Well, all you readers, you may have wondered what's been going on. We apologize for the lateness of this issue. Both the article on homosexuality and the question on Halloween have taken a lot of prayer, time, and research to give you what we hope is an appropriate Orthodox Christian look at these issues.
It is very easy to get caught up in emotional extremism with such topics. There are many people who have very definite opinions about each of them. We have tried to look honestly and prayerfully at each question in the light of the Church's teachings to give you the best possible answer.
In order to keep things a bit more current, we will have double issues for the whole month from time to time. Unfortunately, we are few and the issues are many! Thanks for understanding!
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Lk 8:5-15 (Gospel reading on the Commemoration of St Luke, October 18)
The Lord spoke this parable. "A sower went out to sow his seed. ... The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. "Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
This parable -- also found in the Gospels according to St Matthew and St Mark -- is perhaps one of the most familiar of all scripture readings. It speaks right to the heart of questions that everyone needs to ask himself or herself: when I hear what God has to say to me, what will I do?; or when I read the Bible, go to Church, or hear scriptural texts in movies, television or in books, do I even hear what is being said, or does it all become antiquated words which have no relevance to my life?.
The parable tells us about four different reactions people have when they hear God's Word.
According to the parable, seventy-five percent of the seed perished leaving only 1/4 saved. There is little question that the Christian life is difficult, but it is possible. Even if someone is presently on rocky ground, or in thorns, he or she can become good soil. It all starts with today, right here and right now.
Something to think about:
"Lord, every minute of every day You are speaking to me, trying to show me the best way through my life. You bring people into my life and let all kinds of things happen just so that I will understand that life is about more than what I can see or even imagine. You have given me the Church and all the Scriptures so that I might understand Who You are and what life is about. Give me the eyes to see You working in my life, and the ears to hear Your words of love and direction so that I might be the good soil that yields good fruit. Amen."
There isn't a song on the Goo Goo Dolls' new CD that isn't hitting the airwaves around the country. Dizzy Up the Girl is a blend of alternative and pop that "wears well" on the ears play after play. On the up side:
On the down side:
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There is little question that the recent attack on and death of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming has brought the debate on homosexuality and society to a new fevered pitch. The U.S. Congress is analyzing issues such as the legality of same sex marriages, healthcare benefits for homosexual partners, and the right of businesses to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. State legislatures across the country are voting on issues including hate crime laws (Wyoming and Texas), and same sex marriages (Hawaii and Alaska). It appears that people across the United States are being forced to take sides on what our society's position on homosexuality should be.
On one side, a coalition of conservative Protestant groups is sponsoring expensive national campaigns to declare homosexuality a sin and promote legislation that would prevent granting what they call "special rights" for homosexuals, such as protection against discrimination in the workplace based upon sexual orientation. On the other side, under the guise of "standing against violence," it appears that gay rights activists and entertainment giants such as MTV, Michael Stipe, and Ellen Degeneres are teaming up with the Federal Departments of Justice and Education to use this tragedy as a platform to advocate not only tolerance and understanding of homosexuals, but the endorsement of homosexuality as an "alternative lifestyle."
It is often difficult to know where to stand on these issues. The conservative groups will often label a person speaking against harmful prejudicial acts as supporting the "gay agenda." Gay rights activists, on the other hand, label any mention of homosexuality as a less than an ideal state as hateful "gay bashing." So what is a person to do?
The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America has offered the following affirmations and advice for the faithful of the Orthodox Church about the issue of homosexuality:
While not what many people want to hear, these Affirmations make a few things clear:
Perhaps it is the multitude of people in small towns across the United States who are attending vigils for Matthew Shepard that are the ones to whom we should be looking for answers. From interviews on television and in newspapers and magazines, it is clear that most of these people are not there because they support homosexual behavior, but because they want to make a statement that the type of violence done upon Matthew is against Christ's command to "love one another, even as I loved you," and that all questions are best answered with prayer.
Matthew was neither a martyr nor an example of damnation. He was a victim of violent people who did not understand how to condemn the sin and not the sinner. Before jumping to any political camp on any of these issues, it is essential to remember two things:
The first question we must ask is: "Have we made sex a greater priority than God?" It is after we answer this question that the other questions will begin to make sense.
For the complete text of the above and other Synodal Affirmations, check out the OCA website at
The topics addressed by the Synodal Affirmations (by going to this link) are:
Q. (from RT from CA)
I'm confused! In my parish back home the priest told us that since we are Orthodox Christians we shouldn't celebrate Halloween, but I was just in a parish where they announced a big costume party on Halloween night for the kids and a trip to a haunted house. And then a friend of mine told me that her parish priest tells people not to celebrate Halloween, but has a costume party where kids can dress up but not as anything involving demons, or witches and that kind of stuff.
Personally, I don't understand what's wrong with dressing up in costumes and having a fun party.
Is it wrong to celebrate Halloween, or isn't it? And if it is, why is it? I don't know if you can answer this for me, but I figured I'd ask.
A.
You raise a good question, RT. There appear to be some very different opinions on the subject. As we were researching we found every point of view ranging from it being a holy day of the Western Church (the eve of All Saints' Day) to a satanic festival day. The Orthodox Christian Church, however, has not, as a whole, made an official statement about whether or not to celebrate Halloween. There are, however, some things to know about this holiday and basic Church teachings.
A Little History
The celebration of Halloween stems from the ancient Druid (pagan) celebration of the new year in what is now Ireland on October 31, November 1, and November 2, and called Samhain (pronounced "sow" -- as in female pig - "en"). Because this marked the ending of the harvest and the old year, as well as the beginning of the winter season and new year, this period of time came to be seen as a time "between years" when the laws of space and time were suspended.
Because of this, the dead were honored not as dead, but living spirits of loved ones, ancestors, and forefathers who were the foundations of the community and had the wisdom of the ages. It was also a time when evil spirits would wander the earth with the living, and many villages took up the practice of wearing frightening costumes to scare these evil spirits away.
When the Christian Church came to the area, it was unable to get the new Christians to stop celebrating this pagan holiday and therefore chose to "Christian-ize" it by associating it with the Resurrection and dubbing it Halloween (All Hallows' Eve), and All Hallows (All Saints' Day, Nov. 1, and All Souls' Day, Nov.2). As is often the case, over time the meaning of many of the old rituals became distorted and mixed with similar feasts from other cultures (English, Danish, Mexican, etc.) until it became the commercialized feast we know today. Unfortunately, little attention is paid to the celebration of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day while much attention is paid to the "scary eve" of these feasts.
(For more information on the history of Samhain and Halloween there are many sites on the internet with many different points of view. Go to a search engine, look for "Halloween AND history").
Some Thoughts about Celebrating:
While there are disputes as to whether or not any violent acts (torture, sacrifice, etc.) are officially associated with these celebrations, we should be very aware that many of these groups' rituals are in conflict with what we believe as Christians. For example, any worship of Satan is in direct conflict with Christian belief, since Satan's main purpose is to distract people from seeking God and salvation.
Lastly, Orthodox Christians take how they mark time very seriously. Every day means and signifies something. Feast days, name days, and fasting periods are all ways that we enter into God's Kingdom here on Earth. Each day has a saint or feast attached to it. Every day of the week has a special significance (Monday -- Angels, Friday -- Jesus' Crucifixion, Sunday - the Resurrection, etc). Even the hours of the day have been divided and given significance since everyone will be held accountable for every word he or she utters, and every action he or she takes.
We need to be very clear about what we are doing and what people are seeing by how we celebrate evening of October 31. Are we glorifying evil, violence, and gore? Are we acting as if evil is just a fairy tale? Are we mocking Satan and demons because Christ came, died and rose again, and evil has lost and has no power? Are we simply dressing up as someone other than ourselves and building fellowship among our friends and community?
These are all very different ways of approaching this night. It is very possible to spend the evening dressed up as something that doesn't make people think of evil, violence, gore, or sex and go to a gathering of people to have some innocent fun. It is also possible to spend the night damaging people's property, and gorging on food until we get sick. The night itself is only as holy or evil as we make it. Remember, having fun is not a sin. The way we decide to have fun, however, can be.
Sorry this isn't a blanket "yes" or "no," RT. As is often the case, the question is a bit deeper and the answer is a bit more personal.
Next issue: Suicide
If you have a question, or know a friend who does, send it to us at youth@oca.org. We'll give you a direct and concise answer!
MA from PA writes:
I would just like to take time out to thank you there at YO-Mail for taking the time to (1) create this news letter for us, and (2) taking the time to really look at our questions and answer them entirely.>>
Thanks, MA! That makes us feel a little less guilty about being so late. It's nice to get a pat on the back from time to time to tell us we are on the right track.
Some new thoughts on our ongoing discussion on Orthodox unity in North America:
MB from NY writes:
Unity is one of the hardest things for the Orthodox world to think about, considering that there are other pressing problems. One of the things which escapes us is the fact that we are ONE people. We need to think of ourselves as Orthodox people and not some faction within a group with an identity. Until we can think this way, everything we do will only allow people to "know" their faith within their own context.
How can we do this? Through education and dialogue. We also should see how the Roman Church was able to overcome this difficult situation here in America. You do not hear contemporary Roman Catholics say that they are "...". They speak of themselves as a people of the Roman church. Looking from this angle might help us in our quest for unity here in the United States.
Michael Burdikoff, Upper NY State / mburd@rocketmail.com
>>
Thanks for the thoughts Mike! Not sure what goes into the "..." but you are right that we have to remind ourselves that we are one Church, regardless of different languages, styles of music, etc. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy.For some great thoughts on this subject, check His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius' recent talk on pan-Orthodoxy on the OCA web.
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