OK, readers. We keep on saying, "YO-Mail is your mail." You've sent in
comments and we've included them in the Readers Write section. Now we are
challenging you really to let us know what you think about life and our
Faith.
Rather than just sending us comments, we want you to send us brief
articles about what you think of current events, movies, CDs, etc. and how
they relate to our Faith. In the months to come we will be publishing
your articles.
You are not just the future of the Church. You are a part of the Body of
Christ right now! Tell us and each other, as members of that Church, what
you think.
Gal 1:11-19 (Epistle reading on the Sunday Christmas)
In this passage St. Paul is writing to the Galatians because they doubted
what he preached to them about God and Jesus. Like the people to whom the
apostle Paul was writing in 55 AD, many of us today wonder from time to
time if the Christian message that we read in the Bible and hear in Church
is true or something someone just made up.
Contrary to what some people might say, doubting is not necessarily bad.
The Church understands that doubting can fall into two categories. The
first is the doubt of the Galatians, which arises when the Church asks us
to do something we don't want to do -- something that makes us
uncomfortable. [For example, forgive our enemies, realize our every word
and action affect our relationship with God and others, acknowledge our
bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit and treat them appropriately, etc.]
This type of doubt tempts us to dismiss Christ and His Church completely
as we don't really want to know if the teaching is true or not. Our true
goal is not to find the truth but to avoid doing something difficult.
The other type of doubt is blessed by the Church. It is illustrated by
St Thomas who doubted the Lord's resurrection and declared that he would
not believe until he saw the Lord and put his hand in His wounds. Because
St Thomas wanted to know the truth, our Lord appeared to him and brought
him to belief. The Church has institutionalized this type of doubt by
allocating the Sunday after Pascha as St Thomas Sunday.
When doubt arises in our lives, and it will, we need to ask ourselves one
basic question: Do I want to know the answer? We must ask ourselves if we
are really struggling with whether or not something is true or whether we
are just trying to avoid something that is making us uncomfortable.
The truth is Christ and His Church are given to us by God and are not
something made up by people over the past two thousand years. The best
way of finding out if this is true is not by dismissing it, but by
engaging it and trying to live the Faith. This means finding out what the
Bible says, seeking to know God personally through prayer, both personally
and liturgically (Church services), and imitating Christ in all we do.
Some things to think about:
"O Lord, the way to Heaven can be as difficult as it is joyous. I
sometimes wonder if it's even real. Help me to avoid the trap of apathy
and to turn my doubt into a real determination to want to know You and
live my life as part of Your Body, the Church."
On the heels of the success of their first two albums, the Offspring's
latest release has an interesting blend of sounds from the 60s, 70s, 80s,
and 90s which makes the listener wonder, "Have I heard this before?"
Lyrically, the CD is a minefield of positive and negative messages.
On the up side:
On the down side:
For the third year in a row, Orthodox Young Adults (18-27) will once again
be gathering in the Pocono mountains this February for fellowship, skiing,
tubing, snowboarding and even some outlet shopping.
The $155 fee (double occupancy) entitles participants to two nights
accommodations, two breakfasts, open house reception, Saturday night group
event and use of all hotel facilities (indoor pool, sauna, game room,
night club).
For more information, call Allison or Michael Steffaro at (732) 698-1952.
Call now!
To advertise your event here send information to:
youth@oca.org
International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) -- the Pan-Orthodox
humanitarian aid organization of Orthodox Christians -- invites Orthodox
youth and young adults to participate in the "Souper Bowl" -- a Sunday of
Caring. The "Souper Bowl of Caring" is a simple yet significant effort
that encourages fans everywhere to team-up for a different sort of
victory.
The concept is simple. On Super Bowl Sunday people donate one dollar and
one canned good to help hungry and hurting people in their communities and
throughout the world. Collectors can either do this in conjunction with
their local parish, standing at the Church exit and receiving the
donations in soup caldrons and large garbage pails as people enter or
leave church, or at Super Bowl parties, charging a one dollar and one
canned good "entrance fee."
Collected food can be donated to local soup kitchens, homeless shelters,
etc., and monies can be donated to Orthodox humanitarian agencies such as
IOCC, or Project Mexico (an Orthodox house building project and orphanage
in Tijuana, Mexico).
For more information visit the IOCC website at
www.iocc.org
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Don't forget to add your thoughts on some of our ongoing questions:
Have an idea for a new topic? Send it to us!
In case you forgot: YO-Mail is your mail.
If you have an opinion about something in YO-mail or something going on
at school, in the Church, or in society, send it in! Send it to
youth@oca.org Don't worry! All entries
will be treated anonymously unless you tell us otherwise.
From the Office:
We're Handing YO-Mail over to You, the Readers!
Food for the Soul
For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was
preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from
man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus
Christ.
CD: The Offspring's Americana
On the Calendar
Orthodox Young Adult Winter Sports Weekend, February 5-7
In the News
Inter-Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)
Encourages Everyone to take part in "Souper Bowl" Sunday
Real Questions, Real Answers!
Readers Write ...