Food for the Soul: Toward a Transfigured
Life and Environment
During the month of August we had two feasts
which call us to remember the way in which all of life is sanctified
by Christ through the Holy Church.
At the feast of Dormition we brought herbs
and flowers to the church to be blessed. At the feast of Transfiguration
we also brought fruits and vegetables to be blessed. Through
these two acts we are shown the way in which nothing in God's
creation is immaterial. There is nothing that can not be transfigured
and sanctified and indeed it is our duty as kings and queens
of God's creation to be stewards of that creation. It is in
through these actions that we live the words from the Divine
Liturgy,"Thine own of Thine own."
Through the Transfiguration of Our Lord the
Divinity of Christ is revealed to us and the Light with which
we may all be illumined is given as a gift. Just as sunlight
into the room both brightens the darkness and highlights the
dust and dirt present so to does the incorporeal and ever-exisiting
Light of Christ illumine our hearts while at the same time highlighting
the dirt of the world which we have allowed to accumulate. Just
as this Light shows Christ to be what He trully is, so to does
it show us who we trully are and what we are trully called to
be, perfect stewards of God's creation. The Light of the Transfiguration
allows us to see the path to our own transfiguration from dwellers
in the darkness of this world to children of light.
There is a story related by Bishop Kallistos
Ware of an Archimandrite on the isle of Patmos who, when hearing
the confessions of the villagers and other monks, sought to
illumen the hearts of the faithful by giving them the spiritual
task of planting a tree. It was through the light of this task
that his spiritual children were able to see the precious gift
that God's creation is and the way in which we are called to
transform the creation so that it to may become a pointer to
the Divinity of Christ. St Ephrem the Syrian, in his Hymns
of Paradise, tells us that everything in the created world
is a witness and pointer to the Creator. God’s two witnesses
according to Ephrem are, “Nature, through man’s use of it, [and]
Scripture, through his reading it.”
Let us strive to acquire the Light offered
through the Transfiguraiton of Our Lord so that we may notice
the pointers to the Kingdom of Heaven and seek to transfigure
our lives by being careful stewards of God's creation.
An Orthodox Look: Ecology
and the Environmental Movement*
*taken from Conclusions and Recommendaitons
fo the Inter-Orthodox Conference on Environmental Protection
held on in Crete, November 1991.
The first of September, as well as being the first
day of the ecclesiastical year was the Day of Prayer for the
Creation. Instituted by His All Holiness Ecumencial Patriach
Dimitrios in 1989, the Day of Prayer for the Creation is a day
in which we recall our responsibility to be stewards of God's
creation.
The Orthodox Church shares the sensitivity and
the concern of those who are distressed about the increasing
burden on the natural environment due to human abuse, which
the Church names as sin, and for which it calls human beings
to repentance. There is a tendency to seek a renovation of ethics
while the Orthodox Church believes the solution is to be found
in the liturgical, eucharistic and ascetic ethos of the Orthodox
Tradition.
The Orthodox Church is not to be identified with any ecological
movement, party or organization either from the point of view
of ideology and philosophy or from that of the method or programs
to be applied for the solution of the ecological problem. The
Orthodox Church, being the Church, constitutes a presence and
a witness to a new mode of existence following its specific
theological outlook of human beings’ relationship with God,
with one another and with nature.
The Orthodox Church and her faithful should
engage in initiatives and projects on a local level which lead
to the enhancement of all creation. Some projects or initiatives
which can be taken at the local, diocesan and Church wide level
are:
- Organize recycling programs for paper, glass, metals
and compostable organic waste.
- Conserve energy within Church buildings by proper insulation
and control of lighting.
- Encourage water conservation
- Encourage less use of the car.
- Encourage and support young people to initiate projects
and programs of environmental action, such as work camps related
to environmental issues, and education programs.
- Draw attention to the Orthodox eucharistic and ascetic
ethos which is a hallmark of the Orthodox Church’s relationship
with nature.
On the Calendar : OCF College
Conference 2005: Abide in Me and I in you (John 15: 4-5)
The Orthodox Christian Fellowship will hold its annual East
and West Coast College Conference in December at Antiochian
Village in Bolivar, PA and St Nicholas Ranch in Dunlap, CA respectively.
Under the jurisdiction of the SCOBA Campus Commission, these
National Conferences of Orthodox Christian Fellowships are open
to college students, high school graduates and college–age young
adults. Both conferences will include a variety of enlightening
workshops, daily services and many different social events.
They aim to promote unity among Orthodox young people and to
renew them in their journeys toward salvation. Further information
and details will be forthcoming.
Real Questions/ Real Answers:
Inter-Faith Dating
Question: I am Orthodox and my girlfreind
is Seventh Day Adventist. we have been dating for over a year
she means the world to me. However, we seem to be having differences.
We are considering the possibility of us being together for
the rest of our lives but her veiws differ from mine. She believes
that her
chruch is the correct one and I believe the Orthodox faith holds
the truth. Also, we both experience our faith in different ways.
For example she goes to Sabbath Saturday and I attend the Divine
Liturgy on Sunday? What is your advice??
Answer: Dear friend,
Since I do not know you personally, it is impossible, if not
dangerous, for
me to offer specific advice. What I can say, based on experience,
is that
if two people marry but are divided on spiritual matters, they're
often
headed for major problems at some point down the line. All relationships
must be firmly rooted in a common spiritual vision. The vision
of the
Adventists is radically different from that of the Orthodox
Church -- and,
for that matter, virtually all of the different Protestant traditions
--
first and foremost in the fact that they deny the celebration
of the day of
Resurrection, namely Sunday. This could cause tremendous difficulties,
especially in the raising of children.
I would strongly urge you to speak with your priest about this
so that he may offer more specific and pointed advice.
Readers Write: Borderland Reflections
on and Inspiration from the 14th All American Council of the
Orthodox Church in America
May God direct us on His path always!
The general consensus at this summer's 14th All American Council
in Toronto was that now is both the time and the season for
action in all spiritual aspects, especially in outreach to others
- work which makes others aware of the One, Holy, Apostolic
Church of Christ our Lord!
My family of five attended the council this year. We drove approximately
5,000 miles round trip just to be there. It was worth every
mile! We returned home with a renewed sense that now is the
moment we have been waiting for - to expand the ministry we've
already been doing, to the Glory of God and with His help.
Father Antonio, my dad, is from the Dominican Republic in the
Caribbean. Spanish is his first language. For many years, he
has done work with Spanish-speaking people in many settings
and in various parts of the country, including Puerto Rico and
Mexico. Although for years he has ministered informally, it
has long been his (and our family's) dream to start more formalized
Orthodox (Spanish-language) outreach programs.
While driving home from Toronto this summer, Analucia, my older
sister, my mom and I - for we had a very long van ride to talk
about such things - started enthusiastically planning, taking
notes, making logo sketches and plans for a new outreach organization
which touches many aspects of service and ministry. We decided
to call it ORB: Orthodox Rio Bridges. In Spanish, that would
be PRO: Puente del Rio Ortodoxo. So, we're now "PRO-ORB"!
PRO-ORB is a bridge for various outreach programs and activities
between South Texas and Mexico, between the Church in the USA
and Canada with the Church in Mexico, between Orthodox youth
and young adults who live on both sides of the border. Bridges
go both ways!
At present, my family lives in the South Texas Tropics. This
area is called, "The Rio Grande Valley" and it's right
on the river border with Mexico. St. George the Great Martyr
is the local Orthodox Church. It is the only Orthodox Church
within a three hour drive. St. George's in Pharr is near McAllen,
Texas, about an hour's drive inland from the Gulf of Mexico
and about six miles from the USA/Mexico border. For a number
of years, our parish has ministered across the border in neighboring
Reynosa. We take food, toiletries, school supplies and clothing
to a girl's orphanage called Casa Amparo several times a year.
At Christmas time, we make vats of tamales and also help at
a Nativity Fiesta held for a Reynosa squatter's village (colonia).
The Fiesta is hosted by a Free Health Clinic which is administered
by some of our Episcopalian friends. Our Parish and family has
also been trying to build brotherly bonds between the OCA parishes
in Mexico, and most especially, with Clergy families who live
there. We also created St. George's Food Pantry to serve low-income
families (often new immigrants) who live in our Church's neighborhood.
The Food Pantry now serves about sixty families every time it
is open!
My mother, Matushka Elizabeth, is a youth coordinator for our
Deanery which contains all of New Mexico, Texas, Mississippi,
Oklahoma, Arkansas and part of Tennessee. That is an incredibly
diverse geographical region! Even so, we are trying to help
our Deanery accomplish the OCA's Synod of Bishop's challenge,
through the OCAY program, to provide youth service projects,
retreats, etc. for our area.
For starters, we are planning a Winter Youth/Young Adults Retreat
here in cooperation with PRO-ORB. The winter retreat will be
for up to 14 teens (age 14 and older) and young adults, plus
some adult chaperones. We encourage participants to collect
and bring items to share with families and children who participate
in St. George's Food Pantry, as well as for the girls at the
Casa Amparo Orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico. See our website for
details. We hope to take participants to the South Padre Island
beaches, which are lovely even in the wintertime. Christmastime
is often about 85 F. or more here. We plan to provide an opportunity
for Orthodox youth to get together, pray together, learn more
about our faith together, and to also have fellowship and fun!
We have also begun collecting icons and liturgical supplies
to share with various mission Churches in Mexico - including
a new Mission which the new Bishop, ALEJO of Mexico, asked my
dad to start in Monterrey. If anyone wants to collect and send
- or better yet, to bring - icons or liturgical supplies to
us, we will personally give them to the clergy and missions
in Mexico!
In addition, we have applied to be an "official" OCF
"Real Break" site in the spring. But, whether the
"official" part happens or not, we'll be here - doing
various service projects - and hope that other Orthodox College
Students and Young Adults will join us for a real borderland
service adventure in the spring!
We welcome long or short term missionary or seminary interns
who would like the experience of serving in a bi-lingual border
Parish and helping with its various outreach ministries. Of
course, you'd have to put up with us! We like company and will
surely do our best to provide some memorable adventures.
We look forward to seeing you at any of our upcoming events.
Our new website is at: www.stgeorgepantry.org See most especially
the "Rio Bridges" section!
If you have questions, comments or need further information,
call us at: 956-781-2388 or email us at: mateliza@aol.com
Your sister in Christ,
Cristina Perdomo
For further information please contact:
St. George-the-Great-Martyr Orthodox Church
P.O. Box 667
Pharr, TX 78577-0667
956-781-6114
http://www.st-george-pharr-tx.org/
http://www.stgeorgepantry.org/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StGeorgesOrthodoxTX/
Don't forget!
Here is your chance! We know you have great stories to tell,
and honest opinions to share. We know amazing things have happened
to you and you were just wondering, "Now, HOW can I share
this with others?" Well, the section IS entitled "Readers
Write," so what better venue than right here?
You're a reader, so…. You know the next
step. Send us something you've written and would like to see
in a future issue of YO-Mail. Commentary on YO-Mail is welcome,
as is anything that is pertinent to our lives as Christians.
Send it in to yomail@oca.org
and we will put it here.
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