Food for the Soul:
The Dormition of the Theotokos

One of the great feasts of the Church, the Dormition of the Theotokos (August 15) commemorates the death, resurrection, and deification of the Virgin Mary. In the troparion of the feast we sing: “In falling asleep you did not forsake the world, O Theotokos! You were translated to life, O Mother of Life, and by your prayers you deliver our souls from death!” The Theotokos physically died, although Tradition tells us that to her it felt like she slept for a few days and awoke in paradise.

As the Theotokos prepared for her death, She prayed that the apostles would come to be with her in her final moments. Angels brought all the apostles except St. Thomas to Jerusalem. St. Thomas arrived three days later, and missed seeing the Theotokos. The Apostles opened the tomb to discover it was empty – a sign that she was physically resurrected and ascended to heaven like her Son. The Church teaches that just as the Theotokos was resurrected bodily, so we will be resurrected bodily.

The Theotokos serves as perhaps the greatest example for us to emulate as we strive to grow closer to Christ. In her death we see a signpost to lead us into the Kingdom. St. John Damascene, in his first sermon on the Dormition, tells us that Mary had to die since through Christ’s resurrection, God did not reject the penalty of death, but makes death the source of resurrection. Through her death, Christ once again “destroys death by death, and through corruption gains incorruption, and makes her death the source of resurrection (St. John Damascene, 1st Homily on the Dormition).” She provides for us the image of humility, obedience, and love that we are to pursue. Through Her glorification, God shows us what we will receive if we follow in Her footsteps. She gave birth to life, and through Her example and prayers she leads us into the true life in Christ.

The Church celebrates the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, in part, because of our love for her, and in part, to remind us that God calls us to be with Him: not just a part of us, nor just an intellectual or spiritual ascent, but every part of us. God calls us personally, calls us as persons. A human person is spiritual and physical. In her death and deification, we see that God calls us entirely, body and soul, to be with Him in paradise. As we reflect on this call, we must continually remind ourselves that we should try to bring every aspect of our lives before God so it can be transfigured. God loves us; not just our soul, or the “idea” of us.

Some Things to Think About:

• The Theotokos sets the standard for a life of obedience. Are we obedient to God? When He calls, do we say, “Be it unto me according to Thy word?”
  
• Have we given ourselves completely to God? Does hanging out with friends leave no time for prayer? Do we think more about our girlfriend/boyfriend than about God?
  
• The Theotokos is the Mother of us all. Do we ask for her prayers and intercessions? Why should we ask her for help?

Most Holy Theotokos, save us! Help me to find the strength to follow your example, to serve your Son and my God with the same love and devotion that you did. When the Father called to you, you did not argue, question, or negotiate. You simply submitted to the will of your Creator. Help me to find that level of faith and trust.

An Orthodox Look:
The Road to Perdition

The Road to Perdition takes a brooding look at the wages of sin and the heritage of violence among hoodlums during the dark days of Prohibition. The film focuses around a 1930s hit man who finds himself the target of his own mob, and after his family is murdered, sets out on a bloody quest to ensure the safety of his only surviving son. Beautiful and thought provoking, the film centers on such large themes as “fathers and sons” and “sin and redemption,” and leaves the viewer with as many questions about these issues as answers.

On the upside:

• While the circumstances may be extreme, the film challenges the viewer to reflect on the question of the far-reaching consequences of sin for not only the sinner, but for even the most innocent around him or her.
  
• Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) is a man who learns the hard way that thinking he could benefit from heinous acts of violence is the road to hell (perdition), which is not just a private journey but affects everyone around him.
  
• The movie explores the conflict between doing the right thing and honoring familial ties. Michael Sullivan sees John Rooney as a father figure. This prevents him from doing what he knows in his heart is right. Similarly, John Rooney sees the destruction of his son Connor’s acts, even to the extreme of destroying Michael’s family, and does not act because Conner is his son. It brings to mind the words of our Lord, “He who loves father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me” (Matt 10:37).
  
• At the end Michael Junior does not resort to evil and killing, even when it means possibly losing his own life.

On the downside:

• It is unfortunate that Michael Sullivan is only driven to leave his job when his own family is killed and his only surviving son is threatened; and not when he witnesses or participates in the killing of members of other people’s families.
  
• The film leaves the viewer in a moral quandary about the “rightness” of robbing all those banks. Any one of those situations could become violent and deadly not only to the main parties but to the innocent people in the area. Is it truly okay, to steal from the bad to give to the good?
  
• While the ending of the film tries to be thought provoking and somewhat ambiguous, it can leave the viewer thinking that it has a “happy ending” and that the killing of people is in some cases “blessable.” It is often difficult for people to understand and accept that we should let God be the judge, and not anyone of us. The viewer should not think that Michael is redeemed in any way by his violent attempts to rescue his son. The only redemption he could receive is by genuine repentance. This means admitting his sin, turning from it, and asking forgiveness from the only One who can give it: God Himself.
  

In the News:
Chicago Mob Murders Van Driver and Passenger in Act of Peer-pressure Gone Mad.

Chicago, IL - On July 31st in Chicago, after a van swerved off the road injuring three women (two of the women are listed in serious condition while the third is listed in fair condition), a mob pulled the van driver and his passenger from the van and used bricks to beat the two men to death. When asked, witnesses at the scene did not know why the van had swerved from the road and presumably the mob (who quickly dispersed and remains at large) did not either.

Most of us have experienced a lesser form of “mob mentality” at one time or another. It is participating in what we know is not the right thing to do at a particular time because everyone else is doing it. The pressure to conform in such a setting can be difficult to ignore and can be as simple as staying at a party rather than going to the library to research for a paper due next week. And while staying out too late does not directly compare to stoning drivers to death, we can note the difference is only in degree.

When we allow ourselves to fall prey to this kind of “group-think,” we are swept into the passion or passions of the moment, whatever it might be. The writings of the Church Fathers are full of texts exhorting us to remain vigilant, always maintain our equilibrium, and avoid the temptations that threaten that equilibrium. The anger and sense of injustice sparked by the injuring of the three women in Chicago drove an entire crowd of people into brutal murder. How much easier is it to fall into “lesser” sins?

We all endure pressure to conform to the world, to the way of thinking of society around us. The people we work with, go to school with, and/or socialize with ask us, sometimes without realizing it, to abide by principles contrary to the teachings of the Church. The difference in principles at times is so slight that they might even seem the same. Unless we keep our lives centered on Christ and His Church, we may not notice the subtleties and find ourselves down a path we never intended to follow. Our Lord knew this when He said “Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it.” (Mt. 7:14) As members of Christ and His Church it is our duty to watch that we conform ourselves to the teachings of Christ rather than the ideologies of the world.

On the Calendar:

10/05/02 - Saint Vladimir Seminary Education Day

10/06/02 – 13th All-American Council Youth and Young Adult Online Reunion

10/12-13/02 - Eastern Orthodox Scouting Retreat

Saint Vladimir Seminary Education Day

St Vladimir's Seminary will host the 33rd annual Orthodox Education Day on Saturday, October 5, 2002. The yearly event draws scores of people from the tri-state area and beyond for a day of worship, fellowship, education, and entertainment.

This year's theme is "The Future of Orthodox Theology." Workshops will develop the theme: Developing a Parish Website; Responding to Crisis in your Community; The Changing Orthodox Parish; Holiness Today and in the Future; The Call of the Laity; and Presentations on Iconography.
The seminary is pleased to welcome His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, newly elected primate of the Orthodox Church in America and president of the school, who will preside at the 9:30 a.m. Liturgy.

The choir from St Michael's Antiochian Orthodox Church in Louisville, KY will sing responses at the Liturgy, along with the St Vladimir's Seminary Chorale. They will also be featured in concert.

An invitation is also extended to the youth participants at the All-American Council of the Orthodox Church in America this past July in Orlando, FL, as well as to youth participants in Orthodox camps through the U.S. and Canada. The seminary hopes that each Orthodox Education Day will be a day of reunion for our young people.

For more information go to http://www.svots.edu/Events/Orthodox-Education-Day/2002-OED.htm

13th All-American Council Youth and Young Adult Online Reunion

The Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries is planning a chat room reunion for all the youth and young adult observers of the 13th All-American Council on Sunday October 6, 2002 from 8-11 pm EST. Go to http://yya.oca.org and follow the links under the youth and/or young adult pages to the chat rooms.

All attendants as well as those interested in hearing about the event are welcome. The password for the high school and middle school chat rooms is available from any OCA parish priest.

EOCS 42nd Annual Boy and Girl Scout Retreat

The Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting (EOCS) is pleased to announce the

EOCS 42nd Annual Boy and Girl Scout Retreat
Saturday, October 12 - Sunday, October 13, 2002 at

Saint Basil Academy, Route 9D, Garrison, New York
(on the Hudson River, across from historic West Point).

Boy Scouts will camp out in Northern Woods on the Academy grounds
Girl Scouts can either sleep in dormitories or camp out.

Saturday 10 AM (approx.) Opening Ceremonies
Saturday - Bring Bag Lunch
Saturday dinner and Sunday brunch will be provided by the Academy.
Sunday morning Liturgy at the Academy begins 9:00 AM.

Fee for all participants: $15 for food, patches and other EOCS expenses.

Contacts:
Retreat Chairman Tony Triant, 201-236-8642
EOCS National Chairman George Boulukos, 516-868-4050

Love and Dating: Love Between Two people Committed to Different Faiths.

Question

Hello,
I was looking over the "Young Orthodox Mail" website and it seemed very interesting. I am a Romanian Orthodox college student and I have a question concerning our faith and relationships.

Right now I am involved in a relationship with a guy who has the Seventh Day Adventist faith. We both really like each other, but we can never solve the problem with our religions. I believe my faith to be my guiding light in life, and also it is my biggest strength and offers me all the spiritual, religious, and personal fulfillment. I was born an Orthodox and I will never in my life change that. My boyfriend also holds to his faith very strongly. He would never change religions, so we are at an impasse right now that cannot be solved.

Do you think that relationships and maybe even marriage between two very different religions can ever work? What is your suggestion about this situation? Would this problem be solved if we would both just keep our religions, which in the future can bring many disagreements and problems, or do you think it's best to have a relationship with someone who has the same faith?

I would really appreciate it if you could give me some answers concerning these questions.

Thank you very much.

Answer

You and your boyfriend both seem to have a very strong sense of integrity and your commitment to each of your faith traditions is impressive. I hope that there are many common factors you share as Christians even though you both are from different traditions.

Your question is whether or not two people of two different faiths should pursue a relationship with each other. That is not a simple question. First, it must be said that it may be ideal in some ways to have a relationship with somebody who has the same faith. It is the goal of every Orthodox Christian to have every aspect of his or her life reflect the Kingdom of God, since we await the return of our Savior Jesus Christ at His glorious and Second Coming in which He will judge the living and the dead, and we believe that His Kingdom will have no end. This is what we Orthodox Christians confess in the Creed. To have this as the center of a romantic relationship is what gives a relationship its true meaning and the hope to endure. There are also some very practical benefits of being of the same faith: there can be less debate about attending church services, fasting, beliefs, etc.. However, it must be said that even when an Orthodox Christian marries another Orthodox Christian, there can still be debate on any if not all of these issues.

So, what does the Church teach about romantic relationships between Orthodox Christians and people of other faiths? First, the Church will not bless the marriage of an Orthodox Christian to a non-Christian. The Church, is the Body of Christ, and therefore urges its members to find other people who follow Him when pursuing relationships. Second, in terms of a marriage between an Orthodox Christian and someone belonging to some other Christian faith, it does not prohibit these in any way. It is the hope that the non-Orthodox will come to embrace the Church as a fellow Orthodox Christian at some point. It is important to be realistic and to acknowledge that relationships of any kind are filled with difficult challenges and differences. In an Orthodox Christian expression of faith in Christ Jesus, we do not seek to force non-Orthodox persons to belong to the Church. We do however have a certain understanding of what expression of faith is properly Orthodox and believe there are expressions of faith that fall outside the Orthodox Christian faith. Our goal is not to control, but to convince (or to witness). We convince others by our actions; by what we say and do. As the Lord tells us: “You can tell what a tree is like by the fruit it produces” (Luke 6: 44) and similarly, “If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples”(John 13: 35). This love extends to all of our fellow human beings and to all of creation. How we express that love to each person is a continual visible expression of how we live out our faith.

Having said all this, you ‘ll notice we keep talking about marriage. There is no real Church teaching about “dating” other than that it should be chaste and is the time when two people can learn about each other and a bit about themselves. In such situations it is advisable to continually take measure of where the relationship is heading. If you are currently only dating and marriage is not presently in the picture, it might be a good idea at such a time to introduce one another (when it is agreed to be acceptable by both persons) to the leaders of your respective religious communities and to visit each other’s parishes. If marriage is being discussed, it is important to be in continual communication with your priest and to let him know what is happening in your life. A note of interest: this holds equally true for those who are Orthodox planning on marrying another Orthodox. It is always important in such matters to keep in close touch with your spiritual father/parish priest. He can help you find the answers for which you are looking.

This is your place to ask questions on love and dating and get an Orthodox perspective. E-mail us your questions to youth@oca.org and put “Love and Dating” in the subject line. We’ll answer your question directly and then post it later in an upcoming issue. Don’t worry. All submissions will be treated anonymously.

Real Questions/Real Answers:
The Church: Home of Sinners AND Saints?

Q. Is the " Church" both an earthly/spiritual reality? What I mean this: is the Church presently on earth composed of sinners and saints? Those people that live-out their faith and those who do not. Is there a spiritual Church (the Body of Christ) within the earthly Church made up of sinners/saints. Is there a duality?

I hope that I am making sense? Thank you in advance for your help.

A. You pose an interesting question. Orthodox Christians do believe there is ONE Church, the mystical Body of Christ. The Church is composed of those of us on earth and those of us in heaven. A duality does not exist. When Christ died on the cross, destroyed death, and rose again any duality was destroyed. As the scriptures say, God is not God of the dead, but of the living (Matt 22:32). In a sense the Church is “outside of time”; when the Divine Liturgy is celebrated, it is celebrated with all Orthodox Christians everywhere – both those who have fallen asleep in the Lord, including the saints, and those here on earth. We may not understand how this works, but the Church fathers tell us that in the Eucharist we are united with those who are already in heaven as well as those on earth.

We need to remember that the Church is also a hospital for sinners and that every one of us, including those who the Church has recognized as saints, is a sinner. St. Paul is very clear on this when he writes, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). When he writes all, he means everyone. We come to the Church to repent, to confess our sins, and to participate in the Sacraments. We, as sinners, may see people who truly live out their faith standing next to us and wonder how we can stand with them in church. Jesus tells us that He came to call sinners to repentance; we must continue to repent and use those people as role models.

A dual church, a spiritual church and an earthly church, is contrary to what we believe. It would be considered a Gnostic position. The Gnostics believed in spiritual (true) Christians and carnal (false) Christians. The Church Fathers, seeing the errors in Gnostic belief, wrote against it and affirmed that the Church is one and for everyone.

Readers Write:
About the Love and Dating Question in YO-Mail Vol. 3 No. 6:

Responding to the question “How do you meet nice Orthodox guys? Whenever I meet any, they are either much older or not interested in talking to people they don't know.”

In addition to the suggestions you made regarding WH's message, I believe you should have also addressed the deeper problem we face today in American Orthodoxy.

I do not know WH's age, but if she is older than 18 and single, I know exactly what she is talking about: the singles between 18-30 are virtually missing from our parishes. She should be able to meet them at the most important church gathering, the Holy Liturgy (actually, after the service is over). The only problem: they are not there. Not more than 5 times a year anyway.

I am a relatively recent immigrant from Eastern Europe, and, believe me, I have no problem meeting young people in the church in my home country. I have been in the US for 8 years, I am familiar with Greek, Antiochian, Romanian, and OCA parishes in two cities, Chicago and Pittsburgh, and I know that the absence of young people at the services is a general trend. In fact, this seems to be a Christian problem on this continent, regardless of denomination.

Does anyone know why? Is the Orthodox Christian education (at home and the Sunday School) so inefficient that the young people regard the college years as a "give-me-a-break" ticket? Do they come to church in their high school years just because their parents force them to? Do they regard their parents as lukewarm Christians, who only go to church on Sunday morning and fail to live an Orthodox life otherwise (24 hours a day /7 days a week)? Is partying Saturday night or sowing one's wild oats such a high priority in the American undergraduate culture, and our Orthodox brothers just go with the trend?

WH's message also captures two good points: dating older guys, and locals not interested in talking to newcomers.

How old is too old for dating? The Virgin Mary was only 15 when she was betrothed to Joseph, 60(?) years old. I am not saying a woman should date someone who is generations older, but what is wrong with dating a guy 5-14 years older than the woman? (If the guy is older than 14 years, he could technically be her father, and that puts him a generation ahead). My observation of the American culture is that single women in their 20s call guys in this age gap "much older.” In Eastern Europe, such age gaps between the husband and his wife are not regarded as weird.

As for not talking to newcomers, this is something common among Orthodox faithful everywhere, and it has to do with the very individual and selfish way we mistakenly think we should live our faith. In the ancient church, the norm was to ask anyone the reason why he/she refuses to receive the Communion at the Liturgy (see the Apostolic canons 8 and 9). Try to do that these days, and someone will surely ask you "Who do you think you are?" The answer: "Your brother in Christ who cares that you do not live in mortal sins or become a stumbling block for the other faithful."

By the way, what percentage of YO-Mail readers are Orthodox Christians between 18 and 30 years old?

Emil

Emil, to answer your question about our subscribers, the answer is about 60 percent of our readers are between 18-30.

About your comments and questions about dating, you bring up some great points. Instead of responding to your comments ourselves we thought it might be more interesting to open it up to our readers and see what they think.

So, readers, let us know. Send an E-mail to youth@oca.org with your comments and YO-Mail Vol. 3 No. 6 in the subject line and we’ll publish them in the next issue.