Young Orthodox Mail

From the Office

Food for the Soul

1 Cor 10:23-24 (from the epistle reading on Saturday, March 21, 1998)

"All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being."

In these verses St. Paul writes that all things are "lawful" for him. In fact, he repeats it twice. Throughout the New Testament we hear about a new "freedom in Christ." While previous religious experience was defined by following a certain set of rules, the "Law", as Christians we now participate in our Faith by our relationship with a Person, Jesus Christ. Therefore, for us any rule, even a "Christian rule," comes second to a knowledge of Jesus, living the way He lived and instructed us to live.

Having said this, St. Paul also instructs us that while our Faith is not defined by a set of rules, there are some basic conditions that go along with seeking God. All things may be "lawful" but not all things are "helpful" or "edify." To want to follow Jesus Christ implies that we want to stand for the things He stood for, to live the kind of life He did — a life of total and active love for other people.

Here are some questions to think about:

• What attitudes do I have about life, and other people that might distance me from what Christ taught and the way He lived?

• How might the Church's teachings on fasting and relationships instruct me about attitudes and behaviors that prevent people from growing closer to Christ?

• What are some other "rules" or teachings in the Church that might prove "helpful" in this process?

• What are some ways I can reorganize and reorient my life to live the kind of life Jesus lived?

• How can I start putting concern for others over my concern for myself in my studies/career/life?

"Lord, give us the desire to want to know You, to please You, to live as You lived. Give us the wisdom to recognize our attitudes and actions that distance us from You. Help us understand You desire for us to live a life of love, not to just follow rules. Grant us the strength to strive for our neighbor's well-being over our own."

An Orthodox Look: Contact

Over the past few weeks the movie "Contact" has been a number one video rental across the country. Carl Sagan, the author of the book upon which the movie is based, described the story as an exploration of the common goals between science and religion and their common reliance on faith. Here are some positive and negative elements of the film.

On the upside:

• The movie attempts to heal the rift that some feel exists between the worlds of scientific research and religious belief.

  As science seeks answers to deeper questions, scientists are being forced to depend less on concrete proof and more on an element of faith to explain concepts which may be clearly apparent but are not always visibly provable. Likewise, people of biblical faith are increasingly able to recognize that scientific talent is a God-given gift that can glorify God and help others.

• The film gives a positive represents the pure motives of Jodi Foster's character to seek truth
• The court room scene at the end, where Jodi Foster's character is forced into a position of faith, portrays faith as not as a delusion, but as a total assurance in something experienced but unprovable to others
• The film presents the older scientist who sought fame and recognition over truth as destructive and disreputable

On the downside:

• The "hero" of religious belief is portrayed as having faith in the most ambiguous of terms. We never quite find out if he is a Christian (though it may imply it), a deist, or agnostic

• The only other religious figure represented in the movie is a somewhat "dim-witted" person that we are led to believe is from a protestant fundamentalist background

• Once again, Hollywood is unable to establish a love relationship between two characters that perseveres over time and through adversity without having sex involved -- perhaps Hollywood is being forced to include such scenes because society is unable to believe that this kind of relationship can exist without a sexual foundation

• The movie used video footage of the President of the U.S. to make the event seem more "real" without getting approval to do so -- with this ability to use historical footage in whatever context they wish, Hollywood directors maybe setting the stage for people to "recreate reality" to suit their plan, thereby confusing people about the facts of a situation

On the Calendar

Lent Approaches and OCFs Plan Spiritual "Happenings" -- to advertise your event here, send information to youth@oca.org

Columbia University, New York, NY:

Guest Speaker Fr. Michael Plekon: "Becoming What You Pray: The Soul's Growth: Thoughts on Paul Evdokimov (1901-70)" / Wednesday, February 18, 7 p.m., St. Paul's Chapel Paul Evdokimov, a husband, father, and lay theologian, wrote much about both marriage and monasticism, about living the life of faith handed down in tradition here and now, in our time, in our world. For years he administered a hostel for displaced people, immigrants, students and others who needed help. We will explore some of his thinking about the spiritual life of the Christian in our society, what he called "interiorized monasticism," but more simply, a way of life in which we become what we pray, for God and for our neighbor. Fr. Michael is professor in the department of Sociology/Anthropology and program in Religion and Culture, Baruch College, CUNY and assistant priest at St. Gregory the Theologian Orthodox Church, Wappingers Falls NY. Students at nearby universities are welcome. For more info contact pkf2@columbia.edu

Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA:

Lenten Seminar: "Our Faith and Our Choices" led by Deacon Michael Anderson, Director of the Office of Young Adult Ministries, Orthodox Church in America / Saturday 25-Apr-1998 10AM - 7PM Students at nearby universities are welcome. For directions contact the OCF President, Hector Firoglanis at hcf101@email.psu.edu

University of California at San Diego, San Diego, CA:

Special Seminar preceded by OCF Prayer Service: "The Role of Saints in our College Lives" led by the Very Reverend Archimandrite Nikolai (Soraich) / Saturday 21-Feb-1998 10AM - 3PM Fr. Nicholas is the rector of St. Paul Orthodox Church in Las Vegas, NV, and is Chancellor of the Diocese of the West, Orthodox Church in America

Students at nearby universities are welcome. For more info contact ocf@ucsd.edu

In the News

The Debate on Capital Punishment Heats Up

Over the past few weeks we have seen and heard many stories about people being executed for their crimes.

• Karla Faye Tucker, the pick ax murderer from Texas, who repented of her action, turned to a life of faith, became the first woman to be executed in Texas in 135 years, and the first woman to be executed in the United States since 1984

• Tony Albert Mackall was sentenced to die for the murder of Mary Dahn, who was shot to death during a robbery at a petrol station in Woodbridge, a northern Virginia suburb of Washington, DC

• Jose Jesus Ceja died from lethal injection in Florence, AZ after being convicted for the double murder of Linda and Randy Leon in mid-1974 -- he was 18 at the time of the murders and became the 9th person to be executed since the law was reenacted in 1992)

• Lloyd Wayne Hampton, 44, a Texas drifter, who told officials he would kill again if he ever won his freedom, was executed by a lethal injection -- he was the 11th execution in Illinois since capital punishment was reinstituted there 20 years ago.

The publicity of these cases has caused the entire question of capital punishment to become a subject of debate throughout the world. In reaction to these incidents, especially to the Karla Tucker case, web sites have begun popping up all over the Internet; and governmental bodies, religious leaders, and humanitarian groups from around the world have questioned the use of killing when distributing justice.

Pat Robertson, who usually supports the death penalty, said on his "700 Club" broadcast that Ms. Tucker should be spared in order to continue preaching the word of the Lord to her fellow convicts. Members of the European Parliament are calling upon European enterprises to invest only in those states of the USA which do not allow the death penalty and to boycott states which do. Pope John Paul II officially interceded on behalf of Ms. Tucker for clemency. This is the 6th request the Pope has made on behalf of death row inmates in the past 15 years. And the governments of Russia and Ukraine, which in 1996 ranked 2nd and 3rd in the world for executions, have temporarily suspended the carrying out of death sentences.

If nothing else, the frenzy created by cases like Ms. Tucker's should raise questions about the use of execution in our justice system. If a substantial percentage of Americans were uncomfortable sending Ms. Tucker to her death, perhaps America, as a society, needs to examine its beliefs about sending anyone to an executioner via gas chamber, firing squad, electric chair, or lethal-injection.

While no one would withhold total sympathy for the victims of murder and other crimes, there is the question of whether or not one death justifies another.

FACT: Currently 38 states in the USA allow capital punishment for certain cases of pre-meditated murder.

Real Questions, Real Answers!

No questions for this issue. If you have a question, or know a friend who does, send it to youth@oca.org. We'll give you a direct and concise answer!

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