Food for the Soul: The Most Holy Theotokos: The Temple of the Lord

(Reflecting on the Epistle reading at Feasts of the Theotokos)

The Mother of God has appeared several times to those who loved her after her earthly life. One such occasion occurred in the year 911, in Constantinople’s Blachernae Church, where her robe, veil, and part of her belt were kept. During a Vigil, Saints Andrew and Epiphanios saw a majestic woman walking toward the ambo (the area before the altar). She was not alone. St. John the Baptist, St. John the Theologian, and other saints and choirs of angels were escorting her. On reaching the center of the church, the Mother of God knelt down and prayed for a long time. She prayed so fervently that her face was bathed in tears. Then she stood up, and went before the altar table where she again prayed. She then removed the veil over her head. It shone like lightning. She held it high, and stretched over her arms in a gesture of prayer of intercession for those present in the church and for all humankind. The Ever-Blessed Mother of God implored the Lord Jesus Christ to accept the prayers of all the people calling on His Most Holy Name, and to respond speedily to her intercession, "O Heavenly King, accept every person, that prays to You and calls on my name for help, let them not go away from my icon unheard."

As a result, the Feast of the Protection of the Holy Theotokos is commemorated on October 1 to remind us both of this event, and of the Mother of God's constant protection, whenever we prayerfully seek it.

For the full description of this feast go to:
http://www.oca.org/pages/orth_chri/Feasts-and-Saints/October/Oct-01.html.

The miraculous Incarnation of the Son of God is a great mystery in the Church’s life.  Whenever a feast of the Theotokos is celebrated - her Nativity (Sept. 8), her Presentation into the Temple (Nov. 21), the Annunciation (March 25), the Dormition (Aug. 15), and the Feast of the Protection (Oct 1) - we are always reminded of this amazing event.  Through Christ's Incarnation, made possible by the faith of Mary, the Mother of God, we are given the chance to reunite ourselves to God in a manner that had been denied to us since the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Paradise.

The Birth-giver of God plays a significant role in man’s quest for union with God. It is our Lady’s womb, her body, and her unshakable will that accepted Christ.  She gave birth to a child who was both man and God, the actual Son of God.  She lived a life in complete service to Him, Whom she bore, as seen even at the time of His death on the cross when she stood beneath it and wept. 

“Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lamp stand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance.” (Hebrews 9:1-7)

This text, the epistle reading for all feasts of the Theotokos, is a reminder for the faithful that Mary's womb became the tabernacle. It is also a challenge to recall how the Lord prepared her for this miracle.  When she was 3 years old, Zachariah the high priest, took her into the Jewish temple and something extraordinary happened.  She was brought into the Holy of Holies, that part of the Jewish temple which was most sacred.  Only the high priest could enter it, and then only once a year in order to bring sacrifices to God in atonement for sins.  (We celebrate this event on November 21st as the Feast of her Presentation into the Temple.) It is significant that the Theotokos enters into this sacred spot.  Her body becomes the holy temple, and her womb becomes the dwelling place of God - the Holy of Holies itself.  This is why we often see her icon, her arms outstretched with Christ enthroned in her womb, above the altar in Orthodox Christian churches.

The spiritual dimension to this is linked to the life of each Orthodox Christian believer.  We are to imitate the Theotokos. We receive Christ into our bodies through Holy Communion. Our souls and bodies must become the dwelling place of God.  We, therefore, must become as a tabernacle and humbly seek to do God’s will.

Like the Mother of God, we must clothe ourselves and surround ourselves with the Church. We see the meaning of Hebrew's 9:1-7 for us in the hymn sung as the Bishop is vested during a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy.   In the hymn, we hear the words... the ark, the candlestick, the table...  we hear about the "rod, the staff, the tables of the law..."  We are clothing the bishop with the fullness of the Church.  We are recognizing that he, like us, must allow Christ into his heart as the Theotokos did.  We must let Christ be born within our souls, through vigilant prayer and fasting.  We need to perform works of mercy, love, and kindness by reaching out to others, letting our light so shine within, so that it will illumine those who choose to sit in darkness.

The Most-blessed Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary is a supreme example to all of us.  Her physical body and spiritual soul embraced and held within it the Incarnate Christ.  We must seek to offer our earthly vessels, our bodies, as she did, in servitude, love, and prayer.

Some Things to Think About:

• How ready am I to give myself to God for His service? In what ways is God preparing me for service to Him and His Church?
• How can I follow the example of the Theotokos and clothe myself with the fullness of the Church?
• When was the last time I reflected on my spiritual response to the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and the role Mary had in that blessed event?
• How can I follow the Theotokos’ example by letting Jesus Christ enter into me, so that His light will shine brightly through me?

Today the faithful celebrate the feast with joy
Illumined by your coming, O Mother of God
Beholding your pure image we fervently cry to you;
Encompass us beneath the precious veil of your protection
And deliver us from every form of evil
By entreating Christ, Your Son and our God
That He may save our souls.
(Troparion for the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God)

An Orthodox Look at
Survivor: Whose Reality Is This?

Reality TV seems to have overtaken the airwaves. Networks compete with shows like “Joe Millionaire,” “Big Brother,” “The Bachelor,” and “Temptation Island.” CBS’ “Survivor,” however, was a runaway hit that left the competition in the dust. The first season, filmed in Pulau Tiga, started a “Survivor” craze that few could have predicted. This season, the show’s seventh, takes viewers to the Pearl Islands to see the members of the two tribes, the “Drake” and the “Morgan”, battle it out in the hope they will outlast the other cast members by outwitting and outmaneuvering them. The prize for their efforts is one million dollars!

What makes a good reality show? What ingredients are in the recipe for a show that attracts a larger audience than the popular “Friends” on NBC, shown in the same timeslot? “Survivor” producers seem to have found the answer to be the “reality” of lying, backstabbing, and manipulating. Cast members do all of those things – and in abundance - in their efforts to walk away the million dollar victor. Individual interviews with each contender provide a glimpse into what each is thinking. Usually, it is winning … at all costs.

On the upside:

• During the times when cast members must come together as one unit to survive and advance, they can exhibit a great deal of teamwork. When it is needed, they demonstrate that though they are battling to win as individuals, working as a team is essential.
• Each team spends all their time in a camp and forms a community of teammates where they must make their own shelter, find their own food, and learn to adjust to each other in order to cohabitate in a peaceful existence. Strong bonds are formed within these communities, as cast members put aside personal goals and self-serving behaviors.
• At times, the cast members are very compassionate to each other. They are in the wilds of the Pearl Islands for thirty nine days, yet still the good in people is displayed … now and then.
  

On the downside:

• At MOST times, the very worst of people is shown. They lie. They talk badly about their fellow teammates. They stab each other in the back with deceit. Anything is done to form an “alliance” with the other cast members, yet the word alliance is hardly an appropriate description. “A group of people you are lying to in order to get your own way” would be a much more fitting description.
• How do you win at Survivor? In order to advance, you try to avoid being voted off the island by your teammates. How do you do this? Tell Teammate A, Jake, you would like to vote Teammate B, Marcia, off the island. Tell Jake your reason for this is that Marcia is a useless individual who does nothing of merit for the group. Tell Jake that the two of you must stay true to your “alliance.” NOW, tell Marcia that you really think Jake should be the one to leave. Say that Jake is a threat to the entire team and until he goes home, nobody is safe. Make sure Marcia knows that you and she have an “alliance” that cannot be broken. Stab everyone in the back – preferably with a smile.
• After everyone manipulates their way to the top in this game, $1,000.000 awaits them. Is the winner always the smartest in the group? No. Is the winner the physically strongest? No. Is the winner always the nicest? Certainly not. Are they crafty and often manipulative of their fellow teammates? Yes, they are. And they are often quite proud of this. Sure, there are exceptions to this rule. For the most part however, manipulation can often win you a million dollars.
• In a crowd of people from all walks of life, sent to live on a deserted island for thirty nine days, hunting for their own food, making their own clothes from rags, building their own shelter, you would think there would be mention of God. A prayer to God for help, or to thank Him for the things He had provided them for that day. A word of mention of the glorious things He had created, as they looked around the natural splendor around them. The episode I watched most recently made no mention of God or Christ whatsoever. It was a sad testament to the “reality” we face.
  

In the News: Internet Plagiarism Continues to Rise

Ask yourself the following questions:

• How would you react if someone took your idea and claimed it was his or her own?
• Have you put off assignments for longer periods of time because you know you can do research on the Internet?
• When you have done research on the Internet and used it for an assignment do you properly reference from where the information came?
• How important is personal and academic integrity when preparing

On October 10, 2003 an article by Haim Cohen titled “Plagiarism: It's closer than you think” appeared in the Daily Targum of Rutgers University and was picked up by U-WIRE. Over the past few years dozens of articles such as this one are reporting that more and more students, not seeing the moral and ethical implications of plagiarism, are utilizing the web to steal information for assignments and papers. Surveys are finding that that while many students are knowingly engaging in plagiarism, many students are not even aware of copyright laws.

Different institutions are addressing the problem differently. Some professors and schools are utilizing internet websites such as www.turnitin.com, www.mydropbox.com, www.plagiarized.com and others, which offer tips for identifying plagiarism as well as search engines that connect texts in papers submitted by students to resources available on the Internet. Others are training students about copyright laws and proper citation while implementing harsh punishments for instances of plagiarism.

The implications of this trend are great to both the learning process and the students, themselves. Instead of formulating their own thoughts, students can quickly steal other people’s ideas and claim them for their own. It raises serious concerns and questions about character, personal integrity, and simple honesty.

On the Calendar:

• St Vladimir's Seminary to Hold Annual Christmas Retreat for High School and College Young Adults December 26-28, 2003

• OCF Announces Dates and Locations of 2004 Real Break Trips

St Vladimir's Seminary to Hold Annual Christmas Retreat for High School and College Young Adults December 26-28, 2003

Saint Vladimir's Seminary Annual Christmas Retreat for High School and College Young Adults

When? December 26-28, 2003

Who? Ages: 16-22

What? Theme: "Lord Teach Us to Pray" (Luke 11:1)

Where? St Vladimir's Seminary, Crestwood, NY

Cost: $65

Download the registration form and flyer at http://yya.oca.org/pages/YoungAdults/Calendar/SVSxmasretreat2003.pdf

For more information contact Fr Steven Belonick at belonick@svots.edu or 914.961.83813, ext 328.

OCF Announces Real Break 2004 Trips Dates and Locations

Each year hundreds of thousands of college students take trips on their spring breaks from school. The Orthodox Christian Fellowship’s Real Break Program provides a powerful alternative to the "traditional" spring break, which many times can be nothing but foggy memories and empty experiences. As a national program of the OCF, each year a number of Orthodox institutions are selected to host teams of Real Break participants who during their spring break from college commit to a week of service, worship, and fellowship. To date, in a given year, there have been up to 6 teams of up to 15 participants going out, each on a different week during the spring.

Costs to participants can vary from $600-$1000 (which includes airfare, ground transportation, project fees, room and board, as well as a “nifty” t-shirt). While at first this may seem prohibitive, other than a personal commitment deposit, participants almost always are able to easily fundraise the rest of the cost. However, instead of just asking the donor to give money, participants ask them to become part of the experience. Upon returning from the trip, participants contact their donors and share their experiences, memories and pictures with them. All money raised in addition to the cost of the participant’s trip is donated to the location. In this way OCF Real Break is able to donate thousands of dollars to these Orthodox institutions helping them continue their ministry.

The Dates and Locations for Real Break 2004 are:

• February 14-20, 2004 - Hogar Rafael Ayau Orphange in Guatemala
• February 27-March 5, 2004 – Project Mexico
• March 6-12, 2004 – Diocese of Alaska
• March 6-13, 2004 – Monastery Reconstruction in Greece
• March 13-19, 2004 – Raphael House, San Francisco, CA; Hogar Rfael Ayau Orphange in Guatemala; Bosnia with IOCC (subject to change)
• March 20-26 - Hogar Rafael Ayau Orphange in Guatemala; Raphael House, San Francisco, CA
• March 27-April 2 – Project Mexico

For more information on participating in one of these trips visit the OCF web site at www.ocf.net.

Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) is the official campus ministry effort under the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA).

Real Questions/Real Answers:

Question:

No questions submitted. Send your questions to yomail@oca.org.

Love and Dating:Men and Women According to the Scriptures

Question:

The Bible says the man is the head of the woman. Are we supposed to take that literally, as in the husband is in control of the wife? This might sound like a silly question, but it's something a lot of my friends tend to question me on since they know I am a Christian, and I never know how to answer it.

Answer:

“But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Corinthians 11:3)

Yes, this instruction is to be taken literally! It may seem shocking at first, so it is no surprise your friends have questioned you about it. But remember, this verse addresses the role of a husband and wife within a Christian home. We should be careful not to extend this edict to the equality of men and women regarding our position before God or in this world.

“There is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)

There is no distinction of sex regarding salvation. The Bible does not prohibit women from enjoying equal opportunities, either legally, socially, or economically. However, within Christian freedom, the Bible prescribes a specific form regarding its essential institutions, including the Christian home.

The form of a Christian home is based on the analogy of Christ’s relationship with the church.

"Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.” (Ephesians 5:22-25)

The role of the wife is no less important or respected than the husband’s, but it is not as the head of the home. Subjection, according to God, does not imply inferiority. Husband and wife are to share a unique, mutually helpful relationship appointed by God.

"In the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God" (I Corinthians 11:11-12).

Man would be in direct violation of God’s instruction if he treats his wife as an inferior. (Again, consider how Christ treated the Church… He gave his life for it!)

There are many social movements today that cause confusion and concern for Christians, including women’s liberation. This movement has ridiculed the Bible and the concept of a submissive wife. While there is no fault in a wife working outside the home if the husband is in agreement, the importance of a woman as a wife, mother and home-keeper, has become inferior to the pursuit of a self-serving career.

“That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.” (Titus 2:4-5)

The Almighty God is Truth, and as our Father, He knows what is best for us in every aspect of our lives, including our family life.

Readers Write: Reflections on Thessalonica

Submitted by Timothy Goetting
Saint Anthony the Great Orthodox Church -Saint Antonio, Texas

As I arrived at JFK International Airport and was checking my luggage for Olympic Airways, I saw an attendant wearing a prayer rope. Naively, I asked, “Are you Orthodox?” He looked up at me with a look that told me he had heard this question before. “Of course,” he said. “Oh,” I thought to myself, “of course.” I then smiled because I knew I would soon be experiencing Greece. I expected I would soon find in Greece part of a history that made me who I am today.

Arriving in Thessalonica, I began to realize the blessings of being in a country that has a history (especially a Christian history) that is so much more ancient than what we are accustomed to in America. The Ecumenical Councils, the persecutions, Iconoclasm, the Triumph of Orthodoxy, Mount Athos, all the martyrs and saints, Orthodox theology; it would soon become much more real to me. I would see what a predominant Orthodox culture was like through Greece’s continuous Orthodox history.

The one thing I found fascinating was that I was walking on grounds where many of the saints had lived their lives. It was amazing that many of the churches were named after a saint who was directly connected to that church. The saint was either martyred on the spot where the church was erected, or had been a bishop in the very same church in which I was now standing. When this was the case, their relics were in the church for all to venerate. In front of the church where Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica was martyred, I saw the marble slab where, I believe, he was tortured. Icons telling of his life and martyrdom surrounded his relics.

It was this sight that led me to think about the connection between the past and present I was experiencing. The faith of St. Demetrius and others like him had been passed down through the centuries, until finally I had arrived to join it in the present. Over the centuries, the church has undergone many hardships and joys, but is still alive and well. The Orthodox Church in Greece is both the state church and part of the everyday life of the believers. Monastics and priests walk around the cities conducting their affairs without being stared at, as if they were out of place. I was free to talk to a monk or priest at any time of the day no matter where I was, on the street, in a café, or in church. Anytime I looked around there was at least one cleric or monk within eyesight.

In Greece, you are blessed with churches and icon booths throughout the city. An “icon booth”, as I like to call it, is an enclosure with an icon of a local saint or the saint of the church. It is both a reminder to pray and a place where you can take time to pray - day or night. Remarkably, I did not see a single one vandalized! It was also refreshing to see teenagers crossing themselves when they walked by a church or an icon booth, an uncommon sight in America.

On one occasion, my group had gone on a walk to St. Demetrius’ and saw a wedding taking place. It seemed as if the whole town had come to celebrate with the wedding party. The courtyard was full of people preparing to celebrate this Sacrament of Marriage. On another day, we heard something over a loudspeaker that sounded like a church service. We looked around and sure enough, we found an outdoor baptism. Everyone was full of joy as they were baptizing the infant into the Body of Christ. Those looking upon it did not take it as some strange spectacle, but as something they understood and shared.

Experiencing this helped me to realize a connection we all have but may not realize. When we were baptized into the Body of Christ, we were connected to the church throughout all the ages. We have a bond with all of those who were baptized into Christ in the past, and all who have put on Christ today. We are all part of a body that transcends time and countries. We are Christians praying for each other and helping each other with our salvation. The Orthodox Church, even though separated by miles, is one body united to Christ and each other in our baptism.

My time spent in Thessalonica helped to strengthen my Orthodox faith more than I could ever have realized. I was blessed by seeing first-hand a land where the Christian faith had been passed down directly by the disciples. Though horrible martyrdoms and persecutions have taken place, still the faithful put their trust in Christ. They have lovingly passed on that faith to the next generation of believers. Now, like the Thessalonians, it is our turn to keep our eyes on Christ and pass on what we have received.

Don't forget!
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