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From the Office:

Food for the Soul

Luke 10:38-42, 11:27-28 (from the Gospel on the Dormition of the Theotokos, August 15)

And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!" But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

This comes from the Gospel reading for the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos -- the Falling-Asleep of the Mother of God. This is a very special day for us as Christians. It is like a second Pascha, and if you ever have the opportunity to attend a full vigil for this feast you will see the similarities to Good Friday services as well, with a procession, lamentations, etc. On this day, the Mother of God "falls asleep" —- she dies in this world and is resurrected through her Son into the Kingdom of God.

On this feast, we are reminded by the Church that our love for the Virgin Mary is not based simply on the fact that she gave birth and provided the biological needs of the Christ Child. While this is an essential part of the story of our Salvation -- that God really could become human -- Christ Himself says it is "more than that." The Theotokos is the greatest of those who hear the word of God and keep it. She is not the passive receptacle of God but an active participant in our Salvation. She is the great example for us on how to live a life of faith. Having heard the word of God, she, more than anyone, chose to accept it and keep it.

This reading also includes the story of Martha and Mary, the two sisters. Mary, like the Virgin Mary, chooses to hear Christ's word. Martha is distracted by the temporary things of this world. Christ teaches them as He teaches us to do the one thing that is really needful, to be with Christ and listen to His Word.

No matter how many important things there are to do, at any given moment we need to find the one thing Christ wants us to do. Maybe it's our homework. Maybe it's listening to a friend or family member who's hurting. Maybe it's even cleaning our room. The goal is to ask what Christ wants us to do. Ten times out of ten it will be something that involves drawing closer to Him and His Church.

Every day each of us is faced with the choices of the two Marys.

What distracts, troubles, or worries me so much that I don't even think of Jesus and His Word? Whose "word" do I keep in my actions and my thoughts? God's? Society's? My parents'? My friends'?

How can I focus better on the "one thing that is needful" as I go about doing the things I have to do today?

"Lord, help me to always look for the "one thing needful" as I go about my day. Help me better understand the example of Your mother so that I see her as an example for my life.

Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos! Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, for you have borne the Savior of our souls!"

Music: Barenaked Ladies: Stunt

It's just about impossible to top their first CD, but "Stunt" from the Barenaked Ladies has brought the band to the forefront of the pop music scene.

The release has opened the way for a whole new group of fans. Musically upbeat and lyrically depressive, "Stunt" is deceptive to the many listeners who, ignoring the lyrics, are just looking for a "good tune" and can potentially lead a lot of people to check out their earlier releases.

On the up side:

• While the overall tone is negative, there is an inherent underlying tone that relationships are far more important than any given "system" or ideology.

• The song "Call and Answer" expresses the need for a deeper sense to relationships than just feeling good with each other. It promotes values such as being honest about yourself in a relationship and doing those things that are indicative of a truly loving relationship, even when the other person thinks you are only doing it for selfish reasons or out of convenience.

On the down side:

• There is no way you can do an "Orthodox Look" at the group's music without addressing the band's name. For a band that has so much to say, it is too bad it had to choose a name that says very little, except that the members were scraping the bottom of the barrel to grab people's attention.

• The overall pessimism of the release is overwhelming. Songs such as "Alcohol" and "Never is Enough" inform the listener that the singer is aware of all the problems of the world, but simply doesn't care. The choice is to "opt out" rather than try to overcome adversity. From the point of view of many countries around the world where the search for food, clothing, and shelter is a daily struggle, the band sounds like a spoiled child that expects everything to be handed over on a silver plate.

On the Calendar

Correction on Orthodox Youth Day at NJ Six-Flags

Two issues ago we listed an Orthodox-Youth-Day taking place at Six-Flags Great Adventure Theme park in September. We have since found out that we listed the wrong date. Here is the correct information.

All Orthodox youth in the New Jersey area are invited to participate in an Orthodox Youth Day at Six-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, a T-shirt, buffet lunch, and parking.

The New Jersey District of FOCA hopes to make this an annual event. For more information contact Allison Steffaro at 732/698-1952.

To advertise your event here send information to: youth@oca.org

In the News

New Trends in Heroin

When the words "heroin addict" are brought up, images come to mind of a middle-aged adults living in a city sticking needles in their veins to get a high that makes them forget about their lives. This is not the case for present day users. Over the past few years the estimated number of heroin users jumped from 68,000 in 1993 to 216,000 in 1996. That's a 317% increase with no signs of reversing direction. 22% of these users are between the ages of 12 and 17. And the vast majority lie between the ages of 18 and 35. The age of first-time use has dropped from 27 in 1988 to 19 in 1995, and a recent survey done with teens by the Center for Disease Control estimates that 19% of whites, 18% of Hispanics, and 3% of blacks have tried opiates and hallucinogens.

In addition, middle class all-American towns like Plano TX, Lynn MA, Cherry Hill NJ, Joplin MO, and Boulder CO are witnessing large numbers of their youth and young adults dying from fatal overdoses. Also, users don't need needles any longer. Heroin comes at such high levels of purity that it doesn't have to be injected. Most younger teenagers snort, smoke, or swallow their heroin.

While officials are pushing harsher prison sentences and new disturbing ad campaigns in the hopes to help youth and young adults realize the danger of heroin and the strength of an addiction to it, there are two major questions: why get stoned? (experimentation, rebellion, simple fun, escapism); and is it worth it?

These are questions that individuals must ask themselves in the quiet moment before they sip the drink, drag on the butt, swallow the pill, snort the line, or stick the needle in the vein. The truth is that people are ultimately responsible for their life and their actions. They are the one making the decision and these decisions say a lot about how we feel about ourselves, our family, and friends.

FYI ­- the Church teaches that drug use (including excessive alcohol use) is an abuse of the body that hurts not just ourselves, but the entire Church and all creation.

For more information, check out the book Buzzed:

The Straight Facts About the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy / by Bill Wilson

It's an calm, rational attempt to explain the reality of drugs.

Real Questions, Real Answers!

The "OCA"

Q. (from NE from IL)

First, I'd like to say that the newsletter is extremely informative and extremely well done!

I just had a question about Orthodox unity. In your last newsletter, it was mentioned that a church can join the OCA. What exactly does that change about a church? Where are these churches?

Sorry, I'm not very up to date on the happenings of the Orthodox churches.

A.

Hi, NE. You would be surprised how many people don't know either. You are referring to a comment made by one of our readers in the "Readers Write" section. As usual, what would seem to be a very simple question has a complex answer. We'll try to keep it as brief and to the point as possible.

First, around the world there is a family of 15 self-governing, or autocephalous, Orthodox Churches (Constantinople, Antioch, Russia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, etc.). One of those 15 Churches is the Orthodox Church in America {OCA). Those 15 Orthodox Churches also manage parishes outside their traditional geographic area. For example, the Church of Constantinople oversees the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America.

In North America, however, we live in what we call an "uncanonical" situation -- meaning "not the way it should be." According to the rules set forth by the Church, each city should have only one bishop who is responsible for the parishes in that area. This rule was created to maintain the unity of an area and prevent any sense of competition or intrusion. In North America we have what we call "jurisdictions" such as the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, the Serbian Orthodox Archdiocese, Ukrainian Archdiocese, etc. Because of this we often have two or more bishops in any given city.

It was not always this way. Prior to 1917 Orthodox parishes in America, regardless of ethnicity (Russian, Serbian, Arab, etc.) were all under the Church of Russia, which started missionary work in America in 1794. Because of the Russian Revolution, the rise of communism, and turmoil within the Russian Orthodox Church, many parishes here in America asked the mother Churches overseas to oversee them. This created the environment where ethnic bishops were overseeing ethnic parishes regardless of geography and more than one bishop had parishes in the same city.

After a number of years of confusion, the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Metropolia, which consisted of many of the Churches started by the original Russian mission to North America, was given autocephaly in 1970 by the Church of Russian and became the Orthodox Church in America, or OCA. The Orthodox Church in America has approximately 700 parishes, monasteries, and institutions throughout America and Canada. The OCA consists of parishes of Russian, Romanian, Carpatho-Russian, Bulgarian, Greek, and Albanian background and a large number of parishes which have been started since 1970 which can only be described as simply "American."

To answer your question directly, a parish cannot just decide to join the OCA. It must first get permission from its current bishop before it petitions to be part of the Orthodox Church in America. If all the parties agree, then the community would become a part of the 15th Autocephalous Orthodox Church, the "OCA." The only thing this would change about a parish is that it would be a part of a self-governing Church that chooses its own bishops and primate (Patriarch, Metropolitan, etc.).

? More

If you would like to learn more:

• the list of Local Orthodox Churches (both autocephalous and autonomous) is online at:

  www.oca.org/Orthodox-Churches

• the history of the Orthodox Church in American is described in an online book that can be found from:

  www.oca.org/Orthodox-Church-Introduction

  under the section "The History of the Orthodox Church" look for "Orthodox Christians in North America 1794-1994"

Next issue:

The Incorruption of Saints' Bodies in the Orthodox Church

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!

Readers Write ...

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