Food for the Soul:
Belonging to Jesus Christ
John 17: 1-13 The Gospel Reading from Sunday of the
Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council
1: When Jesus had spoken these words, He lifted up His eyes
to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify
Thy Son that the Son may glorify Thee, 2: since Thou hast given
Him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom Thou
hast given Him. 3: And this is eternal life, that they know
Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom Thou hast sent.
4: I glorified Thee on earth, having accomplished the work which
Thou gavest Me to do; 5: and now, Father, glorify Thou Me in
Thy own presence with the glory which I had with Thee before
the world was made. 6: I have manifested Thy name to the men
whom Thou gavest me out of the world; Thine they were, and Thou
gavest them to Me, and they have kept Thy word. 7: Now they
know that everything that Thou hast given Me is from Thee; 8:
for I have given them the words which Thou gavest Me, and they
have received them and know in truth that I came from Thee;
and they have believed that Thou didst send Me. 9: I am praying
for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom
Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine; 10: all Mine are Thine,
and Thine are Mine, and I am glorified in them. 11: And now
I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I
am coming to Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy name, which
Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, even as We are one.
12: While I was with them, I kept them in Thy name, which Thou
hast given Me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost
but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled.
13: But now I am coming to Thee; and these things I speak in
the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.
This Gospel reading is read on the Sunday commemorating the
Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council -- the Council that finalized
the place of Holy Icons within the Church. In the reading we
hear Christ praying aloud to His Father in Heaven so that His
disciples could hear Him, know Who He (Jesus) truly is, and
understand what it was He came here to accomplish on earth:
to restore communion between God and man. In this "high
priestly prayer" He speaks to God on our behalf and explains
how communion between God and man will be restored: through
Himself, Jesus Christ. He exclaims that He and the Father are
one, and that we can become one with the Father and have eternal
life by belonging to Him (Jesus). It is a prayer that reveals
Christ's absolute love for all those who call on His name. It
is a prayer that clearly defines what it means to have eternal
life: to know His Father, the only true God.
But how do we belong to Christ? How do we become His? It starts
on the day of our baptism. After renouncing the ways of Satan,
the priest or bishop asks us (or, if we are infants, he asks
our Godparents, who answer for us) "Do you unite yourself
to Christ?" three times and we answer three times "I
unite myself to Christ." We declare our intent to put on
Christ. When we are baptized and go into the water and come
out again we share in Christ's death and resurrection. We are
then anointed with Holy Chrism and given the "gift of the
Holy Spirit" because it is only through the Holy Spirit
that anyone calls Jesus "Lord" (1 Cor 12:3). We then
process around the center table as the Church proclaims, "As
many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
Once we are baptized it then becomes our task to value and
not reject our baptism, to grow in Christ. St Paul says, "Therefore
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has passed
away, behold, the new has come" (2 Cor 5:17). We become
a "new creation" -- someone who calls himself/herself
a "Christ - ian"; someone who follows Christ's commandments;
someone who lives wanting to grow closer to Jesus Christ in
every possible way; to know Christ more and more not just know
about Him.
Some Things to Think About:
- How
often do I think about the fact that since my baptism I now
belong to Christ? To what extent have I reflected on what
that means?
-
In what ways do I act as someone who belongs to Jesus Christ?
- What
attitudes do I have that are appropriate to a Christian? What
attitudes should I change?
- In
what ways do I behave as a Christian? In what ways should
I change my behavior?
- How
can I increase my commitment to know Christ?
O Lord, help me to value the gift you gave me in my baptism.
Help me to know that God is the Source of Life. Give me the
strength and wisdom to read the Scriptures, truly listen during
the Church's divine services, and dedicate time to prayer. Help
me to understand that it is through You that I can come to know
the Father and have hope for eternal life.
For more information about the Commemoration of the Fathers
of the Seventh Ecumenical Council and the Church's teaching
on Holy Icons check out the following:
On Icons from the Orthodox Faith Series: http://www.oca.org/pages/orth_chri/Orthodox-Faith/Worship/Icons.html
Commemoration of the Miracle from an Icon of Our Lord Jesus
Christ in Beirut (October 11) http://www.oca.org/pages/orth_chri/Feasts-and-Saints/October/Oct-11.html
An Orthodox Look
Movies: Red Dragon
In this remake of Thomas Harris' Red Dragon (Manhunter came
out in 1986), the story of Hannibal Lecter is told as a backdrop
to the main plot involving Will Graham as a retired FBI agent,
brought out of retirement to track Francis Dolarhyde, the notorious
"Tooth Fairy," a.k.a. the Red Dragon.
The title Red Dragon come from a painting by William Blake,
entitled, The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun,
currently held at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The painting is
of the Great Red Dragon (Satan) from Revelations 12:3-12:4.
"And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great,
fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven
diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of
heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before
the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as
soon as it was born."
On the upside:
- The movie sends a strong message about the power of love.
After Francis falls in love with Reba, he tries to change
his ways and attempts to overcome the demons he is fighting
with. By refusing to follow the voices that command him to
kill Reba, the power of love temporarily overcomes the evil
within Francis.
- The power of fatherly love is also evident in this movie
when Will is willing to give up his own life in order to save
his family.
- The movie includes a strong paradox involving sight. Francis,
who so desperately attempted to change his physical appearance,
falls in love with a blind woman, who cannot see him. Rather,
she can only "see" his personality, showing that,
although Francis acts in evil ways, some good remains in him.
- The character Will shows great strength when he is able
to move past his fear and hatred of Hannibal Lecter in order
to ask for Lecter's help and psychological insight in tracking
down Francis Dolarhyde.
On the downside:
- The character Francis not only worships a false god, but
also tries to become that false god. As Orthodox Christians,
we strive to become like God. "God became man so that
man also becomes God. Not God by nature, but by grace"
(St. Athanasius the Great). Francis attempts to become a god,
not by grace, but through drastic physical measures.
- Although Francis tries to change his ways, like any addiction,
it proves to be too difficult to overcome alone, without professional
help. Francis easily gives into temptation and resumes his
former lifestyle.
- The movie, although less gruesome than its two predecessors,
alludes to some particularly vicious crimes, and should be
viewed by mature adult audiences.
In the News:
Ossuary of James, the Son of Joseph and the Brother of Jesus
Found
Jerusalem, IL - The existence of a 10' x 20' x 12 ossuary,
or limestone "bone box," bearing the inscription "Ya'akov,
bar Yosef, akhui di Yeshua" or "James, son of Joseph,
brother of Jesus" in Aramaic, was revealed this October
by the Biblical Archaeology Review, which presented findings
by Andre Lemaire, an expert on ancient inscriptions at France's
Practical School of Higher Studies. The magazine said two scientists
from Israel's Geological Survey also examined the ossuary and
determined that it was from the first century (approximately
A.D. 63) and that the inscription had not been tampered with.
The practice of digging up graves about a year after burial
and depositing the bones in stone boxes was common in the Holy
Land from about 20 B.C. to 70 A.D., and hundreds of ossuaries
have been uncovered from that period. The boxes, often just
long enough to accommodate the femur (the longest human bone)
were used to hold remains for a time before they were transferred
to another location and buried.
If it indeed refers to Jesus of Nazareth, it would be one of
the greatest archaeological discoveries of our time. The inscription
would fit a New Testament account that Jesus had a brother,
James, and the tradition that James was the son of Joseph, husband
of Jesus' mother Mary. However, the names James, Joseph and
Jesus were common in the first century, and it is possible the
inscription refers to someone other than Jesus of Nazareth.
The ossuary may come from the Kidron Valley where the biblical
James died. Until now, the oldest surviving artifact that mentions
Jesus is a fragment of chapter 18 in John's Gospel from a manuscript
dated around A.D. 125. It was discovered in Egypt in 1920.
While some publications are reporting that the finding would
cause a "theological problem" for Churches who hold
to the continual virginity of Mary, it is important to realize
a few points:
1. The Orthodox Church understands that St James was the son
of St Joseph from his first marriage prior to his betrothal
to Mary, the Mother of God. There were no words such as "step-brother"
at the time, and so step-brothers would have referred to each
other as "brother."
2. The Aramaic word defined here as brother also commonly referred
to male cousins and even uncles as well.
In any event, this discovery should not be a challenge to the
Church's teachings on the continual virginity of Mary, the Mother
of God. It is also interesting to know that the finding and
announcement took place within days of the Church's feast day
for St James on October 23rd.
For more information on St James go to http://www.oca.org/pages/orth_chri/Feasts-and-Saints/October/Oct-23.html.
On the Calendar:
-
St Vladimir's Seminary Christmas Retreat
-
OCF College Conference (East Coast / West Coast)
St Vladimir's Seminary Christmas Retreat (Dec 26-28)
St. Vladimir's Seminary 2002 High School and College Student
Christmas Retreat (Ages 16-22)
December 26-28, 2002
Topic: Living as a Christian in a Secular World
To register, complete and mail the registration form and the
parental consent form (if you are under 18) with the $65.00
registration fee to:
St. Vladimir's Seminary Christmas Retreat
575 Scarsdale Road
Crestwood, NY 10707
No e-mail registration please.
Deadline is December 17.
For more info contact: (914) 961-8313, ext. 328 or belonick@svots.edu.
OCF National College Conference "Plant It, Grow It, Be
It" (December 27-31)
Serving Orthodox students and young adults on the west and
east coasts, both conferences will include a variety of enlightening
workshops led by Orthodox lay and clergy leaders, daily services,
and many exciting social events.
You are invited to spend 5 days with us at the College Conference
and see what college students all over the United States have
been anxiously awaiting!
Download the registration form or go directly to OCF.net
for all the latest information.
For more information or if you have any questions please do
not hesitate to e-mail the conference chairpersons below!
West Coast -- Mary Tibbs
East Coast -- Omar
Rihani
Love and Dating: Send us your questions
Question
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 True Faith
Q. GA from WI writes
I have debated this with my family for many months. Is feeling
that some of the ideas of other religions (that aren't necessarily
Christian beliefs) may "also be right" against the
teaching of the Church? I think that accepting the beliefs of
other religions is just surrendering to the Devil's lures, while
my parents urge me to be more open-minded. However, to me it
seems very simple: if you accept other religions, then that
is not really Christianity, but some sort of Unitarian Universalism.
How does the Church feel about this?
A. GA,
We believe that the Orthodox Church has the true and complete
faith and teachings of God and His relationship with His Creation.
Anything that contradicts that faith is false. As an example,
some denominations believe that the Eucharist is merely a symbol,
representation, or an intellectual remembrance of the Lord's
Supper. We believe that the Body and Blood of Christ become
truly present in the bread and wine. On this point and many
other points there can be no compromise or deviation from the
truth.
On the other hand, we recognize elements of the truth in some
denominations and traditions, but not the totality of the truth.
St. Justin Martyr described pagan Greek philosophy as having
the seeds of truth. Platonic thought does, in some limited ways
speak correctly about spiritual life. Plato saw the need to
acquire wisdom and live appropriately. As another example, Buddha
delivered his Sermon of Fire, which has great similarity to
Christ's Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon of Fire does offer
good instruction, and might serve as a point of contact to bring
Buddhists into the Orthodox faith. Although we base our lives
on the teachings of Christ and the Fathers, we can point to
the good in other traditions and the truth they may contain.
St Herman of Alaska took the good in the religion of the Aleuts
and brought many into the true faith. We should never dismiss
entirely the teachings of other traditions but instead use the
truths they have to offer them the whole truth.
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