Hi! Well, here it is! The first issue of YO-Mail, the e-mail "zine" with an Orthodox point of view about issues in our Church and society affecting youth and young adults.
The holidays are over. For some, the semester is back in full force. For others, work tries to dominate our time and energy. This publication is a reminder that your Church is praying for you and challenging you to live a life in Christ now - even when you don't seem to be doing something "churchly," or feel alone in a mob of non-believers. Take a look. Let us know what you think.
Remember YO-Mail is YOUR mail!
1 Tim 4:12-14a:
Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you. ..." (from the epistle reading for Sunday, February 1, 1998)
St. Paul wrote this letter to St. Timothy who, as a young person, was put in charge of an entire community of people. We as young people, like St. Timothy, have a responsibility to use the gifts given to us in the way God would want us to use them.
Here are some questions to think about:
"Lord, help us to make today the beginning of a life trying to get to know You, as You really are. Help us to distinguish incorrect understandings about You from what You have taught us through Your Church. Guide us to be better witnesses of Your love and power to anyone with whom we come in contact. Help us to show people that just because we're young doesn't mean we don't take our Faith seriously."
You would have to be unconscious not to know about the new hit movie TITANIC. It is the most expensive film ever made and is being given more publicity now than the ship originally received when it sank all those years ago.
Obviously, we don't have room to give a full breakdown of the movie, but here are some positive and negative thoughts (yes, there can be some negative thoughts!) about it from an Orthodox point of view.
On the up side:
On the down side:
If you don't know yet, the heads of Orthodox churches throughout the world from Constantinople to North America have blessed February as International Orthodox Youth Month. The purpose of the month-long celebration beginning with the Feast of the Meeting of Our Lord (February 2) is to honor the ministry all young people have in the Church. It is an affirmation that just as Christ's ministry began while he was a young child, so does ours.
Make it a point this month to act on your ministry in the Church. It doesn't need to be formal. Invite someone to church with you. Pray for some people you know are having a tough time (even if you don't like them) and find a way to give them some help. For a list of ideas on what you can do, check out the "20-something ..." section of the OCA Youth and Young Adult page at http://www.oca.org/YO!
Be sure to check out the SYNDESMOS link. SYNDESMOS is the World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth. It is the world's largest religious youth fellowship with 119 member Orthodox youth movements, organizations, and seminaries in nearly 50 countries.
On Friday, February 6, Pope Shenouda, the Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria, will be coming to Boston. He will be visiting Harvard and will be giving a lecture open to the public in the Andover Chapel at the Harvard Divinity School from 3-5 PM.
The Boston area OCFs are inviting all of Orthodox young adults to attend this rare appearance.
The Harvard Divinity School's Andover Chapel is located north-west of Harvard Yard. There is a map of the campus on the web (try http://www.fas.harvard.edu); if you'd like written directions I can forward those along.
For further information you can contact Miranda Yousef either via e-mail to myousef@fas.harvard.edu or by phone (617-493-3317).
With the 25th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the heated debate over partial- birth abortion, and the Pro-Life March in Washington D.C. last month, the question of whether or not abortion should be legal has been hitting the headlines again. It is clear that America's debate goes on; however, both sides seem to be using reason and public relations more, riots and public outcries less.
Here are some interesting facts:
There are a number of possible reasons for these numbers:
You should know that the Pro-Life March in Washington last month included over 500 Orthodox Christians. A good 20% of those people were Orthodox youth and young adults.
The debate still seems to center around whether abortion is the prevention of life or the termination of life.
For more info on the Church's teachings on abortion and the sanctity of life see:
Q. (from a college student)
I received a cross for Christmas from my mom. It has three bars on it (small on top, long in the middle, and crooked at the bottom). My question is: why are there three bars? I heard that the two extra bars have meaning but I am not quite sure what it is. Also, when you find a cross with three bars, is it an Orthodox cross, or just a Russian Orthodox cross?
A.
The three-bar cross is an ancient symbol of the Church. The top (small) bar represents the sign that was nailed to the cross over Jesus' head whichsaid "King of the Jews" (Mt 27:37, Mk 15:26, Lk 23:38, Jn 19:19-20). The middle bar, of course, represents the crossbar on which Jesus' arms were outstretched. The bottom bar represents the foot rest which tradition says was tilted when the earth shook after Jesus died. Many Orthodox Christians remember which way the third bar tilts since the right side of the cross (left when you look at it) points upward to portray that the thief on Jesus' right side was saved, while the left side (right when you look at it) points downward to portray how the thief on Jesus' left side was not. The three-bar cross was brought to the Slavic lands by missionaries from Constantinople. Today it is associated with Orthodox Christianity all over the world, though Slavic peoples use it more in their church decoration than Hellenic peoples.
If you want to submit something (questions, comments, short articles), email it to us and we'll try to include it in an upcoming issue youth@oca.org.
Remember, if you have a question, send it in. We're committed to giving brief, real answers to your questions. Questions will always be treated as anonymous.