t'suhere you uent to school? Yes,in Houston. I continuedat SMU, at PerkinsSchoolof Theologv,Dallas, Texas,where I got my Doctor of Ministry degree.I am currentlycompletingmy dissertationfor another doctorateGdD) in adult educationfrom NOVA Southeastern Universityin Miami, Florida. ACAIN WEPRAY FOR MERCY I.IFT, PEACE, HEAI.TH, SATVATION, VISITATION, FORCIVTNTSS ANDREMISSION OFSINS OT THTSTRVANTS OFCOD ATI.PIOUS ANDORTHODOX CHRISTIANS

Looking back on grouing up in the Orthod,ox Church, do you thinlt you u)ere giaen uhat you needed,? I grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts,which had four Orthodox churcheswithin walkingdistance.My fatherwasfrom Athens, my motherborn and raisedin Lowell. I spokeGreekbefore I spokeEnglish.The churchpermeatedeveryaspectofour lives-everything! I wasimmersedwithin Orthodoxyand within the culture of our Greek heritage,so I had the forms. I was taught the things that were important in life and what I neededto do. Was there something that directed you toward priesthood? I grew up with three clergymenin my family. I have two uncles and one first cousin who are Greek Othodox priests. Howevero while my parentswere very religious, it was my grandmother that had the greatesteffect on me. She lived with us. The modeling of my grandmotherwas the thing that led me into the priesthood!Shehad a lifestylethat I wasjealousof. Shemay not haveknownthe contentofthe faith, but her relationship with Christwas somethingthat the rest of us didn't have. I wantedthat, so I tried to follow in her footsteps. Was that the time you thought of pri.esthood.? No. I wantedto study architecture.I enjoyedwriting and I enjoyedliterature.As a matterof fact. I waswriting stories and poemsand I wasdrawingand paintingat an early age. So,I enjoyedthe arts and perhapsthat influencedme in the direction of the hymns of the Church-something that I loved very much-and also toward iconography.

Pnexts Pentecost1999

A couple of months ago, my oldest sort, who is a school teacher, su.bstituting in a Swrduy school clu'ssat ct -*as Greek Orthodox church. He canne auay from that experience dismayed. He felt that the curriculum that he had stepped into at this local Sunday school really had been,designed more to entertain yonttg peoplefor 20 or 30 mhtutes than to teach them our Holy Tradition. Do 5,ou think it's foir to sa5,that in the Greek Orthodox comm.unity in North America there has been a lack of serious emphasis on religious education? Do you think things haue. been okay? Sell, I don't think anyone would say ihat things are okayt Srhile I rrant to comrnend my irnmediate predecessor. Ernest Villas. for his tireless n-ork. I am certain he u-ould agree that there is still much that needs to be done. You can never please everl'onel No. things will never be per{ect. Some people tl'rink that if r-e had tl're'"perfect book" or the "per{ect curriculum.'" the result would be Orthodox Christian saints popping out; but curriculum is one thing, modeling is totally another. We did a questionnaire specifically on what people that the think the Church needs in education. It's ir.rterestir.rg top issue \ras teacher education. People recognize that if the teachers themseh.esdon't understand the faith and lir.e the faith and model the faith-if thev don't have a relationship with Christ and feel dedicated to living a iife of holinessthen we can have tl'rebest textbooks in the world, alld the consequence r-ill still be the sarne. But I rrould be ver1, reticent to establish a set of techniques or rules for teaching. I don't think lhat's the historv of Orthodoxy. Saint Basil was different from Saint Athanasius, and Saint John Chrysostom was different from Saint Gregory Palamas. W'e need to allou the Hol-v Spirit to model the faith in a personal $a\'. In fact, ifparents were doing the work in preparing their children to participate in the services of the Church because they themselves knew the faith, then we wouldn't need Sunday schools. So, I think that the answer to your question is more complex than needing betier materials. If that's all rte do, we're going io be sitting here ten vears from nor{ wondering. "Wbll, if it's not the materials, what is it?" Ybu see? I really believe that it's the holiness of individuals that is the kev to teaching our Tradition. What you're saying is that tt's rto use sirnply treating T,outtgpeople as those in need of religious educatiott. It's lookhry at the uhole communit5,? Yes. When I u-asgrorning up, if my parents 'n'erenot around I was still reticent to do something bad or naught\., because soneone in the cornmurrity ltould see me. Whether-it rras an elderly woman or an eiderly gentlernan or another parent, that individual would grab me bv the eaq puil me out of church, critique my actions, and then call my parents. After mrparerlts disciplined me, they would bring me to the priest and sa1,,"Frank needs to say something to you," and I n'ould apologize for something he didn't er.en knol' about. So, religious nurture nas done by the communitr'. We all had

concern for each other's children. We had a relatior-rshipt'ith each other. Now everyone basicallv is so private that if someone$,ele to call up, tl'rat person \\oulcl be criticized: "S'ho gar-evou the authority or permission to reprimand my son or daughter?" That's an indicatiou that something is rtrong. If we are a Eucharisiic cornmunity. and 'n,etake the godparent, who represents the communit.v,seriouslv, then we need to return to this business of communal responsibility for the nurture of its members-the accourltabilitr. of adults to adults and the oppodunity for clergv to hold adults accountable lbr their spiritual Iife. Do you thhtk that's because a lot of yourtg peopl.e haue become uery nomhtal in their faith, at least judged by church attendance? I truly believe that casual Christians becorne casualties. What rl'e are reaping now I think. is that casual approac:hto Orthodoxy. Some have taken 2000 years of tradition. 2000 years of theology, of doctrine, of magnificent liturgical life, and approacheclit in a casual fashion. As a consequence, children have left the Church. They see the Orthodox Chulch as no different from an1'other. S/e'r.ereduced it just to an ir-rstitution.arr organization that empl.rasizesethics. so they Iook at the other Christian churches, and sa1; "Well, l,e all believe tl.resame thing. S,b all have tl're sarne ethics"; and yet Orthodoxv is rnuch more than just a custodian of an ethical Iil'estvle. What l'e need to do is to open up the treasure chest of Orthodoxt, and help them to see Orthodoxy in its grandeur as a really serious faith that has implications for our dav-today lives and our relationship with Christ. When we do thai, people respond almost like sporlgessucking the rtater up. But again, that is not to say that all we need to do is create the mechanisms to transfer the content of Orthodox.vand all of a sudden rve'll have holiness. There is aiso a deep mystical element to Orthodoxy u-hich is very imporlant. Metropolitan Maximosolr.ho was m1,Professor of Dogmatics. t'ould all-ays sar, 'oNomatter horv far ne can strive intellectually and rationall.-v,that's only ten percent of the equation. The other ninety percent is Cod's grace upon us." So, Tou're saying the idea of the mystical uniqueness of the Orthodox Church has somehow been lost becuuse o.f the ucuy tlrut it is presented? Oh. absolutelr. Ironicallr', just as re Orthodor har.e begun ttr lose our traditions, i1 is those verl'traditions tl'rat are attlacting Protestants, Evangelicals, and Roman Catholics to Orthodox-v. I t i s t l r i s n r e s s d g et l r a t i s i r n p o r l a n l . ls this u;hat you ttould expect to happett bt, liorth America in the tuentieth centu.ry? I'm not a sociologist, but mr. comnent nould be. I don't think the problem within the Orthodox Church toda-v'n'ascaused only by the American culture. I think it was caused bv the Church itself, frorn within the Church itself. I think that the cultule t.l.rirststo be Christianized. Amelican cultur-eis fertile ground for Orthodoxr'. It rtould be too easy for us to sar-,"[bll"

Pnq.xrs Pentecost1999

all our problems are because, you kncrw.we just happen to be arr Orthodox Church in a Protestant culture." Sieil then. hon uould vou erplain lhv Christianitv thriled during the tinies of the persecutions?And uhv did ne have so manv holy people during that peliod/ So. I u-ouldn't go dorvn that roacl, but r.hat I would say is tl'ratrre need to take a good haril look ai the Chulch itselfancl see ifrre are in iact true to our' Orthodox heritaee and if ue har-e been faithful to the lbrms or iiturgical life. the culture r-ithin the Church. Do you think that some of the hurugerfor Orthodoxy can be etidettced by the surprisirtg scope of the mona.steries befitg buik today? Again. it rrould be too eas\ to sa\. "triell. uhat people are looking for is monasticisrn."I think that lrhat they're looking lbr is the asceiical lifes trle t-rfOrtho du r r . \ s c elic is r n. as vou uell knou. is the lerv lifestyle of the Church. the blood of the Church. As a matter of fact, it

Speaking of which, uhen. yott look at your indiuidu'ol call no** and at religiouseducution,in the bestof all possible worlds uhat rou,ld you be hopirtg to achieuein the sense ofthings thot need to be done? W-ell,I alrays beginlr-iththe objectiveaud work my rav back' What l.e're lookingfor is holirress:to r,alk into parishesand not hearthe parishcouncilis againstthe priestor the pliest againstthe palishcourrcil.To ualk into a parishand see people loving each otiler and receiving all the sacranrentsis the aim o{' religious education. When I sav the sacraments. plural. I mean Confession and all of the sacraniellts,not iust the E u t h a r i *t . T o r r a l k i t t l o r l 't n mu tr i tr n'here people run to the Divirre Liturgy and to al1 the servicesofthe Church becausethev experiencejov there and it's not a drudger'f is the aim of leligious education.Well, horv (ranwe acc'onrplishthis'/ Not that ue tlon't have parishes that are like that toclar'. but hol can \\e encourage ali t'omurur.ritiesto do likeuise? What I've cloneis subdivide those r.reeds.For example.

r-as the original nature of Adam and Er-e to be ascetics. in other uords. t<.r sacrifice themselves for God. Tireir job t-as to offer creation to God and then to partake of it. Historicall.v, asceticism within the Orthodox Church always r-as in that light. No matter u-ho you l\iere. n-hether you \{ere a monk or an ordained clergvman or a farmer. vou still lere called to live an asceticallife. Al1 of your energy, all of the liturgy, all of your daily rvork was to be offered to Cocl first. That's the image of Adam.

the data tl'rat have come back to us from the Climate Surr-el Questionnaire psrishes are that the DRE c'irculated last vear clearly shs11, thirsty for leadership developnent courses. W-eneed leaders of the Church n'ho are scripturallv knor-ledgeable. They knon liturgics. Ther understarrd the Church Fathers. Ther knon the lives of the saiuts.Then lhen ther:nrake importarrtdecisions in tl.reparish. tl.reycan be faithful to the helitage of Orthodox-v. I've been in palislres where such people rvere on parish councils. Those parishesare successful.not just in the sense

That's the image of the pliesthood. That's uhat Saint Paul uas talking about uhen he said that we are ali part of the royal priesthood.

ihat ihet. have a lot of buildings and mouer. but thev're sur:cessfulin that there is kindrressand there is holiness and there is love. If the Church Fathers $-ere to analvze the Church todav, the-vlould be scandalized to see not only that we have atlults rrho don't go to adult educational plograms and don't participate in letreats or bur- books to stuclv Orthodoxl. ltut also that these same adults l'ill tell lou thai there is rro ueed to do those things. That is the scandal of Orthodoxy totlay. It is that ue tlon't think l-e need spiritual tools, and thereftrre \re create this casual attitucle irhicl'r creates casualties clortn the roacl. So iifelong learr.ringitould be someihing that's ven-

I remember a professor at the seminary-really a spiritual father of mine-who said. "You can be a mouk rrith rrithin vour marriage. lbu can be an ascetic at l-urrr-re vour farnily," And uhat does that mean? Ste don't need to live in a tent or a cave or hit a wooden sern.irtdron; calling others to church. What he meant is that'n-eare all called to holiness. Do yott.think the local parish itself should prouide the example of what the ascetic life is? I think that ne have created artificial lines irr the santl: Either r.ou're ivith us or against us. lbu are part of a "counirr, club church" or you're part of a "monastic communit\'." Ybu're a "fundamentalist" or,vou're a "liberal." Ybu're a "pastor" or vriu're a "professional." Those are all artificial. Othodoxy is a tapestr.-v of the varietv of gifts of the Holv Spirit. and nhat rre need io do is be obedierrt and faithful to the call that Cod extends to each and everv one ofus.

iniportant to me. Hort do we do tl-rat? W-eneed to elevate religious education to its rightful place once again. The Church Fathers honored education and honored the indiridual'uho lanted to leartr more about Gocl. S'hy? Because\re're in love with Him. If t'e are in love nith God, ve want to spend more time learning about Him. knorving rvhat He \\,ants us to kno'n about Him-again n-ith the understanding that knor,iedge does not equate to holiness but is an important pafi.

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What is the dynamic that has contributed to our loss of the sense ofthe sacred? I think that historically many Orthodox Christians came io this

need to fight for? ] mean are l'e going to fight against perr-s in the church or are we going to talk about abotion and prernarital sex? As far as I'm concerned, we need to deal r,,,ith

country not to establish the Church, but to become financially successful and then go back to the old country. As time rvent on, they built their churches, established their conrmunities,

the issues that right no\r:are destroying the souls of our young people. So let's say we did away with all the pews in the church and everybody is sianding up and saying, "Boy, look at us. We're historic Orthodox. We don't have any pews,o'and yet

and brought priests from Greece. But once again, uith all due respect, the churches became almost wav-stations for the journey: "This is the place I'm going to stay for five or ten years, Then I'm going to go back to Greece. I'm going to move on to some place else." So I think the maintenance of the Church, or the holiness of the Church, was not rejected, but we didn't spend enough time doing what we needed to do. What happened was ne then had communities where the leaders of the churches, the heroes of the churches, were not those rvho lived an asceticaloholy life, but our heroes were successful people, perhaps a physician, a lawyer, a successful businessman. We put these individuals in leadership. We wanted them to do rvith the churches what they did for their own personal lives, make them o'successful."We've inherited that system today. How do we change that? Well, I tell people that you get what you deserve as a parish. Why? Because it is the parish mernbership rvho elected these individuals onto our parish councils, Ifwe can somehow impress upon each individual that the Church is God's people, a piace of holiness, a place of asceticism, a place where success is measured in service, and love, and humility, not by the size

ue don't say anything about abortion and premarital sex, then I think we've betrayed Orthodoxy. What can the Departrnent of Religious Ed,ucation specifically do to help apply the teaching of the Fathers to where our young people are grouittg up today and help them deal uith those issues? As I said, we need to recover the communal responsibility of faithfulness. We need a curriculum to create a program that can be instituted in our parishes for the godparents so we can hold the feet of the godparents to the fire, so to speak. If they're going to stand up and participate sacramentally in the baptism ofa child, we'll take that seriously. Also, as the priest is teaching, let's sayothat premarital sex is wrong, that needs to be supported by what is being said in the family and rvhat is being said and done in the greater community. If the priest says something the parents or the parish leadership does not teach, thatoswhen we get into problems. What we need is a

ol your automobile or the size of your bank account, ther.rI think people will begin io understand that the Church is not just another institution. One problem I'ue noticed is that there is a,lmost an etnbarra.ssment on the part of some Greek Orthodox and I may say on the part of some clcrgy faithful, perhaps too, to be too out of step with the secu.lar uorld or to make fu,ith too ouert bt. a uay thut might embarrass or ccLtlsediuision iru the community. There's no question that in the Old Testament one of the criticisms that the prophets raised against Israel rvas that "everybody was doing what they thought was right in their own eyes." I think that's rvhat the people mean when they say that lr.e have become "congregationalists." Now, what I mean by that term is that Orthodoxy, although it allows for a pelsonal expression ofthe Faith, never takes the priesthood ofthe believer and turns it into the papacy ofthe self. The bottom line of asceiicism is the surrender of the self until finally n,e can say that we've died to ourselves and it is Christ that lives in us. Non'ifyou can go to ten different Orthodox churches and you hear ten different "gospels"-one person is saying, "This is right," and anoiher person is saying, "That's not right!"-how do we change that? I think we need what many ofthe Church Fathers called discernment, especially from the priest and the bishop or the rnetropolitan of that diocese. W-eneed to choose our battles carefully, because there's no question Orthodoxy demands a cost. But what is it that we

systemicchangervithinthe entire communityto acceptthe teachingsof the Faith. W'eneedsomebooksperhapsand dialogueon theseissuesso that peoplecan seethe teachings of the Churchvery plainly and clearly.The Departmentof ReligiousEducationstandsreadyto stad producingmaterials that would har.ethe in'tprimaturof the archdioceseso that whena priest getsup and sayscertainthingsaboutthe ethics of Orthodoxy,he can showthe book and alsoseean encyclical from the synodofbishopsto supporthis position.But, again, we shouldn'trely only on that. We needto makepeopleaccept that thereis sornethingdifferentin being a Christian.We are calledto live a differentkind of a life. Our bodiesdo not belongto us. They are templesof the Holy Spirit. I think if rve ll

Pnexrs Pentecost 1999

can teachthe child from early on that asceticismmeansthat I utonder if you'd like to address the applicatioru of he becomesa priest in that he offershis verv body to GodOrthodoxy to education in the secular u;orld. his body belongsto God and it is the templeof the Holy Well, I think that is critical. For example, one of the more Spirit-then we can begin talking aboutbod,vpiercingand fiendish "-lsn.s" toda,vis deconstructionism. Even the term is tattooing.But if 'rvestarttalking aboutpremaritalsex,abortion, something people are not a\\.areof. And I think that this -ism, and euthanasiaprior to a worldviewthat piacesCod at the this disease, has permeated Orthodory in the last clecade. centeroflife as opposedto the individual,n'e'regoingto turn We are deconstructing the historical Church and then the conversationinio a debate.So work hasto be done,I think, reconstructing it in our own image the 'lr-aythat fits our or{n from the font as closeto the font as we can. needs todav. That's a very dangerous thing. But there has to be What are the specificsthe Department of Religious Education is going to prouide? The magazine that n,e're publishing I think is a big help in that direction. When I mention the emergence of such a periodical dur ing th e Re ligio us Educ at ion

quite a bit ofn-ork done prior to a conversation about this. That's why I feel that we have been tricked in our Sunday school programming. We take young people and we talk about "ethical issues" with them or "societal problems." We do that thinking that we

Workshops that I have been

are doing them a sen'ice, but we do them a disservice bv f i r s t t r u n c a li n g c o n \ e 1 5 a l i o n

conducting throughout the archdiocese. people jump at the opporlunitv to receive something

about the Orthodox worldview as if ethics could be addressed separately.If n-e're going to talk about ethical issuesand sor-ietalproblems. we must first do some r-ork rvith our 1'oungpeople. We must teach the theology of the Church, liturgical life, the ascetical teachings of the Church Fathers, the lir,es of the saints, so having created a theological base upon which l o s t a n d ,t h e n n e l a n l o o l ' a t a fallen world and make sorne

that they can trust from the official administrative arm of the Church. This magazine unpacks some of the beauty of Orthodoxy so that parents can share it with their children, so I think this is one important component of how we can make a systemic change. Leadership development I think is another one. The Annual Resource Companion (ARC) that rve publish on an annual basis that outlines a yearly educational theme, Saint John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival topics and related articles by theologians, clergy and teachers is yet another. We are creating multimedia interactive CD-ROMs as well as Internet programs. We are currently completing the first CD-ROM module that rvill help students learn the hymnologl., theologv, scriptural lessons, liturgics, and spiritualit--vof the Triodion. We have also begun an on-1ine distance learning program on the Interr-ret,r'r,hichstudents from all over the r-orld are logging into on Tuesday evenings to palticipate in real-time catechetical iessons. Once again lhe focus in al] these initiatives is to get material into the home as opposed to getting children or adults into the classroom. I don't knou if you'r,e senseclthat that's an intentional change: to get the material into the home and tir turn the home into a small "church" so that r.hat is taking place in the community sanctuary is nothing more than an expression of rshat is taking place in each individual horne.

critique. But ifwe begin at the fallen world and start creating a theology from there. as opposed to starting it from the grace of Cod, then rve do theology backwards. Protestantism has seen this point because at one point they were doing theology that way. It is interesting that you can take a group of prrests or pastors and bring them together arrd ask them, "What comes first, tl'reologyor pastoral action?" Many of thern would say, unforiunatell, that pastoral action is first and then there's theology. But you cannot pastor until vou have developed a very strong theological underpinning. I think ii is the same thing r'r,ithour children. We need to n-ork in order to prepare them for such a conversation. Again, the Department ol Religious Education hopes lhat we rvill be able to produce these kinds of materials. But in order to do that, rve need rvritersl W'eneed solid writers lr,ho understand what we're talking about. people who are rvilling to sit down and do the work that is necessary to produce these things. The rvorst thing in the wor'ld is io start publishing bad iexts and sa1.,"Weil, this is beiter than nothinc." I don't want to move in that kind o{ direction.

Pnaxrs Pentecost1999

Is there sotne area you tuould lihe to include in this interuieta that u:e haue. not couered? I think for me, Scripture as interpreted by the Church Fathers and as expressed liturgically is an important key. You know. you hear people saying, "What we need are Bible studies,,' and I very quickiy and lovingiy try to correct that and say, "No, no, no. That's not'u,hat we need. We need to reimmerse ourseives into the entire rainbow of O*hodoxy, within the entire tapestry of Orthodory lvhich, yes, utilizes the Scriptures, explains them through the Church Fathers, creates theology from them, expressesit through icons and music and the bodily gestures in our rrorship of God." How can ue teach? How can we convey this system oflife so that people approach Orthodoxy not as something you do, but as something you live? I've come across something in the trventy-ninth chapter of Second Chronicles, where a voung prince named Hezekiah inherited a kingdom from his father, rvho had moved in the completely opposite direction from where Israel was supposed to go originally. This young prince Hezekiah has an opportunity to make an impact on the nation of Israel. He does four different things. I have studied those four things and I have praved about those four things and I think that they provide us four steps to hor, we can then create an Othodox curriculum or a system by which we can get people to see Orthodoxl, the'nay it should be. He starts off lr,ith confession. He opens up the temple of Jerusalem that had actually been nailed shut by his father. That's where he starts. I find it very interesting that he does noi start with economics. He doesn't start with social engin-ering. He doesn't start with making larger armies, but he goes to worship. He starts there, and he takes down those boards that closed the doors. I think for us as Orthodox Christians that 'would represent taking a good look at our communities. We need to take a good look at our own lives, our own "temple," unbolt the doors ofour hearts and make a truthful assessment, a confession before God: "Are we living faithfully toYou, Lord? Are n'e living faithfully to Orthodoxyi' Do we knolr Ycru?Do we rvorship Ybu properly? You can cleanse out the heart, cieanse out the community of a lot of the things that we've been talking about." If we haven't been praying properly, let's readjust our liturgical life to be more faithful to Orthodoxy's expessron. Whatever it is from an individual point of view all the way to a communal point of view; we need to confess. And the next thing that Hezekiah does is challenge the leaders, the clergy and lay leaders, to serve the people. I think that that's another thing that we need to do. Wb, as clergv and people in leadership positions, need to reassessour position and acknorvledgethat leadership for us means servanthoodl Isn't that what Christ said? Ifwe can begin loving our people from a servant.-centeredpoint of view-when we begin living a life of self-sacrifice, which is reaily sssslicism-I think that will go a long way into changing some of the poiitical probiems we have wiihin our oarishes.

A third thing that Hezekiah does is challenge his people to turn rvorship into a joy as opposed to drudgery. W-eneed to take a look at the way we rvorship Gcid and ask'r,vhetherit's celebration" because it should be celebration. It should be a joy. And finail-n the consequence of everything is Hezekiah's fourth step: people then gave ofthemselves, whether it was financialiy or their ability or their talents. You have there at the end of Hezekiah's four sLepsa rauon that had changed. that had repented, and then you saw a renaissance of Israel. For the last two years since rny appointment I have been conducting Leadership Development Seminars and Teacher Training Wbrkshops throughout this country. The attenrlance has been phenomenal! People are thirsty for catecheticai opportunities that integrate Scripture, patristics, liturgics, theology and ethics. One of the thrusts o1' these workshops is the discussion ofthe spiritual paradigm that Hezekiah implemented. I hope and pray that through the workshops, through the Iniernet, through the content that we create through this magazine and our books that people can begin looking at themselves. saying, "Lei's start with Confession. Let's move towards service to one another. Let's move towards $'orshiping God and turning that into celebration and then linalln let's dedicate our whole lives to Christ." If we can really do that and commit ourselves, then I think that we have rnade a good stafi in beginning a renaissance of Orthodoxy for the next millennium. Father Frank Marangos is Director of the Department of Religious Education for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Frank Schaeffir is a uriter, member of the Archdiocesan Council, and editor of Regina Press.

TEACHINGTHEMESSAGE

of the accouttt of the birthday of the Church is mentioned ht Acts, Chapter Tu;o. Therein we by Fr. Paul Costopoulos are told that on the Jeuish Feast of Pentecost, the Apostles were gathered all together in one place. And The norration

T I t r r a sP e n l e c o sSt u n d a r.J u n e7 . 1 9 98.D uri ng suddenll' there carne a soundfrom heaxen as of a rushhtg the precedingrreekI diated: ShouldI preaclr of a mighty wind, and the Holy Spirit fiIled the whole on Sundayor shouldn'tI? I am not one to shirk house and came upon each one of them. The disciples the preachingministryof the Church.I believe thereafter began to preach the Word of God in the thai preachingis esser.rtial to the catechesisof languages oftheforeigners uho were gatheredht Jerusaour faithful. It shouldtake placeeverySunlem for the feast . Throu6'h their preaching, and most day-except maybeon PentecostSunday.Why especially tlvough the preaching of Peter, we read: not on PentecostSunday?Becausethe lengthy So those who welcorned his rnessagewere baptized, Kr.reeling \iespersServicel'ould take place. and that day about three thousand persons were and the sellllol-rcan protracttime in churcl-rby added (Acts 2:41). another12 to 15 minutes. This sermon is based upon the Apostoiic Reading of the da1', Like manyother GreekOrthodoxpliestsI Acts 2:1-11. but there are other scriptural readirlgs from the rtonr. unfofiunatelr;aboutthe concernthat many have for tl.relength of oul liturgical services. "Oh, r'hat the heckl" I said. "So what if the people have to stay in church another tn'elve minutes. I'll go for it. Pentecost is too important not to give a teaching. Besides, there are so lnan-ypeople uho have no clue." As with most sermons that I preach on feast days and teachings that I give. so also on this Pentecost Sunday I l-ould do three things: I lould explain the Feast Dav from the perspective of Scriptures and Holy Tradition; I would illustrate the teaching u-ith stories or events to which the contemporarv listener can relate: and I rvould talk about the exister.rtial response and practical application the messagedemands from the listener. Explanation, illustlation. and response ought to be al lh e h ea r-lo f a ll ca t ec hes is . So I did preach on Pentecost Sundar'. 1998. The catechetical, kerrgmatic messageof Pentecost. I belier-e, is evident. As you read the italicized rnessage,I will digress r-ith explanations to poini out uhat I did and nhat else one could do to get the across. -"rr:*" Tsr

SBnmon

Today ilt the Orthodox Church is a day of great jo1'. Liturgically u)e are cornmentorating a birthdaT'. No, u:e are not commemorating Jesu,s'birthday, nor are u)e commentorating the birthday of the Theotokos or one of the sahtts. Instead, ue are celebrating the birthdal' of the Church, Accordhtg to r/re Svnaxarion of the day, "This then is the object of the present Feast, ttamely th,e coming of the Holy Spirit irtto the world, the fulfi.llment of the promise of Jesus Christ, and the completion of the undefile d dis cipl.es' hop e. " The teaching begins llith an explanation of the day's commenroration. The S1'naxarion is a good starting point in identifving the comrnemoration of a feast. The teacher/ preaclrel may $'ant to explair-rthat tl'reS1'naxorion is a brief account of a sairrt'slife and festal commemoration of the dav that is read during the Orthros.

Feast Dav Liturgr and Vespers that could serve as a starting point arrd/or as points for amplification. Among the readings are the following: The Gospel according to Saint John B:37-521 B : 1 2 ) ;N u m b e r s 1 1 : 1 6 - I 7 a n d 2 4 - 2 9 ; J o e l 2 . 2 3 t o t h e e n d : Ezekiel 36,24-28. At birthdays of loued ones andfriends, ue joyously sing "Hoppy birthday to you." On this the birthdal' of the Church, this is rtot what ue shtg'. Instead, ue shtg that troparion, uhich is also one of the tuo tropario. of the Church: "Blessed ure you O Christ our God," ue sing. ooFor you haue reuealed the fishermen most uise by sending doun uport them the Holy Spirit. And through them you haue drawtt the uorld into Your rtet." rion in its entirety r-ill give the A reading of the S,r.nn.ro preache/teacher an added understanding of the meaning of this l.rymn. Yes. God has rexealed the fi,shennen most wise. Peter, John, James, Andreu;, and the others uere uneducated fishermen, tax collectors, a nd farmers, God gaue to them the HoIy Spirit he and yet -^hen reu-ealed them to be uise. Hou so? By making them eloquent preachers of the Word of God uho on this day could miraculously prea.ch the Word in the language of the foreigners uho were in, J erusalem-Parthians, M ede s, Elamite s, p er sons fr orn C app adocia. When they preached in these languages, it created wonder ht the minds of the listeners. Some thought they uere drunk, but Peter was quick to remind them that it tocts by the HoIy Spirit they preached. As the troparion sfdfes, oodrerc the world into God's net" und laid the t.hereby he foundatiotts of the Chu.rch. Pentecost is rtot simply an euent that took place noo thousand years ago. Rather it is a cel.ebration of uhat must happen and does happen to us today. What does happen is that the same Holy Spirit, Who is the pouer of God Who allous one to lutou: God and liue for God, is corttinually communicttted to us by the Church, :*^hich was established by God for this purpose through worship, Liturgy, the Sacrametfis, and the Word. And uhat must

Pnexrs

hoppen is the Christian nntst striue to do that rchiclt Saht Symeonthe Neu Theologittrt tells us ue must do: "We must sfriue to acquire the HoIl'Spirit and acquire os ntuch of it as possible." A discussion of liturgicaltinrein this sermonrroulclnot have beenout of order.The teacher/pleacher must cor-rtinualll remir.rdthe listenerthat our liturgical celebratior.rs are llot rnerelvcomr-nemorations of pastevents.but mvstical reenactments in the present time of realities being cotlrnentorated. Refererlces to tlle hvmnologv of the Church lould be good wavs to illustrate this (e.g., "Christ is ltorn, glorify Him..."r "Todat.He hangs upon rvoocl""1.e.,the cross:'"Todav all the rrations in the cit-vof Dai id beheld r,ouders u;henthe Holr Spirit descendeclin Jierl tongues..." ). "Father," a parishioner said to nte one Sundn,r' morttittpl o'1'ott suid something I do not fully follouing the Liturgy, understand. You said a Christian must dcquire the Holy Spirit.... My dilemma is not only do I not knorc hou to acquire it, I don't euen knorc uhat the Holy Spirit is!" The dilemrna is not a neu: one, In the Book of Acts, 19:1-7,for example, we are told that one day PauI asked some disciples of John the Baptist ht the city of Ephesus if they had receiu-ed the Holy Spirit when they belieued. Thev resportded, "tro, u:e hat:e n.ot el^enheard that there is a Holy Splrir. " So Paul usked them, "Into **hat then u:ere youboptized?" They suid, "lnto John's baptisnt." Then Paul respontled. "lohn baptized rith the baptisnt of repentance. telling the people to beliete in the one thot rcas to come after hint, that is in Jesus.'o When they heard this, they uere baptized into tlrc name of the Lord Jesus, und u:hen Paul had laid his hunds on them, the Holy Spirit come upon thenr und they spoke in tongues and prophesied. The story is a good one, It giues us art indication of uhat the Holy Spirit is and how one acqu.ires it. TIrc Holy Spirir is the pouer of God, the third person of the Holy Trinity, Who allows us fo n'ifrress to and lixe for God. One acquires the Holy Spirit through baptism and chrismation, referred to by the Fathers of our Church as one's personal Pentecost, Once chrisntated, a person then maintains the Holy Sltirit and /iues in the Spirit br doing rchat all Christians ntust do to liue for God by prarirtg, .fasting, comitg to Church, reading the Scriptures. and participating in the sacrantental life of tlrc Church. By doing all these things, rtot only are rce empouered to do uhat Christ would hat,e tts do, but Saint Paul in his Epistle to the Calatians also s&ge:eststhat ue become equipped uith the fruit of the Hol"v Spirit. "Nou these are Paul rcrites in the fruits of the Holy Spirir, " S'cLi:,tt Cala tian s 5 :26 , "Loue, jo1' , pec t c e. . , . " Pentecostup to this point has been explained and illustlated. The analogl of a birthclar: is one to rhich n'rar-rr. can relate. The storl of the palishonerirho rranted to knol u'hat to clo to ac'quire the Holv Spirit is one n'ith n'hich manv can identif-v. This teaching u as the junrping-off pt-rintfor the teaching on

Pentecost 1999

how to appll' the messageto one's life. Reallr', there are two sinrple responsesto the nessage of Pentecost,both of ivhich har,eto do uith the acquisition of the Holv Spirit: First. strive to acquire the Holl Spirit through Christian living; and second. stlir.e to acquire it thlough rrorship. praver. and pafticipation in the sacramental Iife of the Church. Canr,ing the analogv of a birthdav one step further to that of a bir-thdaypartr'. this teaching concludes bv exhorting the listener to do some very practical things during the Liturgr antl \tespers of Pentecost to acquire the Holv Spirit. A com.mon uay of ocknowledging one's birthday is to bring together loxed ones andfriends, to hold' a party, and to offer one's guests some food. WeII, this is u)hat our CfuLrch does on this day, too. We haue a porty and a in the liturgy, dinner, n"amely, the Diuite Liturgy-thou'gh the food is not cake and ice cream, but rather is the socretnent of HoIy Eucharist. And the party is the gatherittg of the faithful to celebrate the birthday of the Church and the giuing of the HoIy Spirit to the uorld as both a past and present euent. The Liturgy today does this by 1) recalling our baptism into Christ by singing "AIl uho haue been baptized in Christ" instead of the Trisc"gion,;2) by reuding passages from the Book of Acts ond the Gospel of John that speak to us about the coming of the Spirit into the uorld; 3) by singing a kontakion that tells us of the rexersal of Babel through the uniting of natiotts by God into the unitS' of the Spirit; and .I) by irtt'itittg us) tts u:e uill be inxited at the end of the Diuine Liturgy, to get on our knees and to pray thot the HoIy Spirit rcill act strongly in our liues so that together ue can lixe for Christ. I don't knor about 1'ou, but as for myself, I lik,e birthday parties, Birthday parties are usua.lly svnonymous uith jo1'. And so too it is on this Pentecost Sunday where Iiturgica.lly u)e are celebratirrg the birthday of our Church. This day too is synonl'mous n-ith great joy. To experience the joy, and to experience it more fully, there are three things you can and must do: 1. Celebra,te b5' ucorshipping and being attentitte to the Liturgy; 2. Eat by coming foruard to receiue God into your life; und 3. Pray and uait upon the Lord, as did the Apostles on tlrc first Pentecost, that the HoIy Spirit u'illftll your life. By doing these three things you uill then be able to sing ferxently, uith joy and truth, the u:ords of the CommunooYour good Spirit shall guide me on ion hymn which say, Alleluia.'o Amen. ground. AIIeIuia. Alleluia. Iexel Mav God's good Spirit lead us on level ground as rte teach people about Pentet'ost. indeed as \re teach them all of the truths of Holv Scriptures atrd our Holr Orthodox Church.

PRexs Pentecost 1999

THECHURCHON THEDAYOF PENTECOST by Fr. PeterE. Gillquist A All

of m y a d u l t l i f e a s a n e v a n g e l i t . a l Christian, I have been consumed with the challenge to find the Nerv Testament Church as she exists today. In my seminary years and beyond I would read

the ScripturesascarefullyasI could,

FORYOUARE AMERCIFUI. COD WHOTOVES HUMANKIND ANDTOYOUWEASCRIBT CTORY TOTHTFATHTR ANDTOTHE SON ANDTOTHTHOTY SPIRIT

searchingfor the characteristics of the historic Church.Now that I am Orthodox, I oftenthink back to a passageI memorizedyearsagowhich so clearly describeswhat the ChurchofJesus Christ shouldbe. Acts, ChapterTwo,is the Evangelist Luke'saccountofPentecost.You will recall on that day the Holy Spirit anointedSaintPeterto preachthe gospel of Christ. At least three thousandpeople wereconvertedand baptized.And note the specificpattem of life for this newly plantedChurch.It's the passageI had memorized: Theyd,euoted themselues to the apostles'teachingandfellowship, to the brealtingof breadand theprayers (Acts 2:42). Thesefour elements-(I) the Apostles' doctrine, (2) fellowship, (3) the breaking of bread, and (4) the prayers-are four crucial marksof the New Testament Church.And they providea wonderful road map for us today as we work to preservethe life and teachingsof the OrthodoxChurch. Thereis sucha plethoraof religious choicesfor us as we enter the twentyfirst century.Thereare hundreds,even thousands,of manmadedenominations. And yet, as we do even a cursory reading of the New Testament,we discoverthat Jesusbuilt just one Church.It wasfound in numerousplaces to be sure, but it was one.In thosedays,ifyou got angrywith the priest and headedout the door,you didn't walk downthe streetand join somethingelse.Why? Therewasnothing elseto joinl Soon,it cameto be calledthe One Holy Catholicand ApostolicChurch. And as it grew and thrived, it maintained its commitmentwithoutwaveringto thosefour elementsof Orthodox

Christianitydescribedby SaintLuke on the day ofPentecost.Let'slook briefly at thesefour marks.

Aposrlns'Docrnnm I hroughout thehistoryoI theChurch, Christianswere never called to believe whateverthey pleasedor whatevermade themfeel good.The fact is, ifwe design our own faith, it's precisely that: it's ours, not the Faith of Christ.So theresomehow must be a discerniblebody of truth that we as believersin JesusChristcan follow. The technical phrasefor this depositof truth in the New Testamentis theApostles'doctrine.It is the doctrineof Christ, which is so carefully guardedby Apostolic Tiadition. In other words, this is the doctrinethe Apostleslearnedfrom the Lord, which they in turn passedon intact to their followers. We can saywithoutfear of contradiction that the mostuniversallyconfessed statementof Apostolic Faith in the entire Churchoutsideof the New Testament itself is the NiceneCreed.It is the most beautiful, brief description of our faith in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit that has everbeenpenned.It is our MagnaCartaas Christians,the distilled essenceofwhat the Apostles taught and wrote as recordedin the New Testament.The Creedsafeguards the Apostles'doctrine.We receivethis doctrine.we believeit. and we live it. We don't streamlineit. We don't sugarcoator embellishit, and we will not redesignit to fit the twenty-first century. I have a goodfriend in suburban Milwaukee,Fr. Bill Olnhausen.As he cameto Orthodoxy,he said, "I'm here becauseas an Episcopal priest, I grew wearythat everytime I turned around, the doctrinal ground had shifted underneathmy feet." The Scriptures teach that our Christian faith has been ooonce for all deliveredto the saints" (Jude3). It's ours to receive and to believe, not to alter. For years,I picturedthe Churchand Christianhistoryas a kind of twenty-

Pnexrs Pentecost1999

centuries-long motel. In each century you would re-lay the foundation. You rvould take those things of the gospel that seem rele'r-antto the people of this dar and establish a r.rer.foundation in each generation or each century and then build a superstructure on that. At first this sounds good, doesn't it? Who can gainsay being relevant? But when you anal,vzeit, this means the foundations are continually changing. We design a church based on nhat rve perceive to be the needs of the people as opposed to the revelation of Cod. Instead of a iwenty-centuries-long motel, the Churcl'r is much more like a t\\-enty-centuries-high rnotel. There is just one foundation. It has been laid bv the Apostles and the prophets, and Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. As we build upon that unchanging foundation centurt after century. the Apostles' doctrine does not change. Bui there may be some other things we bring inio the structure that tvere not there at the first. For instance, instead of the Scriptures being handr,ritten on scrolls, r-e have our bound Bibles, thanks to the printing press. We have our service books, our literature. Furtl-rer, \{'e can proclaim and teacl.rthe gospel via radio and television. If that isn't enough, here comes the Internet! We had a guest in our home not long ago, a young man that became Orthodox as result of something that stirred him as he sur{ed the Internet one evenrng. Once rve are clear on the foundation. ue l'ork together nith the Lord as He continues His rnission of building the Church. The longer I'm Orthodor, the more I see the preservation of our Orthodox Faith as an absoiute miracle. Coming from a Protestant background. I am hard-pressed to name any denomination more than a hundred years old which has stood firm on the foundation ofits ortr founders. Yet here is this ancient Orthodox Church that seems so old. so foreign, so rigid to the American eye and ear. r.hich has utterly retained the fullness of the Apostolic Faith. I am grateful beyond r.ords to be part of it.

Fnlr-os'ssrp )econdly; the believerscontinued steadfastlyin fellowship.The word fellowshipis translatedfron the Greek trord koinonia.Anothergoodtranslation lbr it is "community."In otherrvords,as Christians.we are both membersof Christ,havingbeenjoined to Him throughHoly Baptism.and throughour faith we are alsomembersone of another.We'refamily here. In life, you can chooser-oulfrier-rds, but vou can't chooseyour familr'! And that is true as well rvith the famil,vof Cod. W-eare stuck with eachother,not only here,but for eternity.So rvelearn to live togetherunder the lordshipof Cirrist in the Church.W'enot only seekto love eachother,we actuallylearn to like each other.Together,we are calledto prefer one another.to honoreachother.This is the communitythich uas established bv Christour Cod, indwelt bv the Holy Spirit on Pentecost,and spreadliy the Apostlesof Christ to the rrholeworld. It's our homearrayfrom Homel In every healthy famil1-,there is order.God'sfamily is no exception.Thus in the Church,you havethe laity, the deacons.the priests"and the bishops. W'edo nothingapartfrom the bishop. Why? Becausefatherknol's best!In the OrthodoxChurch,the bishopis not seelr as infallible. but ratheras our point of unity, the one u,hokeepsthe farnily together. But there'smore,This family is not just a visible, earthlyfamilv.In Ephesians3, thereis a beautiful descriptionof the breadthof God's family,SaintPaul says: For this reasonI boutmy kneesbefore the Father,from u,honteuertfamill [singular]in heauenand on earth takesits nrzme(Ephesians3:14). The communitywe are talking aboutis nothinglessthan the communionof the saints.somein heavenand someon earth.for Godhasjust onefamily. T h e communi on of l he sai ntsmean. o u r fel l ortshi pi n the C hul chi sn' tj usl lith eachotherlocallt'.or e\-erlrrith all othertruly believingand rightlv

'norshiping Christians around the l'orld. Ii is also r,r-iththat company which has gone on before us to their rest. Thus, Saint Paul r,rites: I pray that you may haue the power to comprehend,with all the saints,nhat is the breadth and length, and height and depth, and to knotL,tlte lore of Cldst that surpossesknoruledge,so thot you ntay befi.lled uith all the fullness oJ'God (Ephesians 3:18). Being a Christian is r.roithe nlone rrorshipping the Alone.It is the Bodv of Christ here on earlh joining rvith the innumerabie compan,vof angels and with the saints lr,ho are enrolled in heaven to bol.donn and norship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Nol-here else but in the Church n'ill we find anything that ever.rcomes close to thail Bnr.rrrrc or Bnnrt Thi.alr-. thev continued steadfastlr.in the breaking ofthe bread. This is a phrase used ofter.rin the New Testament, ar.rdit is a direct reference to the Holy Eucharist. In fact. after His resurrection. rve find that Jesus' disciples recognized Him "in the breaking of the bread" (see the ston'in Luke 24:30-35). In Acts 20:7. rre read that the Church came together on the first day of the ueek "to break bread," to receive Holy Communior.r.Thus the Eucharist has been the l'en center of Christian $'orship since the beginning dav of Church historr.. \\ hy is this so? To come to God, we must bring a sacrifice. In the Old Testamerrt.thev brought the blood of bulls, goats. and sacrificial lambs. r-hich can ne\.er take avay sins. But in the {ullness of time, Cod sent His Son to be the sacrifice, nl.rich is u'hv Sairrt John the Baptist. one dav as he las at the Jordan River" Iooked up and sa\\.our Lord and saiil, Here is the Lamb of God u;ho takes au:a)'the sin of the norld! (John I:29). Thus the sacrifice we as Christians bring i s t h e o n c e - f o r - a l ls a c r i f i c eg i r e n l o u s bv God Hinrself. namelv His Son. W.e do not recrucifv the Lord. Eb do not resacrifice Him. Rather. we fe-present to

Pnexrs Pentecost1999

the Father the sacrifice of His Son. forever eaten and never cor.rsumed. These days. man-l people come from church traditions which eliminate Holy Cornmuniorr.Thel"ll give vou the singing of hvmns and the reading of Scripture. Thev'll give vou the sermon. follorred bv the benecliction. Left ur.rtouchedand untasted is the most precious gift God has ever given, His Incarnaie Son. People are denied the Body and Blood of Christ. I believe the reason many Protestants have disrnissedthe Eucharist is their "Romophobia": they are so afraid they are going to look Iike Rome, they omit Holl' Comurruion. Never mind what the Scriptures teach. never mind rthat the Church has clone.if Ronre does it,'ue lon't. As a result, rnany Protestant Christians are starving themselves to death, ignoring the very Gift which God has given. And this explains in part u'hy so nlallv people lodav ale returrringlo the Orthodox Church-because of the centralitt of the Holy Eucharist. Tnn Pn-lrrns Fro,rl ,lu-1o116-1hs day of Pentecoston, Christians continued steadfastly in lhe Apo stle s'd octrine. ir r c om m unit r . ir r the Eucharist. and in pra\,ers. But in the Creek text of Acts 2:42. there is an article before the rrord "pravers." Literally. thev continued steadfasth-in tie prayers. Yes, there $'ere specific prayers people praved. And these prayers go all the nav back into the OId Testament. What was the praver book of Israel? The Psalms. What is the prayer book" if 1-ouwill, of the Church? The Psalms. They are the bases of the prayers. As in Israel, there are other prayers that are prayed in the Church. And most of them are right out of the Scriptures. For instance. Holy, hol1, holy is the Lord of Hosts. The whole earth isfulL of His glory' comes from Isaiah 6. This was the prayer of praise Isaiah heard the angels sing in heaven. and it has been carried over into oul Christian rrorship as t'ell.

Ofcoursethe greatprarerrvhich Jesuspraved,the Lord'sPrayer'.is also part of Orthodoxliturgy.Many modern Christiansgrer{up in n'hatI call the 'Just really" liturgv: "Lord. we just reallv thank vou and l'e just reallv praiserou. We'rejust reallv excited. Lord. to be here." ThoughI'm being facetious,the truth is that everybodyhas havea liturgv. liturgv.The Pentecostals So do the Baptistsand the Evangelical Free.As a matterof fact. so do the cults. Even if you are doctrinallyoff the wall. you'vegot a liturgv.By this I meanthat basicallythe samethingshappenat each of their gatherings. I clon'tbelievethere'sa thing wrong in plar ing lrornthe hearlol pravirrg spor.rtaneousll'. but let me tell you somethir.rg: Unlessyouovegot the base and foundationof the prayers,the Psalms,the Lord'sPrayer,the Jesus Prayer,the O HeavenlvKing, O Comforter prayer,the prayersof the Orthodox Faith. then thosepraversfrom the heart can sometimesbecotnestrangeand off the mark. Liturgy bringslife to us if we simply pray the prayersand sing the hymns with faith. God speaksto us throughthe Psalms.the Epistle,the Cospel.He levealsHimself to us thloughthe prayelsar-rdthe hymns. So we Orthodoxbelieverstoday,as on that first day of Pentecost,continue steadfastlyin the Apostles'doctrine, fellowship,the breakingofbread, and the pra--vers of the Church.Theseare the treasuresof our Orthodoxtradition uirich bring us constantlyto faith, lor-e, and renewalin our Lord JesusChrist.

Puxrs Pentecost 1999

INFORMED, FORMED, AND TRANSFORMED ICONS" BYTHE"EDUCATING h-v Dr. Ton-vVrame

I"nn. exquisite'works ofart that have adornecl Orthodox churches and homes for "r" centuries. After enduring the iconoclastic controversy nearly a millennium ago, the"v became part of the docirine o{ the Christian Church rvith the decree of ihe Seventh Ecumenical Council held in AD 787. However, ihe icons did not follow the same path in the Wbstern and Eastern churcl.res.In the Wbst, the--vremained merely tools for reaching the illiterate. While the East also considered t}rem teaching tools, they took on greater. deeper spiritual significance. Over time, r'ith the explosion of iconograph,vin the Eastern Church they also became. perhaps, the n'rostdistinctive element of the

YOUR UNDEFITED ICON WEVENERATE LORD

Orthodor Church. For centuries, Orthodox Christians have been socialized r.ith icons. Thev are part of our religious nurture. For those ofus nho have grown up in the Faith. some ol our earliest memories may include being encouraged to kiss the icon ol ChristouLior Pcungia 'rvhile being held in the arms of a parent or grandparent. We may have been instructed to say our pravers every night standing before an icon, rather than on our knees at the side of our beds. In our churches, we nlav have helped dccorate an icon for a feast da--vor carried one in a procession like orr the Sunda-vof Orthodoxy. Whatever our erperience, icons were probabl,vmajor aspects of gror-ing up and identif.ving as an Orthodor Christian. For those of you nho embraced Orthodox Christianit,v as adults, icons may have been your first exposure to the Faith. Ma,vbeyour experience r-as in a church, at a museum exhibit, or even an art history class. For some. .yourexperience'n'ith icons maY have been difficult. They might have reminded you too much of r''hat you had learned about "grar.en images." It took time to appreciate tl-reicons' role in --vourgrowlng acceptance of the Orthodox Faith. But as John of Damascus called them so iong ago, the,vwere the "never silent heralds" of a faith you ionged to understand and experience more deeplv. Icons assist Christians to erperience God so that they might strive to become icons of the living Cod through every act. nord, and deed of their lives. Sti: are created in the image of Cod and our journey in faith is rneant to lead us to restore our relatiorrship to God through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our goal is to become icons and our path is through the icons themselves as \rie are informed, formed, and transformed by their presencein our 1ives. Everv time we engage an icon by looking at it. venerating it, or studying it. we have the potential to be informed. formed, and transfcrrmedby it. Equall-v possible is that we can walk past the icon and not even notice it. There rvill be times uhen this u'ill happen. Holr'ever',there rvill be times and opportunities to engage an icon, look through the vindorv into heaven that it opens for us and alior- it to lead us beyond ourselves into tl're sacred mystery that is the presence of Cod. In those moments we can be informed. formed. and tr-ansfc,,rmed by the experience. Let us consider each for just a moment. INronlrnl sr tHn Icols Tili, i, the simplest to understand. Each tirne we gaze into an icou, rre are being informed by it. We are learning the story of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary" an er ent in the life ofthe Church" a particular saint, or other part ofour Sacred Tradition. These stories fcrrm the core of nho r-e are as Christian Orthodor. S/e can see the Nativitv of

Pnexis Pentecost1999

our Lorcl. the Fathers of an Ecumenical Council. or a scene from the life of a saint. The Church has understood this visual transmission of inforrnation for centuriesobut our present-dar-experier.rceof the visual is remarkabll ancient. As las pointed out abole. the icons were called books for the illiterate, And while you and I can read. everrtoday we receir,e most of our dailv infon.nation through pictures. Sie rratclr telelision, go to n.rolies. and Iook at visuallv stimuiating magazines. In an instant rve pick up data about our irorld. relatiorrshipsbetreen people, feelings beirrg explessed. pledictions about the future r-nerelv bv fixing our gazefor a fel seconds on an image. In fact, some scholars l-raveargued that we clnn't think in lords or concepts,but we thirrk ir.r pictures that le have stored in our rnirrdsto which l,e add language r,hen'u,e need to verballv erplain them to otl'rers.In the facultv rve call our imagination, the abilit"v to form images, rre combine our phlsical senson' experiences rvith our intellectual experiences to understand o u r r r o r l d a n d t h e n u s e r r o r t l so l i r n a g e sto convel them to others. The icons, then, are visual expressions of the spiritual ar.rd intellectual erperiences of those l'ho paint them so that we rright have a similar experience. I c o n s i r r f o r r nu s o f l h e s " e r p e l i e r r c e s . FonrrEl sr Icors Holn'"r,"r. the icons are not just bearers of cold data. Icons alread-vcorrtain within them the values of the Church ancl thus forrn our understanding of the infonnation re are receiving. The iconographer drar,s deeplv from the reservoir that rve call the Orthodox Tradition to paint icons. [-hile many icons are based in events that can be found in the Bible. these same icons mav include elements fron other places to l.relpus ur.rderstandr,hat the Church thinks about these same e\,ents. For exarnple, in the icon of the Natir-itl there appear an ox and an ass near the manger holding the rrer.born Jesus.If you read the Cospel accounts,there is r t o u e n t i o n o f a r r o r o l a n a s s L e i n g p r e se r r t. Then rrhv are thev there? Because the prophet Isaiah. centuries earlier had said: The ox knows its ouner and the donkey its moster'scrlb (Isaiah l:3). The icon is forming our understanding of the identitr. of this child. The Orthodox tadition is the totalit--vof ways that tr-ansmitthe realitv of Christ and His

Pnexrs Pentecost1999

message,both in terms of content and manner of transmission. Thus, it is a living Tradition, expressed in worship as well as customs. In every place where Orihodox Christians have found themselves, this tadition has been maintained even as it has grown to include more. Through this living Tradition, perhaps more than anything else, Orthodox Christians are formed in their identities as Christians. They learn who they are and what they are expected to do to live Godlike lives. For example, during the Easter season,we see before us the image of Christ raising Adam and Eve out of their graves, the Descent into Hades or the Anastasis. Properly, we focus on the triumph over death brought about by the resurrection of Christ and the opporlunity it provides us for eternal life by faith in Him. However, a hymn for Pascha places our experience of the resurrection within the context of our life in the Church, the community, the Body of Christ. It is the rloy of resurrection, Let us be glorious in splendor Jor thefestiual andlet us embrace one another. Let us speak also, O brethren, to those who hate tts" o,nclin the resurrection,let us forgive all things, and so let us cry, "Christ is risenJrom the dead, trampling d,eath by death, bestoning life upon those in the tombs." The hymn tells us that if we want to experience the resurrection, we must learn to love one another, talk even to those who hate us, and be willing to forgive everything. Can we truly celebrate a happy occasion ifwe do not like or cannot forgive the hosts? Likewise with the resurrection of Christ. Without these, our experience of the resurrection is limited, or only partial, and we cannot celebrate this feast offeasts appropriately. Through icons and hymns in worship and liturgy, the Tradition is forming us. It informs us about the events according to the tadition of the Church and forms our attitudes about them for living a Christian life. And through our lives, ultimately, we can be transformed by the icons.

transformation as well. If we are striving to be transformed, then all ofour social structures should be transformed to be according to Cod's way. This way can be found in the icon of the Trinity, the Hospitality of Abraham-11166 figures in per{ect harmony and love, yet with an order: a Father who gives life to the Son and from whom the Holy Spirit proceeds. Three persons relating to one another in per{ect order and per{ect love, an ideal perhaps for any human social structure, but one that God calls us to strive towards in all that rve do n h e n w e g a t h e ra s c o m m u n i l l . The icons also call us to transform the entire cosrnos, all creation. They call us to a more Godlike way of using the material creation "for the life of the world." "All matter is good," wrote John of Damascus, because it comes from God. However, we have misused matter, making it an instrument of illness and death. The icons call us to restore a proper relationship to matter and creation through greater environmental responsibility and stewardship. The elegant beauty ofihe icons tells us aborrt a great deal more than we may have originally thought. They possessand communicate a vision of Christian living. Informed, formed, and transformed by the educating icons we are taught to live as God lives and to know as God knows, with our minds, bodies, and souls-our hearts. Our encounters with icons should sirive to become times to receive their message,listen to what they teach us about God and ourselves, and act according to the wisdom ihey contain for living the life in Christ. As we experience the life in Christ, we can become icona ourselves, persons who live in continual fellor,vshipwith Cod.

Tnq.Nsnonlrnl ev rHn IcoNs Transformation is at the heart of the Christian message.Saint John the Baptist and Jesus called us to "repent." Saint Paul called us to be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2). The icons are pictures of persons transformed by the life in Christ. We call this transformationtheosis, meaning that those who r,yeretransformed had become holy or divine. Saints did not become saints after they died: they were saints in their lives, reflecting the glory of Cod in all that they did, said, or thought. But after their deaths, the saints continue to grow in Christ from "glory to glory" as Saint Paul writes (2 Corinthians 3:18). Thus t/zeosisis something that is lived and experienced whenever we live the way God expects us to live, even as Cod continually calls us to a greater experience by following Him, meaninglhal theosis is something that we conlinualll slrire lo achi er e. But Cod calls us to transform more than ourselves. The icons are witnesses to the ootential of social and cosmic

ei,f,g

cKT4rlp d L, ififi'ux,

SaintNlektarios Saintl{ektarioswasdeclared a saintbyEcumenical PatriarchAthenagoras on Aprit76, 7967, despiteobjections of clergywhofelt onlyforty-oneyearsafterhisreposalwastoo soon, Calledthe Suintof 0ur Century,thePersecuted Saint,Myrrhovlitis, he is considered patron Saintllektarios for theinfirmand thosesffiring from cu,ncer, facedmodern problems,Risingfrom obseurity to the rankof bishop,enduringlong periodsof unemployment, presidingoaera theologiculuniuersity at a time truditionsuerebeing oospirit questioned, heneuertheless steadfustly soughtthe of moderation, humility,patience, andloue"in accordance withtheprayerof SaintEphraimo the Syrian,Weinuiteyouto Mayit serueasan example followhislife on thefollowingpages. for allof us, -Peter Los

22. Anastasios Kephalas was Lazarus is correct! Young renamed Lazarus whentonsured a monkat Nea Mone. Whenordained a deacon atSaintMenas hewasgiven thename Cathedral of Chios, ( got o 12) . Ne K ar ios

21. 20. NeKarios' unending battle withtheevilonewasnever moreclearthanin hismeteoric elevation Tho preacher frompriest to bishop andsubsequent struggles astraveling in Euboia andThessaly. His nev postasdeanwasneversecure growth forthespiritual sincehisconcern ofthestudents anda from piouspriesthood conflicted'with school trustees fascination withthemodern world's emerging 0ee technology andwonders. Whathappened whenNektarios finally retired to Aegina in 1908? not( problems (90t0 2) wasestablished without a.Themonastery andthrived bus numerous themonastery b. Despite earlyproblems, isthriving today(goto 33) t ion

L).

infactlIn1890,thelaitywanted to replace Patriarch Sophr0ni0s Correct. Twice had Even though Nektarios withNektarios, thentheMetropolitan oi Pentapolis. himto Greece triedto forestall thismove, Sophronios exiled andneverforgave in him.Thesecond t0 elevate Nektarios wasafterSophronios death attempt 'l898.Howevet thesynod whowasalsopreferred by chosePhotios ofTinos, (goto 13) 0ueen Olgaof Greece

ffi

Nektarios admonished themfor 6rin *, contrary! espousing liberal ideas oftheWest.Heinstructed fromthe themto return to traditions dating Apostles Fathers. Thisstaunch andearlyChurch gothimintrouble withtheschool's traditionalism (gobackto 11). trustees

25. turning anyone Nektarios livedanexample of never younggirlsasked away. Five himto guide theminto thesisterhood. Theirleader wasnamed Chrvsanthi. Whatwasremarkable abouther? a.Shewasblind(goto 6). b.Shewasextremely talllgoto 16)

26 . Petros in 0n November 9. 1998.Patriarch ofAlexandria officiated 0f theHolyTrinity inAegina and a liturgy attheMonastery the formally requested forgiveness fromthesaint, thusrighting yearsago.lt is wrongdonebyhispredecessor overonehundred (qoto 28). never toolateto askforforgiveness

28. years. Let'slookatNektarios' Hewasbornin Sylivria early in Thrace, eastern about fiftymilesfromConstantinople, the f ifthof sixchildren. Atthirteen hewassentto Constantinople. Thepurpose forthistripwas (90t0 8). a.t0 further hiseducation . b.to workandhelphisparents (goto 18).

29. 27. Trickquestion: Asa monkhehadtakena (goto34). vowofpoverty

Afterhisappointment while asDean of Rizarios, assisting during a liturgy, Nektarios sawthe priest's frockwaswornandtorn.Without officiating hesitation heexchanged f rockswiththehumble priest(goto 21). 5L.

Though Nektarios hadvisited theHolyLands whenhewasyoung, he wasnever under consideration forthisposition. Incidentally, whenhe , . ' wastraveling to Palestine, a severe stormthreatened theship.Tying hiscrossonhisbelt,Nektarios lowered it intothesea.Thiscalmed the storm,butto hisdismay thecrosswasl0st.Justbefore arrivrng in port,however, sailors heard a strange knocking, whichtheylater investigated. Theyfoundthecross, whichwaspromptly returned to thesaint(gobackto 1). Nektarios wastested bythe LikeJobintheBible, approved by eviloneto theend.Whileverbally whoevensentmore theArchbishop ofAthens, of nuns,asthemonastery became a beacon jealousy continued setin.Suspicions 0rthodoxy, Theproblems of evenwiththenextarchbishop. theFirstWorldWarandthoseof a growing preoccupied however, nation thearchbishop, and them0nastery continued. lt finally received in 1924(goto 17). formal approval

34. ' ' Asa brother of theMonastery of NeaMonein Chios, Nektarios wasboundbythevowof poverty. Hedistributedwhatever salaryhereceived t0 thep00r.Attimes,in ^ ..,^ ^ ^ ^ l ^ .., rdvL,+h rrE rdrdry vvqrn0t gven pai d.When gxi l ed,he w as

{^ ^ +

penniless. Thispiety, whichsoenamored laitythatthey wanted himelevated to Patriarch, thosein alsocaused power (goto 9). to fearandslander himto thePatriarch

20, retained thetitleMetropolitan fortherestof hislifehe Nektarios Jlol.. Though l!. HIS nsvsltooksucha position Whenhefirstarrived inAthens, slanderers again. 0a had t B . Church fromAlexandria hadmade suretheSvnod oftheAutocephalous ing beenalienated. because hewas Bothreasons Hewasevendenied a position asa preacher (goto 8). arecorrect Thesituation wascleared upwhenanAlexandrian a Greek! . . notconsidered ' to theMinister of Religion andEducaexplained thematters businessman preacher (goto 11) appointed at Euboia tion.Nektariqs waspromptly

I t.

hisdeath, Novemt ' lt is saidthatfollowing hospital. Whenhisshirtwasplaced onth, wasinstantly healed. 0neof thefirstsignr declare someone a saintisthatthebodyr manyyearsdidit takelor hisbodyto dec 16. lf youmear spirituality hr accepted

took Manymajorevents inthelifeof SaintNektarios place in Chios. Hestarted humbly asa sch00lteacher where a monkat NeaMone, in Lithi.Hewastonsured Nektarios' bishop's scepter, them0nastery houses Hetookthename andrelics. somevestments, Whatwas whenhewasordained a deacon. Nektarios that? hisnamebefore (goto 10) a.Anastasios 77/4:E (goto 22). b. Lazarus

sIASt',T/A/OruE i 'r

Nektarios' risefrompriest to Metropolitan of Pr meteoric. Fivemonths a priest I afterbecoming Archimandrite in Cairo; laterhewa twomonths Trustee; months later, inJanuary 1889, several politan thattf of Pentapolis. Onemightassume himgreatwealth. a.True(goto 27) (goto 34) b.False

o0,

heqwQ

W5*,'t JU.

after areexhumed InGreece, witha shortsupply of burialplots,remains placed in a reliquary. Whenhiscoffinwasopened twoyears andthebones thesamesweet aroma. Thesame exuding Nektarios' bodywasf0undintact, Finally, of hisdeath. threeyearslaterandonthetenthanniversary occurred wasopened again andthistimethebodyhaddissolved, in 1953thegrave withtherelic. though thesweet aroma stillremained

J l.

(goto 20). Correct

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3 s. drachmas manbegged Nektarios fortwenty{ive Onedaya destitute hisspiritual hesitation Nektarios directed to payoffa debt.Without it hesitated because to paytheman.Costas son,Costas Sakkopoulos, wasthebeginning ofthemonthandalltheyhadleftwastwenty-five insisted thatthemoney beoffered, believing Nektarios drachmas. provides Thenextday to thosewhogivefreely. thattheLordalways to truewhenheandtheschool choirwereasked thisoroved participate fivetimesasmuch(goto ata wedding andreceived

sa&r

SaintNektarios wasconsidered for elevation asPatriarch. Whichpatriarcl wouldhehavebeenelected to? (goto 32) a.Jerusalem (goto 23) b.Alexandria

rer9, 1920, filledthe a sweet aroma r nextbed,thelameperson there ; leading the0rthodox Church to preserved emains afterdeath. How ry?(goto 30). ' .

12. Speaking of names, whatwasthenameof Saint Nektarios' benefactor fromChios? (go a.JohnC horemi s to 4) (goto 14). b.Andreas Syngros

physical thatis notthe,urr.lu stature, Vastallintheeyesof SaintNektarios, who r asshewas,blind(goto 7)

Intapolis was rewaselevated to s named Patriarchal hebecame Metrois position alsogave

I refusal to forgive Speaking of Patriarch Sophronio's forgiven? Nektarios, whenwastheperceived act0ftreason theintervention of Ecumenical Patriarch I I . a.In 1903through lll (goto 5) Joachim Nektarios wroteoverfiftybooks andarticles, someof years (goto 26). b.Onehundred afterSophronios' death whicharestillusedinstructionally. AsDean of Rizarios Theological School ofAthens, hisfirstconcern was that (goto 3) a.students lacked spiritual instruction 14. (goto 24) b.theschool wasn0tliberal enough Andreas Syngros, afterwhoma mainAthens thoroughfareis named, wasalsoa benefactor t0 Nektarios, r0. though later. Henamed NeKarios executor ofthe His baptismal name wasAnasiasios. However whentonsured portion to Lithi(goto 4). of hisestate bequeathed a monk, a yeart0 thedaybefore hewasordained he a priest, (goto 22). tookthenameof Lazarus ' '

9. Hisposition following hisexilef romAlexandria to Athens wasthatof a (goto 20) a.bishop (goto 31). b .preacher

8. yet Botharecorrect. Nektarios wasexpected to helphisfamilybyworking, zealwerebetter at hisloveof learning andhisreligious served Constantinople. Whilehisearlyyears thereweredifficult, a shopkeeper took hebecame himinandallowed himtimefor hiseducation. Eventually a youthinstructor whose director recommended himto ata localschool, (90t0 19) . Metropolitan to Chios Gregorios of Chios, sohemoved

7. wasnever Nektarios shyin offering theshirtoffhisbackor to a stranger in need. hislastpenny a.Offering thefrockoffhisback(goto 29) b.Offering hislastavailable funds(goto 35)

Realizing Nektarios wouldleadmanysoulsto salvation theevilonenever leluoeffofts. Themother of a novice onceclaimed thatNektarios andthesisterhood wereuoto nogood. Though theChurch's investigating authorities pursued Nektarios, thecivilprosecutor thecharge cleared hishandto strike thesaint. A event0 thepointof raising fewmonths later, hediedfromgangrene ofthehand(go to 3 3 ). J.

6. Christ toldustheeyesarethelampofthebody(Luke 11:34). Chrysanthi, whobecame person, Abbess Xene, wasverypious. Nektarios sawin hera humble whothough deprived of sightoftheworldwasgraced withgreatspiritual wisdom. Shewassaidto seeangels coming forheronherdeathbed in 0ctober of 1923(goto 7).

5. In 1903SaintNeKarios wroteEcumenical Patriarch Joachim afterattempts injustice atcorrecting hadfailed w i thP hoti 0s i n 1902andw i thS oohroniios n 18 94. previously Nektarios refused to writeto anyauthority soas notto offend Patriarch Sophronios; however, alterfourteen yearsin Greece, hisposition ashierarch wasstillbeing questioned. Alas,Joachim wasnotwilling to offend Photios'supporters, Queen OlgaandtheRussian Tsar, and quo(goto 26). maintained thestatus

thathis Correct. Nektarios indicated thisbyasking students become exemplary Christian leaders and theclergy.Heasked themnott0 viewtheir vowsasa vocation asa mission thatbegins on butrather in heaven. Hehimself became an earthcontinuing forthemto follow, never avoiding menial work, example never turning norcatering onlyto the anyone away, 4. (goto 25). wealthy andpowerful gavea fullscholarship JohnChoremis iscorrect! Cnoiemis for highschool andlatersentNektarios to Alexandria. LaterPatriarch Sophronios senthimto university inAthens andafterordained hi ma pri est i n March, 1886(goto 15).

Pnexs Pentecost 1999

A PENTECOST FORORTHODOXMISSIONS by Presrl teraReneeRitsi

WHTRTFORE INTHANKSCIVINC TOYOU WTCRY YOUHAVE FIIIEDATtTHINCS WITHIOY O OURSAVIOR, NOWTHAT YOUHAVT COME TOSAVE AI.LTHEWORI-D

Pentecostcelebratesthe comingof the Holy Spirit to the new Church.This greatand holy day also confirmsthe missionarynatureof our Church.In Cod'sdivine knowledgeand time, His Sonwas sentto live upon the earth as mere man and to offer His life as sacrificeand atonementfor our comrpted nature.At Pentecost,the Holy Spirit is sentfrom on high to live among humansand to revealand lead peopleinto truth (John16:13).The Church was empoweredto live the wordsand commandsof our Lord, so thosewho called themselvesfollowersof Christ would be able to face the persecutions and hardshipswhich would come upon them as they preachedto the world Christ'snew and transformingmessagethat transcendedethnic, cultural, geographic,and genderdivisions.This messagewas to "every nationunder heaven"(Acts 2:5) and knew no boundaries. After Pentecost,the responseofnew Christianswas to spreadnewsof the wonder{ulworksof Cod. Peoplewho dwelt in Jerusalemheardthe message,not in one tongue,but in their own tongues;the languageoftheir hearts.We seein this the deepconcernthat our Cod hasfor eachofus to hear His savingmessagein a relevantand intimateway. The responseofthe new Christianswassteadfast.Even thoughthe Churchfacedimmediateand intensepersecutions-and at times it seemed that the faith of the new Christianswould be crushed,neverto 1sl(s16s1the promisethat He would be presentto the end of time waswith them.At the baptismof our Lord, we seethe Holy Spirit presentin the form of a dove, but at Pentecostthe Holy Spirit is manifestas the rushingof a mightywind and also as fire. The comingof the Holy Spirit clothedthe Churchwith truth and conviction,not only to endure,but alsoto spreadout from the city of Jerusalemto all nations.

The sanctification and salvation ofthe Church did not end with those who experienced the first Pentecost. God's redeeming work extends to all human beings as the Church grows and spreads around the world. The Orthodox Church's missionary vision upholds the example of those present at Pentecost. We see this in examining Church history. Orthodoxy spread during ihe persecutions of the first four centuries, during the glorious Byzantine era, and during the grand Russian era through efforls ofpious men and women, emperors, visionary patriarchs. bishops, and priests. Most recentln we see this in the Orthodox Churches in Indonesia, India, Haiti, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Madagascar, Ghana, and Albania, where the Church is growing and worships in the languages of the people. We see this also in the hymnology of our Church and the scriptural commission to go to all nations. Most poignantly, we see this in the lives of many of the saints, including Saint Paul, Saint Photini, Saints Cyril and Methodios, Saint Kosmas Aitalos, Saint Herman of Alaska, Saint Innocent, and hundreds more who have gone before us as examples and witnesses, who have read the gospel and who, through the grace ofthe Holy Spirit, transformed the message into action and fruitfulness. The messageof the gospel has not changed, nor become less relevant to us who live at the turn of the second millennium. Two out of three people in the world have yet to hear the gospel message.In America, the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) has existed as the mission and evangelism agency of the Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America (SCOBA) since 1994. Before that, it was under the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. While many Orthodox have been a part of the growth of the OCMC, only two in ten thousand Orthodox, .0002 percent, have responded to the commandment to go to all nations. Yet mission is not an option for Orthodox Christians. It is vital to the life of our Church. Pentecost must remind each of us of the great need we have to take His messageto "every nation under heaven" (Acts 2:5).

PRexrs Pentecost1999

The messageof hope anclsaivatiorrhas not reached all of Creation.The time is ripe. The time is nol.. In the Cospel of Johr. rt. lrea l Clrlist sar : But I tell rcu, look around iotL.unrl seehou,thefelcls ctre (John 4:35). ripefor J'tcLnrcstirtg and again He savs. The haruest is plentiful, bttt the laborers oreJbu': there;fore ask the Lord o;fthe hartest to send otLtlaborers into his harLest(Nlatthen9:37-38). This I'ear'sPentecostcan become a lesson in the rnissionari nature of our Church for each atrclevery one of us. Se. the Church ol Apostolic Successiotr.are remincleclotrt'eagain of the first Pentecost.l hen the comirrgof the Holv Spirit clothed believersrvith tmth and corrviction.r'rotonlr to ettdttre.but also to spreari the Cl-rurchfi'onr Jerusalem to all ttatiot'ts. Fon Yot'n Strxltr Scnool E,,".y veal', as Orthodox Christians. rve have the opporturLy to relive. to reerperience. the Churcl.rcalendar irr a pelsorral ancl challenging u'av. Everv vear lve rlho are entrusted to pass on to the t'outh in our

the lorld. A man's last uords ale often like a last ir.ill. His last nlessage1s Go" thereforeand nnke rlisr:iplesrf'all rtutiorts.bttpti:ing tlrcnt in the nunte oJ'theFather artd of'the Sonond cf'the HoLy Spirit^onrJteaching them to oheyeterfihing that I houe comma,ndedyou. And remember,I arn utith vou oltL:n)'s, to the end of the age (Nlatthew28:19-20). Conrparethis l-ith N1ark16:15-16. I-uke 24:45-50. and Acts l:B-9.,\re such r.nessages of the Bible lelerar.rtto us in 1999? Do I beiieve tl'rat Christ speaks tl.rror-Lgh the Scripture? Hol is this command going to happen? \\ritli these questions.intloduce the Orthodox Christian Mission Centel. Ask lr,hatthey think a rnissionarvrloes.Ho'n manv nrissionariesdoes the Olthoclor Church have? Nol it'.sup io \'ou to lhd lals to nrake this messagehit home for r onl clas-*and r our kids. Challengethem io leam nrore about Orthodox missions. Assign them to find sornethir.rg alror-rtthe different corLntriesrvhere there are Orthodox missions.Feature a different couutr'\' each leek anclgile a three-rninute highlight right before the lesson starts.Have kids discuss hou they can use their talents to serle Chlist and His Church. Schedule a fund-raising everrt lbr missions. Having taught

classroomsthe clesire to strir.eto lire in imitation of Christ and to see Christ as a living, breathing. ancl lor.ing Cod come tL) Pentecostand a lesson in Orthoclox missions.This i,qthe time to clrar,l'outof the gospel message three rnain points for rour classes. Chlist c:arneto sar.ethe rvorld. Begin nith this basic'point: For Cod so Lot;ed the u,orld that he gate his onl.r'Son.so thttt eter.toneu,ho beliet'esin him ntat not perishbut ntav hut'eeternul liJb (Jo hn3:1 6). Using the ic'onof ihe Pentecost.clescribeeacl'ritenr in the icorr. I)escribe color ancls-vmbolism.Drarv kids io thirrk about horv the Pentecosticon and John iJ:16support each otl'rer.Then ask. ''I{ the 'old man 'in ihe ic on at t he c enlel of t he t a b l e i s srmbolic of the lorld. do vou tl'rink Cocl inienderl all of the r orlcl tcrknorr about Hin?" Treasuresof' trl[oui.{tftos. page 111,1, r-ould be a gooclresolu'celbr this lessou. Christ c:ommissioneci us to participate in the salvationof

Sundav sc}rooifol nlanl vears. ] hale a beautiful experience I nould like to sl.rare ivith you. Not that Iong ago. kids l.hom I taught eighteen vears ago sa\\' me nhile at onl home parish, St. Paul's in Irvine, Califrrrlia, on our return fronr the mission field. Sith shl expressions.the kirls canie up to sa\. Thank vor-rfor teaching me about the lor.e of Christ. for har.ingpatierrcelith nre clurirg the staqesI passed through. fol shorving rne tlrrough exarnple the jol and the love that a Cluistian can have. As vou teach. listen to your kicls as you try to drar. ont conr-ersation.\ou are the educator. the teacher. lhe one entlusted to teach these rourrg minclsabout lor,e.about Ctid. Lse ronlloice to e\press the love lon hale for Chlist. Use visual aids like the icorrsour churc'his so farnouslbr. Let kicls talk about suffering the,vhare seen in poor c-'ountries.Let thenr count their blessings.

Psqxrs Pentecost1999

lf God ls Our FathE(, ThenWhat? L r 1F r . A n t h o n l C on i a r i <

What word did Jesus tell us to use uhen talking to God? Yes! He taught us to pray, "OLLr Father, Who art in heauen...." If God is our Father, then what does that mearl to us? Let's try to complete this sentence: If God is our Father, then this is true and that is true....

lf Goa ls OurFof her,f henVVh"t1 If Cod is our Father. then it means that He cares for us. He loves us personally as ifthere rvere only one ofus in all this world. In fact, Jesus said: 1s there anyone among you who, iJ your child oshs.frtr a Jish, nill giae a snrr.lteinstead of a f;h ? . . . how mur:h more uill the heauenly Father giae the Holl Spirit ro thosewho ask him! (Luke 11:11-13).

lf God is OurF\ther, f henWh"f 1 If Cod is our Father, then when we disobey Cod, when we sin, we are not breaking a commandment; we are breaking the Father's heart. When lve disobey Cod, re sin against love. We break a beautiful relationship between God and us. The Psalmist expressed this rvhen he saicl,Agoinst you, you alone haae I sinned, and done uhat is euil in your sight Ps alm 5l: 4) . lf-

/- \ lf- (7Jd

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\tvh,+1 If Cod is our Father, then He does not stop loving us even when rve disobey Him. How do we know this? Remember the father of the Prodigal Son who left home and 'rvasted his life in sin? Did his father hate him? No! He continued to love him and was waiting for him to come back home. When he did come home, he ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. That's how much the Father loves us even afterle sin. Of course, He does not want us to stay fallen, but to rise from sin and return to Him.

l f G o d is Ou r F o f h e r , f h e n \tVH' t1 If Cod is our Father, then we should trust Him even if we do not understand why certain bad things happen to us. Why trust Him? Because r,r'eknow that behind everything that happens to us there is a Father, a Father r,vhoproved His love for us by sending His Son Jesus to die for us while we were yet sinners. Saint Paul said: He who did not withhold His oun Son, but gaae him upfor all of us, nill he rtot with him also giue us euerything else? (Romans 8:32).

lf God ls OurFother, f henWh't1 If Cod is our Father, then 'n-henlve die lve do not go to a hole in the ground, but to a home in heaven where our Father has prepared a special place for us and is waitins io welcome usl

Pnaxrs Pentecost1999

l f G ; d is O uRF " f h e r ,

lf G oD ls OurFoj-her, l*hen\tVh'tl

f heN\tVh"t1 If God is our Father" then rre all have the same Father antl are related to each

If God is our Father, then ue ale nor orphans. W-eare not all alone in this vast uorld. \Itb are at home in our Father's house. This is nry Father's world. He is ihe ruler of it.

other. We are all brothers and sisters. Wb are to look after each other, care for each other and love one another as ltrothers and sisters. When sorneoneis d-vingof hunger in Somalia,that "someone" is mv brother or sister'!

lf God is OurF"the r,

'l-he n Wh"f 1

If Cod is our Father. then rte can take collrage to come to Him in prar.er. to call Hini "Daddy" ancl to speak to Him as .rvespeak to our dadcly at home. He is not a Cod who is far ar,av from us. He is as close to us as the air we breathe and He loves us far, far more than our daddl does.

l f G od is Ct , rF o t h E r , f h e n \ t Vh"t1 If Cod is our Father. then life is a shorl trip from the Father io the Father. Sie came from the Father. He sent us into this world. and one day rve shall return to our Father, our "Daddy" in heaven. Jesus Himself said: 1 om going to the Father (John 14:I2).

lf GoD is OurF"J-her, f hen Wh"t1 I1 Cod is our Father. then He reailv loves us. In fact. the Apostle Jolrn says: God so loted the uorld that he garc his only Son[Jesus]so that eaeryonewho beliet,esin Him m.a) not perish but n'tar hat,e eternal ltb (Joh" 3:16). In fact. tl're Father's love is so great that He did not stcrpeven with the giving of His Son. On the dav of Pentecost.He gave us ntore. He gave us the Holy Spirit, the polr,er of God and the l-isdom of God. to live in us. So nowue have God the Father above usl Goclthe Sorrbeside usl God the Hoh.Spirit inside usl God the Father Who loves us! God the Son W-ho saves usl God the Holv Spirit Who emporrers and strengthens us!

l f G o d i s O u r F o fh e r , fh e n \tVh \t1 If Cod is our Father,then we can rr-alkthroughlife uith our headsup. or-rrshouldersback, realizingthat rveare not nobodies but children of a King. And that makeseachone of us a prince or a princessl Let us giue Cod one big Thank Youfor real Father and our best Daddy

being our

Pnaxs Pentecost1999

K N OWY O U RN EIC H B O R S: E N COUNTERING THEFAITHSAROUNDYOU by Dr. Brant Pelphrev As chief counselor of the !'ort Lewis US Army Drug and Alcohol Counseling Center ) ear s ago. i{ uas m 1 d u t l t o e x p l a i n t o commanding officers that drug and alcohol addiction was a serious problem on the base. Many officers did not want to believe that there could be a problem ofthis kind under their command. Therefore, my first step was always to meet with them and listen to their explanations about lvhy no drug users or _ alcoholics served in their units. Aftenrards, I tactfully explained that we already were lvorking with soldiers of all ranks under their command lyho were struggling with addiction. Before long the officers realized ihat the problem could only be helped if we talked openly and found ways to assist the soldiers involved. Today as a teacher at Hellenic College in the fields of World Religions and Orthodox Spiritualitl', I have a similar task. This time FOR OFYOUR OWNWItt the subject is not drugs and alcohol, but a YOUWERT PTTASTD TOASCEND strong spiritual challenge to Orthodox INTHEFLESH THTCROSS UPON TODETIVER THOSE YOUCRTATTDfaithful across America. The challenge is FROM THEBONDAGE OTTHtFOE that of alternative religions and cults. Every week I hear from young people and families who have been victims of cults or who have encountered strange religions. W-ith a majority of Orthodox marrying people o{ other traditions, and others leaving their c hur c hesdur ing t h e i r t e e n ) e a r . . i t i s necessary for us to acknowledge the problem and to find ways to help those rvho are involved. First, rve must admit that the challenge is real. Like those officers I knew in the Army, we may think that cults and other religions do not concern our own children, families, or fellolv church members. But daily news reports should convince us that no one is immune from the challenge of alternative, and even extremely dangerous, religions and ideologies. Whether in small towns or large cities. parish priests are having to encounter this reality. Therefore'w'emust address the situation nou as honestly as possible through adult education followed by programs for children of all ages. Second. we must recognize the tremendous opportunity rve have. To be tested by other religions is not a problem, but a blessing. At Pentecost, Cod empowered the

Church for mission, and in our own chrismation we received that call. We c a n b e m i s s i o n a r i e si n o u r o u n neighborhoods. The question is whether we are willing and prepared to meet the challenge spirituallv. intellectually', and 'r,vithpersonal commitment. Third, we must prepare ourselves. Study groups in congregations and vouth organizations can address the challenge o{ world religions intelligently, just as the Fathers and Mothers of the Church did in ancient times. Here is a simple plan your church can adapt: Srnp I The clergy, Sunday school teachers, and parish council meet to drscuss community commitment. If members of the congregation underlake stud-vof non-Orthodox faiths for mission, followers of those faiths or religious m o \ e m e n t sm a \ s o o nb e c o m e i n q u i r e r . at the Divine Liturgy. Are the priest and congregation rvilling to catechize them and to answer their questions? When the ans'rveris yes, the next step becomes possible. Srnp 2 Identify the religious groups of most concern operating in your local area. It will be impossible to list all of themthere are thousands in America-but it is not difficult to gain an idea of the most important ones. The Yellow Pages of your telephone book, the schedule of your local public access television channel, and the religion section of your newspaper are logical places to start. In your study, notice the diversity of religions in your area. Religions growing most vigorouslf in America, and almost cerlainll found in lour lommunilr. include Tibetan Buddhism, Islam, Santeria, The Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormonism), and Neo-Paganism or Wicca (witchcraft). Also popular are Kundalini Yoga, pseudo-Native Arnerican religions, and Neo-Hinduism. There are also less organized. dark spiritual movements

Pnnxrs Pentecost1999

such as Cothic Satanism which are present among local junior-high and high-school students. on college campuses and on the Web. We -"hould learn to recognize these when we see them, and knorv something about their character.

class members may be surprised to discover high school projects on topics such as witchcraft and paranormal phenomena, Kwanzaa or Ramadan. Is Orthodox Christian 3)

faith represented? Survey the congregation to learn about their experiences rvith other religions or even cults. Families

Srnp 3 Members of the parish counr:il, the Sunday school teachers, and the clerg.v begin a study <-rfOrthodox mission. rvorld religions, and cults. An eight- to trvelveweek course will familiarize church

that have been disrupted by cult groups may not $.ant to step fon'ard. Usually, however. there are parents and also youth who are

leaders with the main teachings and history of the major religious gr"oups or culls ) ou r ('o ng reg alionis m os t concerned about. It is not necessary to be an "expert" about world religions. In the beginning, try to learn a few facts about each group.

willing to discuss their family's and friends' experiences. The-vrvill help the learning process. Cive individual class reports on one religit-rusgroup. The clergy, in turn, can interpret how Orthodox may respond to questions from friends of

Focus on five simple questrons: t) What does this particular religion

these other faiths. What are the similarities with Orthodoxy? What

teach about God? 2) What is the place of humankind? 3) What do followers of the religion mean by "salvation?"

are the differences? How did the Church Fathers respond to similar reiigions or heresies? Modern Jehovah'sWitnesses, for example, are very similar to the Arians of the fourth century. Report on historic Orthodox missions.How did the Apostolic Fathers and later Orthodox mission-

4) How would they think of Jesus Christ? and 5) How is the group organized? S imply u nd erstan dth e m ain way s in which each religion differs from Orthodox faith and life. There are several lvays to gather information: t)

Tele ph on erelig iousor ganiz at ions for free information about their teachings. Also, clip and file articles from newspapers and magazines, and visit local bookstores to learn what books are sold under such headings as World Religions, Spirituality, Self-help and New Age. Look for advertisements for religious groups and promotional talks, posted at the

laundromat and grocery store. Request a syllabus to find out what classes local colleges and universities offer in the areas of world religions and spirituality. It is also instructive to find out what projects have been undertaken in local high schools relating to religious holidays and religious history. Here,

aries conduct mission in the past? What were their main goals? Smp 4 When the Sunday school teachers and church administrators finish their study. open a second class on world religions and Orthodox mission for all adults in the parish. Graduates of the first course should act as leaders for discussion groups. This would be a good time to ask fbr help from mernbers of the parish who have had personal experience with cults or other religions and who are willing to talk about it. At t he s a m e t i m e . t h e c u n g r e g a t i o n can begin Sunday school classesfor children and for teen groups on the subjects of Orthodox mission and world religions. Identify major religions and cults io which popular actors and

musicians belong. Richard Gereofor example. is Tibetan Buddhist; John Travolta is a Scientologist. Some groups popularized in Hollyrvood are extremely clangerous.Learn tt-ridentifv these. For a short time at the end of each class, students can practice explaining Orthodox faith to each other. Converls in ihe congregation can help others become used to the kind of questions and opinions non-Orthodox are likely l u e x p r e s s .F o r t h i s e x e r c i s ei t i s especially helpful to use the Divine Liturgy as a basis for explaining Onhodox faith and life. Finally, in studying other faiths, we want to keep in mind that it is not the Orthodox way.to be aggressiveor to push our faith onto others. The Holy Spirit converts people. We don't. Since our witness is to life in Christ, it is not based on arguments or powers ofpersuasion; however, neither is it Orthodox to have no ansllier at all lvhen we are asked about our faith! Nor should we be discouraged. The Witness at your door may be seeking spiritual help which you can provide. Undertaking a study of this kind will require a stronger spiritual commitment from everyone involved. It is not an easy task, nor one to be taken lightly. At the same time, it is a rewarding dimension of our Christian Iife. Al1 Orthodox Christians are martyrs (witnesses)for the faith. May Cod bless your preparation as the Orthodox missionaries in your neighborhood! Succnstnn Rn,rnr,r..c Onruonox Mrssrox Fr. Michael Oleksa.OrthodotAlaska:A Theobgy of Mission Fr. Luke leronis, Missionuries,Monks and Martyrs: Making Disciplesof aLl Natioru Wonr.n Rnr,rcroxs Michael Coogan,TheillustratedGuideto WorLdReLigions Walter Martin, TheKirryclomof the Cults (RetisedEdition) Richard Wentz"ReLigionin the Nen World

Pnexs Pentecost1999

PENTECOST POWERFUL, PRACTICAT PARADIGM by Elaine Regopoulos

Pentecost is the fiftieth day after the Resurrection of Christ, rvhen the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles. It is considered the birthday of our Church. How can we effectively convey the meaning of this momentous event to all that hear its message-from the classroom to the pulpit, from preschooler to parent Io pappou? As director of our Sunday school, each year I have the task of creating curriculum and lesson plans for use in our weeklong Vacation Church School. The story of Pentecost is included in the curriculum when the week of VCS occurs close to the holiday. ASTHTPROPHETS BEHELD, ASTHTAPOSTTES TAUGHI Lessons are presented in a oneroom, multi-age classroom ASTEACHERS DOCMATIZED situation. There is something for everyone to do and learn, and the les s onplan of lhe Pe n l e c o s li s also adaptable for use in the usual grade divisions of the reguiar schooi year. The children are gathered in a room to brieflv revierv the events ofthe Crucifixion and Resurrection and the days that followed. The passagefrom Chapter I of the Book of Acts is stressed.rvhere Christ tells His disciples not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the gift my Father promised, uhich 1ou haue heord me speok about. For John baptized with uater. but in a feu days you will be boptized, with the Ho\ Spiri,t. Emphasis is placed upon the details that the disciples are gathered in a room, much as the children are sitting and listening to the lesson. At thai point. some ofthe helpers start to darken the room, and we begin chapter two of Acts, which describes the corning of a violent wind and the appearance of tongues offire that came io rest upon each of them. As the room has been darkened, several electric fans are turned on. At this point All of them uterefi.lLed utith the HoLy Spirit and began to speak in other languages. Other facts that are mentioned are that manv people were subsequently baptized as a direct result ofthe nenfound abilitv to understand in their orvn

Ianguagesthe Word of God. The disciples haci now become Apostles. which demonstrates that their roles changed from that of students learning the Word of God to messengers,or those who "go forth" (Greek. apostelno)r,viththose lessons to all corners of the Earth. We conclude with turning the fans ofi and putting the lights back on and start a small discussion about'lvhat kinds of languages the students might be familiar with and horv wonder{ul it is to be able to communicate with others around the world in their own languages. Cod kne'rvihis would be necessary to spread His Worc. The activity continues with students coloring and cutting out a "flame" to siring around their necks. Then, rve divide the groups, lviih an older student taking a few children and learning a greeiing in a foreign language. They practice the greeiing while working on their flames. When the parents return to pick up their children, an older student describes the lesson, and each group proudly announces their newly learned greetings for al1 to hear. as did the Apostles with their new-"tongues." We have come up rvith as many as fourteen languages, and years later, some of the students can still greet one another with the Russian for "Hello, how are you?" This is a power{ul. effective lesson which impresses upon each student the completeness of Christ's promise to leave His people with some power to dra'n upon tr sustain the teacl'rersof His Word. The lessons lre draw as adults are also power{ul and effective. We are to take note that the disciples r,vere told not to leave because ofthe Cift thai was to corne from Cod the Father. W'here else are we to obtain ihe strength of Pentecost but as we gather in communal prayer and worship in our churches? Each disciple's gift was individual as well as corporate in nature. It cannot be overstressedthat Orthodox Christianity is not properly foriified ifwe do not attend ivorship and participate in the Sacraments as a Church. We cannot worship Cod only in privaie. Christ said also: For uhere two or three are gatheretl in my name, I am there omong them (MaIlhew lB:20). That kind of endorsement was demonstrated that day ol Pentecost. and every time lve attend ser-vices.Just as those early disciples were anointed, so \\ie are witness testifying to Christ and His power and glory They were inspired not onl,v as witnesses speaking from or of themselves, but as channels of divine revelation. Thus they were effective in being able to convince the

Pnexrs Pentecost1999

ASTONCUESOF FIRE by Dr. MichaelMassouh world ofthe evil ofsin and the path to righteousness, judgment,and ultimatesalvationwhen Christ returns.Their ability to speakin otherlanguages gavethem the necessaryability to effectively corroboratethe utteranceof that truth. Our personal Pentecostoccursat the time of baptismwith chrismation.Every time the priest anointsthe child on the face,hands,chest.feet,and back saying,"Seal of the gift of Holy Spirit," the Holy Spirit is sealedwithin the child. Thereit dwells to be nurturedthroughparticipationin the sacramentallife of the Churchas eachsoul beginsit path to theosis. If a Christianis to be a vesselto bring the impactof Godto others,powerfrom aboveis needed.It takespowerto condemnpracticesalien to God'sHoly will-to proclaim with rare tactfulness and tendernessthe greatfactsof sin and judgmentto preachthat Churchis the only remedyfor the world'sills. Eloquence,science,scholarship, culture,and philosophyare all goodin their respectiveplacesbut worthlessin winning lost soulsunlessthereis the guidancefrom the Holy Spirit. The commandis to "be filled with the Spirit." Our OrthodoxChurchcommemorates the Feastof the Holy tinity on the day afterPentecostto assist us in rememberingthat certainaspectsof the Church are to be linked togetherin this casePentecostwith the Holy Trinity. W-eare then able to obtain strength from Godto steerclear of sin and temptation,either with or withoutacquiredwisdomand knowledge. As the discipleswaitedand prayed,the necessary atmospherefor receiving the Holy Spirit was created.So it is with us, that our obligationis to keepon prayingearnestlyand with an openheartso that we may cultivatethe Holy Spirit with which we weresealedat baptism.We must ask that everything displeasingto Cod might be removedfrom us, that our personalspiritualitymay be intensified,and that we may not growwearyin the battleof sin against mankind.Pentecostaffordsus the opportunityto rededicateourselvesthroughprayerson bended knee,to strengthenour soulswhile askingfor forgivenessso that we can learn and spreadHis Holy Wbrd.It becameand remainsa worldwideministry as the Apostleswent out to preachand they reversed the babbleof Babeland capiuredthe languageof spreadingthe word ofJesusChrist.

/\s tonguesof fire! This is hou SaintLuke describedthe descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, ten daysafterJesuspromisedto sendthe Comforter,the Spirit of tuth. Yet, earlierSaintLuke describedthe descentof the Holy Spirit at Jesus'baptismas a dove. Which is it: tonguesof fire or a dove?This questionremindsme of sci enti sts descri bi ng light sometimeslight actsooas a wave'o and sometimesit acts"as a particle." In the face of new phenomena. we tendto rell on analogyin explainingsomething new to others. Haveyou evertried to describean "'awesome" experience,as our chiidrenwould say? ASTHTUNIVERSE HASACREED, How do you do it? In almostall ASCRACE HASSHOWN FORTH casesyou relateit to something familiar.I remember listeningto a professor ofcivil engineering describehis eyewitnessaccount of the horrendouslydestructive earthquakein 1989 in San Francisco.Talkingaboutstanding on the street,he said,"The earth beneathmy feet beganto undulate like waveson the sea."Is light really "a wave" or ooa particle"?Is the Holy Spirit really "tonguesof fire" orooa dove'"?Is an earthquakereally "like waveson the sea"? Whetherscientistsor theologians, we are all human beings,limited in our understandingand in our language,yet we knorvwhatwe experience.In some instanceswe can neverforgetit. For Saint Luke, Pentecostwasthat remarkable,not just because "tonguesof fire" appeared,but becauseof whatthis powerdid to the Apostleson whomit "fell." For Peter,the irrepressible,irascible,bungling fishermanwho fifty-four daysearlierhad deniedChrist, not once,but threetimes,now gavea bold and brilliant sermon.He convinced3,000 peoplethat Jesuswasthe Christ,and so forcefullythat they werebaptized.That is an amazingevent,one no one wouldforget. Here the wonder{ulexpression,"seeingis believing," holds true. We Orthodoxconfessin one article of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creedthat we believein One,Holy, Catholic,and ApostolicChurch.All that the JJ

Pn-qxrs Pentecost1999

Apostles saw, heard, felt, or experienced and handed down in writing or oral tradition defines the Apostolic Church. We follow St. Paul's instruction to the Thessalonians: So then brothers and sisters,stand fi.rm and hold fast to the

is a mystery, beyond human comprehension, ineffable, as it is said in the Divine Liturgy. For Orthodox Christians, Pentecost is a defining event, not only remembered, but actually relived each year liturgically. Alexander Schmemann points out, "In the commemoration of events in Christ's life, the Church very often transposespast into present. Thus, on Christmas Day we sing: 'Today the

tratlitions that you uere taught by us, either by word oJ' mouth or by our letter (SecondThessalonians2:15). We recall Saint Peter's admoniiion in his second epistle: Moreoaer I will make euery ffirt so tha,t after my departure you tnay be able to recall these things. For we did notfollon cleuerly deuised myhs when we made knoun to you the power

Virgin gives birth'; on Good Friday: 'Today [Christ] stands before Pilate'; on Palm Sunday: 'Today He comes into Jerusalem' " (Creat Lent B0).

and com,ing of our Lord lesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of hk mcrjesty(Second Peter 1:15-16). The Apostles were, Peter reminds us, eyewitnessesof Christ's majesty and not devisers offables. This is the apostolic

Orthodox relive events in Christ's life to participate directly in them. We state joyously, "Christ is risen," not "Christ r.ons risen." As with the Annunciation, Incarnation, Resurrection, and Ascension, we need to ask, What is the purpose of

witness. Remembering that the burden of a witness (martyr in Creek) is to describe rvhat he saw, felt, heard, and experienced, let us return now to the account of Pentecost: When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there camefrom heaaena sound like the rush of a aiolent wind, and itf,lled the entire house where they were sitting (Acts 2:1-2). As Saint Luke tried to describe the awesomeevent, he had

Pentecost? Is it to be analyzed, dissected, defined and put into a package wrapped up with a ribbon to place on a shelf? oq as in actual practice, ensconced in a textbook? Is the purpose of these events to permit us to know as much as God knows, to

to articulate a new and different experience, one that had not been experienced before. He did it by relying on analogy: The coming of the Holy Spirit was like a rushing mighty wind. When encountering a new phenomenon, a scientist like Saint Luke, the physician, tries to place it within a context of what is currently known. Thus when Joseph Priestley "discovered" a new gas, he called it "dephlogisticated air" because that could make sense to his colleagues. Lavoisier, looking at the same gas with a different set of eyes, called it oooxygen" and revolutionized chemistry. So, Saint Luke described the events at Pentecost in language others could understand: Diuided, tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested,on each ofthem (Acts 2:3). Something happened that looked like divided tongues and these tongues looked like fire: All of them u;ereJilled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak nith other languages as the Spirit gaue them ability (Acts 2:4). The phenomenon of speaking in other tongues-in other languages-can be more easily understood than the "rush of a violent wind" and the "divided tongues, as of fire." We have all experienced a person talking in a language other than our own. And'rve know the Apostles were speaking other languages, not vain babbling, because in the next verse we are told: And, at this sound. the crond gathered and was beuildered, becauseeach one heard them speaking in the natiue language of each (Acts 2:6). As a trained physician, St. Luke did not try to understand the phenomenon or explain it away. He merely described it. This is the Orthodox posture when it comes to God and His work. He

become God in the sense that Adam and Eve tried to do? Or, is the purpose ofthese events to provide us with the opportunity to know Cod as the saints have done? Are we not to use what insight we can gain to continue on our journey to iheosis? Similarly, is it the purpose of science to know all there is to know, wanting to be God's equal, if not superior, and therefore to have no need of Him? or, Is it to provide us with insight into God's creation so that we come to know God and become united with Him? In other words, can scientists assist us in learning more about God? Can theologians assist scientists in placing their search within an ecologically and morally sound framework? See to it that, no one takes you captiae through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the uniuerse, and, not according to C/rrrst(Colo'sians2:B). Almost two thousand years ago, Saint Paul admonished the Colossians concerning philosophy. His rvords imply both moral and natural philosophy, which was the name of science before modern times. Therefore today how are we to regard Pentecost from our scientific vantage point? We need to remember that whether we speak of ii in terms of waves or particles, light is something real. And whether or not like waves on the sea, an earthquake is real. So, too, from ihe apostolic witness, whether tongues of fire or a dove, the Holy Spirit is real. To those scieniists and theologians who hold that science and theology are two different domains with two different approaches and traditions, it seems proper that scientists should not comment on Pentecost or any other religious event. To other scientists, religious events are just so much hogwash. But to a growing group of scientists and theologians, there is much to gain from a fruitful dialogue. Orthodox Christians would salute and welcome further dialoeue.

FORTHENEWTERM GETTINGSTARTED hy LizLazarot

Most parish religious education programs terminate around the end of May or beginning ofJune. Many parishesthen begin to prepare for a Vacation Bible ,rr program lhat can conlinne Sch,-,,,1 through the summer recess. However the Sunday school department director starls preparing for the new year ibur to six r,veeksbefore the term ends. Ifvour Sundav school program is a 161161,g1-simplyprornoting classes at the end of each year-pleparation should go srnoothlr..First, prepare a letter for primarv and associate teachers of each gratle. Have them evaluate their classes, environment. and curriculum and indicate whether they wish to continue teaching. They should provide anv information that can assist you to make plans and changes. Afterrrards, meet $-ith vour parish priest and go over tl.re evaluation reports. hare a priman Eac h cl a s s "hould teacher ancl an associate working together. AIso have names ofback-ups ASTRUTH WASREVEATTD ASFAI.SEHOOD HASBIENDISSOI.V[D who can fill in if both teachers are out. If ASWISDOM HASPRESENTTD aclditional teachers are needed, request re<:ommendations through your weeklv messageto teachers. Not everyone is cut out to teach religious education. Be careful. Some volunteer for the lvror-rg reasons. I have been very fortunate through the years to have worked with rnany nomen and men cledicateclto this ministrl,. This dedication and commitment can assuresuccess,so interview the nen candidates and then ask your parish priest for his input. Once the staff are placed in their proper slots. roll classes to their next gracle.This nill give you an idea of the enrollment to expect. Let the size of your parish help you anticipate additional stuclentscoming into the program. Ner,v Sun, lal s c h , r o ie n r o l l m e n l sc o n t i n u e through the term. Prepare a letter to be sent to all parents of all students on your enrollment roster. Stress the imporlance of enrolling nerr and retuming stutlents for the next term. You can't imagine how many times families rno\reor change their phone

uumbers, especially in the southern s t a l e sw h e r e p e o p l e a r e r e r r t r a n si e n t. On the enrollment form inciude: Student Name/Birth Date/ Grade in Sunday School/ Grade in School and Nan'reDay. Shorvthe grades, and programs that nill be available. Again, this car"rbe cletermined by the size of your parish. Low enrollment or space problems may call for combining grades. Also include your address. where forms can be mailed if they aren't dropped off at the Sunday school or Church office, and -vourphone number where l.ou can be reached for farther information. I have recorded all o{ my Sunday school files on my home computer and ha'r,e done most of.the work from the house. Each parish r,vorksit differently. From anticipated class size, start making a list of what will be needed. If you are careful, expenditures can be reducecl each year. Earl,v in the term. the Departrnent of Religious Eclucation sends out their curriculum brochure Liuing Our Orthodox follh, which lists new books available. Send in orders as quickly as possible. Remember that a strong and well-balanced curriculum is vital for the success of a Sunday school department. To determine what to teach and ho'lv to teach it, I evaluate the strengths and needs of my parish. Of course supplementary materials can be ordered at the start or later into the term. You can access information via the Internet through the Department of Religious Education to obtain information. or simply call the Department of Religious Education office in Brookline. Depending on the budget, you may have to charge a nominal fee to cover the expense of curriculum and supplies. The director usuallv takes up this issue with the priest and parish council. Once you have determined when Sunday sr:hool rvill begin (usuallv two weeks after students begin their day school) call for the Sunday school staff to meet rvith the director ancl parish priest tl.rreer,eeks before starting date. By then your class roster and projeciecl

Pn-A.xrsPentecost1999

enrollment for each grade should be available for the teachers as well as their curriculum and supplies. The parish priest r,ill determine the meeting agenda

DOXA

and perhaps will request teacher-training sessions. Opening day is ahvavs, as I describe it, "organiz ed,'hlo -" r'rith l a"t m inule enrollments and qllestions. Be verv prepared. including instruciions {br your teachers lvith your weekly messageto them. Depending on the size of your

My Fellow Catechists,

Sunday school, you may also require one or possibly two dependable assistantsin

Do you know thatl,vhen Christ rvas dying on the cross He made a will? You thought no one ever remembered you in a will. If you are saved, Jesus

lhe S undar s,-ho olofiice. Be sure to mark the doors of Sunda,v school rooms rvith grade levels. Have teachers in their rooms early and prepared. You will have to keep the teachers apprised of new enrollments as lher com e in. Und er n o c ir c um . lanle" allow children in the class without

Christ inciuded you in His. He ivilled His body to Joseph of Arimathea; He willed His mother to John. and He willed His spirit back to His father. Tcr His disciples He said: "My peace I leave with you; that is my legac1'.M--v joy, I give that to you." My jo"u,think of

enrolling. You can quickly lose control if you don't make it clear that the parents must enroll them first before sending into the classrooms. I have always believed that a Sunday school should run like any school system. After a month or so things will run more smoothly. Have monthly staff meetings to keep apprised ofteachers' needs, questions. and input. A parentteacher afternoon after services early in the term allolvs parents to meet their children's teachers and to learrr about the religious education program that you have established for the term. Also starl to prepare for a Christmas pageant, the Oratorical Program" and/or any other function that will involve the children a nd 1t,u nga drrl t sdur ing t he lernr.T h e acoll te pro gra m lo lr ain our young men is usually handled by the parish priest. It is a beautiful sight to see your youngsters being trained irrto this program. Sunday school usuallv continues to the l2th grade. The teens usually come under the COYA program. Try to recruit others to handle these various programs. There is so much that can be done with our chiidren and voung adults. All they need is direction and a purpose r!-ecan provide with well-planned programs.

it! "My peace"-not our peace but His peace! Included for your use is a lesson on

,.PEACE.''

It is thepur?ose of DOXAand THUS WEDECTARE THUS WTASSTRT THUS WTPREACH CHRIST OURTRUE GOD

Proxis Io foster a shared vision for the broad ranging task of religious education. We intend to share with you practical lessons you can use with your >t u t l e n t .o I a 1 la g e s i n P r a r i s . May Cod bless you and grant you peace. In Christ's Service, Paul C. Sieben Chairman. DOXA

Pnaxs

Pentecost1999

LESSON PLAN by PaulSieben

TOO "COOL" TO PRAY?

Tnnlrn: PEACE P = Patience E = Enlightenment A = Active C = Contemplative E = Eternity

by Maria Angeliades

Orr

Church makes it easier than others for us to "speak" to God

through prayer. One of the most beautiful prayers in the Orthodox Faith is the Jesus Prayer:

OeJncrrvr Whatis thegoalof Christian life?To

htrd Jesus Christ, Son of God, haue mercy upon me, a sinner. This prayer came to us from the sixth century and was a part of the

achieve the peace of the Holy Spirit within us. What is peace? Peace is a work of faith in Jesus Christ. What keeps us from peace? We cannot find peace until we find hope in God. How can we find peace? When mind and heart are united in prayer and the soul is wholly concentrated in a single desire for

tradition known as hesychasm. Hesychasm comes from the Greek word

God, then the heart grows warm and the light of Christ begins to shine and fills the inward man with peace.

become connected with God. Through repeiition, this prayer becomes a

Pruvnn JesusPrayer:Lord JesusChrist, Son of Cod"hauemercyon me o sinner. When can I pray it? Anywhere. Whereis my mind whenI pray it? In my heart. When shouldI pray it? Always. Why shouldI prav it? BecauseSaintPaul sayswe shouldpray unceasingly.

hesychia, which means "quietness" or "repose" or "inner silence." It can bring us to the understanding ofprayer, connecting our spiritual minds and our bodies with the awarenessofthe peace, silence, and solace that God offers us. The Jesus Prayer in its simplicity can become a prayer from our hearts. By learning this simple prayer and repeating it often, we may

parl of our inner selves. It becomes a parl of our communication with God. It takes on the rhythm of our heartbeat and can become such a parl ofus that it flows through us, as does our own breathing. Just as we need to breathe to survive, we also need to pray to keep God within us and to allow our inner spirit to survive. Prayer keeps the light ofthe Lord within us. Keeping prayer in our lives keeps us focused and centered. When we are able to speak to God through prayer, we are able to resist the temptations of the evil found in our society. When the mind and soul are able to unite with God through prayer, we gain an inner strength. This is not attainable without complete devotion to the Lord. The more

Breln Relnmcs Romans14:17,Timothy6:11, John14:27, Romans15:5,1 Peter3:11 Gnoup Exnncrsn Identify how manytimes the word.peace appearsin the Divine Liturgy. Mlrnnrals OrthodoxStudyBible Copiesof the Divine Liturgy

we communicate with Cod through prayer, the better we can know the Lord and the easier it is to follow the edicts of Cod. To gain this onenesswith God, we need to understand the need for prayer. We may pray together during oral prayer, such as when we pray together in church as a family or during church school or any time lve find ourselves among those who cherish God. Most importantly, we must be able to communicate with Cod on a more personal level whenever we pray inner prayers from our hearls and our souls. We must continuously strive as Orthodox Christians to establish a personal relationship with God and become like Cod (theosis).By

Oursrln Exnncrsn Visit a monastery. CunnnNr Evnlcrs Shootingsat ColumbineHigh School, Littleton, Colorado

forming this personal relationship, we shall attain the "courage to pray." Once we find that courage to speak to God, we will always be sure it's "cool" to pray.

Pnexs Pentecost1999

RE LI G I OUED S U C AT ION RE S O URC ES ON T H EIN T E R N ET by Phil Lawrence

The Internet has become an imporlant part ol our culture. Its benefits and dangers have been defined for us through the news media and the personal experience of millions of users. For Orthodox Christians, the Internet provides us with a tool by which we can grow in our faith. The educational potential of the Internet has been recognized by the archdiocese and Christians worldwide. Many Internet sites are now in operation which contain excellent materials for Orthodox adults and children or those who want to learn about our faith. Below is a list of religious education starting points for Internet exploration. The list is by no means comprehensive.

Splncn ExcrNns

A good beginning to Internet exploration is to use an Internet search engine. At these sites, you would type in a keyword or phrase like Orthodox or religious education and perform the search. Results of the search will provide links to sites that contain the material of interest. When you visit the referred sites, there may be many more links to other related sites. It's easy to see that your experience on the Internet can be new and exciting each time. Some of ihe more popular search engines are located at these addresses: www.yanoo.com www.webcrawler.com www.rycos.com infoseek.com lr,'ww. www.hotbot.com. After you conduct a few Internet searches, it does not take long to realize that there is a vast amount of data and knowledse available to anyone r,vithIniernet access.

Rnlrcrous ElucATroNSrrns to thewealthof Th" ,it", listedbelowprovidean introduction religious education material that is available on the Internet. Make sure to visit the "links to other Orthodox sites" page for each site. u.lvw.goarch.org The main Archdiocese site. This is always a great beginning. The Department of Religious Education is currently updating/ restructuring its portion ofthis site in the next few months. Stay tuned for the exciting changes!

www.orthodox.net/index.html Fr. Seraphim provides a site filled with information about our faith. Make sure to visit the question/answer part of the site (Russian Orthodox). www.antiochian.org The main site for the Antiochian Archdiocese. There rs sorne good content here, especially in the Departments area. w\fw.oca.org The Orthodox Church in America's main site. The question/ answer and youth sections may be useful to interested visitors. www.gocanada.org Home page for the Creek Orthodox Church in Canada. The adult forum is well popuiated and the youih page is also interesting. www.theorthodoxchurch.com/welcome.htm This site, sponsored by iconographers, is gradually developing. Some good content is already present but ii will be even more useful when it is more fully developed. INrnnNnr Frr,rnnrNc AND MoNrroRrNG SOFTv/ARE )eve.al software packages are available to heip parents control and monitor the content that children are exposed to on the Internet. The importance of monitoring a child's Internet activity cannot be stressed enough. As an example, consider the recent high school massacre committed by the Colorado teenagers. If someone had monitored the Iniernet activity of these youth, their hateful intent would have been realized and the massacre could have potentially been avoided. Some of the major filtering/monitoring packages available include: Cyberpatrol (www.cyberpatrol.com) C]'bersitter (www.solidoak.com) Netnann)r (wr-w.netnanny. com) X-Stop (wn-w.xstop.com) C]'bersentinel (www.securitysoft.com) Cybersnoop (www.pearlsw.com) Like so many influences from the outside world, the Internet is becoming a part of the life of the Church. It is up to us to make it a positive experience that will be helpful to all ofus.

Pnaxrs Pentecost1999

WEHARVEST WHATWESOW by Ceorge Makredes T i' I f iour l, , c al Sun d a r 'c h o o l producing knowledgeable, spiritually inspired young Christians rvith a grasp of Church doctrine and history yor-r'vegot something very special which should immediately be shared amongst the many, many other parish communities. On the other hand, if that doesn't exactly portray your local Sunday school, the following comments may be of some interest. Having taught eighth- to tenthgrade students for many years, I c us lom alilv nelc o n r ea n i n , 'o m i n g g r e e li n g s c las s r rillr c ongr a t u l a l o r '1 ior lhe c om plet iuno I s e re n l o n i n e years of their religious education. A f eu c as ualques l i o n ' c o n c e r n i n g Church and matters of faith follow so I can gauge what they may have HAND ONONE retained along lhe rvay.Without WORSHIPPING CHRIST fail, the great majority of replies AS6ODANDLORD fall into the unremarkable category.Puzzled looks and guessed,hit-or-miss anslversonly serve to confirm that academic per{ormance and accountability somehorvonly seem worthy ofthe secular sphere and non-reiigious studies. The one benefit ofthe verbal quiz is that it does help to identify what areas will need some attention in the weeks ahead. What sort of questions do I pose to these upper grade students? Here are a few examples: t True or False: W.ebelong to the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. t Which prayer declares all of our unshakable core Christian beliefs? f True or False: Holy Communion is the actual blood a n,l budr oiJ es us Chr is t . f What is the Eucharist? Pentecost? Christ Incarnate? a disciple vs. an Apostle? t Tiue or False: The Resurrection was when Christ ascendedinto heavel. Additionally, too many are stumped when it comes to naming our Patriarch and don't knolv where Orthodoxy's Ecumenical See is located, yet they will know something about the Pope, Rome, and the Vatican. Subsequent discussion of the Divine Liturgy invariably invites a lament, with kids questioning, Why does our Sunday mass have to be so long? One day, in thinking about horv the overall situation might be improved, I wondered, What if students had to

master at least one aspect oftheir Orthodox faith in each year of Sunday school? Wouldn't that at least equip them'rvith seven to nine precepts befcrrethey reach the upper grades? If each vear grade-six instructors, for exampie, were charged with getting across one particular teaching objective such as the doctrine of Apostolic Succession or tlrcosi,s,'rvoulcln'tthis target result in measurable scholastic progress? In other words. doesn't achieving single, yearly objectives seem more attainable than placing all ofour educational hopes on a teacher's ability to convey the contents of an entire textbook over the course of the same yearunless, of course, that textbook itself specifically focuses upon a single theme such as the Ten Commandments, the Mysteries, or the Nicene Creed? There's not enough time! is a common refrain heard from teachers. The single-objective format rvould seem to fit right in with those time constraints. Both the texibook and a selected doctrine could be taught either in conjunction with, or in addition to, the textbook in use. As an adjunct, I envision a standardized, archdiocesan graduation exam, rvith academic achievers being specially recognized by their priests, metropolitans, and even the Archbishop. Sunday school is the only place that most children will learn about their Orthodox Faith, yet it is routinely subordinated to sports activities and other distractions. Ask yourself what level of importance and visibility is accorded to the Sunday school program in your own parish community? Sunday school deserves a much higher degree of regard and, for lack of a better word. respect. W'here else is a child likely to receive this information in a classroom setting? Where else is our children's understanding of religion explored, discussed, and reinforced? Where else can rve hope to produce young adults rvho are spiritually mindful and suitably educated to confront the myriad of non-Christian influences and the negative peer pressure arvaiting them throughout life? Of course, eflective religious education also needs the cooperative support ofcaring parents who themselves attend Divine Liturgy and whose lives are Christcentered. Ultimatel-n the parents' example is the pattern and foundation upon which a child tends to develop his or her orvn life either within the Church or outside. I'm not advancing this admittedly simple concept as an educational cure-all elixir, but rather as a suggestion which may warrant a try. This instructionalformat is currently being considered by a committee consisting of current and past Sunday School directors, nctiue teachers, and a pr ofessional educ ation spe cialist.

Pn-c,xrsPentecost1999

PENTECOST OUR PERSONAL by Phyllis MeshelOnest T It has been twentv-two years since I graduated from Holy Cross School ofTheologv and began my professional career in the Church. I have served as a vouth director, church school teacher and director, retreat speaker, lvorkshop leader, resource person, writer. Bible study leader, and now I travel throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia for the Diocese of Pittsburgh in my capacity of Diocesan Religious Education Director. I have also been married for nearly twenty years and am the mother of trvo girls who are in college and graduating from high school. In m--vtravels I have observed that one of the r,veakestareas in the life of the Orthodox Church here in America is limited religious education among a large segment of adults. Our forefathers came to this new country with great colrrage, adventure, seeking a better life. They undertook the monumental task of building Orthodox churches and communities in order to continue the faith and heritage that rvas so important to them. While parishes and "Sunday schools" for the children were founded, though. the

HAND, ONTHEOTHER HONORINC THESAINTS ASTRUISERVANTS LORD Ot Att OFTHESAI\4E

formal education of adults never got under-way.For decades there rvere few books for 'What was written was very basic Western-style catechism. I remember adults in English. from my parish priest. They rvere the beginning of my journel'. Onl--v the dittoed handouts in the lasi twenty to thirty years has there been a proliferation ofbooks on Orthodox theologl,, spiritualitl., the Fathers, saints, iconography, hymnography, and more. Norv rve have the Internet that offers us endless sources of material on the Orthodox Church. These resources have strengthened the faith ofthose already r,ithin the Church, brought others seeking the fullness of Faith that Orthodox Christianity offers. and helpecl those who conveded before or aiier they married an Orthodox Christian. In addition, r-ith the influx of people embracing Orthodoxy as adults. there is even more reading material based on their authors' experiences seeking the Nerv Testament Church and finding Orthodox Christianity. The spectrum of believers ranges from those who maile an informed decision to be Orthodox and are therefore 'r,r'ellread and have accepted Orthodoxy in entirety to those r,vhoare Orthodox Christians because they'rvere baptized into the Orthodor Church as infants. I have also observed a grorving number of cradle Orthodox seeking more than the simple catechism. They want to knorv more so that they can defend the Faith to Protestant and Roman Catholic friends and coworkers. They have read or heard about saints rvho have come close to God and ihey want to come closer. too. The,vhave a desire to live out

their Orthodox Faith. Let us ask ourselves, How is living out mv faith different from the way my Christian neighbor or friend lives out her faith or his? This is an especiallv important question for those ofus who teach in the Church. I believe that ifwe are living authentic Orthodox lives, then there should be some stark differences. Developing an Orthodox ethos. or mindset, through u-hich to filter the world around us accomplishes part of this. Horv can this be done? l. Hold onto everything that is authentically Orthodox! As besi we can, '!veare to live by the Church calendar' in order to live the liturgical cycle-fasting (pink days on the calendar), feasting, V-espers.Liturgv, Confession. frequent communion, a spiritual father; icons, reading scriptures, prayer book, vigil lights, incense in the home, praying for the dead, almsgiving, feeding the hungry (hot meals), and more. 2. Seek God's will in our lives. It's up to us, with the help of a spiritual guide, to find God's rviil in our lives. 3. Support others in their spiritual journeys and seek out support when needed. Whatever situation God

provides, lisien. reflect and share ihat which rve have been taught and rvhat we have experienced. Look for those situations. Supporl monastic communities. The Orthodor Church has always been its strongestwhen there l\'as an active and grorving monastic life. My famil,v supports Saint Gregory Palamas Monastery in Ha.-vesville, Ohio. Make the time to visii one in your area. Invite monastics to speak in our parishes. Become a pious liayia (grandmother) or piouspapou (grandfather). This may sound strange for someone rvho just turned fifty, but if we are concerned with the future of the Orthodox Faith in America. it is not. Our pious grandparents lived out r,vhatthey knew. They are dying out. Who rvill replace them if 'rvedo not? What rvill rve add to what thev shared with us?

Pnaxrs Pentecost1999

We have a lifetime to do it, but accomplishing these things requires reading, studying, and learning through adult education. Not only do we have to get to know the Scriptures, but also the prayers ofthe Church, the lives of the saints, the Church's position on moral issues, the wisdom of the Fathers and Mothers of the Church. This is not just for clergy, monastics, and professional church workers. This is the task of all baptized, chrismated Orthodox Christians. Saint Paul refers to us as o royal priesthoocl, a holy nation. It is up to each of us to know and to share Christ. We are each part of the Body of Christ, His Orthodox Church. With the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost we can also invite the Holy Spirit to lead us in a new or renewed journey of study and prayer.

PnnuutNlnv

Anutr

Brcnn Sruorzs

The Faith: Understanding

Orthodox

Christian-

ity by Clark Carlton. An equalizer {or parlicipants with varying levels ofunderstanding. Basic catechism. Reflection Questions for each chapter. [Tho nine-week, 1.5-hour sessions.] Partakers

of Divine

Nature

by Archimandrite

Christoforos Stavropoulos, translated by Fr. Stanley Harakas. Presents tlreosis,humankind's purpose according to Orthodox theology: ...become partakers of diuine nature (2 Peter l: 4). Extensive use of Scripture and the Church Fathers with life-changing impact. [*Six 1.5- to 2-hour sessions.]

Srunv Gnoups Ann Oxr Mr.lxs I huu" found that being part of a group helps me to be faithful in my studies. I am accountable to oihers and they to me. We encourage one another to stay on task. From my experience, study groups work especially well when there is, first, a block of time set aside (six to eight weeks) for reading a book, and second, a leader's guide and/or pariicipants' study guide. Let me share with you what has been developed in several parishes. Ideally a core group of potential group leaders begins the study with their priest or qualified lay person approved by the priest. After the group has completed a basic catechism, Partalters of Diuine l{ature, a study of the Book of Ephesians, and Growing in the Christian Life, some, if not all, the members could lead another group of people through one or all of the previous four sets of siudies. In one parish there are individuals or couples who prefer to lead a group through one of the particular siudies. In that same parish one individual has led the same group through all these plus other books of interest. When it is time to begin a new study group, identify potential members and invite them, as well as anyone else in the parish who is interested, to attend a one-day parish retreat. The actual presentations, which only need to be personalized and scheduled for the retreat, are prepared and available. Hopefully the first set ofgroup leaders will serve as presenters for the retreat. At the end of the day. participants are invited to commit to an eight-to-ten-week study of the catechism. Then they are invited to continue with the series as listed above. The other texts that are listed below can be used in any order, based on the interests of the group members. After a three-year period in one particular parish, the following effects were obser-vedamong the fifty people who had participated in such an adult ed ucatio np rog ram : more frequent participation in the Eucharist more active participation in the adult church school class 3. increased fellowship among group members 4. greater spiritual concern for others beyond the group In addition, others have shown an interest in learning more about our Orthodox Faith. Adult education is vital, not only for the spiritual growth ofour communities, but also for the growth of the Orthodox Church in this country. It begins with you and me. Let this Pentecost seasonbe a time of 1. 2.

rediscoverv ofthe Faith we hold so dear.

Saint Paul's Letter

to the Ephesians.

Unfolds

what this means for us in our day-to-day lives: 6e secLtecl in tlrc heauenlyplaces... Focus on being part of the Church, the Body of Christ. [Use with Orthodox Study Bible recommended. *Stzdy Gzide includes commentary on Scripture. Sir 1.5- to 2-hour sessions.] Growing

in the Christian

Life. Sessions include

Louing Cod,;Louing One Another; Gouing Follouing

in Faith,

the Holy Spirit's Lead; Spiritual Warfare

and the WorLd, the Flesh, and the Deuil; and Deoling with Wrongdoing. Helps to apply what was learned from Partakers

of Divine

Nature

and Ephesians.

[* Study Guidn includ.es additional Scripture and Patristic readings. Eight 1.5- to 2-hour sessions.l Sunsrqlzxr

Srulrss

Begirrning

to Pray by Anthony Bloom [Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozhl. Insight on how prayer affects our relationship with God and others. Plan to read this again and again. [**Six 1.5- to 2-hour sessi ons.] Of Life and Salvation

b,v Fr. Stanley Harakas.

Twent,v-six reflections on Scripture readings for Hol,v Unction address Eucharist, sickness, the power of love, living in the world, following Christ, affliction, Fruits ofthe Spirit, Christian behavior, and more. [**N i ne 1.5- to 2-hour sessi ons.] Way of the Asceties by Tito Colliander-. Common sense about living in the world. Offers meditation, spiritual guidance, and a revitalized religious life. Succinct extracts from the Church Fathers with commenlary. [+*Six 1.5- to 2-hour sessions.] Raising Them

Right by Theophan the Recluse

(excerpt from The Path of Salvation).

Summary of

this saint's teachings on spirituality and Christian development with insight on raising children to follow Christ and be keepers of the flame within His Church. Deals with baptism, sin, attitudes, the spiritual dangers of adolescence, and more. Valuable for parents, teachers, and clergy. [**Seven ].5- to 2hour sessi ons'l prease see npx rpage

Pnexs

Pentecost1999

Sursrqur,lr Srunrcs CoNTTNUED Our Heartso True Horne edited by Virginia Nieuwsma.Fourteenwarm and inspiringstoriesof womencominginto the OrthodoxFaith. Excellentfor a women's studygroup.[**Seven 1.5- to 2-hour sessions.] A Year of the Lord Liturgical Bible Srudies by Father Ted Stylianopoulos. SundayCospelreadingsfor the yearYolume I: September1 to November14; Volume II: November15 to the beginningof Triodion; Volume III: Triodion and Lent; Volurne IV: Easterto Pentecost;Volume V: Summer/All Saintsto Dormition. Integrates Scripture, hymns, prayers,quotesfrom the ChurchFathers,and commentary. Questions in text. Victory in the Unseen Warfare and Virrue in the Unseen Warfare and Prayer in the Unseen Warfare by Fr. seriesbasedon Jack Sparks.Complementary a sixteenth-centurytreatise,Spiritual Combat. First adaptedby Saint Nicodemus now ol the Holy Mountainfor monastics: addressedto today'slay person.Studv questions end eachchapler. *Thekarler'sGuidesarulParticipants'Study andReflectionQuestiorus GaidesincludingContent for thesethreestudies, alongwiththebor,rkleL Groving in the Christian Life plustheone-day retreat,areavailablein printedform($30),on disc ($I0),b)' e-mail($5)from Fr. Dn. DanSwires 2501SaxeRoad Mogadore, OH44260 (330)628-e2sl e-maildnswires@usa.net *4Reflection for thesetextsareavailable Questions for $l each to cover photocopyingand postage from Phyllis Onest 2507 NedraAve Akron. OH 44305-3929

(330)733-s39r e-mail pmonest@aol.com

^.,,

BOOK REVIEW

LET'STAKEA WALKTHROUGHOUR ORTHODOXCHURCH Reviewby Rev.Dr. StanleyHarakas

AnthonyM. Coniaris,Let'sTakea Walkthroughour OrthodoxChurch,illustratedby Betty Kizilos. Minneapolis:Light and Life PublishingCo., 1998,95 pages.Availablefrom the Departmentof Religious Educationofthe GreekOrthodoxArchdioceseof A meri ca.

This children'sbooktakes'oachild on a tour through an OrthodoxChurch,clearly and simply explainingin forty-five chaptersthe meaningof many objects seen in mostOrthodoxchurches.Each explanationis enhancedwith an originalfour colorpainting,"as FatherAnthony'sbrief introductionindicates. Parents,Sundayschoolteachers,and those interestedin giving a gift for birthday,nameday, Christmas,or otheroccasionto a child in grades3 to 6 will find this a most appropriateeducationaland spiritual gift. Each chapteris moreor lessone pagelong and facedby a stylizedpaintingwhich, while not an icono evokesan iconic feeling.AIso,while clearlyindicating OrthodoxChristianchurch objects,the illustrationsdo so in a way that makesthe book accessibleto childrenof all Orthodoxjurisdictions.Each illustration is captioned. The book highlightsforty-fiveaspectsofthe Orthodoxchurch building and relatedreligious concepts.Amongthe themespresentedare the following:The ChurchBuilding; The Icon ofthe Mother of God on the Front Wall: The Cross:The VotiveLight; The lconostasis,or Icon Screen; The Tabernacle;The Icon of the Resurrection; The Etemal Life; Incense;Candles;The Chalice; Vestments; The BaptismalFont,and so on. This is a book worth sharingwith your own youngstersand very readily adaptableto Sunday schoolteaching.Clear,easyto read,concrete,yet spirituallyinstructive.

Y O U R M ID S T UNDE RS T A N D INTGH EE T D E R LIN by Fr. Nicholas Pilavas rfr Ihe pages of human history tell us that old age is not anything new. People in the past livecl as long or longer than tl'rey do today. During biblical times, some individuals enjoyed remarkably long life. Noah lived to be 950 years old (Genesis 9:29), Methuselah lived 969 years (Cenesis 5:27) holding a prominent place in ihe society and respected very highly. The charge of the Ten Commandments to "honor thy father and thy mother" has been the general guideline concerning respect for the older generation. The Book of Proverbs constantly remincls us of the wisdom of older people. Hea,r,my chikl, your father's imtruction, and, d'o not rejer:tyour mother's teaching (Proverbs 1:B). The older generations not only enjoyed the respect and admiration ofthe young, but they also enjoyed economic stability that was passed down from generation to generation by special blessing. In the Bible stories of Esau and Jacob, an heir is designated by special blessings of the elderly iather (Genesis 27-28). The Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, practically directed the lives o{ their sons and daughters. Axcrnrlr Gnnnr TnrnrrNc Asotr Oll Aco Th" Gr""k. had certain degrees of bipolar thinking about old age. Greek customs glorified youth. The Olympic games \\rerea good example of the admiration of the physical beauty ofthe young athlete. Aristoile painted a dreary picture ofold age. He believed that the oid had serious faults. In his belief, old people are suspicious, rigid, cynical, and small-minded. Such faults should disqualify them from holding a political ANDFATHTRTY WITHBROTHERTY office. On the other hand, Plato rvrote of the superiority of the aged. According to Plato, it TOVE ANDREVERENCT is the old who must take charge and govern. In fact, Plato believed that old age was the best time in a person's life. The elderly hacl visions and experience. "There can be no doubt that the elder must rule the younger," says Socrates.People become fit to rule only late in life. They are the ones rvho have obtained rvisdom through the study ofphilosophy. Rom,q.xs'Vrnwor Or,o Acr Ro-urm clearly viewed o1d age as the worst period in life. Olcler people were portrayed as silly and foolish-in moclern ierms, as dirty old inclividuals. Seneca, a Stoic phiiosopher, held old age as a clisease.Cicero, however, perhaps in opposition to the negative views torvard the elder'ly, defended old age. In his splendid essan De Senectute(About Old Age), he argues that old age is better than youth. The old are wise, respected, and have great influence. They are superiorto youth, and they stand above the trivialities and pleasures oflife. Old age does not just happen to everyone, but it is rather the fruits of a well-speni youth and weli-planned life. Maturity is achieved only by those who live virtuous and careful lives. It offers opportunity to anyone to grow in spirit. which in turn never grows old. Old age, Cicero savs, gives the opportunity to a person to come to terms with death, make wise choices, and argue in favor of immortalit,v. "I have no desire," says Cato in speaking to Cicero, "to return to a childish condition, but instead to go on to a life after death." Acrrc rx Oun Truns: Tnn 21" Cpryrtnv The first question that comes to mind is, What is the difference between the pasi generations and the present generation regarding old age? The difference betrveen now and the past is the fact that at no other time in the history of humanity has our planet had so many old people as it has today. By the turn of the ceniury more than 100 million older Americans will populate our .rountry. In Creece, it is reporled that seventy-five percent of the population are over sixty. The Census Bureau predicts that by the year2010 one out of fcrurAmericans will reach the age of 55 years ancl over. Already more than 60 million of us have reached 50 years of age or above. The Baby Boom generation will come of age. This means that our whole view of life will begin to charrge.A mature population that rvill reflect the values associated with maturity such as religion, poliiics, work, and social concern rvill replace our youth-oriented culture. The "in" word in today's times is "aging." It is very fast replacing our society's preoccupation with death and dying. Our society has already begun looking at aging from many different perspectives: geriatric medir-ine, geriatric ps,vcholog-ngerontology,and sociolog,v.Tcrday'sgerontologist'sadvice is that we need to turn our attention to oid age. Ii is aiso a good time for the Church, pastors and leaders in general, to begin looking at the spiritual, pastoral, and socioreligious aspects of aging. L2

Pnaxrs Pentecost1999

Mrssron on run Cuuncn rx Uxornsr,rNnrtc rnn Acnt As Church leaders in the ministry of the Lord, both priests and laymen, we should turn our attention to the older generation and create a greater understanding. Try to help by seriously thinking of our aging parishioners and create deeper understanding for their concerns. Old age makes up the longest single period of our lives. Taking a look across the span of life, one will notice that some twenty years or more make up the so-called "old age." The needs, however, during these years vary. For example, there are people who have just retired, those who are no longer able to maintain their homes, but require nursing and hospitalization. Elders during these stagesof aging are confronted with many complex issues, different for every one depending on the stage ofaging he or she is in. Some examples such as retirement, loneliness, alienation, personal economic problems, work, grandparenting, family problems, need of the religious and spiritual life, and most of all death are extremely important to the elders. As members of the Body of Christ and leaders of a community of faithful, we must define the mission of the Church to aging parishioners and offer opportunities that will address their concerns. We must transmit to them their importance to God and that they are His creation, that He has need of them and He depends on their usefulness. Offer them a vocation, which in turn will offer them meaning and purpose in life. Many times the elderly are puzzled with the idea of usefulness and self-worth. How can elders with limited income, weakened in body and with no social role serve their Church? At this very point, the Church can make a difference by giving them guidance and a sense of direction and offering opportunities for participation. As communities, churches, pastors, and lay leaders in the ministry of Christ to His people, we can make the difference. We can help our parishioners as well as our elderly parents enjoy love, admiration, and respect. We can help them see not only the negative, but also the positive aspects of aging. We can help them get out of the stereotypical view of aging and see themselves as human beings that have been created in the image of God-that God hears their prayers and that nothing can separate them from the love of God. Neither rleath nor life nor angels nor principa,lities nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in creation will be able to separate usfrom the loue of God in JesusChrist our Lctrd (Romans 8:38-39). In order to have a better understanding of the needs of our elderly, we could begin by trying some of the following exampres: 1. Educate our communities and ourselves and learn rnore about this stage oflife that we call aging. Schedule seminars. Bring speakers who are knowledgeable about older adults. Speakers ofthis nature could be accountants who are in the position to speak about retirement. This could prove to be very helpful to those who are about to retire or who have just entered retirement. Invite police officers who can speak about

salety in the home and society for older people; professors and teachers who specialize in the fields of gerontology themselves, doctors who can speak about geriatrics and geriatric medicine, and so forth. 2. Establish Bible studies or discussions on religious issues. Gerontologists today believe these discussion groups are very valuable. Colleges and universities presently are actively seeking senior students. Organizations that concern themselves with older people such as Adults Returning to Education (ARTE) offer computer programs. 3. Create widows' and widowers' supporl groups. These groups could prove to be of great assistanceto elders during the most difficult losses in life. 4. Promote church-oriented activities that would bring crossgenerational interaction. Children and elders together make up a complete Church. The youngsters may help the elders and vice versa. Honor Thy Father and Mother Seniors Outreach Seniors (SOS) could be Seniors Outreach Youngsters (SOY). Our government and society for many years have promoted the so-called age segregation.Our communities could do very well b y s t a r t i n g n i t h a c r o r s - g e n e r a l i o n ael r p e r i e n c e . 5. Create and establish visitation groups in the community. They could be of great benefit to the elderly, especially to the frail elderly. 6. Promote coffee hours on a weekly basis, with one day set aside for the elderly. Another thought would be taking bus trips to beaches in the summer, trips to museums, shows, and Broadway plays, and other social functions ofvarious kinds. 7. Elders, Iike anyone else, ought to be reminded of their participation in the sacramental life of the Church. Regardless of age, all people are vulnerable to sin. Elders must be called to repentance and change just as children are. We must constantly seek God's mercy, regardless of age. The Psalmist indicates that what makes aging a blessing is not longevity, but fidelity to Cod. ... to instruct his princes at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom (Psalms 105:22). As we enter the twenty-first century the words of the Lord echo in our ears. We who believe in Christ are called to witness to the gospel: ...for I was hungry and, you gaue me food, I was thirsty and you gaae me drinh, I was a stranger and yr,,u welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and, you uisited me, I uas in prison and you came to me (Matthew 25:35^36). As a community of faithful, we need to enter into the struggle to aid the elders by encouraging them to continue living a normal, happy, fulfilling life, and in that way, help them find real zest for living as well as accept dying as a celebration of victory. In the same uay, let your light shine before others, so that they may seeyour good worlts ancl giue glory to your Father in heauen (Matthew 5: 16).

Pnexrs Pentecost1999

Weought not to seekamong othersthe truth, which we may hauefor the ashingfrom the Church. For in her, as in a rich treasure-house,the Apostleshaue laid up in itsfulness all that pertains to the truth, so that whosoeuerseeks,may receiuefrom her thefood of life. She is the door of lrfr. - St. Irenaeusof Lvons.Asoinst HeresiesLiii.c4.

A T R E AS U ROF Y B L ES SIN G S THEHO LYSPI RI T AS O UR G UI DE I N THECHURCH by Johanna Manley T It seems ihat many of us, the iaity of the Orthodox Church, have very little of the role of the Holy Spirit and ho'lr'He guides us and teaches us alvarenes-q r-ithin the Church. St. Paul wrote to the Romans:

WTPRAISE ANDCRY OUT OFALI.THI DEFENDTRS OTORTHODOXY The Spirit Himself bears nitness with our spirit that we are children of God PtousKtNCs,Hory PATRTARCHS, BtSHOPS, (B:16). TEACHERS, MARTYRS, CONFESSORS, Also lve can hear the priest in many Orthodox churches say the prayer belore TTERNAL BETHEIR r!{EMORY beginning Church services: Heauenly King, Comforter" Spirit of Truth, who art et;eryuhere present a.ndJillest all things, Tieasury of Blessings, and Giuer of'Lifb, come and abide in us, But the realization is gradually darvning on us. ruith the help of our priests, of the exquisite rvay in which the Holy Spirit teaches us. Let's look at some of those ways: 1. BJ'all its liturgical services, which contain much of the psalms and a great deal of theolog.vin their troparia and kontakia. 2. By the prescribed lectionary ofthe Church, the scriptural readings, arranged so wondedullv, not only for the feast days, the cycles of feasts and fasts, but even ibr special saints. 3. By its loving preservation of voluminous knowledge about the saints in the

4. 5.

Menaia and the Synaxaria" where the saints to be commemorated and their special services and stories are maintained for us. In the deeply moving expressions of veneration and of supplication to the Panagia. By teaching us "proper glorification"-Orthodoxia-in many different ways,

a notable example being the Orthros service that tells us about the Resurrection of Christ in its readings, hymns. and lauds (praises), and ends rvith the triumphant Doxologv before the Divine Liturgy begins. S/e will go into more of that later. Let's stop this long litany of horv our Church teaches us for the moment and focus on just one example.

please see next page

ANDHrlrn THe CoMMEMoRATToN oF SnrNrsCorusrnNTrNE Our

children love to hear about a victorn and we love

especiallyto teachthem aboui a victorythroughChrist.Well, victory that victoryis well illustratedin SaintConstantine's afterhis vision of the crosswith the words.IESOSCHRISTOS NIKA IIC XC NIKA, which means"JesusChristconquers"]. of this proclamationin many We still seea representation including for places, the seal the breadofoblation. The story of Saint Constantine is probably well known to all of us. As told in The Prologuefrom Ochrid for May 21, it reads as follows: Constantine'sparents were the Emperor Consta,ntius Chlorus and the EmpressHelena ... Constantinefought ttuo great battles uhen he came to the throne: one a,gainst Maxentius, a tyrant in Rome, and the other against Licinius notfarfrom Byzantium. At the battle agoinst Maxentius, when Constantine nas in great anxiety and uncertainty about his chancesof success,a shining cross, surrounded by stars, appeared,to him in the sky in full daylight. On the crosswere written the word,s: 'ln this sign, conquer! ' The uondering Ernperor ordered that a great crossbe put together, like the one tha,t had appeared, o,nd, be carried before the army. By the pouer of the cross,he gained a glorious uictory ouer enemiesgreatly superior in number. Maxentius dronned himself in the Tiber. Immecliately after this in 313, Constantine issuedthefamous Edict of Milan to put an enrJ to the persecution of Christians. Conquering Byzantium, he built a beautiful capital city on the Bosphorrc, uhichfrom that time uas nomed Constantiruople. W'hat many of us do not know so well, and still need to discover, is how beautifully this treasury of knowledge is built into the whole fabric of our Church services-all through the illumination and guidance of the Holy Spirit. To illustrate, for the Feast of Saints Constantine and Helen, we have three Old Testament readings for Creat Vespers: I K ings 8:2 2-2 3,2 7-3 0; I s aiah 6l: 10- 11; 62: 1- 5, and Isaiah 60:1-16. What do these convey to us? The reading from the Book of Kings, abbreviated here, presents to us a king-King Solomon-who had built a temple for Cod, our God, whom tAe heauenof heauerc connot contain. This king is offering a prayer ofdedication ofhis work. Is that not what the Emperor Constantine did for us in allowing Christ and Christianity an unmolested place offreedom in his empire? David also expressed this in Psalm 132:4-5, when he sang: I nill not giae sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I Jind a pLacefor the Lord, a druelling place for the Mighty God of .lacob.

In the readings from the prophet Isaiah, we hear: He has clothed me with the garments of saluation, He hcts coueredme with the robe oJ'righteousness... The Centiles shall seeyour righteousruess,ancl a,ll the kings your glory. You shall be co,lleclby a neu name . . . Arise, shine, for your light has come! And the glory of the Lnrd is risen upon you. Does the Holy Spirit not shine a laser light on this great emperor in his royal garments-having the extra metaphorical dimensions of righteousness and salvation-who lifted the darkness ofpersecutions for us and allowed freedom of worship to all in his vast lands? And what about the New Testament readings? Acts 26:1-5 and12-20 has St. Paul recount for us his vision on the road to Damascus, underscoring thai he was not disobedientto the heauenly aision. Was Saint Constantine disobedient to his heavenly vision? A resounding No! He became a door for us, an open door, to allow free access to al] the churches to worship Christ Cod. This he did in imitation of Christ, and the Gospel for the Feast of Saints Constantine and Helen is about Christ, who says 1 am lhc door in John l0:q- lo. There is much more to this story. There is the Emperor's calling together of the First Ecumenical Council in AD 325 to define the true mind of the Church. There is the determination of Saint Helena to find the true cross in Jerusalem, and our celebration ofher victory in this on September 14 in the Feast ofthe Exaltation ofthe Cross. There are icons ofthese saints and events. The troparia and kontakia serve as resum6s in the corporate memory of the Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit in those who wrote them. The troparion for this feast on May 21 is Lorcl, your disciple, Emperor Constantine, who sau in the sky the Sign of your Cross, ctcceptedthe call that came straightfromYou, as it happenedto Paul, and notfrom any man. He built his capital and entrustecl,it to your care. Preseraeour country in euerlasting pea,ce,through the intercession of the Mother of God,for You a,lone are the Louer of Mankind. The kontakion is: Torlal' Constantine and Helena his mother exposeto our ueneration the Cross,the ctuesomecrossof Christ, a sign of saluation to the Jews and a stanrJctrdof aictory: a great symbol of conquestand triumph. When we truly learn to pay atiention to these readings. are they not a marvelous teaching tool built into the fabric ofour Church and a parl of our treasury of blessings?

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