They had examined the history books, but more importantly their own souls, and after a year of intense preparation and purification, twenty-five catechumens were baptized and chrismated into the Holy Orthodox Church. They all joined the Body of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ at Ss. Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. (View the Facebook gallery)

They came into the True Faith on Holy Saturday, April 15, 2017. Since antiquity, the Orthodox Church has baptized catechumens on this day because of its theological significance and importance. On this day, as our Lord’s body lay at rest inside the tomb, His Spirit had descended into hell and crushed the devil, his demons, and the chains that had held every human captive since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. These newly illumined soldiers of Christ our God, through their confessions and baptisms, crushed their own sins through His power and arose as new men and women from the font.

The twenty-five had studied and grown in the Faith with the pastor, Rev. Fr. Justin Havens, and the assistant pastor, Rev. Fr. John Mahfouz, who had the absolute joy of baptizing them and communing them at the chalice for the first time. The newly illumined, single adults and whole families with young children, had come from all walks of life, leaving behind Protestantism and Mormonism to embrace Holy Orthodoxy. Usually, fifteen Old Testament readings cover all of the baptisms, chrismations and tonsures, but the chanters had to read them twice! 

Sheer bliss emanated throughout the church on this Holy Saturday, for the rest of the congregation understood the sacrifices the newly illumined made to become Orthodox – many of them had already done so. But they all understood the reward: entering the Kingdom of God on earth in order to eventually enter the Kingdom of God in heaven. Countless tears of happiness were shed.

The twenty-five took on the names of a wide variety of saints to serve as their protectors as intercessors before God – ancient saints like Marina and Justina, but also Western saints like Columba, and new saints like Paisios of the Holy Mountain who had been canonized in 2015.

The Orthodox Faith is rapidly growing in Utah, especially at Ss. Peter and Paul Church, which was recently featured by one of the state’s largest media outlets, the Salt Lake Tribune. (Utah Mormons, Protestants finding new spiritual home in ancient Orthodox church) In fact, this congregation is bursting at the seams and is planning for a new church temple. 

“As the world becomes more and more of a confusing, broken place, people are seeking God in an urgent manner,” Fr. Justin said. “And when they desire to find the original, ancient Christian Church, they are shocked that it actually still exists and that it the Orthodox Christian Church! Thank God, many are seeking their healing in the spiritual hospital of the Church here in Utah. Pray for us to continue to share the light of Holy Orthodoxy in Utah!”

The entire Orthodox Christian family of Ss. Peter and Paul Church is thankful to Almighty God for His abundant blessings, and that more people are joining the True Faith that He established.

(Photo credits: Kenneth Hoglund)

Photo: Nicole Boliaux, Deseret NewsEvery year, on the eve of Great and All-holy Pascha, the Holy Fire miraculously lights inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for the Greek Orthodox Christian Patriarch to distribute to the clergy and faithful anxiously waiting outside the tomb of our risen Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Some of them take this light by candle to distribute that very day throughout the Middle East, Greece and even Russia.

But this year, for the first time ever, the miraculous Holy Fire traveled via charted airplane from Moscow to New York, and faithful Orthodox Christians have shared it throughout North America, driving from parish to parish. Ss. Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church received this blessing with great joy, and the event received local media coverage. (Flame from Jerusalem lights faith in the hearts of S.L.'s Antiochian Orthodox worshipers) The clergy and faithful purchased lanterns to take the Holy Fire home with them. 

"The reality is, this holy fire means nothing if a fire doesn't kindle within your hearts," Fr. John Mahfouz, Assistant Pastor, said. “May we have the light, the holy light, burning within us. May we have the light of Christ within us and repent.”

On Sunday, April 2, 2017, the community of St. George Cathedral in Pittsburgh, PA, with Fr. Joshua Makoul, was honored to host His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph for the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy.

By Bishop Thomas Joseph and Peter Schweitzer

Having celebrated the feast of feasts, the Lord’s Pascha, and Pentecost fifty days thereafter, we are about to embark upon the Apostles’ Fast, which this year begins on June 12, 2017, and ends with the commemoration of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul on June 29. 

The Apostles’ Fast is a prescribed fasting period of the Church, lasting from the day after the Sunday of All Saints to the 29th of June, the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul.

It is a sad truth that many neglect this particular fast for a variety of reasons inconsistent with the apostolic and patristic tradition.  Prior to reflecting upon the importance of the Apostles’ Fast, a review of the ancient history of this particular fast may help us to recognize its integral place in the life of each and every Orthodox Christian.

The fast of the holy Apostles is very ancient, dating back to the first centuries of Christianity. We have the testimony of St. Athanasius the Great, St. Ambrose of Milan, St. Leo the Great and Theodoret of Cyrrhus regarding it. The oldest testimony regarding the Apostles’ Fast is given to us by St. Athanasius the Great (†373).

In her Diary, the pilgrim Egeria (fourth century) records that on the day following the feast of Pentecost a period of fasting began. The Apostolic Constitutions, a work composed no later than the fourth century, prescribes: “After the feast of Pentecost, celebrate one week, then observe a fast, for justice demands rejoicing after the reception of the gifts of God and lasting after the body has been refreshed.”

From the testimonies of the fourth century we ascertain that in Alexandria, Jerusalem, and Antioch the fast of the holy Apostles was connected with Pentecost and not with the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul on June 29. In the first centuries, after Pentecost there was one week of rejoicing, that is a fast-free week, followed by about one week of fasting.

The canons of Nicephoros, Patriarch of Constantinople (806-816), mention the Apostle's Fast. The Typicon of St. Theodore the Studite for the Monastery of Studios in Constantinople speaks of the Forty Days Fast of the holy Apostles. St. Symeon of Thessalonica (†1429) explains the purpose of this fast in this manner: “The Fast of the Apostles is justly established in their honor, for through them we have received numerous benefits and for us they are exemplars and teachers of the fast ... For one week after the descent of the Holy Spirit, in accordance with the Apostolic Constitution composed by Clement, we celebrate, and then during the following week, we fast in honor of the Apostles.”

The spiritual benefit derived from the Apostles’ Fast is great. Saint Leo the Great noted that, “After the extended feast of Pentecost, the fast is particularly needed in order to cleanse our mind by ascetic labors, and to make us worthy of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.”  Saint Leo also reminds us, “In the Apostolic canons inspired by God Himself, the Church fathers have, at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, established first and foremost that all virtuous labors begin with fasting.”

Periods of fasting such as the one upon which we are about to embark are not, as some in the West would have us believe, exercises in mortification or penance but the divinely inspired method to gain mastery over the self and conquer the passions of the flesh. It is to liberate oneself from dependence on the things of this world in order to concentrate on the things of the Kingdom of God. It is to give power to the soul so that it would not yield to temptation and sin. According to St. Seraphim of Sarov, fasting is an “indispensable means” of gaining the fruit of the Holy Spirit in one's life (cf. Conversation with Motovilov), and Jesus Himself taught that some forms of evil cannot be conquered without it (Matthew 17:21, Mark 9:29)

Neglecting the fast is not the only pitfall to be avoided however.  Those who fast may be tempted to judge those who do not fast, thus losing the efficacy of their labors.  We should not concern ourselves with what others are doing but concentrate on our own spiritual life. 

Fasting periods, particularly the Apostles’ Fast, assist us in avoiding the spiritual pitfalls to which we are so accustomed after the ascetical struggle of Great Lent and the joyous celebration of Pascha.

In turning our attention to the feast of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, the connection between the feast of Pentecost, the Apostles’ Fast, and the actual feast of the two preeminent apostles becomes clearer.  As I noted earlier, this fast was originally connected to the feast of Pentecost and we understand this connection by examining the feast itself.  As Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos writes,

Pentecost had a significant place in the life of the Apostles. Having previously passed through purification of the heart and illumination – something that also existed in the Old Testament in the Prophets and the righteous – they then saw the Risen Christ, and on the day of Pentecost they became members of the risen Body of Christ. This is particularly important because every Apostle had to have the Risen Christ within Him.  At Pentecost the Holy Spirit made the Disciples members of the theanthropic Body of Christ. Whereas at the Transfiguration the Light acted from within the three Disciples, through glorification, but the Body of Christ was outside them, at Pentecost the Disciples are united with Christ. They become members of the theanthropic Body and as members of the Body of Christ they share in the uncreated Light. This difference also exists between the Old Testament and Pentecost. . . In addition, on the day of Pentecost, the Disciples attained to “all truth”. Before His Passion, Christ told His Disciples: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:12-13).

These words of Christ are closely linked with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, with the revelation of the whole truth, which the Disciples were unable to bear; they could not receive it earlier, without the Holy Spirit.

This “all truth” revealed on the day of Pentecost to the Apostles is the truth of the Church as the Body of Christ: that the Disciples will become members of this rise Body and that in the Church they will know the mysteries of the glory and rule (vasileia) of God in the flesh of Christ. On the day of Pentecost they knew the whole truth. It follows that the complete truth does not exist outside the Church. The Church has the truth, because it is the Body of Christ and a community of glorification.

As the foremost of the holy apostles, it is fitting that after the feast of Pentecost, wherein the apostles received the revelation of truth in its fullness, we commemorate Saints Peter and Paul jointly.  As Saint Gregory Palamas writes in his sermon on the occasion of the saints’ feast,

If, as we have said, we commemorate each of the saints with hymns and appropriate songs of praise, how much more should we celebrate the memory of Peter and Paul, the supreme Leaders of the pre-eminent company of the Apostles? They are the fathers and guides of all Christians: Apostles, martyrs, holy ascetics, priests, hierarchs, pastors and teachers. As chief shepherds and master builders of our common godliness and virtue, they tend and teach us all, like lights in the world, holding forth the word of life (Phil. 2:15-16). Their brightness excels that of the other radiantly pious and virtuous saints as the sun outshines the stars, or as the heavens, which declare the sublime glory of God (cf. Ps. 19:1), transcend the skies. In their order and strength they are greater than the heavens, more beautiful than the stars, and swifter than both, and as regards what lies beyond the realm of the senses, it is they who reveal things which surpass the very heavens themselves and indeed the whole universe, and who make them bright with the light in which there is no variableness neither shadow of turning (cf. Jas. 1:17). Not only do they bring people out of darkness into this wonderful light, but by enlightening them they make them light, the offspring of the perfect light, that each of them may shine like the sun (Matt. 13:43), when the Author of light, the God-man and Word, appears in glory.

On the day of Pentecost, the apostles received the fullness of the revelation of truth because the Lord Christ had prepared them for the advent of the Comforter.  As the preeminent apostles, Saints Peter and Paul were the guardians of that truth which was to be passed on to the faithful.  Saint Seraphim of Sarov tells us, “The true aim of our Christian life consists of the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. As for fasts, and vigils, and prayer, and almsgiving, and every good deed done for Christ's sake, are the only means of acquiring the Holy Spirit of God.”

We know from Holy Scripture and Tradition that the Holy Spirit does not abide in a vessel that is not being purified.  Saint Luke of Crimea notes, “For could the Holy Spirit possibly abide in an impure heart that is filled with sin? As smoke chases away the bees, as stench repels all people, so does the stench of the human heart repel the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives only in pure hearts, and only to them does he grant He Divine grace, His holy gifts, for He is the ‘Treasury of good things’—all the true and most precious goods that the human heart could possibly possess. Could the impure heart receive them? Could the heart that is sinful and deprived of mercy and love possibly receive the grace of the Holy Spirit?”

This is precisely why, in her wisdom, the holy Church offers us the period of the Apostles’ Fast soon after Pentecost and just prior to the feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul who were worthy to receive the Holy Spirit.  If the aim of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, we must engage in the struggle through fasting and continual prayer.  It is only then that we may acquire the Holy Spirit and can properly appreciate and be joyous in the feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.

 
Do you already have your Parish’s Vacation Church School scheduled? Are you trying to find the right program? If you’re still searching, visit The Orthodox Marketplace online! The Twelve Great Feasts VCS Curriculum from the Greek Archdiocese has everything you need to host a robust, interactive summer program for the youth in your Parish.

Another resource for planning and implementing a summer Vacation Church School, from our friends at the OCA, is the article "New Life in the Summer: Summer Church School." Here you’ll find an article helpful in building a program, with suggested themes.

The school year is wrapping up in North America. For many of us, this means that Sunday Church School will also be taking a summer break. A change from the usual routine is a good time for us to think and evaluate what we do and take steps toward making improvements. Let us take advantage of this time to review our classroom and lessons this year, thinking about what worked and what did not work, and then figure out steps to take to improve for next year.

Evaluating all of this at once can feel overwhelming. We recommend blocking out a few evaluation sessions in our summer schedule, concentrating on one aspect at each session. Suggested review sessions could include: classroom setup; curriculum; interactions with students; teaching style; etc. Each of us knows which areas of our Sunday Church School class experience need the most consideration, and we should schedule a self-appointed review session for each of those specific areas.

It is our goal as Sunday Church School teachers to teach our students to the best of our ability so that we can help them grow in the Faith. Taking time to think about the past year and its successes and failures will help us see some of that growth in ourselves and in our students. It will also offer us the opportunity to find ways to improve so that our next group of students has an even better experience!

May God bless each teacher, as we review this year and plan for the next!

What resources and ideas for classroom improvement do you have to offer to the community? Please share them below! We will also share a few online resources that we have found which could be helpful.

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“Write down your ideas!  I don't know why, but I always get ideas for the following year toward the end of the current school year and I don't want to forget them. So, I write them down.  I just use a boring old spiral notebook and write down things that I might want to do next year.  I bring the notebook home and add to it during the summer.” Read this article from a classroom teacher that contains suggestions of what to do with your students in the final class times together, as well as other general end-of-year suggestions such as this one.

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Here is a printable evaluation that you could use as a starting place for your own personal evaluation of many aspects of the Sunday Church School year.

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This (not Orthodox, but helpful) article offers ideas of how to look with fresh eyes at your Sunday Church School room to see how it could be improved to better enhance learning. The “environment inventory” near the end will be especially helpful. 

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One way to evaluate your curriculum is to take a look at some of the other Orthodox Christian Sunday Church School curricula available: not necessarily for the purpose of finding something you like better, but just for the experience of seeing ideas of other ways to teach what you are teaching. Some of the current curricula are listed here.

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As you think about your interactions with students, consider ways you can continue that interaction in a positive way over the summer. Check out these two related blog posts from years gone by: 

Keeping in Touch with Sunday School Students
Supporting Your Students Throughout the Summer

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This (non-Orthodox) article offers ways to improve your teaching style. We are sharing it because of the great variety of ways it suggests that can be used to teach your Sunday Church School students. Perhaps one of them will encourage you to try something that will help your students’ learning level to improve! 

Dear fellow Antiochian,

Saint John Chrysostom once exclaimed: Glory to Thee, O God, For all things!

"Lest, we forget."

Yes, we give thanks to Almighty God for all of our beloved pioneers who knitted the fabric of our God Protected Archdiocese.

Throughout the years we have witnessed greatness in some of the most simple moments as well as clergy. It is almost unimaginable today how the early clergymen carved out their lives with some of the most difficult of circumstances, both financially as well as spiritually. From the earliest days in North America, our clergy, their wives and families played a pivotal role in the development and maturation of the Antiochian Church on New Shores. They have inspired us by their strenuous sacrifices and their sweet liturgical services which formed us and to this day, and their wisdom enlightened our paths towards the priesthood.

The Antiochian Archdiocese is built on the labors of our forefathers in the priesthood. Antioch produced a "Cloud of Witnesses to the Gospel of Christ," many of whom came to North America and the following generations followed in their footsteps building churches, parish halls establishing a mosaic of organizations to meet the spiritual needs of the emerging generation of Antiochian Orthodox Christians. It is axiomatic that there were few rewards for their labors.

Therefore the time has arrived that we must honor their memories. Working with a small committee as noted in the open letter as published in The Word, an Honor Wall is being designed to be built in the Antiochian Village Heritage Center that will include the name of your beloved.

It is with humility that we have undertaken this project and we turn to each family and each parish to financially support this most worthy endeavor, "Lest We Forget."

You may make your check to the Antiochian Heritage Foundation earmarked "Honor Wall." Underline in this matter the commitment of giving thanks to Almighty God, for our loved ones who have transmitted "The Faith of our Fathers" to us and the rich heritage that has been gifted to us.

In Christ,

Economos Antony Gabriel, Chairman
Antiochian Heritage Foundation

An Open Letter to the Archdiocese
By Economos Antony Gabriel

To The Archdiocese Board of Trustees, Pastors , Parish Council Members and Faithful of our God Protected Archdiocese:

AL MASSIH. QAM!

May you be blessed during this Season of Pascha and Pentecost.

I am appealing to you through the vehicle of The Word magazine, to raise your awareness of one of an important projects of the Foundation: An Honor Wall is to be placed in the Antiochian Village Heritage Center commemorating the blessed hierarchs, Vice Chairman of the Archdiocese Board of Trustees, and faithful clergy since the inception of the Antiochian Church in North America. Having authored Ancient Church on New Shores: Antioch in North America, it was a blessing to study the lives of the pioneers, commencing with St. Raphael and so many others who literally gave their lives together with their wives to plant the seeds of Antiochian Orthodoxy on this continent.

Why The Honor Wall?

Scrutinizing the records from the early days until now, we read a fascinating story of heroism, human frailty, contentiousness and phenomenal achievements, sometimes all at the same moment in history. I am sure that many of the faithful readers of The Word may have a close relative who served our God Protected Archdiocese lo, these many years. Some respondents to the letter that was sent to you several months ago forwarded me via emails, the names of clergy in their families. I would request as a doublecheck that you resend the information that was previously sent. I have been complying a large list built on the work earlier by Fr. George S. Corey, lists supplied by the Archdiocesan Office, and relatives as well from my own research over a ten year period. It is imperative to match clergy with their last parish and or surviving relatives.

Archdiocesan overseerer Dimitri Zeidan has been a consultant on the construction and placement of the Honor Wall. It is the mandate by our Beloved Metropolitan Joseph; he has charged Dimitri to review, make constructive observations, and to serve the well being of the Antiochian Village, hence the inclusion of Dimitri, who has ideas for the construction and placement of the Honor Wall.

Everyone who has learned of this project have expressed excitement and are yearning for more information in order to make a contribution to see the realization of this project.

It is axiomatic that: that he who has no past, has no present nor a future.

Storytelling and remembering, is the foundation of Orthodox worship, for by commemorating persons and events, we become bathed in the remembrance of things past, that are now made present through the act of giving thanks and recalling the sacred. It is vitally important for the emerging generation of pastors and Church workers to learn of their ancestor's struggles and victorious achievements.

For example, several priests that had a profound impact on my own life were: Fr. George Karim, my pastor in Syracuse, NY, who formerly was a barber and had the voice of an angel and patience to match; Fr. Michael Simon of Paterson, NJ, who was the mentor for all of us Antiochians studying at St. Vladimr's Seminary; and Fr. Nicholas Ofeish, New Kensington, PA., just to name a few. They had great struggles, and suffered at the hands of contentionous "Boards of Trustees" and other vicissitudes during the nascent emerging Archdiocese. Fathers Paul Schneirla and Wakim Dalack welcomed us during the years at West 121th St. into their homes and hearts, for New York for many of us was a behemoth , therefore, a friendly face humanized the new environment that we found ourselves.

Metropolitan Anthony had this advice for us as we were leaving for our first parishes at tender ages: Be wise as a serpent and gentle as a lamb. He also fearlessly challenged us to hone our skills to sell land on Lake Erie, and: where there is a will, there is a Way! There are five of us including Bishop Antoun who still remember his sage advice, that we bore in our hearts as we set out for life's new journey.

The wisdom and often their humility that they imparted to us has had a lasting impact on our lives and ministry. One of greats of the past century was, Rt. Rev. Ellis Khouri, Protosyngellos, who served under Metropolitan's Antony and Philip and was considered a living icon for his depth, and piercing insights. He had no children, now who would remember him or his rich history which included among literary giants as Khalil Gibran? It is incumbent upon us to honor his life and works!

Imagine how St. Raphael traveled across North America blessing, baptizing, marrying, burying, celebrating liturgical services, literally solo with limited resources, and yet he did with fervor and dedication that ultimately cut his life short by his tremendous sacrifices. Today, many of our clergy feel that security lies with a solid financial package, while our forefathers had no such beginnings but the fire within compelled them to soldier on. They had an unquestionable love for Christ and His Church and the fact we are serving and witnessing unprecedented growth is testimony to the fertile seeds which were planted and under whose fruits and shade they were not able to enjoy.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Continue to forward to my office all the pertinent information on our beloved servants, to develop and expand the Honor Wall, which will be placed in the Heritage Center of the Antiochian Village.

Secondly, your financial contribution will certainly speed up our joint efforts to begin construction and dedication of the Honor Wall. One may make a check payable to the Antiochian Heritage Foundation earmarked "Honor Wall," and the name or (names) who are to be enshrined on the wall.

Giving thanks ! Eucharisto! In advance for your continued interest.

In The Risen Lord,

Antony Gabriel
Great Economos
Chairman
Antiochian Heritage Foundation
economosantony@gmail.com

From St. Basil the Great

Outline of Sections 3-4

III. Profane learning should ornament the mind, as foliage graces the fruit-bearing tree.

IV. In studying pagan lore one must discriminate between the helpful and the injurious, accepting the one, but closing one's ears to the siren song of the other.

Sections 3-4

III. If, then, there is any affinity between the two literatures, a knowledge of them should be useful to us in our search for truth; if not, the comparison, by emphasizing the contrast, will be of no small service in strengthening our regard for the better one. With what now may we compare these two kinds of education to obtain a simile? Just as it is the chief mission of the tree to bear its fruit in its season, |104 though at the same time it puts forth for ornament the leaves which quiver on its boughs, even so the real fruit of the soul is truth, yet it is not without advantage for it to embrace the pagan wisdom, as also leaves offer shelter to the fruit, and an appearance not untimely. That Moses, whose name is a synonym for wisdom, severely trained his mind in the learning of the Egyptians,7 and thus became able to appreciate their deity.8 Similarly, in later days, the wise Daniel is said to have studied the lore of the Chaldaeans while in Babylon,9 and after that to have taken up the sacred teachings.

IV. Perhaps it is sufficiently demonstrated that such heathen learning is not unprofitable for the soul; I shall then discuss next the extent to which one may pursue it. To begin with the poets, since their writings are of all degrees of excellence, you should not study all of their poems without omitting a single word. When they recount the words and deeds of good men, you should both love and imitate them, earnestly emulating such conduct. But when they portray base conduct, you must flee from them and stop up your ears, as Odysseus is said to have fled past the song of the sirens,10 for familiarity with evil writings paves the way for evil deeds. Therefore the soul must be guarded with great care, lest through our love for letters it receive some contamination unawares, as men drink in poison with honey. We shall not praise the poets when they scoff and rail, when they represent fornicators and winebibbers, when they define blissfulness by groaning tables and wanton songs. Least of all shall we listen to them when they tell us of their gods, and especially when they represent them as being many, and not at one among themselves.11 For, among these gods, at one time brother is at variance with brother, or the father with his children; at another, |105 the children engage in truceless war against their parents. The adulteries of the gods and their amours, and especially those of the one whom they call Zeus, chief of all and most high, things of which one cannot speak, even in connection with brutes, without blushing, we shall leave to the stage. I have the same words for the historians, and especially when they make up stories for the amusement of their hearers. And certainly we shall not follow the example of the rhetoricians in the art of lying. For neither in the courts of justice nor in other business affairs will falsehood be of any help to us Christians, who, having chosen the straight and true path of life, are forbidden by the gospel to go to law. But on the other hand we shall receive gladly those passages in which they praise virtue or condemn vice. For just as bees know how to extract honey from flowers, which to men are agreeable only for their fragrance and color, even so here also those who look for something more than pleasure and enjoyment in such writers may derive profit for their souls. Now, then, altogether after the manner of bees must we use these writings, for the bees do not visit all the flowers without discrimination, nor indeed do they seek to carry away entire those upon which they light, but rather, having taken so much as is adapted to their needs, they let the rest go. So we, if wise, shall take from heathen books whatever befits us and is allied to the truth, and shall pass over the rest. And just as in culling roses we avoid the thorns, from such writings as these we will gather everything useful, and guard against the noxious.12 So, from the very beginning, we must examine each of their teachings, to harmonize it with our ultimate purpose, according to the Doric proverb, 'testing each stone by the measuring-line.' 13 |106

7. 1 Acts vii. 22.

8.

9. 3 Daniel i. 3 ff.

10. 4 See p. 51; Basil, Epist. i.

11. 5 See p. 64, and notes.

12. 1 The general attitude taken here toward selectiveness in reading is Platonic ; see, for instance, frequent passages in the Laws ii, iii, and vii, and the Republic iii.

13. 2 to_n pi/qon po_ti\ ta_n spa&rton a1gontaj. Maloney notes that St. Gregory Nazianzen cites this proverb in Letter xxxviii, and St. John Chrysostom in Homily xxv.

Basil of Caesarea, Address to young men on the right use of Greek literature, Translated by Frederick Morgan PADELFORD, "Essays on the Study and Use of Poetry by Plutarch and Basil the Great. " Yale Studies in English 15 (1902) pp. 99-120. , accessed from http://www.tertullian.org....

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Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Ancyra

Troparion — Tone Four

Your holy martyr Theodotus and his companions, O Lord,
through their sufferings have received incorruptible crowns from You, our God.
For having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries,
and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.
Through their intercessions, save our souls!

Kontakion — Tone Two

Podoben: “Seeking the highest...”
You struggled well, O Theodotus,
together with your fellow athletes and passion-bearing virgins.
You have received crowns of honor.
Therefore, unceasingly pray to Christ God for us.

Readings and Inspiration from the Diocese of Charleston Homepage

By Fr. Joshua Makoul

Having completed Holy Week and Pascha, we were able to experience the transition from the long, darker services of Holy Thursday and Holy Friday to the brighter and joyful services of Holy Saturday, Pascha, and Bright Week. For many, having labored through Lent and Holy Week, this transition to joy, hope, and relief is an emotional occasion and reminder of many things. Indeed, this transition that the Church has given us to experience has far more meaning for our own life than we might realize. It is a reminder that in the end, God is always triumphant and victorious. It means that in the end everything will be okay. It means that this world will never have the final say. It means that behind every cross is a potential new life waiting to be had, behind every struggle is God’s promise to wipe every tear from our eye, that behind every moment of despair or struggle is hope and joy waiting to break forth, that behind every hurt there is healing, and that behind every crucifixion we endure there is a resurrection waiting to occur.

Behold, the barren cross where Jesus suffered and died is now covered in white flowers and ivy and adorned with a triumphant floral wreath. The symbol of suffering has become the new tree of life. There is a great gift and mystery revealed in this transition for those who are open to receiving it. We are called to transform our own crosses of struggle and suffering that we bear in this life into victorious crosses of hope, joy, and new life. Jesus has revealed the path that we are to take for this transformation to occur.

We all have, will have, or have had crosses to bear in this life. Perhaps it is some trial or tribulation, or an experience where we were hurt or betrayed by someone else. If we just respond correctly to and work through these crosses in the way Christ showed us, they too can be transformed into the life giving and triumphant cross that we see in church now. We look at the cross now so adorned and we reflect at what a struggle had occurred at that place but now it is a place of peace and a reminder of God’s promise. This needs to happen with our own crosses.

As the time drew near for Jesus to head to Jerusalem, where He knew what awaited Him, His fear and trepidation grew. However, he remained obedient to the Father and did not try to turn away or avoid what awaited Him. He trusted and forged on though experiencing fear and anxiety. Jesus knew and trusted that any suffering that laid ahead would be wiped out and ended by the joy and power of what followed. We remember when Jesus, at the last supper, used the analogy of childbirth to illustrate what lied ahead for Him and us; when the hour has come for the birth to occur we have sorrow due to the pain of labor, but once the child has been born, there is no more sorrow, only joy that a human being has been born. Jesus applied this to his impending crucifixion and resurrection. Even when Jesus prayed for Him to be spared the experience of the crucifixion He ended the prayer with the words, “not as I will, but as you will.” He trusted, remained faithful, remained obedient, He prayed, He forgave, He did not lash out at others, He did not blame, He did not become bitter, He did not reenact what was done to Him on others (we can never be healed of our hurt so long as we are reenacting it on others), nor did He respond in any way that caused hurt or pain to others. In doing so He emerged from the cross having destroyed our spiritual deaths, repaired the relationship between God and man, and restored fallen humanity.

The relief, joy, and resolution of all of our crosses will come whether while still in this life or in the next. As St. Paul said, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” It cannot happen any other way so long as we follow the way Jesus taught us when we bear our own crosses.

Indeed, all of the crosses and places of struggle in our own lives can be transformed into places where a great struggle had once occurred but is now a place of light, joy, reflection, peace, and hope no matter how great was the loss and struggle. Our hearts can become a place like the empty tomb, devoid of struggle, but filled with hope, trust, light, and God’s love. If we maintain faith, maintain peace, forge on, not give into darkness and anger, persevere, pray, forgive, and do all the things Jesus did as he journeyed to Jerusalem and did on the cross, then we will emerge victorious from every struggle in our life and emerge a new person. If the cross is resolved while yet in this life then we will emerge a different person, better radiating the light, peace, love, and joy of Christ. If the cross or struggle is resolved in the next life, when we depart this world, then it will have been for our salvation and the ultimate new life. This is how good triumphs over evil and how our crosses are transformed.

In the gospel reading for the Paschal liturgy we hear the words from the Gospel of John, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness could not overcome it.” Remember the beautiful and moving words sung when we come to take the paschal light on Easter night, “Come receive light from the light, that is never overtaken by night, come glorify Christ risen from the dead!” As long as we stay close to Christ and emulate Him we can never be defeated by any cross, struggle, or evil. As our Lord said at the last supper, “These words I have spoken to you, that in Me you will have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” As the saying goes, there is no earthly pain or sorrow that heaven cannot heal. The path to victory over this life, this world, and over all of our pain, losses, and suffering, lies with clinging onto Christ with blind trust and hope every moment of our life. The joy and hope of God’s love and promise to us will always be there and be the final word. Every cross will be empty and a place of hope and peace. Every broken heart will be like the space of the empty tomb, filled with light and devoid of pain and sorrow. God wouldn’t have it any other way.

Father Joshua Makoul is Dean of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Pittsburgh, PA, and a licensed therapist.

Vladislav Andrejev, IconographerThe Antiochian Village Conference and Retreat Center will be hosting an intensive 6-day icon workshop on October 1–7, 2017. Students will learn both the theory and practice of icon writing in the Prosopon School, using methods dating to 16th century Russia. The materials used in the workshop will all be natural and will include: egg tempera, pure gold leaf, earth and mineral pigments, and carved wooden boards prepared with gesso.

This workshop will be conducted by master iconographer and founder of the Prosopon School, Vladislav Andrejev and/or his son Nikita. Beginners will be given step-by-step instructions to complete their own icon of Archangel Michael. Students who have attended previous Prosopon workshops will be assigned an icon appropriate to their experience and skill level. All materials are included in the registration fee for beginners. Previous artistic experience is not necessary, as icon writing is as much a spiritual discipline as it is an artistic expression.

For further information, contact workshop coordinator Donna Smith: presbyteradonna@stsophias.org (preferred contact method) or (315) 723-5128.

From the second Monday after Pentecost until the feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul on June 29th, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Apostles' Fast. This year, the fast commences on Monday, June 12, 2017.

To learn more about the Orthodox approach to fasting, visit the Feasts and Fasts page of Our Discover Orthodox Christianity section.

RESOURCES

·"The Fast and the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul" by Bishop Thomas and Peter Schweitzer
·"Fast of the Holy Apostles" by Archpriest Ayman Kfouf
·Akathist to Ss. Peter and Paul
·A reflection about the two saints from The Word

By Bishop Thomas Joseph and Peter Schweitzer

The Greek word φρόνημα, transliterated in English as phronema is difficult to capture in a single word since it is more of a way of being in the world or a way of looking at the world.  Often, it is rendered in English as mindset or ethos.  For the purposes of this paper, we will employ the understanding of phronema as ethos.

In no Western religion is the concept of phronema present.  The concept truly has meaning only for the Orthodox Christian.  Perhaps this is because most Western religions understand themselves intellectually.  They adopt a so-called theology and employ philosophical categories to make it intelligible to their adherents and the world around them.  This is not the case for Orthodoxy.  Indeed, it would be hard to experience Orthodoxy apart from this ethos.  Since Orthodoxy is not about the intellectual pursuit of knowledge, it is thoroughly consistent that phronema can’t be grasped or recognized in a purely rationalistic pursuit.  One has to live Orthodoxy, experience it deeply, to perceive its ethos.

Acquiring an Orthodox ethos does not mean collecting a head full of “patristic quotes.” Rather it refers to the transformation of the whole man, resulting in one's gradual participation in the “noetic vision.” Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos speaks of it thus in his superb book The Mind of the Orthodox Church:

[Phronema means] in the biblico-patristic Tradition the whole turn of mind which prevails in a man from the way in which he lives, and from the relationship which he has with God. And literally, if the nous [i.e., the spiritual intellect, not to be confused with “reason”] is darkened, then the whole mind is carnal. But if the nous is illuminated, which means that is has the Holy Spirit within it, then the whole mind is a mind of spirit and, of course, a mind of the Church....

When we speak of having an orthodox mind we mean chiefly that our nous is the nous of Christ, as the Apostle Paul says, or at least that we accept the experience of the saints and have communion with them. This is the way of the life of the Orthodox Tradition and the way of life of Christ's life. The orthodox mind is expressed by the dogmas of the Church, because, on the one hand, the dogmas express the life which the Church has and the revelation which the saints have received, and on the other hand, they lead the passionate people and the babes in Christ to unity and communion with God.

We must say at this point that the theology of the Church is ascetic, that is to say, it defines the methods of cure in order for man to attain deification....So the dogmas express the revelation and the life which the Church has and they also cure man and lead him towards deification. They are spiritual road signs. In this sense we can say that the dogmas save man and sanctify him. This happens because they cure him and give him the right orientation on his way towards God. (pp. 120, 122-123)

It is clear from Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos’ understanding of phronema that this is the very life blood of the Christian.  Without such a phronema, we are unable to speak of Christ, much less teach others about Him.   This is also precisely why theologians are not ivory tower academicians with advanced degrees.  Rather, they have the “nous of Christ” to employ the Metropolitan’s words. 

A contemporary example of this may be found in the life and writings of Jean Claude Larchet, a patristics scholar and a convert from Rome.  Larchet describes the importance of phronema when he describes how he came to Orthodoxy through his love of the Holy Fathers.  Importantly, Larchet credits his relationship with his spiritual father Elder Sergei of Vanves for assisting him in the acquisition of an Orthodox phronema.  Larchet notes,

I discovered Orthodoxy through the Fathers, but after, he taught me how to read the Fathers. For example, he taught me not to read the Fathers with an intellectual approach with an abstract mind, but in a spiritual way, with prayer, to read the Fathers spiritually. . . Theology is closely connected with spiritual life. . . it was to be like a sponge, to receive the teaching of the spiritual Father without wanting to think something by my own, you know, I didn't want to think something by my own, no creation, no invention, no new teaching, I didn't want to be known by other people... And that was the conception of St. Maximus, too - he says in his Letter 15: “I will not say anything about myself, but I only hear what the Fathers teach, without changing anything” - and also of St. John Damascus writing in the Preface of “Fountain of Wisdom”: “I shall add nothing of my own, but shall gather together into one those things which have been worked out by the most eminent of teachers.”

Our modern sensibilities tend to reject this notion because we desire to be known and to stand out among our peers.  We want to come up with a new way of doing things, a new way of bringing others to Christ, or reformulating teachings to make them more palatable to the modern ear.  Yet, in so doing, we risk losing this sense of phronema, an essential ingredient in our own salvation. 

The monks of the Holy Monastery of Saint Gregory (Monastery of Gregoriou), on Mount Athos published a paper related to this issue.  Here is a particularly relevant excerpt,

The Church's decisions also carry force across time; and for this reason, the decisions of the Holy Fourth Ecumenical Synod are of such binding character that the Church can make no disparate decisions without refuting Herself. In keeping with this spirit, the phrase, “We now clearly understand...,” has no place among Orthodox. The classical Patristic dictum, “Following the Holy Fathers...,” is the only one which expresses how Orthodox understand themselves.” 

They were addressing an issue related to the Fourth Ecumenical Council but their understanding applies to all the ecumenical councils and the teachings of the Holy Fathers.

On a practical and pastoral level, this means that we must reject media and methods which contradict the Orthodox method.  In other areas of life a certain medium of communication or method of transmission of information may be appropriate, but not when we are discussing issues related to the life of the Orthodox faith.  This is why we don’t adopt a different vocabulary when dialoguing with someone who is outside the Orthodox faith or try to make the Ancient Faith “relevant” or “contemporary” by changing the liturgy.  While the intention may be good, the results are disastrous, for we lose any possibility of bringing someone to Christ. 

Returning to the essential notion of the Church as a spiritual hospital, it is readily evident that the Church cannot adopt innovative practices or methods just as a surgeon will not adopt a new procedure in the middle of surgery.  Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos explains this succinctly,

The incarnation of Christ and the work of the Church aim at enabling the person to attain to the likeness of God, that is to reestablish communion with God. This passage way from a fallen state to divinization is called the healing of the person, because it is connected with his return from a state of being contrary to nature, to that of a state according to nature and above nature. By adhering to Orthodox therapeutic treatment as conceived by the Holy Fathers of the Church man can cope successfully with the thoughts (logismoi) and thus solve his problems completely and comprehensively.

Clarion calls for relevance, modernization, or adaptation to contemporary culture are red herrings that should be dismissed, for they miss the essential character and mission of holy Orthodoxy.  In this time of mass confusion that beckons even Orthodox Christians into the cesspool of modern culture, let us stand firm in the faith that has been bestowed upon us by Christ Himself.  It is in holy Orthodoxy that we will weather the storms of this dark period. 

Now available for download! An original Christmas pageant entitled Light of the World written by Rebekah Yergo, the Church School Director at St. John Chrysostom Orthodox Church in York, PA, is available for use in your parish. The writing, stage preparations, and costumes will be a hit with your children, who will feel like they are in a real production!

Additionally, attached is the sheet music that is used in the production.

View the photos of the Light of the World production.

The school year is wrapping up in North America. For many of us with school-aged children, this means our schedules will change because there is no school or we take a break from homeschooling. This is a good time for us to think ahead a bit, so that we are prepared for this change. This season with its different schedule offers us a great opportunity to further nurture our children’s faith, grow their love for family and neighbors, and even sneak in a little learning (shhh!) along the way. We don’t want to pass that up, do we?!?

It is most likely that all of us have great intentions for summer. Unfortunately, intentions alone do not reach goals. Making those intentions bear fruit requires planning and commitment. So, in order to best take advantage of this chance we’re being given, let us make a plan and commit to act on it! Our plan does not have to be grandiose: even a simple plan will help us head in the intended direction and will be very successful if we carry it out.

So, the question is this: what is our goal for this summer? Do we want to nurture our children’s faith? Do we want to help them better love others, building our family relationships and strengthening their friendships outside of the family? Do we want them to keep learning? It is very likely that we would like all of these things to happen! To keep it simple, let us select one area to commit to nurturing this summer. (Of course, we can select as many summer goals as we wish, but it would be better for us to select one and do it well than to try to attain all of them and find ourselves meeting none of them or quitting because we are overwhelmed!)

Once we have selected our intended goal for the summer, let us take a little time to consider how we can make it happen. We should brainstorm specific goals for that area that we are committed to improving, talk with our spouse (and our spiritual father, depending on what the goal is!) about it, research ideas of ways our family can make it happen, etc. Then, let us schedule steps in that direction, and write them into the family’s summer plans. These steps can be specific activities that will help us reach this goal or a simple checkup reminders along the way that are placed in our schedule to keep the goal fresh in our minds throughout the summer. The most important step of this process of attaining our family’s summer goal is this: we must do these things that we’ve planned that will help us reach our goal! At the end of the summer, our family should take a little time - even just a few minutes - to talk about the goal and how we succeeded in pursuing/attaining it this summer. We can review the things we did and learned, and then talk about how to continue applying the learning while still growing in this area as the next school year begins.

Each of us knows what our family needs, and in what ways we all need to grow this summer. It falls to us parents to make a plan and pursue it with our children. May God grant us wisdom, creativity, commitment, growth, and great joy as we press on together as a family to meet our family’s summer goal!

What is your goal for your family this summer? Share it below, and read on for links that you may find helpful as you make your plans!

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Our favorite find as we prepared for this post? This list of Orthodox things for kids to do over summer! Find a variety of suggested ideas that can work across many goals, here.

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Our own personal mindset can make or break our work towards the family goal for the summer. Let’s choose to SAVOR this time with our kids, as suggested in this blog post (which also offers some ideas of ways to meet our family’s goal!).

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A great way to help nurture our children’s faith is to make it possible for them to attend Church camp. Check out this list to find one in your area if you have not already done so, and then send them to camp! 

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“How can we continue on our journey with Christ during the summer months?  Try implementing some of these ideas and use them for inspiration in finding additional ways to keep your family close to Christ!” Read those ideas here:

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One way we can work towards strengthening the relationships in our family by nurturing fun memories is through playing together. Check out the recommendations we offered in this blog if you need some fresh ideas: 

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This blog post is geared towards home schooling parents, but the concept is applicable to everyone, especially if our family summer goal is to better love our neighbors. It offers some ideas of ways to help our children learn how to think beyond themselves and our family and to find ways to bless other people. 

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One of the best things we can do with/for our children over summer to help them to keep learning is to read with them! Need ideas? Here are a few suggestions:

Picture books offer art AND a story line. Consider challenging yourselves to read as many of the best picture books as you can, this summer! Here’s the Caldecott list* (the Caldecott Medal is offered by the American Library Association to the “best picture book” written each year).

Historical fiction offers insights into times gone by. Here are one person’s top 45 historical fiction books for middle-years kids.

For fantastic stories, look no farther than the Newbery Medal list. The American Library Association awards the John Newbery Medal to the “best chapter book” written each year. Find new favorites (and/or revisit old ones) from this list*.

*In both of these cases, be sure to check out the honor books as well: some years there are many, many amazing books written/illustrated. The “honor” books listed are equally fantastic as the “winners!”

We Pray by Daniel Opperwall

I never expected to be charmed by a nonfiction book. However, We Pray, written by Daniel Opperwall and illustrated by Jelena and Marko Grbic is no ordinary nonfiction book! It is a beautiful Orthodox Christian children’s book that helps children (and those reading to/with them) think about prayer. Each spread of the book talks about a different aspect of prayer and includes some of the basic theology behind that aspect. Some pages offer specific prayers that we can pray, along with ways in which we pray (with incense, with a prayer rope, etc.). Other pages talk about where we pray, how we pray, what we pray, and for whom we pray. We Pray may be an informational book, but it is not at all tedious. Instead, the book has an almost lyrical tone, so the spiritual instruction in We Pray is both approachable and enjoyable.

But the tone of the book and the knowledge it imparts are not nearly the only charms of this book! Its physical size is lovely, too. Ancient Faith Publishing has printed We Pray in a very “holdable” size for children. At 8 ¼” square, the book is a comfortable size for children to hold. And even better than its size are the book’s delightful pictures! Jelena and Marko Grbic’s charming illustrations are both colorful and enticing. Each drawing is whimsical, yet true to the Faith. The book’s pages are quite sturdy, which was a smart design choice, because children will likely return to the illustrations again and again, taking in all the beautiful details included in each! (To be honest, adults will do the same. I have paged through this book countless times just to savor the illustrations!)

We Pray is an excellent addition to any Orthodox Christian library. Its readers will learn about prayer and be encouraged to pray more fervently. Its size and darling illustrations will appeal to children of all ages. My guess is that you, too, will find it charming!
(Purchase your own copy of We Pray.)

Here are some activities that you can do with your students after reading it!

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With younger children: Before class, copy one of the prayers from the back of We Pray onto a piece of transparency film (one copy for each student) and trim it to the right size. In class, allow students to decorate the film with permanent markers, to add color and/or illustrations to the prayer. Tape the film to form a tube that fits around (or glue the film directly to) the outside of a glass candle holder. Insert a battery-run tealight.

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With older children: Allow each student to use a permanent marker to write their favorite prayer from the back of We Pray onto a piece of transparency film and to decorate it as they wish. Encourage them to make it colorful just as Jelena and Marko Grbic did in the illustrations for the book. Glue the film to the outside of a glass candle holder. Insert a battery-run tealight or small candle.

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With teens (although the book is geared for younger children, teens can benefit from it as well!): Discuss We Pray. Ask the students to think about the book’s discussion of prayer and compare it to their own lives. Are there any times and/or prayers mentioned in the book that they already pray? Which ones? Are there any times when they do not yet pray, but would like to start praying? Which, and why? Talk about the prayers mentioned in the book. Ask questions like these: “Are any of these prayers familiar to you? Have you prayed any of them in your lifetime, and if so, which ones were the most helpful to you? If you were to share one of these prayers with a younger person in your life, which one would you share, and why?” Look again at how the Grbics incorporated some of the prayers into their illustrations, surrounded by whimsical doodles. Provide paper, pencils, markers, etc. for your students. Encourage them to write the prayer they’d share with a younger person and then try their hand at decorating it as the Grbics did in We Pray. Encourage each teen to share their illustrated prayer with a younger child in the parish.

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Encourage your students of any age to respond by writing or drawing about the book We Pray after you have read it together. Here is a reproducible page you can offer to your students that they can use for their response. You could do this activity prior to a class discussion, and then discuss the students’ responses as they share them. Or you could offer them this opportunity after having discussed the book together.

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Just for fun, have multiple copies of We Pray available for your students to look at. After you’ve read and discussed the book, hand out this activity page and challenge students (individually or in small groups) to complete the counting activity. They will need to look closely at the artwork. That is why you will need multiple copies of the book!

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." John 11:25

His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch, the Holy Synod of Antioch, and the Archdiocese of North America announce with great regret the departure to the house of the Lord of Metropolitan Antonio Chedraoui on the morning of June 14, 2017.

His Eminence was born in the City of Tripoli, Lebanon, on January 17, 1932. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Lebanon and the Bachelor of Theology at the University of Athens, Greece. On July 20, 1952, he was ordained as a deacon, and on August 29, 1958, he was ordained a priest and elevated to be an archimandrite.

On June 5, 1966, he was consecrated as a bishop, receiving the appointment of Patriarchal Vicar for Mexico, Venezuela, Central America and the Caribbean.

On June 12, 1996, the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Antioch elevated the Diocese of Mexico, Venezuela, Central America and the Caribbean to the category of Archdiocese, and appointed him as Metropolitan Archbishop of the said Archdiocese, a position he currently occupied.

His Eminence was active in his ministry. He took the role of Private Secretary of the Archbishop of Tripoli and President of the Spiritual Court from 1957 to 1959. He became the Private Secretary of the Patriarch from 1959 to 1962. He also was Vicar General of the Archbishopric of Mount Lebanon and President of the Spiritual Court from 1962 to 1966. His Eminence had the respect, appreciation and friendship of several presidents of the Mexican Republic such as Mr. Gustavo Diaz Ordaz and Mr. Vicente Fox Quesada, as well as various secretaries of state and religious leaders from various churches.

His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph has asked the clergy and laity of this Archdiocese to pray the Trisagion Prayers for Metropolitan Antonio for the next forty days and to keep him in their personal prayers for the departed. On behalf of the bishops, clergy, Board of Trustees, the organizations and all of the faithful of this Archdiocese, Sayidna Joseph offers to His Beatitude, the Holy Synod of Antioch, and the Archdiocese of Mexico our love, prayers and condolences.

May his memory be eternal!

RELATED LINKS

Metropolitan Joseph Attends 50th Anniversary of the Episcopacy of Metropolitan Antonio
Archdiocese of Mexico website

By Fr. George Shalhoub

On June 18th, we will celebrate and honor every father again on Father’s Day.

In the Holy Orthodox Church, no man is defined without a woman, no woman is defined without a man, and no man or woman is defined without God. A mother is not more important than the father and neither is the father more important than the mother. The two cannot be separated. They are like railroad tracks; one cannot exist without the other. They become one flesh in marriage (Ephesians 5:31) and share the responsibility for their future.

I recall that even when my mother took me to church, my father was no less important. On many occasions, I tagged along with my father as he was one of the builders of St. George Cathedral in my hometown of Hama, Syria. It took ten years to build this church which was next to our old church, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.

My dad and I would attend church service during the breaks from his construction job. He and the late Metropolitan Ignatius of thrice blessed memory, formed a great friendship and in the summer of 1962, His Beatitude requested that dad send me to the Balamand Monastery in preparation for the priesthood.

My father never hesitated. After I was kissed and touched by my mother’s tears, dad took me to the train station, at the tender age of twelve, and placed me on a train traveling from Syria to Lebanon with three other boys. It was his fulfillment of faith.

However, before we talk about dads, we need to talk about the embodiment of what makes a good man and what makes a good husband, one who will develop into a good parent.

I married at the young age of 21 and was very much a mess as a husband, a priest, and as a father. My children challenged me as a father by asking many questions. I learned that if I did not have an answer, I would let them know that I would find the answer for them. While I was able to fill many roles as a father, one of my greatest disappointments in my own marriage to my wife, Nouhad, was that I realized I couldn’t always fix every problem like I had assumed a father should do. However, my strengths were in other areas. 

I knew God had called me to be an authority, but as St. Paul states in Ephesians, I often misunderstood my authority. It was frightening to find myself as a husband, knowing that a husband must be Christ-like. But I learned later that authority is guided by Christ; that instead of being secretive you need to be open; instead of seeming to be perfect, you need to ask for help; and instead of projecting blame on others, you must accept responsibility for your actions. It is about being sacrificial, not rigid.

Fathers do not become all knowing dads by just having children. Fathers need to be actively involved with their children. According to Harris, Firstenburg, Jr. and Marmer, they define active involvement as:

1. ENGAGEMENT (DIRECTLY INTERACTING)
2. ACCESSIBILITY (BEING AVAILABLE)
3. RESPONSIBILITY (PROVIDING RESOURCES)

Actively involved fathers have a close and affectionate relationship with their children. Furthermore, the greatest effect a father can have on his children and family is to love and respect their mother.

Being a father is a process. It is like fine wine in the making. A dad may one day become a grandfather, but his role is never diminished or made any less significant. As I look back, I always see my father involved, even though he spoke few words. As a child in the Middle East, there were not many extracurricular activities and our life revolved around the courtyard of the church and the bell tower.

Sadly, in our society, we are lacking a good example of fatherhood. Fathers are missing from the lives of families because there are so many broken relationships.  Families run the risk of becoming one dimensional, always focusing on the earthly expectations rather than the kingdom of heaven. We are conditioned to think of the role of fathers in limited capacities, often as financial providers or disciplinarians. This idea is being challenged in the current generation of young parents. People today understand that our society is in dire need of fathers being present physically, emotionally, and spiritually to endure all crises that come with raising a family. A recent study from the Washington Post showed that one in three American children live apart from their fathers. This means one in three fathers are being stripped of God’s given purpose for them: to be gentle, loving, sacrificial, respectful, and committed.

A father must learn to reconcile and forgive his children. The greatest lesson children can learn as they grow up is to reconcile and forgive others. A father must be spiritual, not only in words, but worthy to live out what God is calling us to be. Having a father of faith matters to a child and it will impact the life of his children and their religious views forever. If he is a fanatic, he will produce children who either become religious fanatics  or children who leave the Church. When we become dictators, we oppress the child. Instead, we need to be men of faith who worship God with great reverence and devotion. For as the Psalmist says: “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments” (112:1).  The prophet Hosea defines the characteristics of a man who desires to walk with God as being united with Him and being filled with righteousness, justice, mercy, compassion, and faithfulness.  These are the true characteristics of fatherhood. 

A Swiss study emphasized that the role of the father attending church has a magnificent, spiritual impact on his children later in their lives. If children are to look to their father for spiritual guidance, then the question stands: Does dad attend church or does he skip? The father needs to be with his children in church, and he needs to integrate them into the life of the Christian community. Faith, worship, and community involvement matter. Dr. Philip Mamalakis states, “When we talk about our church community, we are not just talking about being together with a bunch of people, we are talking about being together with all the people we cannot see, the saints, the angels, people in heaven and all around the earth, who are gathered together, worshipping our God! That’s community and because we were created for this type of real community, our souls thrive, our souls experience a real healing when we live as active members of a worshipping community.”

A sad reality is that many children of clergymen do not attend church. They do not follow in their father’s footsteps or even attend church, because they see the double standard of their fathers. They preach love in the Church, yet fail to love their own mother.

We read in the Bible, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”   (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

If we are to learn anything from the parable of The Prodigal Son, an Orthodox Christian father needs to learn to be in control of his temper. It is easy to feel jealousy, anger, disappointment and rejection. But, like the father in the parable, we need to be hospitable and welcome a child who went astray, without condemning or judging.

In a community, such as the Orthodox Church community, we must become a training ground and provide a good environment that is able to produce experienced fathers. As a young mother learns from other mothers, a young father must also learn from other fathers. Since we are an extended family, there is no such thing as an empty nest. The job of parenting and grand-parenting is unending. Otherwise, who else will raise the next generation? Only a faithful mother and father bears this responsibility.

We pray on this Father’s Day that the hearts of children will be reconciled with their dads. And we say to all fathers; May your guiding hands be placed on our hearts and shoulders to lead the way to a better tomorrow. “We love you Pop.”

Happy Father’s Day!

For forty-five years, Fr. George Shalhoub has been founder and pastor of the mission parish that became The Antiochian Orthodox Basilica of St. Mary, Livonia, MI.

By Deacon Thom Crowe

At three in the morning, our house is quiet and dark. The distractions of the day all fade into silence, no to-do lists, no errands, no calls, nothing. I learned this the night we brought Elise home from the hospital and was reminded the countless nights over the next coming months. We learned quickly that I could wake up and fall back to sleep much easier than my wife, so I took night duty. After changing Ellie’s diaper, we would sit in the living room with all of the hustle and bustles of life far away. I watched that precious little girl for hours as she ate and slept in my arms. I didn’t know nursery rhymes so I would chant the hymns of the Church to her. Granted, at three in the morning my mind reached for what it could, and I remember one night chanting the Troparion of the Cross, followed by a Nativity hymn, then “Open to Me” and the Troparion of Epiphany. The next morning I laughed at the odd prayer service I had put together mashing up hymns that spanned the entire liturgical year. But I figured I couldn’t introduce her to the Faith too early.

This became my routine. I would hold her and pray (quickly trading my prayer book for the Dynamic Horologion on my phone) because, as St. Paisios taught us, “Prayer has great power within the family.” Christine and I went months without eating a hot meal together (truth be told, I don’t know how many hot or even warm meals either of us had in the first six months). I didn’t know it at the time but things like exhaustion and loss of free time would become our new normal. Fatherhood held something for me I didn’t honestly expect…

In Holy Orthodoxy, we place a real emphasis on asceticism; it’s an integral part of our faith. When people think of asceticism, the first image to come to mind is that of a monk or nun and their hours of prayer, days of fasting, submission to a spiritual elder. Maybe, if we look at little deeper, we see the asceticism of our parish priest, others in our communities, perhaps within our homes; those who keep vigils, feasts, fasts, who pray the hours, study the scriptures. I don’t mean to downplay those men and women of faith, but, in the last year, I’ve learned about a whole new kind of asceticism in fatherhood.

Saint Porphyrios tells us, “What saves and makes for good children is the life of the parents in the home. The parents need to devote themselves to the love of God. They need to become saints in their relations to their children through their mildness, patience, and love. They need to make a new start every day, with a fresh outlook, renewed enthusiasm, and love for their children. And the joy that will come to them, the holiness that will visit them, will shower grace on their children… Love, harmony, and understanding between parents are what are required for the children. This provides a great sense of security and certainty.” This is our calling as Orthodox Christian parents. To love our children, devote ourselves to God as parents. We know the bar is set high and that we are responsible for raising the children God has given us charge over. Our children teach us and help us grow to meet this challenge we face.

When I look at my daughter, there’s a mirror that somehow she holds up to me. I see myself laid bare, open and vulnerable in ways I never imagined possible. I am challenged and pushed by her to become the person that she sees her dad to be. Now that she’s over a year old, she loves to chant during services with her mom (I’ve occasionally heard her sweet voice from the altar), she kisses and venerates icons, both in the parish and at home, smiles when we take her little hand and “help” her cross herself, and becomes excited when we as a family say, “Amen.” I’m encouraged by her faith, a faith so innocent that trusts. She leads me to long for this and helps me to rely more on God, even reminding me if we don’t pray in the morning (she points and reminds me she has to kiss Jesus and Mary good morning). Despite reading books, listening to podcasts, and attending parenting seminars, I have no real clue what I’m doing here. I now realize I have no clue what I’m doing as a husband or really as an adult; it becomes harder and harder to hide when you have someone who depends so much on you. This honesty with myself has caused me to depend more and more on God, and I pray more now than ever, continually seeking God’s guidance and wisdom in all that I do.

Romanian theologian Dimitru Staniloae penned that, “Orthodox spirituality aims at the perfection of the faithful in Christ. This perfection is rather a mystical union with God through participation in His divine-human life, and Christian perfection requires a whole series of efforts until it is attained.” I haven’t attained that perfection, far from it actually and I don’t have all of the answers on how to get there. I unworthily go through life, usually trying to follow the example of Christ and His saints, to follow the teachings and practices of the Church, praying and fasting, no matter how many times I fall. I can honestly say, I haven’t experienced anything as humbling and enlightening as seeing my daughter look to my wife and me for everything in her life. She depends on us to feed her, change her, carry her (less now than she did before walking, but still), comfort her when she’s sad, mad, or scared as well as things she doesn’t know like making sure she’s on her sleeping schedule and getting her shots. As I look into her eyes and see the way she looks back at me, pure and innocent, full of love and complete dependence, I can, for the first time, concretely understand Christ’s words in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, chapter 18, calling us to “become like children.” I pray I become the father, Christian, and the person my daughter thinks I am and may I learn to see God as she does.

I’ll leave you with this, an Orthodox prayer of parents for their children that I use to pray for my daughter:

O God, our heavenly Father, who loves mankind and are a most merciful and compassionate God, have mercy upon Your handmaiden Elise for whom I humbly pray to You to care for and protect. O God, be her guide and guardian in all her endeavors, lead her in the path of Your truth, and draw her nearer to You, so that she may lead a godly and righteous life in Your love as she does Your will in all things. Give her Your grace, and mercy so that she may be patient, hard working, tireless, devout and charitable. Defend her against the assaults of the enemy, and grant her wisdom and strength to resist all temptation and corruption, and direct her in the way of Salvation, through the goodness of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, and the prayers of His Holy Mother and the blessed saints. Amen.

Deacon Thom lives with his wife and daughter in Tulsa where they are active in their parish and the local handmade movement. Deacon Thom joined the Holy Orthodox Church during his time at Oral Roberts University and has continued his studies in Orthodox theology, obtaining a master's degree. He attends St. Antony Church in Tulsa, OK, and loves to share the beauty of the faith with everyone he can.