In the "Orthodox Look At" section we review two of the big summer movies
that deal with the possible end of the world. In each of them we see how
differentpeople react to their upcoming deaths.
Some people felt that they should "live it up, since they were just going
to die anyway." They tried to take advantage of others, slept with as
many people as possible, borrowed money that they felt they would never
have to repay, and even killed themselves.
Others felt that the fact they were going to die was a reason to do other
things. They sacrificed themselves so that others would survive,
reconciled themselves with people they had separated from years before,
and did everything they could think of to survive without compromising
their integrity.
So, we have a new question for you: If you had only one year left to live,
what do you think you would do?
Rom 10:6, 8-9 (from the Epistle on the 5th Sunday after Pentecost)
St Paul teaches that those who have the integrity of real faith do not say
"Who will ascend into heaven?" or "Who will descend into hell?" (Rom
10:6-7). These are the wrong questions to ask, and indicate a belief that
salvation is determined by "law." Many non-Orthodox Christians are
willing and eager to take Holy Scripture into their hands as ammunition to
prove their arguments in the "court" of God's law, not realizing that
Christ brought an end to this type of faith (Rom 10:4).
It is very common to hear people today, who have a "zeal for God, but not
according to knowledge" (Rom 10:2), ask such questions as "Have you been
saved?" or "Have you been born again?" Though they mean well, they easily
fall into the trap about which St Paul has warned us. As Orthodox
Christians, we need to take these questions seriously, but "according to
the knowledge of Christ that has been given to us" by the Holy Spirit
working in the Church.
If we are asked the question "are you saved?" we can answer with faith
"I was saved by baptism into Christ's Church, I am being saved by
believing in and partaking of Christ through His Church, and I will be
saved on the final day."
When we have what St Paul calls the "righteousness of faith," our whole
life is transformed. With our mouths we confess the Lord not only with
the words of Holy Scripture but with our hearts -- meaning with everything
we are and everything we do. When we partake of the Eucharist, we confess
the Lord with our mouths in a very special way -- here is an action louder
than any words! Our confession is made even more meaningful when it is
expressed through the active following of God's will that comes from a
believing heart.
Something to think about:
"O Holy Trinity, enlighten the eyes of my understanding, open my mouth to
receive Thy words, teach me Thy commandments, help me to do Thy will,
confessing Thee from my heart. Singing and praising Thine all-holy Name:
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and
unto ages of ages. Amen."
A couple years ago scientists discovered that a very large asteroid was
going to come close to hitting the Earth. This summer Hollywood explored
this theme with two movies: "Deep Impact" and "Armageddon." Both movies
have the same premise as their theme, but each deals with that theme in a
very specific way.
Deep Impact
Armageddon
On the up side:
Deep Impact:
Armageddon:
On the down side:
Deep Impact:
Armageddon:
All Orthodox youth in the New Jersey area are invited to participate in an
Orthodox Youth Day at 6-Flags Great Adventure Amusement Park on Sunday
September 20, 1998.
The New Jersey District of the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in
America, in cooperation with Orthodox parishes from various ethnic
backgrounds in the area, is sponsoring this event to bring Orthodox youth
together for some fellowship and fun.
The cost -- $35 -- includes entrance to the park, as well as a T-shirt.
The New Jersey District of FOCA hopes to make this an annual event.
For more information contact Allison Steffaro at +1.732.698.1952.
To advertise your event here send information to:
youth@oca.org
This past month at its annual convention, the FROC took bold steps to
ensure that all Orthodox Christians would feel welcome in the
organization. By a large majority the convention body voted to change its
name from the Federated Russian Orthodox Clubs to the Fellowship of
Orthodox Christians in America.
Recently, the "Russian" in FROC had been mostly perfunctory since the vast
majority of the membership is comprised of third and fourth generation
Americans or converts to the Faith.
The name change is just one step in FOCA's efforts to renew its mission to
reach out and offer fellowship and a sense of purpose to all Orthodox
Christians on the North American continent. Created over 70 years ago,
the FROC has continually been dedicated to gathering Orthodox Christians
locally, regionally, and from across North America to support and enhance
the missionary and youth ministry efforts of the Orthodox Church here in
the "new world." Other important steps include adopting a powerful
mission statement, aligning its youth ministry efforts with the Orthodox
Church in America's Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, and
creating district chapters-at-large for people who may not have a FOCA
chapter in their parish but who would like to participate in regional and
North American projects and events.
Today the Fellowship of Orthodox Christian in America rallies hundreds of
youth and young adults with worthwhile projects to help people in need, as
well as our Orthodox Church overseas and here in North America. Regional
and continent-wide events provide youth and young adults opportunities to
create lasting friendships with other Orthodox Christians in a society
which still often asks "Are you Jewish?" when you mention you are
Orthodox.
For information about joining the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in
America or its programs, contact their Administrative Office at
+1.717.825.3158.
Q.
(from FS from MS)
What are we supposed to do?
A.
F.S., the answer to your question is not an easy one. The article to
which you were referring ("Receiving Holy Communion On a Regular
Basis," The Dawn, April 1998) is worded very strongly. It is true, as
the article states, that we "must be serious about our spiritual life
and growth." It is also equally true that we must remember to be
humble and realize that no matter what we do and no matter how well we
follow the "law" or the rules, we are still unworthy to partake of
Holy Communion. Remember Holy Communion is a gift and can't be
earned. So in one sense, regardless of what we do or don't do on
Saturday night, we will never really be ready to receive Communion.
We cannot, however, even begin to appreciate this gift and realize our
unworthiness if we have neglected to prepare spiritually. We prepare
in a number of ways. Attending Vespers is a good start. More
importantly, we should say specific prayers before Communion if we
plan on receiving. Vespers is not a substitute for the prayers before
Communion.
We should also fast, which means not only refraining from food and
drink after our prayer time, but also from "partaking" of those things
which distract us from our spiritual growth. Fasting and prayer go
hand in hand. The most important thing each of us needs to do is take
our spiritual life seriously.
If you have a concern about taking part in a specific activity, you
need to ask yourself whether or not this is really helping me to
prepare for Communion with God? Am I adding to my unworthiness before
God, or am I trying to do the best I can?
In regards to your question, remember, whenever we have a question
regarding something we read about prayer and/or spiritual discipline, we
should ask our spiritual father. He is the guide to our spiritual life
and can best judge what is best for us according to our need and ability.
Prayer life is like physical exercise -- we do best when we consult a
personal trainer who will work with us to develop the best program. This
program of prayer and fasting is part of God's plan for our life, which is
unique and special. If we trust God's guidance through our spiritual
father and take our spiritual life seriously, seeking the Kingdom of
Heaven, all our needs will be met, our life will be enriched, and we can
even have some fun in the process.
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!
SW from CA writes:
I thoroughly enjoy your articles and think that the things discussed
are useful.
I did want to add a note to your article on hate crimes. The way that
the data you used is gathered is very subjective. A "hate crime"
according to the FBI, is anytime a white man assaults a black man.
In other words, if a white man kills a black man because the black man
did something bad to the white man, it is defined as a hate crime.
Even though the color of the black man's skin had nothing to do with
the homicide, it is still considered a "hate crime." A second point
is that when a black man assaults a white man, it is not considered a
"hate crime." Until we all become telepathic, we can't say whether or
not something is a hate crime.
Murder is murder, irrespective of a person's race. Just because
someone kills someone of another race for racial reasons shouldn't
make the crime any worse. Murder is murder, period.
Deciding if something is a hate crime or not makes me think of Matthew
7:1-5. We should judge only the crime, not the motivation. The men in
Texas killed a man; who cares why -- they killed one of God's
children. God knows their motivation, let Him condemn them if need
be.
Joel Swehla >>
Thanks for the update, Joel. We didn't know that was how the FBI
defines hate crimes. According to our research hate crimes are
defined as offenses motivated by the dislike of a person's race,
religion, sexual orientation, handicap, or national origin. If
you get a chance, let us know where you got your definition.
The article was based upon research on news reports and articles
about incidents which involved Hispanics, Koreans, and Jews, as
well as African-Americans. The most recent incidents obviously
involved African-Americans.
From your scripture reference [Judge not, lest you be judged...]
we're afraid you might have gotten the wrong message from the
article. There is no question about who is the true judge. It's
God. We, however, need to be aware of current trends and address
them as Christians. That's the purpose of the "In the News"
section in YO-Mail.
If more and more people are being assaulted and even killed simply
because of their skin color, ethnic heritage, or religious
beliefs, we Christians need to start talking to people about the
fact that all people are, as you stated, children of God. We need
to let people know that belonging to hate groups is contradictory
to being a Christian. The idea is not to judge people but to try
to correct their understanding.
MO from TX writes:
OK, I don't usually do this but I heard the "cutest" song that really
had a message along with a great beat! It's by Will Smith (MIB fame)
and is a sort of a remake of an old Bill Withers song ("Just the Two
of Us"); he has his son say a few words as well. You need to hear
this, and when you do surely you will include it in your review.
Smith gives praise to God and stresses the importance of being
faithful and righteous. He also says to respect women and family, and
emphasizes the importance of an education.
I hope you don't mind my suggesting this, but with all the other trash
on the airwaves, I thought this song might make one of your reviews
and maybe -- just maybe -- touch the soul of a single person and make
a difference in his life.
Thanks for all the GREAT work you do!
>>
In response to an earlier question about TV, FS from MS writes:
Although the average teenager watches a lot of TV, we don't have to.
Much of the time there is nothing worthwhile watching, as my dad puts
it. I agree with him. We should control the TV, not let the TV
control us!
>>
Thanks for sending, one and all! Until we get some form of chat room up
and running, this is the closest we can come to talking with you. Keep it
coming!
Add your thoughts on some of our past questions:
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:
The End of the World: How Would We React?
Food for the Soul
The righteousness of faith speaks in this way. ... "The word is near
you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is the word of faith which
we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and
believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved. ...
Movies: Deep Impact and Armageddon
Deep Impact is a thought-provoking look at how we humans might react
if we knew that the end of the world was coming. The name itself
brings to mind not only the image of a rock slamming into the earth,
but also the profound effect that the possibility of this event could
have on people's lives. Issues of faith, loyalty, despair, love, and
family are explored with some impressive special effects towards the
end of the film.
As the name suggests, the film is a big summertime blockbuster and
therefore fills the screen with explosions and great effects. An
enjoyable two hours, the movie enables you to leave your thinking cap
outside and enjoy a fun ride through space and potential oblivion.
Unfortunately, many of the elements of the story don't get the
attention they need, as the creators wanted to show us dazzling views
of cities being destroyed. Perhaps they could have cut out three or
four of those long views of earth through the asteroid landscape in
favor of a little more attention to what could have been some
interesting storylines.
On the Calendar
Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America Sponsors Orthodox
Youth Day at New Jersey 6-Flags Great Adventure Park
In the News
Federated Russian Orthodox Clubs Becomes
Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America
Real Questions, Real Answers!
Preparing to Receive Holy Communion
I have a question. A few days ago I read an article in The Dawn
[The Dawn is the Official Publication of the Diocese of the South]
A priest said that you should not watch movies, go to parties, or
seek entertainment on Saturday evenings. Instead you are supposed
to pray and prepare yourself for Sunday's communion. Praying and
preparing is fine. I prepare for communion by Vespers/evening
service on Saturday night. But do I have to not watch movies
or go to parties? It seems irrational since we can't party on
Fridays because we fast, and we teenagers need our sleep on all
the other nights to be ready for school.
Readers Write ...
Some Words on Past Issues
P.S. You can use my name
Thanks for the suggestion. It is a cute song, and gets you right
in the gut. We think we even saw one of our staff get a little
misty-eyed when they heard it. We don't have anything to add to
your comments. While Will Smith has made some serious mistakes in
his life, he sure seems to want to make the world a little better
for his son.
TV is both good and bad. For example, there are many funny and
educational programs on TV. You can learn many things that you are
afraid to ask your parents. However, TV can also be hypnotizing.
Once I start watching, and I have nothing better to do, I often find
it hard to turn off the TV. TV can also be harmful to our minds.
There are constant acts of violence, sex, and stupid stuff on the TV.
Overall, TV is only harmful if you let it be.
According to your response it appears we were on the right track
with our response to the TV question. Thanks for sending in!