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Can the lover of the marryrs ever have enoughof their memory? The honor qi,re., ro th.righteous, our fellow servants, is-a testimonyof the good will of our Common Master.Bless the marryrs heartily, that you may bea ma:qrr by intention. Thus, even thoughyou depart this life wirhout p..r..uror, fi'..or lash, you will still be forlnj worthy of rhesame reward.

-St. Basil

The saints, during their earthly life, are filledwirh rhe grace of the Holy Splrir. Afrer rheirdeparture the same grace remains in theirsouls as in their bodies. The very same graceis present and active in their sacred iriag.sand icons.

-St. John of Damascus

There is nothing so sacred as a human beine rowhom God has imparted His nature... EIchof us will then truly be able to shine morebrightly than the sun, to rise on the clouds tosee that body of God to be uplifted to Him1nd fy toward Him, to

"ppro".h Him and to

be favorably regarded by Aim.

The Mysteries are composed ofthe narural (i.e.the visible and material) and the supernatural(i.e., the spiritual and invisibl.). \fe confessthat they are the drasdc means which granr,to the iniriated, the Divine Grace.

-Dositlteos

Still we honor the relics of the marryrs, thatwe may adore Him whose maryrs they are.\7E HONOR the servants that their horo,may be refected upon their Lord who Himselfsays: "he that receiveth you receiveth me.',

- St. Jerome

Cod left us the relics of the Saints wishins roguide us in the same zeal they had.

e

-St. John Chrysostom

I do not yenerate the creation oyer theCreator, but I venerate the Creator whobecame crearion like me, and came down intocreation without humiliation and withoutbeing debased, in order to glori$z my narureand make me to b. p"rtJ., oi th! divinenature.

-St. John of Damascus-St, Mcholas Cabasilas

Winter 2006 | page I

This montht issue of Praxis considers the complex and sacred theme of Holy Relics. The veneration of the Holy Relicsis a long-standing tradition of our Holy Orthodox Church, and a few words of introduction to this venerable tradition are

both necessary and appropriate. The term "Holy Relics" refers to a physical object that we venerate as Orthodox Christians,

usually a part of a bone of a Martyr or a Saint. The most frequent examples of the presence of Holy Relics are the frag-

ments of bones of various Holy Marryrs which are ensconced in a special receptacle in the center of the Holy Altar of every

Orthodox Christian Church. Beyond this standard presence, in many parishes, and certainly in Orthodox monasreries

throughout the world, Holy Relics are also usually available for veneration by the faithful.

The history of the veneration of the Holy Relics of Marryrs and Saints by Christians may be traced to the earliest of

times. An early example follows the martyrdom of St. Polycarp of Smyrna in the second century, which inspired the local

Christians to write, ". . .we took up his bones, what are more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold, and

deposited them in a suitable place." Since that time, and most likely even earlier, the veneration of the Holy Relics of the

Marryrs has been a revered practice by the faithful of the Orthodox Church. Its purpose is to encourage and strengthen

the community of believers by affirming that the Martyrs and the Saints continue to abide with them in body and in spirit.Indeed, this understanding is echoed by the remarks of His All Holiness, our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, in his

encyclical one year ago when he reflected upon the significance of the return after 800 years of the relics of St. Gregory the

Theologian and St. John Chrysostom from Rome to Constantinople, when he said, "From now on, physically we will have

them both with us. This will be a great support for us, strengthening us, and bringing to us consolation during our tearful

and sorrowful days."

Of course, any responsible introduction or publication that speaks to this venerable tradition of our Church must also

emphasize the true meaning of this tradition. \7e must be mindful that the practice of the veneradon of the Holy Relics is

to remind us that God has worked His power in history through human beings who were exemplars of His love and grace.Indeed, He continues to do so. Thus, the practice of venerating Holy Relics is intended to inspire in us genuine faith and

acts of selfless love toward others, for that is what the Saints of our Church embodied during their earthly lives.

Our faith must be genuine in all respects, rooted in love of God and neighboq and manifested by service toward otherswho are in need of His mercy. Toward this end, we may and should seek encouragement from the Martyrs and the Saints,whose relics are constant reminders of their love of God and service toward others. I invite you to consider these comments

as you read the contents of this issue of Praxis and reflect upon the significance of the

Holy Relics. I furthermore pray that the love of God may be with you, and that you

may be granted every comfort and encouragement by His Saints, whose relics remind us

that they abide with us in body and in spirit always.

f* r*-'+ -J'^.{'*T DEMETRIOSArchbishop of America

(Footnotes)l"ThcMartyrdomofPolycarp". TheApostol icFalh<lr . l42Trans.J.B.Light lbot .Ed.MichaelW,Holmes. (Baker l3ooks. 1989)r His All Holiness Ecumenical Patritrch Bartholomew. Universal Encyclical on the Occasion o/ the Renrrn of the Holr

Relics of Sts. Gregory the Theologian and John Chnsostom, para. 3, Nor.ember 21,2004.

page 2 Winter 2006

"When the body touched

Elisha s bones, the dead

man came to life and

<fnnr/ t t r ' t . \n hi< fc^L "J(vvv upvt r t t rJ t r :YL,

2 Kings l3:20-21

The miracle wrought by the Grace-filled

bones of the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 13:20-21) provides a powerful scriptural testimonyfor the Orthodox Christian understanding

of Holy Relics. \X/hile some, unfortunately,misunderstand the prayerful veneration ofthe bone fragments of martyrs and saints as adeleterious superstitious practice, a judicious

review ofthe aforementioned Biblical accountprovides more than ample evidence for thecustomt value and validiry!

\X/trile in the process of burying a certainindividual, a group oflsraelites were frightened

by the sight of a group of oncoming raiders

and threw the man's body into Elisha's grave.However, when the corpse came into contactwith Elishas bones, the man came to life andstood up on his feet (2 Kings 13:20-21). The

significance of this Fascinating account is very

clear: the death of a man of God does notmean the death of the God of the man! The

grace of a godly life can bring life to otherseven after death. The testimony of Elishasholiness exudes such profound sacramental

power through his very bones!

This issue of PRAXIS seeks to initiate aconscientious conversation concerning thetopic of Holy Relics. 'W4'rat is the justification

for the veneration of relics? How and where

are they kept? \7hat is the process for thedecorous transFer of sacred bone fragments?

\XAile many religious persuasions may

be apprehensive or even skeptical whenconfronted with these and other uncertaintiesthe essays and articles printed in this issue ofPRAXIS seekto introduce the sacred tradition

of Holy Relics to our readership.

The miracle associated with Elishat

sanctifi ed bones, provide three primary lessonsconcerning the issue of relics: (1) The eventis a powerful affirmation of Godt approvalfor the prophet; (2) Though a holy man

may die, Godt people are never orphaned

from His redemptive power. Like the deadcorpse, decaying individuals, families, andChristian nations may experience spiritual aswell as physical restoration from the sacredrelics of their holy ancestors; and (3) The life-bestowing grace bestowed through Elishatrelics guides the spiritually prudent to honorGod. To give life is the highest Divineattribute. It is Godt distinct privilege andshould never be directly consigned with thesaint or relic through which God chooses tocommunicate with His creation.

It is my hope and prayer that thematerial contained in this latest issue ofPRAXIS will effectively affirm the venerationof Holy Relics as a genuine and most properexpression of the Church's Holy taditionwhich bestows grace upon grace ro those whoseek to properly dignify the very bones of ourholy forefathers and mothers!

Father Frank,

{4-Executive Editor

Winter 2006 I o"r" ,

PRAXTS--

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A publication of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, PRAXIS magazine is

published rwice a year. The subscription rate is $15 lor nvo years. Checks, payable to

the Department of Religious Education, should be sent ro:

PMXISCbculation50 Coddard AvenueBrookline, MA02445(617)810- l2 lB

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submissions should be 1,000-2,000 words in length and directlv discuss educationin the rheology and rradirion ofthe Orthodox Christian churches. Lesson aids or graphic

enhancements may accompany the articles submitted. We also encourage the submission of

phorographs relevant to parish life (praxis). Please also provide a biographical sketch ofthe

author not exceeding fifiy words.Material previously published or under consideration for publication elsewhere will

nor be considered without prior consent ofthe editor. We reserve the right to edit for usageand swle; all accepted manuscripts are subject to editorial modification. Articles sent by

mail should be accompanied by an electronic version on CD-ROM in Microsoft Word

for \Windows or for Macintosh. Articles in Microsoft Word mav also be emailed as an

arrarhment ro f r f rank@goarch.org

Address submissions to: Rev. Dr. Frank Maransos and/or Elizabeth Borch.

;fi:ii.l

Miss Jaclyn O'Loughlin kissing the hand of V Reu. Dr.Gerasimos Makris (Holy Cross Chaplain).

Executive Editor:

Managing Ediror:

Design and Layout

Cover Photo:

Inside Cover:

Inside Back Cover;

Back Cover:

CREDITS

Reu. Dr, Frank MarangosElizabeth Borch

Tina Millsaps

Seminarian Constantin Ursache uenera!ing the relics ofrhe monks mayTvpT/ 1a rhe Monesrarl of Si. TheodosiosKoinouiarches. (phoro courres)t ol Tina Millsapst

Exahation of the Holy CrossDeparrmenr of Religious Education. Brookline. MA

Bapt*m ofChrixDipartmint of Religious Education, Brookline, MA

AnnunciationDepartment of Religious Education, Broohline, MA

Atlantic Graphic Seruices, Inc., Clinton, MAPrinr inq'_ ___-----D'

\7e wouldproviding

:ir:.:iiai:1",t:riiitial

l ike to offerspecial thanks to the Office of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for

materials lor "The Return of the Holv Relics" article.

We would like to gratefully acknowledge Mr. David Elfering for some of the

photographs appearing in this issue of PRAXIS.

tWe would also like to thank the lollowing for submitting their photographs for

publication within this issue: Brad Borch, Diaconissa Vassi Haros, Liza Marcus,Tina Millsaps, and Dorothy tmpary.

The color Icons appearing in this issue of PR{XIS are available for sale lrom theDepartment of Rel ig ious Educat ion (800) 566-1088.

Scripture quotarions taken from The Holy Bible containing the Old and New

Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books, New King James Version.

The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the Departmentof Religious Education.

@2006, Department of Religious Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of

America. ISSN 1 530-0595.

-our" o---f--*t."n ro*

9"tterJ

Dear Fr. Frank Marangos,

I love that; "Paradise begins with ourselves..." So true! Anothergrear wonderful PRAXIS issue.. .

Thanking you again, I remain gratefully yours,

Fr. Nicholas Vinon

Dear Haidee,

Christ is in our Midst!

Itwas so kind of you to send me the planner. I especiallyenjoyed the Praxis Magazine you included. I don't believe Ihave ever seen our icons so beautifully reproduced.

Bravo to Fr. Frank and his stafffor this fine magazine, andthank you for your work in the Department-one of the most

critical ofices of the Archdiocese. God Bless you and yours.

In Christ,

Mary Scoulas

Dear Fr. Frank,

I have just been given the link to your lectures online and findthem most helpful. I am at the moment trying to find out aboutthe Orthodox Church and am finding it so wonderful.

Your lectures have been a great help in my quest. May God Blessyou in all your work.

Geraldine

Note: .Far online lectures, uisit ISOS (lnternet School of OrthodoxStudies) at w ww. is o s. go arc h. o rg.

Dear Fr. Frank Marangos,

Thank you for providing this format for sharing the faith. Igiven several subscriptions to converts in our community.

have

Fay Kokter,

Milwaukee, WI

Dear Fr. Frank,

I teach Sunday School, Grade 9, at the Holy Trinity GreekOrthodox Church in \Westfield, NJ, and I think that the CANAcurriculum is absolutely superb.

Dear Fr. Frank,

Just a note to tell you that, although I might not agree with

all of the writings of the contributors to PRAXIS,I do enjoy

reading the articles. I find the commentary to be intellectually

stimulating, giving rise to much prayerful thought.

Tltanks,

John Kotsonis, PhD

Dear Fr. Frank,

I have been viewing your ISOS class on the Great Canon of St.Andrew of Crete and have learned so much. Thanks for ISOS. Iam looking forward to your classes in 2006.

God Bless,

Bob Koaacs

Dear Fr. Frank,

I watched last fall's lecture series over the past few weeks. Ifinished just in time for the beginning of the Great Fast.

Your lectures were great. I know that you said repeatedly thatyou were only scratching the surface of what could be said onthese, but the series was a really good tool for me to get into theright frame of mind this week. It also helped me focus on theCanon more. \fle do it in English here every year, but this timeit had (and is having) much more meaning for me. By the way,"here" for me is Alaska and I go the OCA church. It is reallygreat to have the access to these rypes ofthings on the internet.After Pascha, I m going to go back and watch some of the earliertopics. I pray you have good sffength for the Great Fast and awonderful Pascha.

In Christ,

Nich Spiropoulos

In Christ,

Vaseili Doubas

Winter 2006 page 5

PRAX]S-

PRAXISVolume 5, lssue 2: Relics

Relrcs: A Lrssoru Pr-nru

Phyllis Meshel Onest, M.Div.36

Krrprnc Scone AND TRAcKrruc PRocness:Qunrurrrvlnc rue Qunlrry oF Lenoensxrp

A.C. Macris42

5uruony or ORrnoooxy AND Txe lrucneolglesAuthor Unknown

4B

Youn CompurER As nru lrusrnumENT oF GRnce, Pnnve n& PnrpnnnrroruElizabeth Borch

50

YtnYrns, OuR Lrvrr 'rc RellcsVicki Cassis

53

l ru rse Corupnruy or Snrrurs: Rrucs rN THE EnsreRnORrxooox Tnnorrroru

Dr. Bruce Beck55

MennY Cnnrsruns Crnnlre BnownrLia Lewis

62

7he couer pltoto is of seminarian Constantin Ursache of Romania. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree in May2006from Hellenic College, Constantin will enter Ho$t Cross Greeh Orthodox School of Tbeolog1 in pursuit of a Masters ofDiuinity uith the hope of becoming a ltriest. He is shoun here uenerating the relics of the monks martyred in tbe Monasteryof St. Tlteodosios Koinouiarches. These relics are located in the Hofu Cross Chapel in Brookline, MA.

Txr SncnnruENTALrry oF THE Fnmtv: Pnnr 3

Rev, Fr. Fronk Marangos, D.Min., Ed.D.

7

Txe Rerunru oF rHE HolY Relrcs

Courtesy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

10

Tnr OnrxoDox FAMTLY

His Grace Bishop John of Amorion

13

Rrlrcs AND THE TnRrusronmATloN oF rre Wonlo

Elizabeth Theokritoff

19

Txr VeruennnoN oF Holv RelrcsRev. Dr. Dumitru Macaila

23

Your'rc Cnnonrn AND PRAYER

Jenny Haddad Mosher

28

Gnerx Wono SruovMrs.lrene Alexandrou

35

page 6 Winter 2006

I

d

Rrv. FnnNr MnRnNcos, D.Mrr.r.,Eo.D.

Please refer to PRAXIS magazine Vol 4, Issues l

d" 2 for the frst two installments of this series.

We continue with Part II : "The Family"

3. The Third Afirmation that disclosesthe intrinsic sacramental nature of the

fo*ifu concerns its DIAKONIA.

As the Dornestic Church - the diakoniafthe ministrv) of the Christian Familvmu$ reflecr tlte sauinc work of Christ.

T TH E CoNTEMPoRARY

' CHRISTIAN FAMILY

/ :::' l'-',J?,':i,T::: :l:however, it must become a living icon

of the Church as prophet, priest andking. These three components of thefamily as church can be connected to the

three most vivid rubrics of the marriage

ceremony, namely the rings, candles,

and the crowns. These three elements

of the ceremony should be understoodas much more than merely liturgical

props. The rings, candles, and crowns

are sacred liturgical elements that reflect

the axilogical praxis of marriage and itsintrinsic family structure.

crowns, the family is summoned tobe a permanent historical reminder ofthe saving work of Christ. Parents arecalled to be witnesses to their childrenof the salvation in which the sacramentof marriage makes them sharers. Ofthis salvation, the sacramental nature offamily, like every sacrament, entails threeinter-related components: (a) anamnesis(recollection), (b) actuation (activity),

and (c) divination (expectation).

-€@ -=-=-IE-*-€14

)(==''t/

As anamnesis, the sacramentalityof family gives its members the graceand duty of commemorating througheducation and worship the salvificactions of God. The rubric of blessingthe wedding rings both on the HolyGospel and the foreheads of the Brideand Groom symbolizes the need for thefamily to recollect, and proclaim the

Through thearticles of the

three sacramental

rings, candles and

Winter 2006 page 7

ffiX.

PRAXI,

sacred actions of God. The couple is

invited to develop the mind of Christ.

As such, if the newlyweds desire to

properly express the intrinsic diakonia

of marriage they must strive to faithfully

witness the truth of the Gospel to their

children, to the extended families within

the Church and finally to the historical

family of humanity.

As actuation, the sacramentality

of the family provides the grace and

duty of living a praxis of selfless love,

forgiveness and care in their current

historical context. The crowns that

the bride and groom wear during the

wedding ceremony bear witness to two

theological truths. As we have seen,

apart from expressing the royalty and

dignity of marriage, the crowns bear

witness to love's sacrificial character,

its diakonia! Consequently, the family

actuates (activates) its sacramental nature

whenever selfess love, forgiveness and

care are expressed in its daily activities.

Finally, as divination, the

sacramental nature of family provides

the grace and duty of bearing witness to

the eschatological hope and expectation

of the future encounter of the Parousia

of Christ's Kingdom. By holding candles

during their wedding ceremony, the

S&r, . r : . , r . r . : r r : i r i : : . : :a i l i

!3{;t- rrt-

: 1r..*L \1

\\**. \ \,l,

of Christ's incarnation, passion andresurrection. The two - the bride and

groom - mystically become one flesh(an incarnation) a unity that entails

much more than physicality. Suchincarnational indissolubility entails that

each spouse is prepared to live a life of

sacrifice and true selflessness which

can only be possible through personal

participation in Christ's passion. Finally,

by reason of its association with the wider

community of marriage throughouthumanity, the Christian family bears

witness to the hope of a significantlynew understanding, a fore-taste of "new

wine", of eschatological unity through

conjugal faithfulness.

Family, therefore, and the issue offertility that it presupposes, embracesmuch more the notion of procreation.It is a sacred act through which every

couple collaborates in the continuation

ofthe process ofcreation itself. Such an

orientation arises from God's creative

intention. Through the act of child

bearing a couple continues the creative

process of God. Consequently, family

is the sign, the icon of mankind's co-

creative work, synergia with God. In a

real sense, the orientation towards fertility

and family is intrinsic to marriage itself.

It is a sacred consequence of the marital

dynamic between a man and a womanwhose relationship is based on a shared

dignity, partnership and sacred diakonia

with God.

4. 7he Fourth Afirmation that disclosestlte sacramental nature of the fo*lbconcerns its intrinsic Dignily.

As we haue obserued, SaintPauldignif esthe institution of mdrriaqe. and. btextension, the family by referrinq to itas a Great Mystery.

llrrrDgI{titr

?1"* t

Bride and Groom, (a) proclaim their

baptismal identities, and (b) accept the

invitation to vigilantly prepare their

family for the Coming Kingdom. Like

the five wise virgins, the family must

always be prepared to properly welcome

the Eternal Bridegroom into their midst.

Only by assuming such an expectant

posture can the family experience the

sweet New \7ine of His Kingdom.

Needless to say, much more

could be added here concerning these

three components of the diakonia(ministry) of the Christian Family. It

is vitally important to encourage the

contemporary Christian family to strive

for spiritual vigilance at a time when

postmodernism seeks to deconstruct its

sacramental dignity.

As we have observed thus far,

marriage, like the other six major

sacraments, is a sacred sign, an"epiphanomenon" of Christ and His

Church. It is through anamnesis,

actuation and eschatological hope

that each family reveals the grace of

its sacramental nature. Each spouse

as individual, together as couple, and

united through mutual fertility with

their children as family is called to

faithfully reflect the great mystery

page 8 Winter 2006

of Patristic literarure. For the ChurchFathers the term mysrery refers to theentire work of Salvation wrought by Godfor His enrire Creation. Consequendy,whenever the Fathers examined theissue of the Mystery of the Churchthey discussed three interdependenttheological conceprs, namely: (a) theincarnation, (b) the cross, and (c) theresurrection. In order to understand thetrue dignity of marriage and family weshould examine them in light of thesethree theological componenJs.

l. Accordingto theChurch Fathers,the incarnation provides the basis for thesacramenral indissolubility of marriage.By assuming our human nature, Christ- "marries us". God takes on our veryfeshl This is the incarnarion .roour"lof the Messiah and the ne* Isrrel-Hi,bride. All sacramenrs are grounded andare extensions of this Incarnationaleconomy of God.

o interprer exactly whatSaint Paul refers to by theword "mysterion" - we mustbriefly look to rhe wirness

2. If the incarnation is the espousal,the Cross is the Praxis of the GreatMystery for it is an exrension of the self_giving of Christ for His Beloved Bride.Understood in this fashion, the miracleof Cana prepares humanity for thenew wine of the Kingdom. Jesus freelyconsenrs to the union of His self_givingon the Cross. His consent to die for HisBride, the Church, is a specific choice.To achieve a complete and lasting union,at Golgotha, Chrisr, the new Adam,sleeps in much the same fashion as theAdam of old slept. From Christt sidehowever the Holy Church is formed.Consequently, we are all parr of theBride of the bridegroom.

The significance of this rich patristictradition can nor be overstated as itis used to weave the very fabric of ourunderstanding of the sacramental nature

of marriage - and by extension _ thesacramenral dignity of the family. TheMessianic Bridegroom calls all marriedcouples to make the same choice _ tofreely choose faithfulness and selfessIove - the agape ofJesus - as rhe lynch_pin of the marital praxis of rheir familialexpression.

3. Finally, it is throush theResurrection that the G.."t I4yrt..r,and the Dowry of the Vine is madepermanent. The resurrection is therefore aCosmic Crowning - which re-introducesus ro the pedigree of our original spiritualnobility. As such we may now enrer theBanquer of the Lamb which is describedin the l9'h Chapter of Revelation. Everymarriage. church or secular includes thiseschatological hope.

In one of rhe prayers offered by thecelebrant during the marriage ceremony,Cod is revealed as "theAuthor ofmysticaland pure marriage" who commurri."r.,transformational life ro every couole.What is most significant for u, h.r. toi"yis not merely the understanding thatmarriage in the Lord signifies the savingwork of Christ, but most importantl|- that marriage communicares grace roand through the married couile andthrough their respective family. This, inthe 6nal analysis, is the nobi l i ry - thegreat dignity of the family.

Final installment will appear in the nextissue of PRAXIS*Excerpts from the SYNAXISTheological ConferenceKeynote AddressOctober 25,2003Chicago, iL

Reu.Dnfrno@of the Department of Religious Etlucation ofthe Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Ameriiaand Adjunct ,Assisranr professor of fuligiousEducation and Homiletics at Holy Cross GreehOrrhodox School of Theologt H, ca, b, reachedatfuk@ceqeh,ary

"The Messlanic Brldegroom

calls all married couples to

make the same choice- to

freely choose fa ithfu lness

and selfless love- the

agape of Jesus- as the

lynchpin of the maital

praxis of thelr famillal

expression."

Winter 2006 I e"su r

PRAXI

THe ReruRNoF THe HoLY Reucs

Grace and peace from God to those who will read it, beloued brethren and children in the Lord.

"I was longingfor yu, children, and equally !0u were longingfor me... I came back to you. I left by force, yet I cameback not by force, but willingly and spontaneously." These are the words of Saint Gregory the Tlteologian, Arcbbishopof Constantinople, in his speech "to himself to tbe people and to the shepherdt when be came back from tlte country."Now, referringnztto himself only but also to his successorto the throne of Constantinople, SaintJohn Chrysostom,he repeats today the same words.

Though both had departedfrom here by force, they always longedfor tbeir children, as aho the children of the MotherChurch longedfor them too. Today, howeuer, they came back to us not byforce, but willingly and joyfully, bringinggreat joy, delight and satisfactizn, a part of which we owe to the gentle andfriendly attitude d;spkyed by the mostholy brother Pope of the older RomeJohn PaulII, who responded witb brotherly loue to our requestfor tbe return ofthe holy relics of the two great saints to Constantinople, which they pastored in a wa1 that pleased God.

Each one of us, Clergl and Laity, joyfulfor the return of the holy relics of the two great hierarchs and ecumenicalteachers, address the same words spoben to Chrysostom uPzn the return of his relics to Constantinople from Cucusussixteen centuries ago: "Receiue back your tltrone, holy man." From now 0n, euen physicalfu we will haue them bothwith us. This wlll be a great support for us, strengtltening us, and bringing to us consolation during our tearful andsorrowful days.

And we utter, "Glory be to God for euerytbing," We utter these words in the same waJ/ as the diuine Chrysostomuttered them before his blessedfalling asleep in the Lord,

An expression of our joy and dellght, through tbe use of paper and ink, is in your hands, of which we wish to makeyou, the beloued readers, equal participants, lou being the ones for uthom we wholeheartedly inuoke the blessingsof the great fathers and our predecessors in the Apostolic tbrone of the First-Called, Gregory the Theologian, JohnChrysostom. May the mercy and the grace of the great God and Sauiour Jesus Christ be abundant,

November 22,2004.

L

page l0 I Winter 2006

I

CouRresv or Tse EcumENrcRr PRrnrRncu

Tne ReouEsr

IS ALL HOLINESS,ECUMENiCALPATRIARCHBARTHOLOME\7 iN

his continuation of the tradirion of

fellowship and dialogue between the

Churches that are in a state of schism,

visited the Church of Rome last Juneduring the Feast Day of the Throne of

the Church of Rome in order to celebrate

the 40 year anniversary of the meeting

between the ever-remembered Patriarch

Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI in

Jerusalem in 1964. This meeting signaled

the beginning of a new era of fellowship

and dialogue between the Orthodox and

the Roman Catholic Churches.

In the framework of the

conversations that took place during

the visit of Patriarch Bartholomew in

Rome iast June the issue of the return

of the Holy Relics of these two saints

was discussed among the other things.

As far as the Ecumenical Patriarchate

had known the Holy Relics were in the

Basilica of St. Peter in Rome.

CardinaltWalter Kasper, the President

of the Pontifical Council for Promotion

of Christian Unity sent a letter to

the Ecumenical Patriarch on 15 Juiyconfirming the information concerning

the presence of the Holy Relics in St.Peter's Cathedral but clarifying that the

final decision for their return was under

the authority of the Pope.

Thereafter, on 2I Jr,ly, His All

Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch"with a synodal decision" sent an

official request to Pope John Paul II,"for the return of the Holy Relics of the

aforementioned Saints to the Church of

Constantinople, to which they ethically

belong." This pan-orthodox request,

which had been expressed through

Patriarch Bartholomew, was justified

as a promotion for the "restoration of

some traumatic experiences that were

due to historical adventures of oast

years" and as "a great contribution forthe normalization of the relations andthe creation of appropriate climateof brotherly love" between the twoChurches. Finally, the Patriarchunderlined the fact that "the naturaland rightfulposition" of the Holy Relics"is in the Sacred Patriarchal Cathedralof Constantinople, of which they wereArchbishops."

On 27 October, Pope John Paul II,responded to the Ecumenical Patriarchwith a letter written for the first time in

Greek, in which he accepted the return

of the Holy Relics "with joy as a sign ofbrotherhood and of a complete unionto which we are called constantly more

and more." He underlined the meaning

of these two saints for Christianity, bysaying that "the two Holy Patriarchs of

the East, pillars of faith, are beacons for

the entire Church and teachers for theknowledge of the \X/ord of God and ofthe tiadic mystery." Finally, he lookedinto the future by saying that "the returnof the relics to their home country...will

become a new bridge between us."

The Holy Relics of the Saints,Patriarchs of Constantinople, Gregorythe Theologian and John Chrysostom,placed in alabaster relic queries, in theVatican Basilica of St. Peter, duringthe service of their transmission toEcumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

His All Holiness, EcumenicalPatriarch Bartolomew, with His Holiness,

the Presiding Hierarch of Rome John-Paui II, in the Vatican Basil ica of St.Peter, during the service of transmissionto Patriarch Bartholomew of the HolyRelics of His predecessors, Patriarchs ofConstantinople, Gregory the Theologianand John Chrysostom (27 I I l I 200 4).

His All Holiness EcumenicalPatriarch Bartholomew reciprocates witha kiss of peace with His Holiness thePresiding Hierarch of Rome John-Paul

Winter 2006 page | |

II in, in the Vatican Basilica of St. Peter,

during the service of the transmission ofthe Holy Relics.

Tr+e RecEProN

In a special session of the Holy and

Sacred Synod that was convened by

His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch

Bartholomew on 27 October, a special

Synodal Committee was appointed and

chaired by His Eminence Metropolitan

Evangelos of Perge, in order to take theresponsibility of organizing the events

of the reception of the Holy Relics

during the Feast Day of the Throne of

the Church of Constantinople on 30November. During the same session it

was also decided that:

Patriarch Bartholomew himself

together with their Eminences Archbishop

Gregorios of Thyatira and Great Britain

and Metropolitans Chrysostomos ofMyraand Anthemos ofAlexandroupolis would

accompany the Holy Relics from Rome

to Constantinople on 27 November.

The reception of the Holy Relicswould have a pan-orthodox character,

as it is fitting for such a historical event,

and for that reason representatives of all

the Autonomous and Autocephalous

Orthodox Churches would be invited.

The panegyric would be delivered

by His Eminence Metropolitan John ofPergamon, member of the Academy of

Athens and representative ofthe Church ofConstantinople in the Joint International

Commission for the Theological Dialogue

between the Roman Catholic Church and

the Orthodox Church.

Special Dismissal Hymns(Apolytikia), as well as a special prayerwould be composed for the occasion of

the translation of the Holy Relics.

The Holy Relics would be placed in

the left nave of the Sacred Patriarchal

Cathedral, near the holy icon of theVirgin Mary "the Faneromeni" (the Onewho has appeared), where the chapel of

the Three Hierarchs is situated.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomewvenerates the Holy Relics of the Saints,

His Predecessors, placed on the Throne ofthe Most Venerable Patriarchal Church.

"Take back Your throne, Holy Man,"says Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

standing on the adjacent Throne, honoring

the Holy Relics of His Predecessors,

which are placed on the Throne of theMost Venerable Patriarchal Church of St.George the tophy-Bearer.

His All Holiness Patriarch

Bartholomew with His Eminence

Cardinal \Talter Kasper, President of thePontifical Council for Christian Unity, in

the MostVenerable Patriarchal Church, on

30 November, in front of the Holy Relics,

at the end of the Patriarchal Hierarchical

Divine Liturgyfor the Patronal Feast ofthe

Ecumenical Patriarchate, which occurredwith the participation of representatives

of the Orthodox Patriarchates andAutocephalous Orthodox Churches.

Courtesy of the Ecumenical Patriarch,Allphotos included in the article haue beenreprinted witb p ermission.

I lii:

:!.il:::a',

Hrs Guce BrsuopJoHn orAvonrox

HE FAMILY IS \rHERE \TEALL BEGAN OUR LIVES-where we first experience

ourselves in relationship to otherhuman beings and to God. It is therewithin the family structure that welearned how to eat, how to love, howrhe Lotd.' -bor the'nuioano rs rl'ead orthe wife, as also Christ is head of thechurch; and He is the Savior of the body.Therefore, just as the church is subject toChrist, so let the wives be to their ownhusbands in everything. Husbands, loveyour wives, just as Christ also loved thechurch and gave Himself for her, that Hemight sanctify and cleanse her with rhewashing of water by the word, that Hemight present her to Himself a gloriouschurch, not having spor or wrinkle orany such thing, but that she should beholy and without blemish. So husbandsought to love their own wives as their

basic unit of society. It is this institution

that takes weak, helpless human beings

and converts them, little by little, into

civilized persons. So much so, that the

family is not only the basic unit of our

society, but is also the future of the

world.

this basic.rlnit, *hi.h iithe foundationlstone of society. In order to do this, wemust be ready to study and understandfully the social and cultural situationsin which the family finds itself Theunchangeableness of the message that,'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today,and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) will requirethe services of all as we bear witnessthereto, for Christianity is a movementinto the world and not a movement awayfrom it, as is evidenced by Christ cominginto the world.

The basis for a viable Orthodox

Family is the relatlonship of

young, the pressures of peer groups onteen-agers, the. serious considerationof abortion by some, and the generalacceptance of contraceptives as a viableand respected way of avoiding childbirthby those who are unmarried. Anotherfactor that has a negative impact on thefamily are rhe press and television.

George F. \7ill in his article, "ThisBank Deserves to Fail," which appearedin the July 22, 1982 issue of the"'Washington Post" observes rhar "Thefounders of a 'sperm bank' for smarties

eage r+ |

Winter 2006

of the deep; and the Spirit of God washovering over the face of the waters."Marriage and the family are ordained byChrist Himseli for His first miracle was

performed at the Marriage in Cana whereHe changed the water to wine, havingbestowed His blessing upon those joined

in Holy Matrimony. (Ephesians 5:20 -33)"Brethren: giving thanks always for allthings to God the Father in the nameof our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting toone another in the fear of God. Wives,submit to your own husbands, as tothe Lord. For the husband is head ofthe wife, as also Christ is head of thechurch; and He is the Savior of the body.Therefore, just as the church is subject toChrist, so let the wives be to their ownhusbands in everything. Husbands, love

your wives, just as Christ also loved thechurch and gave Himself for her, that Hemight sanctify and cleanse her with thewashing of water by the word, that Hemight present her to Himself a gloriouschurch, not having spot or wrinkle orany such thing, but that she should beholy and without blemish. So husbandsousht to love their own wives as their

own bodies; he who loves

his wife loves himself. Forno one ever hated his ownflesh, but nourishes andcherishes it, just as the Lord

does the church. For we aremembers of His body, ofHis flesh and of His bones."For this reason a man

shall leave his father andmother and be joined tohis wife, and the two shall

become one flesh." This is

a great mystery, but I speakconcerning Christ andthe church. Neverthelesslet each one oF you in

particular so love his ownwife as himsell and let thewife see that she respects herhusband.

In keeping with God's plan(Matthew 19:5-5) "For this reason aman shall leave his father and morherand be joined to his wife, and the twoshall become one flesh So then, they areno longer two but one fesh. Thereforewhat God has joined together, let notman separate." In these times, whenmany forces and agencies (as in the U.S.Supreme court) seek to undermine anddestroy the family unit, the Christiancommunity has the sacred responsibility

of guarding, protecting, and enforcingthis basic unit, which is the foundation-stone of society. In order to do this, wemust be ready to study and understandfully the social and cultural situationsin which the family finds itself. Theunchangeabieness of the message that,"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today,and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) will require

the services of all as we bear witnessthereto, for Chr isr ianiry is a movemenrinto the world and not a movement awayfrom it, as is evidenced by Christ cominginto the world.

As we Iook at the American familytoday, we see that it is beset by the everincreasing divorce rate. Marriage andremarriage rates continue to decline.Pre-marital and extramarital relationsare on the rise. The rraditional role of thefamily, i.e., husband, wife, and children,continue to decline. Instead we see peopleliving by themselves or with others withwhom they have no kinship. There is abreakdown in the family structure. Moreand more women are in the workforceand placing the home as a second prioritv.As a consequence, and at the same time,it should be noted that the birthrate inthe U.S.A. is continuaily dropping andfamilies are getting smaller as opposedto the surplus population growth in rheunderdeveloped nations of the world.

In the American scene, whether oneis married or not, there is an ever-growingtendency for the individual to maximizehis or her own personal happiness in"doing one's own thing," which is notthe Christian way. Peopie lavish moneyon material objects, pleasures, and travei,constantly in search of excitement or infulfi lling one's fantasy.

Other negative factors to be observedin the American family are the lack ofrespect for the authority of parents bytheir children, rhe failure of impartingthe basic moral and social values to theyoung, the pressures of peer groups onteen-agers, the serious considerationof abortion by some, and the generalacceptance of contraceptives as a viable

and respected way of avoiding childbirrhby those who are unmarried. Anotherfactor that has a negative impact on rhefamily are the press and television.

George F. \7ill in his article, "This

Bank Deserves to Fail," which appearedin the July 22, 1982 issue of the"\Tashington Post" observes that "The

founders of a 'sperm bank' for smarries

page 14 Winter 2006

I

want to take some surprises out of life by

planning procreation. But surprise! The

first baby born with that bank's help was

born to a mother, who like her current

husband, served a prison term for fraud

and lost custody of two children by a

previous marriage after allegations of

child abuse." The sperm bank is another

manifestation of the 'quality of life

ethic,' which is opposed to the 'sanctity

of life ethic.' The supreme Court, whichrationalized its 1973 abortion decision in

favor ofinfanticide is ofgreat, devastatingconsequence."

These symproms are an expressionof the abuse of the principle of freedom,

ignoring Godt plan for marriage andfamily, so as to serve one's selfish, well-

pleasing desires.

The American family has

experienced cultural shifts, as well asthat from a strong church-centeredfamily life to a more fragmented secularlife, that is, Iife organized apart from

God as if God did not exist, These are,

unfortunately, the signs of the time.

Having viewed the dismal status

of today's American family, let us now

go back in time - to God's plan for

marriage and the family. As we know,

God created man in His own image andlikeness out of love. He created man out

of love, because "God is love." flohn1:4-8) \X/hat unites god and mankindis love. By the same token, what unitesa man and a woman into the state of

Holy Matrimony is love. As a further

expression of God's love for mankind, in

the fullness of time, He allowed His only

begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to assume a

human nature. "God so loved the world

that he gave His only begotten Son, so

that whoever believes in Him shall not

perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)God's love was fully revealed in theIncarnation of Jesus Christ. A product

of the mutual love of both the husband

and wife is children who are a gift from

God. As such, they become the family

of God.

The Christian family being

cognizant of what it is, must fulfill

its mission in becoming what it is - a

community of love . This community of

love is that of a husband and wife, as well

as, that of parents and children. Onlywhen love is the chief characteristic of

the family can it have life, grow and

witness its "reason for being." The family

has the responsibility to protect, share,and witness this love to others. Parents

are qualified spokesmen of the Christianfamily by virtue of the Divine Grace,

which was imparted upon rhem bythe Holy Spirit when they were joined

together in the Sacrament of HolyMatrimony. As a consequence of this

Divine Grace, the celebrant evokes uponthem a blessing, "God blessed them

and God said to them, 'Be fruitful andmultiply, and fill the earth and subdueit"'. (Genesis 1:28)

The Prophetic role

of the family is

expressed by the

sharing of knowledge

of the Orthodox Faith

and witnessing it.

Again, in (Genesis 2:18), it says'And

the LORD God said, "It is not good

that man should be alone; I will make

him a helper comparable to him." These

words are repeated twice in the prayersrecited by the celebrant Bishop or Priest

in the Greek Orthodox Church duringthe Sacrament of Holv Matrimonv.

Also, noted from (Genesis 2:23) areAdam's words, "This is now bone ofmy bones and fesh of my fesh." Thisnew relationship between a man and awoman in the Judeo Christian contextrequires that it be similar to Christ forthe Church.

The love of a man for his wife as theMother of their children and love forthe children, per se, is an expression offulfilling onet fatherhood. Our socieryhas for far too long reduced his status tothat of a "bread-winner." Now, that themothers have entered the workforce, hisunique role in the family as a role modeland educator of the young musr bemanifested more viably. A father has avery important mission to fulfill and heshould not shirk this responsibility dueto social or cultural mores.

The love between a husband anda wife must be exclusive and unique,constantly growing in every way. Godthrough the celebrant Bishop or Priest

at the Sacrament of Holy Matrimonyconfers positions of great dignity upona man and a woman. The man becomesa husband-a king; the woman becomesa wife-a queen. Mutual respect andesteem for the dignity of one anothershould always be honored. Conjugalloves presupposes and requires that aman have a profound respecr for theequal dignity of his wife. St. Ambroseof the second century wrote, "You arenot her master, but her husband; shewas not given to you to be your slave,but your wife (Hexaemeron V, 7,19).Yes, and equal dignity and responsibility

of women with men. A husband iscalled upon to ensure the harmoniousand united development of all themembers of the family. In fulfillinghis responsibilities, he promotes unity,harmony and stability within the family,and the living example of a committedChristian.

Winter 2006 page 15

i . t t '

r!

CAN FIND A VIRTUOUS VIFE!

'.i,r ,,r.,.,.,,, So,,he will hove no lack of goin.

1,... :...':'rr:i:: $ie does him good ond nol evil" All the days ol her lit'e.

':,,::,.,, She seeks wool and flox,And willingly works wilh her honds.

She is like lhe merchant ships,She brings her lood t'rom at'or.

She also rises while il is yel nighl,And provides lood t'or her household,And a portion t'or her maidservonls.She considers o t'ield ond buys it;

From her prolits she plonls o vineyord.She girds herseff wilh slrenglh,

And slrenglhens her arns.She perceives lhol her nerchondise is good,

And her lomp does nol go oul by nighl.She slrelches oul her hsnds lo the dislot'f,

And her hond holds lhe spindle.She exlends her hand lo lhe poor,

Yes, she reqches oul her hands lo lhe needy.She is nol at'roid ol snow t'or her household,For all her household is clolhed wilh scarlel.

She makes lapeslry for hersef;Her clolhing is fine linen ond purple.Her husbond is known in lhe gales,

llhen he sils omong the elders of the lond.She mokes linen garmenls and sells lhem,And supplies soshes tor lhe merchonls.Slrenglh and honor ore her clolhing;

She shollrejoice in time lo cone.She opens her noulh wilh wisdom,

And on her longue is the law of kindness.She wolches over lhe woys ol her household,

And does nol eol the bread ol idleness.Her children rise up ond coll her blessed;

Her husband olso, ond he proises her:'Many daughlers have done well,

Bul you excel them oll."Chqrm is deceilt'ul ond beouly is passing,

Bul a womon who leors lhe L)RD, she sholl be praised.Give her of lhe lruit of her honds,

And lel her own works praise her in lhe qales.

As regards God's order for the wife, the biblical source

ought to be (Ephesians 5:21-24) "submitting to one anotherin the fear of God. \(/ives, submit to your own husbands,

as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also

Chrisr is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the

body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, solet the wives be to their own husbands in everything."

\)7hat do you think about the church being "subject" to

Christ -is it a good thing or a bad thing? Do you feel the

same way about a wife being "subject" to her husband?

In (Colossians 3:18), what basic areas does the ApostlePaul cite for a wife's obedience to her husband? "\7ives,

submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord."

Also, in (I Peter 3:I-4) what is a wife's best tactictoward a husband who has no interest in spiritual things?"\7ives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands,

that even if some do not obey the word, they, without aword, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when

they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Donot let your adornment be merely 6u1\M21d-2rranging thehair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-rather let it

be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible

beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in

the sight of God.

In (Proverbs 3I:10-2I) we read what rewards a faithfulwife can hope to receive.

Does the submissive role of the wife prohibit her fromholding, voicing, strong opinions? At what point should

a wife differ to the judgment of her husband? Is there

a limir to a wife's obedience to her husband? \fhat aresome probable effects on children when the husband/wife

roles are confused and reversed? \What can a wife do if herhusband will not assume leadership in the home?

God's order for children, are enumerated in (Ephesians

6:1-3) "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this isright. "Honor your father and mother," which is the first

commandment with promise: "that it may be well withyou and you may live long on the earth." \fhat specific

promise is made to the obedient child? What is the basisfor a fathert authority over his child, according to Proverbs23:22? Also, what would you say to a child who says, "\fhy

should I respect and obey my father, when he is mean,

unfair, wicked, etc.? In Proverbs 4:l-27, what basic reason

does the father give for the son to obey him? Like Jesus,

l-,r",;--_*t*,.zo*

I

children are to grow "in wisdom andin stature, and in favor with God andMan." (Luke 2:52)

At this point, I would like to quoteH.I. Marron who writes, "Christian

education of children, through whichthey learned to share in the rreasuryof the faith, to submit to a healthydiscipline in the matter of morals, wasthe parents' fundamental duty. Therewas more in this than was contained inthe Roman tradition: it was essentiallya continuation of the Jewish tradition,which emphasized the importance of thefamily in the deveiopment of religiousconsciousness. And this duty could notbe delegated; the early church would havehad sharp words to say about "Christian"

parenrs of today who think that theyhave done all that is required of themwhen they have passed their childrenover to a teacher or an institutionl

The Christian family is at the heartof the church's mission ro rhe world.Ferdinand Klostermann, regarding therole of parents wrote: "It is only becauseof the faith of its own family that achild can be baptized at all. The child'sfaith is an oflshoot of the faith of theparents, and it is their faith which is tonourish the newborn faith until it growsand reaches maturity. If the family doesnot fulfill this charge, either becausefaith is lacking or because of indolenceand laxity, then the faith of the childwill normally fail to mature into a trulypersonal faith and will remain instead inan infantile state only to be rejected lateror gradually to disappear. The religiousattitude and practice of young peopleis influenced by the family far beyondtheir early school years, far more than bycompanions or even one's work milieu."

\Testerhoof, in his book "\7ill OurChildren Have Faith?" in distinguishingreligion from faith observes that, "You

can teach about religion, but you cannorteach people faith. For many today,Christian religion as taught in ourChurch Schools stands between themand God."

Fr. Andrew Greeley found tharthe religiousness of adult behavior wasstrongest when upbringing was in afamily where the faith atmosphere wasaiive. "If our data from the pasr areany indicat ion of rhe presenr s i ruat ion,Catholic education is virtually wastedon three-fourths of those in Catholicschools because of the absence of asufficiently religious family milieu."("THE EDUCATTON OF CATHOLTCAMERICANS" 1968, page 116). Fr.Andrew Greely in his book: The NewAgenda 1975, pg. 242, states, 'An

analysis of the parochial school data bymy colleague \Tilliam McCready leavesno doubt at a l l rhar rhe mosr imporranrpredictor of religious performances ofchiidren is the religious behavior of theirparents (and particularly their fathers)and the quaiity of the relationshipbetween their mothers and fathers..."The study, "Religion and AmericanYouth." By Potvin, Hoge and Nelsonconcludes, "Nonetheiess there appearsto be no substitute for a religioushome enviornment and for religiousinsrruct ion iF adolescents are ro remaincommitted to their religious heritage."(pg.21) Michael Novak in his article onthe family which appeared in "Harper's

Magazine," likewise concludes that "The

family is a stronger agency of educationalsuccess than the school."

In retrosDect, let us looh at wltat

constituted a sood Greeh Orthodox

famil! some 25 lears ago:

1. It had both parents.

2. Both parents were GreekOrthodox.

3. There were 3 or more children.

4. Mom was ar home.

5. This was a Parish-centered familyderiving its educational, athletic,social and spiritual life from theParish.

6. There was regular churchattendance on Sundays.

7. There was fruitful attendance arthe Catechism School and GreekLanguage School.

8. There was much narenr-chi ld

contact.

9. Parents had strict control overinfluences of their children.

10. There was a slower pace of life.

I 1. The ultimate judgement of thisfamily was the religious ourcome ofthe children.

12. Family was rhe prorecr ive agencyagainst outside adversities and valuesystems which endangered thisinstitution.

Whereas, todav's Greeh Orthodox

l. It might have 2 parents.

2. In slightly more than half of todaytGreek Orthodox families both parentsare Orthodox.

3. There are fewer children.

4. Mom will work outside the homesometimes during the child-rearingyears.

5. The Catechism School continuesto have grearer attendance than theGreek Language School.

6. There are many more activiries toengage in outside the Parish.

7 . Peer pressure oftentimes replacesparents' authoriry.

8. Parenrs and children experience agrowing feeling of boredom, aparhy,and emptiness.

hmih has the folloutincharacteristics:

Winter 2006 page 17

9. There is an ever-decreasing amountof parent-child contact. Divorce,working mothers, absentee fatherhoodbecause of job demands, television andincreased activity schedules outside thehome by children severely cuts downparent-child time together. Eighthgrade boys average 15 minutes alonewith their fathers in a 2-week period.

Parents have little control over

influences on children today. Although

parents remain the primary infuence,

peer pressure takes over after the age of

12 and television remains the second

most pervasive child shaper today.

10. The ultimate judgment of today's

Greek Orthodox familv is their career

accomplishments.

However, I do not want to leave you

with the impression that the Orthodoxfamily is no longer able to utilize its

spiritual and religious resources, so as to

confront and combat the current trends

which seek to undermine and bring

about the breakdown of the family. The

Orthodox family not only has spiritual

resources at its disposal, but, must

witness and evangelize and share them

with other families, as it has been done

in the past.

The Orthodox family as every

family is God's family, for we are all

created in the image and likeness of

God. \7e are all brothers and sisters of

our heavenly Father who is God. As a

family, we are members of the Kingdom

of God, which St. Paul says in Romans

I4:I7, "for the kingdom of God is not

eating and drinking, but righteousness

and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

You cannot create this peace and joy. But

you can discover it and experience it in

your spouse, your parents, your children,

your brothers and sisters. Here we see

the priestly and kingly mission of the

Ecclesia in i rs fu l lest d ime nsion.

This oneness in love as family being

Iived, as a consequence is witnessing

both in word and deed the Orthodox

faith believed by all its members, as St.

Vincent of Lerins states "ubique, quod

semper, quod ab omnibus creditum

est" -"\fhat has been good believed

everywhere, always and by all."

\Titnessing and evangelizing one's faith

begins at home. By praying together,

by reading Holy Scriptures and the

Church Fathers together, by living the

sacramental life together, -this sharing of

these religious experiences and practicesachieves communication on all levels

within the family. The prophetic role of

the family is expressed by the sharing of

knowledge of the Orthodox Faith, and

witnessing it.

The extended family is the Parish

family by striving for unity of faith in love

and concord, as it becomes a sanctified

community. The sanctified community

becomes visible as it engages together in

a dialogue with God through prayer andlove, through Holy Communion and

living our Orthodox Faith according

to His commandments. The sanctified

community is a community of service

to God and to others as is required by

us by Jesus Christ \Who gave us the"commandment of love." The Parish

family must bear witness of its oneness-

unity truly as an Ecclesia, one body made

up of many parts. Unless people can see

that the Parish family is one body in love

with Jesus Christ, and with one another,

the Orthodox Faith will not be credible

to them as a viable life-style. Although

the Church is one, "we have many partsin the one body, and all these parts have

different functions." (Romans 12:4)

In conclusion, the basis for a viable

Orthodox family is the relationship of

one another with Jesus Christ - wherein

truly each member of the family can say,

"it is no longer I who live, but Christ livesin me." (Galatians 2:20). Ye know that

God loves families based on the biblical

account of Noah and his family (Genesis

7:1) as well as, the jailer of Phillippi whowas saved. (Acts 16:31). Small children

can enter into a spiritual experience with

Christ, for Jesus said, 'Assuredly, I say

to you, unless you are converted andbecome as little children, you will by nomeans enter the kingdom of heaven."(Matthew lB:3), and "\Thoever causes

one of these little ones who believe in

Me to sin, it would be better for him if

a millstone were hung around his neck,and he were drowned in the deoth of thesea." (Matthew 18:6).

Only if we as individuals and asfamilies commit ourselves in love to JesusChrist will we be spiritually enrichedand will be able to have a religiousimpact on our society, so that a spiritualtransfiguration, a theosis of the entireworld will come to pass wherein thenations of the world will live in peace,love and harmony. God bless you, oneand all!

His Eminence BishopJohn ofAmorion wasthe frx American born bisbop in the GreekOrthodox Archdiocese. He was ordained to thediaconate in 1955, and later became the frstBishoo of the Atlanta Diocese and serued there

for 9'mire years in that role. He has also seruedas president of the St. Photios Shrine. BishopAmorion is nou retired and liues in Atlanta,Georgia.

page 18 i Winter 2006

I

AIVD THE TRANSFIGURATIOIV OF THE WORLD

ELrznerrH TseorRrrorr

ESPITE THE BE,ST E,FFORTS OFPARENTS AND TEACHERS, there isa depressing litany of reasons why people

brought up as Christians later abandontheir faith. It is alleged, for instance, that it is primitive and

superstitious. Or, conversely, that it is too 'spiritualized'; it

devalues material creation, and so contributes directly to ourdisastrous abuse of the world around us. Or that it is drearilymoralistic, lacking the spiritual depth and power supposedlyfound in New Age sects or Eastern religions.

How does the veneration of relics fit into this oicture? \7emay think of it as something that has to b. ."pl"ined very

carefully to avoid charges of superstition. But perhaps lessobviously, relics also help us explain the Christian faith in away that explodes the other two myths as well.

When the Church oflers us relics for venerarion, it istelling us that a sliver of bone or a square of cloth associatedwith a holy person can be filled with the power of God. Thisinvites us to explore the wild and dizzying heights of ourhuman calling in Christ. And it shows that as we ascend tothese heights, we take the entire material creation with us.

The remarkable insights thar relics can provide maybe summarized under three headinss: the true nature of

Winter 2006 page 19

holiness; holiness and material creation;

the value of our bodies. On all counts'

these insights Present a dramatic

challenge to the uninspiring nursery

Christianity which too many people

grow up mistaking for the real thing.

Tne rnuE NATURE oFHOLINESS

\fhen we think of our relationshiP

with the saints, we often think of them

as examples, heroes, models for our lives.

This is not untrue, nor is it trivial' But it

does not capture the essence ofsanctity or

fully explain its importance to us. After

all, many people of other religions or

none provide us with truly inspiring and

humbling examples. They may embody

the whole range of human virtues,

including sacrificial love. To recognize

someone as holy is to affirm something

more than their fine character and deeds,

or even their depth offaith and prayer: it

is to recognize that here is a human being

become transparent to God. \7e might

not always be very aware of this when

we read or hear a saint's life. \When we

stand before his or her relics, however,

we are confronted with this reality in

the most immediate waY. Here we see

nothing of the saint's deeds or words or

teachings. \7e see only a mortal creature

like us, offesh and blood and bone: and

this 'earthen vessel' has become a vessel

of the Holy Spirit. Sanctity has no other

meaning; relics have no other rationale'

'The saints during their earthly Iives

were filled with the Holy Spirit,' writes

St John of Damascus; 'and when theY

fulfill their course, the grace of the Holy

Spirit does not depart from their souls or

their bodies in the tombs.."t

The essence of our relationship with

a person of holiness' whether living

or departed, is that we are not relating

simply to an individual, however

impressive. \7e relate through them to

the God who fills them, who lives in

them. Through the totality of their life

and death, but perhaPs most starklY

through their relics, the saints remind us

what our calling to holiness means. Our

vocation is not simply to become a'good

person,' but to become god.

HouNess AND MATERIALCREATION

St. Basil the Great strikinglY

described the human being as'an animal

commanded to become god'" This

means that deification affects the whole

of our composite nature' our'animal'or

physical aspect no less than our'spiritual'

aspect. The Holy Spirit penetrates not

only our soul but our very [qns5 - xnd,

as holy relics often remind us' may

extend outwards even to our clothing or

other properties. Trying to make sense of

this takes us deep into the implications

of our faith and practice' implications

that affect the entire cosmos.

The obvious starting Point For our

exploration is the transfiguration of

Christ, when 'His face shone like the

sun, and His garments became white

as light' (Ml I7:2)' Here we have the

same process of extension, first to the

physical body, and then beYond the

body to other physical things' The fact

that this is possible at all teaches us

something very profound about the

nature of material creation. According

to the insight of one of the Church's

greatest theologians, St. Maximus the

Confessor, the clothing resplendent with

'dazzling whiteness' reveals that the

deep structure of creation, the 'essential

principles' or logoi of everything that

exists, are fulfilled and summed up in

the Person of the \7ord (Logo$ of God

incarnate.3 This area of patristic thought

is extremely complex, but one central

point needs to be emphasized: the notion

that all created things are connected to

each other and to the power that created

them, and the belief that all things are

consequently God-friendly, are ideas

that Orthodox Christians can rightfully

claim as our own. These are no dangerous

and seductive claims dreamed uP bY

people touting New Age spiritualities.

The 'ineffable, supernatural and divine

fire' is indeed 'present in the being of

everything that exists, as in a burning

I

bush': and that fire is none other thanGod the \ford,a through whom and forwhom all things were made.

So matter has the potentiality to betransformed, filled with God. But thispotentiality is not something static; wedo not need simply to become aware ofit. Rather, we have the responsibility,as 'hybrids' of matter and spirit, tomanifest this potentialiry and bring itto fullfilment. For the transfigurarionof Christ does not only reveal Hisdivine 'glory as of the only begotten ofthe Father'; it equally reveals the gloryof the resurrection, of which we areall to be heirs. And it is precisely thiseschatological glory that the sainrs aremanifesting by anticipation when they'sanctify not only their own bodies butthe material objects round them.'5

Holy relics, be they bodies orproperties of saints, provide a powerfulexample of material creation sancrifiedthrough the human being. But we mayalso see the same process ar work in holypeople while they are alive. There arepeople in every age, our own included,who live already in a transfigured world,and the Orthodox tradition is full oftheir stories. It is important to tell andretell these stories, especially the morerecent ones which are sometimes firsthand accounts. Such accounts provide acont€xt for listening receptively to olderlives ofsaints; thus even stories that haveclearly received some embroidering willnot be dismissed out of hand as piouslegend, but recognized as containing agerm oftruth.

'Well-known are the stories of St.Seraphim of Sarov radiating the light andwarmth of the Holy Spirit as he spoketo Nicholas Motovilov, or sitting in hisforest clearing like Adam in paradise,calmly stroking a bear. But similarstories abound, for instance, concerningFr. Paisios, the renowned Athonite Elder

who died in 1994. He had an acuresense of the presence of God in all Hiscreation; he could speak of the grass asan icon, or pluck a leaf and give it toa visitor as a blessing. And there weretimes when the transparency of creationwas made manifest in his presence evento others: a disciple of his recounts howa group ofvisitors were taking their leaveof the Elder when 'everything around usbegan to emanate an exquisite fragrance.

Old Paisios immediately sensed whatwas happening and urged us to leaveimmediately...'6 A similar experience offragrance is sometimes observed nearthe grave of St. Herman of Alaska onSpruce Island - the memory of a saintis preserved in the land, where his relicsremain, in the words of a contemporaryAthonite, as'sacred composr.'7

Far from belonging to primitivesuperstition, the 'ripple effect' ofhuman holiness is considerably easier tounderstand in the light of contemporaryscientific knowledge. In the great marrerexchange which is our universe, howcould a human body suffused with Godnot have an eflect on the whole? As theFrench theologian Olivier Cl6ment putsit eloquently, '\fhat is our body but theform that our "living soul" impresses onthe universal "dust" whlch constantlypenetrates and passes through us...?'8

THe vnluE oF THE BoDy

This brings us to a conclusion thatmay be startling: our bodies play acentral role in God's work of uniting theentire cosmos in Himself. This surelythrows light on an aspecr of Christianvalues that often puzzles people today:whereas modern societies are inclined toregard treatment of our own bodies as aprivate matter ('it doesnt harm anyoneelse'), Scripture clearly shows particularabhorrence for 'sinning against our ownbody' (cf. 1 Cor. 6:18). il by divertingour body from glorifying God, we

"There are people in every

age, oLJr own tncluded,

who llve already rn a

transfigured world, and

the Orthodox tradltron rs

full of their stories,"

Winter 2006 ]

eaSe 2 t

I

PRAX],

deprive the entire universe of the first

fruits of its transfiguration, then the

abhorrence surely makes perfect sense.

Valuing the body means very

different things in the Church and

in secular society. To the Christian

understanding, fitness clubs, cosmetics,

fashion, etc. are essentially a distraction

- not because it is somehow more pious

to be ugly, dowdy and out of shape, but

because all these forms of attention to

the body are powerless against death.

That is what we mean by saying of a saint

such as Mary of Egypt that she 'despised

the fesh, because it passes away.' If Mary

abandoned the beauty treatments of her

misspent youth, it was because she had

discovered a form of exercise infinitely

more lasting in its effects - the exercise,

ascesis, of the Church's tradition, which

prepares the body for resurrection. This

is the test of the way we use our bodies,

in everything from sexual behavior to

nose studs: are we preparing ourselves,

body and soul, for resurrection? Cive

the body toning, tanning, cosmetics or

health foods, and the body is still for the

worms. But 'give the body discipline,' as

one of the Desert Mothers teaches, 'and

you will see that the body is for Him

who made it.'e It is His chosen workshop

for the transfiguration of the world.

'Reverence for relics is not the fruit

of ignorance and superstition, but springs

from a highly developed theology of

the body.'1o And this 'theology of the

body' provides us with an invaluable

catechetical tool. It enables us to present

the demands of the Christian way of life

in a fresh and liberatin g way. It explains

our calling to holiness as an adventure of

body, soul and mind into the luminous

unknown of divine life. And it allows us

to articulate and communicate a truly

Christian vision of material creation

as integrally interconnected, all of it

destined for glory through the mediation

of man.

Elizabeth Theobritoff holds a doctorate inliturgical theologyfrom Oxford, and has taughrat Hofu Cross Greeb Orthodox School ofTheologyas well as the Institute for Orthodox ChristianStudies in Cambridge. An independent scholarand freelance translator of theo logical writings,

she is the author of numerous articles.

(Notes)1 . Johr of Damasctts, First Apologt, 1,9;tr. David Andejrson, On the Divine Images(Crestwood: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press,1980), p.27 .2. Gregory the Theologian, Panegyric on St.Basil, 48.3. Cf. Archim. Aimilianos, "The Experience ofthe Transliguration in the Life of the AthoniteMonk", in Fr. Alexander Gohtzin, The liNingWitness of the Holy Mountain ( South Canaan:St Tikhon's Press,1996) p. 200, drawing onMaxim:ls, Ambigua 28, Patrologia Graeca 9l:1128B-D..4. St. Maximus, Ambigua, PG 91; 1148D.5. Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia, 'The

Transfiguration of the Body' in A.M. Allchin,ed., Sacrament and Image; Essays in theC hris tian under s tanding of man (London;

Fellowship of St Alban and St. Sergius, 1 987),p. 34, n.40.6. Kyriacos Markides, The Mountain ofSl/ence(New York; Doubleday, 2002), p.88.

7. Cf. Archimandrite Vasileios of Iviron, Kalos

kai Hesychia stin Ageiroritiki Politeia (Iviron

Vonastery. lqqg). P. 81.8. O. Clement, "L'homme dans le monde",Verbum Caro XII ;45 (1958), pp. 11-12.9. Benedicta Ward, tr., The Sal,ings of theDesert Fathers; The alphabetical collection(London;Mowbrays, 1975), pp.71-2 (Theodora,

4).10. Bishop Kallistos of Drokleia, ibid.

page zz I Winter 2006

rHE VEIVERATIOIV

Rrv. Dn. DuvrrRu MRcnrn

"Do you not know that your body is thetemple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,uhom you hauefrom God, and you are notyour own?" (I Cor.6:19)

N ONE OF HISMASTERPIECES, O RTHO D OXDOGMATIC THEOLOGY\ Fr.Dumitru Staniloae, considered by

many scholars one of the greatest modern

Orthodox Christian theologians, points

out that while the Church venerates

the relics of the saints, at the same time

She honors the saints, with whom her

militanr members are in communion.

The very fact that the bodies ofthe saints

are kept in a state ofincorruptibility is a

foretaste, an anticipation of their future

incorruptibility after resurrection and

after their full theosis, deification. "But

we all," writes St. Paul to the Corinthians,"with unveiled face, beholding as in a

mirror the glory of the Lord, are being

transformed into the same image from

glory to glory, just as by the Spirit ofthe

Lord" (II Cor.3:18).

The bodies of the saints remain

incorruptible because the divine power

that dwelt in them when they were

united with the soul still dwells in them.

l - - la l t t ra l i r -< Aro A r la=rt tvtJ t u/ ,uJ q/ v u LICOI

anticlpatron of the

tra nsfig u red body after

u n ive rsa I res u rrect I o n.

Winter 2006 page 23

PMXI,

Moreover, stresses Fr. Staniloae, in theholy relics, the state of accentuated

deification of their souls that was reachedin this life, is prolonged after their falling

asleep in Christ. This is so, because the

divine grace that dwelt in the saint's soul

and sanctified it, doesn't forsake the bodyafter death; it remains in the body and

sanctifies it through incorruptibility to

consummate deification. Holy relics are

a clear anticipation of the transfigured

body after universal resurrection.

Here is how St. Paul theologizes

about universal resurrection: "So also is

the resurrection of the dead. The bodyis sown in corruption, it is raised in

incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it

is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness,

it is raised in power. It is sown a natural

body, it is raised a spiritual body. Thereis a natural body, and there is a spiritual

body...For this corruptible must put

on incorruption, and this mortal must

put on immortality" (I Cor.15:42-44;

53). Notice that, in his unique way,

St. Paul realizes a contrast between thenatural body, (Greek ocrrpc Quolrov),and the spiritual body, (Greek orrrtrrc

nvsupcfirKov). Natural body is the

present body, and the spiritual body is

the deified body.

Fr. Staniloae goes on to say that

the bones of the saints, by remaining

incorruptible, show us that their

personal souls and the grace of the Holy

Spirit remain in a special connection

with their bodies. That is why, while

giving veneration to the holy relics and

praying before them, we do not address

the relics, we address the saint. Ourveneration is passed over to the person,something similar to the veneration of

the holy icons.

Bishop Kallistos \Vare, in his

6ook Tbe Orthodox Cburch, quotes St.

Maximos the Confessor who said that

the saints "are those who express the

Holy tinity in themselves." He writes

that deifcatizn, t/tezsis, as an organic and

personal union between God and man,

is a constant theme in St. John's Gospel,

in St. Paul's Epistles, and more so in St.Peter's well known verse from his second

universal Epistle: "By which have been

given to us exceedingly great and preciouspromises, that through these you may be

partakers of the divine nature, having

escaped the corruption" (II Peterl:4). St.

John Damascene, a.k.a. the theologian

of the holy icons, emphasizes that when

the Holy Scripture speaks abov God,it doesn't speak about divine nature or

essence, because that is unknowable.The word God refers to the uncreated

divine energies, i.e., the grace of God

that we can perceive in this world, and

is "channeled" particularly through theholy Mysteries in the life of the Church.To quote St. Athanasios' very terse andfamiliar phrase "we become by gracewhat God is by nature." Deification takes

place when Godk grace interpenetrates

our humanity.

Our love of God

is made manifest

through our love of

neighbor.

Writes Bishop Kallistos \7are:"Deification is something that involves

the body. Since man is a unity of bodyand soul, and since the Incarnate Christhas saved and redeemed the whole man,

it follows that man's body is deified at

the same time as his soul...The bodies of

the saints will be outwardly transfigured

by divine light, as Christ's body wastransfigured on Mount Tabor" (7ht

Orthodox Church, pp. 237-23$. It isbecause ofthe transfiguration ofthe bodytogether with the soul that the OrthodoxChristians venerate the relics of the

saints. Christ took on a human body toredeem nzt onb our fallen humanity, butthe whole creation, to realize a cosmicredemption. "\7hat is of the earthremains earthly, and when fire consumesmatter, it returns to the dust from whichit came. But the divine fire neither

destroys nor annihilates. The miracle

of the burning bush is perpetuated ineternity. The fire will kindle the wholeworld. The entire creation will some daybe permeated by divine rays" (7he Liuing

God, p.9l).

That Christ took on a human fleshto redeem not only our fallen humanity,but the whole creation, is crystal clearfrom St. Paul's words: "because thecreation itself also will be deliveredfrom the bondage ofcorruption into the

glorious liberty of the children of God.For we know that the whole creationgroans and labors with birth pangs untilnow" (Rom.8:2I-22).

Further or, Bishop Kallistosmakes six excellent points; these pointsmay help those who have a hard timeunderstanding the notion of deificationof the body and the cosmic redemptionfrom an Orthodox point of view. Hestresses, first, that theosis is intendedas the ultimate goal for every humanbeing, for every true Christian. tue,we shall be completely deified at theLast Day, but the process of deificationbegins now. It begins at Baptism whenone receives the new nature from Christ.From the very moment of Baptism, soIong as one struggles to love God andobey His commandments, no matterhow weak one may be, to some degreehe is deified.

page24 Winter 2006

Secondly, even if one is being

deified, it does not make him immune

ro sin. Deifcation presupposes continuous

rePentance. No matter how deified a

saint may be, he never loses sight of

his sinfulness: "Therefore let him who

thinks he stands take heed lest he fall"( l Cor. l0: I2) . "No one can srop sinning

simply by deciding that he will no longer

do so. Even if a man became 'perfect'

through his own efforts, he would risk

being very far from God and complacent

in his virtue. Proud of his conque st - of

his victory over his body, over human

nature - he would fall into the sin of

pride. Only love and a heart open to

God, to His grace and to that uncreated

Light which He gives to us can make us

like God" (The Liuing God, p, 89).

St. Sisoes the Great, a great man of

unceasing prayer, who is commemorated

on July 6, begged the angels who came

to take his soul to allow him one more

hour to pray; he did this because he was

not certain that he repented enough.

He understood that the road to final

transfiguration is called, "repentance".

That is why either from the pulpit or

in some of my previous articles many a

time I identified this holy Mystery with

the very "seal" of our salvation. \(/oe

unro rhose who expunged it from their"Christian" life! I have in mind not only

those who do not have this holy Mystery

in their "Christian" denomination,

but those who are nominal Orthodox

Christians, also!

Thlrdly, Bishop Kallistos \Vare

points out that, there is no secret about

what one must do in order to be deified.

The man who approached Christ with

the question: "Good Teacher, what shall

I do that I may inherit eternal life?"

received the answer: "You know the

commandments..." Yet, this proved not

to be enough, because Christ admonished

him: "One thing you lack: Go your

way, sell whatever you have and give to

the poor, and you will have treasure in

heavenl and come, take up the cross, and

follow Me" (Mark10:17,19,21). So, keep

the commandments, and practice yourfaith, do whatever your faith exhorts you

to do. In other words, be a troe, not anominal Orthodox Christian!

Fourthly, in order for one to bedei f ied, one has ro l ive in a community.

Our love of God is made manifest

through our love of neighbor. St. Johnthe Theologian makes this point plainly,straightforwardly: "If someone says,'I love God,' and hates his brother, heis a liar; for he who does not love his

brother whom he has seen, how can helove God whom he has not seen?" (I

John4:20). "Man, made in the image of

the tinity, can only realize the divinelikeness if he lives a common life suchas the Blessed Trinity lives: as the ThreePersons of the Godhead 'dwell' in one

another, so a man must 'dwell' in his

fellow men, living not for himself alone,but in and for others," writes on Bishop

Kallistos (The Ortbodox Churcb, p.24I).Theologian Thomas Hopko is known

Winter 2006 page 25

I

PMXI

+I

lf someontr qa\,/q ' ' l loveJVJ J,

God," and hates his brother

he is a llar: for he who does

not love his brother whom

he has seen, how can he

love God whom he has not

seen?

to have coined the phrase that the onlyplace one may go alone is called hell. Inloving onet neighbor with a Christlylove, is the safest way for one to attaindeification.

Fifthly, love of God and love ofneighbor must be practical. True,deification implies deep mysticalexperience, but it must be followed byactions to make it "flourish." It was out oftheir mystical experience that the greatesrsaints of the Orthodox calendar did notavoid the sick, the underprivileged andthe poor of this world. It is an historicalfact that even the great hermits used tocome back to the cities at least once ayear to make their mystical experience inthe heart of the wilderness fourish. Lastbut not least, deification presupposes lifein the Church. It means that one availsoneself of the holy Mysteries, as divinelyestablished channels by which the graceof God is poured into our souls. Christpurchased the Church with His ownblood to offer us the means by whichwe may be sanctified to attain to divinelikeness, deification.

The most irrefurable biblicalfoundation for the veneration of the holyrelics is found in the Old Testamenr.After Elisha, Elias' disciple, died, "It

came to pass, as theywere burying a man,that, behold, they spied a band of men;and they cast the man into the sepulcherof Elisha: and when the man was letdown, and touched the bones of Elisha,he revived and stood up on his feet" (II

Kingsl4:21). In the New Testamenr weread that, "believers were increasinglyadded to the Lord...so that they broughrthe sick out inro the streets and laidthem on beds and couches, that at leastthe shadow of Peter passing by might fallon some of them" (Acts5:15). Also, "God

worked unusual miracles by the handsof Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or

aprons were brought from his body tothe sick, and the diseases left them andthe evil spirits went out of them" (Acts

19tll-12).

So, the Orthodox Church, based onHoly Scripture and Sacred tadition, hasgiven due veneration to the holy relics.She collected and preserved the remainsof the saints as far back as the secondcentury. One early Church eyewirnessgives a vivid testimony while describingthe martyrly death of St. Ignatius theGod-Bearer, Bishop of Antioch (+115),

in Rome: "Of what remained from hisbody (he was torn to pieces by beasts inthe circus), only the firmest parts weretaken away to Antioch and placed ina Iinen as an invaluable treasure of thegrace that dwelt in the martyr, a treasureleft to the holy Church." AIso, after St.Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (+1!6), hasbeen burned to death by the Romanproconsul, his followers "gathered hisbones as a treasure more precious thanprecious stones and purer than gold, andplaced them...for the celebration of theday of his martyrly birth, and for theinstruction and confirmation of futureChristians."

Moreover, the Church has shownhonor to holy relics by solemnly uncoveringand translating them, by buildingchurches over them, by establishing feastsin memory of their uncovering andtranslation, in adorning their tombs andencouraging pilgrimages to them, andmost importantly, in the constant ruleof the Church to place holy relics at thededication of altars, as well as to placethem in the holy antimension which isindispensable for the celebration of theDivine Liturgy.

The holy Fathers of the "one, holy,catholic, and apostolic Church" havetestified before their focks ofthe miracles

page 26 Winter 2006

occurring from the holy relics, and many

times they have called their faithful to

be witnesses of the truth of their words.

\7e mention among them some of the

most prominent saints: St. Gregory theTheologian, St. Ephraim the Syrian, St.

John Chrysostom, St. Ambrose, Blessed

Augustine.

\7e have to mention) also, that, the

holy relics, (Greek rcl l"tniJCIvo; Latin

reliquiae, meaning "what is left"), arevenerated even iF rhey are nor incorrupr.

out of respect for the saintly life or the

martyrly death of the saint. In fact, thelocal Synod of Moscow of 1667, amongsome other synods, has forbidden therecognition of the reposed as saints

solely by the sign of the incorruption of

their bodies. This does not mean that

the incorruption of the saints' bodiesis no longer unanimously seen as one

of the divine signs of their sanctity.

The veneration may become more

accentuated when there are evident signs

ofhealing by prayer to the saints for their

intercession with Cod.

I cannot conclude without mentioning

the idea advanced by Fr. Michael

Pomazansky, with which I am fully in

agre€ment. In his book Ortbodox Dogmatic

Tbeology, in one of the footnotes he writes

that, "One may say that the incorruption

ofa dead body is no gudtutntee ofsanctity:

examples can be given of Oriental swamis

whose bodies were incorrupt long after

death (whether by some natural means

related to their ascetic life, or by a demonic

counterfeit); and of some great Orthodox

saints (for example, St. Seraphim of Sarov,

St. Herman of Alaska) there remain

only bones. The relics of St. Nectarios

of Pentapolis (+1920) were incorrupt for

several years, and then quickly decayed,

Ieaving only fragrant bones" (pp. 326-1)7\

"Do you not know that your body

is the temple of the Holy Spirit who

is in you, whom you have from God,and you are not your own?" asks St.Paul (I Cor.6:79; see also II Cor.6:16).

He wants his Corinthian disciples tounderstand that every individual whosenature was renewed by Christ through

the bath of Baptism is a dwelling place

of the Holy Spirit. Shortly after Baptism,

the newly illumined receives his/her

personal Pentecost, the holy Mystery of

Chrismation. The saints succeeded in

perpetuating the Church's Pentecost, and

their incorrupt relics are living witness of

the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is with

deep theoiogical meaning that our bi-

millenary Orthodox Church celebrates

all of the known saints, but especially

those who are known only by God, on

the first Sunday after Pentecost, a. k. a.

Sunday of All Saints. They attained to

God's likeness by allowing God to reign

on the only place where God cannot"reign without our consent," on the

throne their own heart. They became by

grace what God is by nature, the only

goal set to every human being though

Christ's Incarnation, the only goal of atrue follower of Chrisr.

Reu, Dr, Dumitru Macaila is the pastorof SS. Constantine Cy Helen Greek Orthodox

Church in Swansea, Illinou.

* Romanian title of Fr. Staniloae's

book is Teologia Dogmatica Ortodoxa, and

was published in three volumes In \978

at Bucharest, Romania. First volume was

already translated into English, in two

volumes, with the title The Experience of

God. For the introductory paragraphs I used

volume 3 of the book printed in Romanian

language, pp.349-350.

(BTBLTOGRAPHY). Pr. Prof. Dr. Dumitru Staniloae,Teologia Dogmatica Ortodoxa, vol. 3,Editura Institutului Biblic si de Misiune ofBisericii Ortodoxe Romane, 1978.

o Timothy Ware, 7he Orthodox Church,Penguin Books, 1991.

. 7he Liuing God, A Catechism for theChristian Faith, tanslated from the Frenchby Olga Dunlop, St. Vladimir's SeminaryPress, 1989.

I Father Michael Pomazansky, OrthodoxDogmatic Theology, translated and edited byHieromonk Seraphim Rose, Saint Hermanof Alaska Brotherhood, 1994.

Winter 2006 page27

buNa ILDKAI

"For euery ran/e of person, and euery degree of drauing near to God,

ltas its oun Praler and its oran rules."

St. Theophan the Recluse

JeNNv Hnoono Mosnrn

'

ET US TAKE SERIOUSLY THE ECONOMY OF

I CHILDHOOD. Let us wrestle with the truth that

I afrildhood, Iike adulthood, has its own pruyer and its

l/":" rules. ,There

are intensely p."cti."i theologicalreasons ro do this - the mystery of children is, according to our

Savior, the mystery of salvation itself: "Unless you turn and

become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom

of heaven," (Matthew 18:3).

Here we will focus on young children, infants through six.This age range is often particularly mystifying or frustrating

ro adults because the child is pre-rational and, for much of

the period, pre-verbal. Many parents wonder, given these

developmental limitations and the seeming inability of most

chiidren in this age group to be still, whether the young child

is capable of prayer. Prayer, in an adult Orthodox context,

can seem all about stillness and order. Similarly, the value of

church attendance or of pursuing religious education with this

age group is sometimes seriously questioned. Consequently,

some parents choose to leave their young children at home.

Some parishioners, annoyed by the noise children inevitably

introduce into a service, wish all parents would follow suit.

*-t ll"'",*

Many church school programs refect this ambivalence by

either not having organized classes available for this age group,

or having programs that amount to glorified baby-sitting.

\7e should not be surprised by this confusion - not too

long ago, the same was believed about seculal sdu6x1l6n -

young children were assumed incapable of learning anything

worthwhile during the first years of their life. Now the benefits

of early stimulation for infants and preschool educational

opportunities (formal or otherwise) are well documented and

widely encouraged for the long-term academic and psycho-

social positive development of children. Religious educators

are following suit and thinking seriously about how children's

spiritual lives might be substantively nurtured.

Perhaps some of the best work in this area has been done

by Sophia Cavelletti and her "disciples" in the creation of the

Monressori-inspired Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. In

Cavelletti's foundational work, The Religious Potential of the

Child, we find these thoughts about the spiritual life of the

child:

In a document published by the Italian Episcopal

Conference, it is stated: "The religious world of the

child presents itself with a physiognomy all its own";

and G. Milanesi writes: "The religion of the child is

specific; it cannot be evaluated in comparison with the

religion of an adult." The world of the child's religion

is a different world from that of the adult.

And thus Cavalletti and her sources echo St. Theophan in

affirming the existence of an economy of childhood and the

wisdom of the Orthodox tradition about the nature of prayer.

What is an Orthodox understanding of genuine prayer and

how might we encourage its authentic expression in a young

child?

-What then is prayer? Prayer is the raising of the mind

and heart to God in praise and thanksgiving to Him

and in supplication for the good things that we need,

both spiritual and physical. The essence of prayer is

therefore the spiritual lifting of the heart towards

God. The mind in the heart stands consciously before

the face of God, filled with due reverence, and begins

to pour itself out before Him. This is spiritual prayer,

and all prayer should be ofthis nature. External prayer,

whether at home or in church, is only prayer's verbal

expression and shape; the essence or the soul of prayer

is within a man's mind and heart. All our Church

order of prayer, all prayers composed for home use,

are filled with spiritual turning to God. Anyone who

prays with even the least part of attention cannot avoid

this spiritual turning to God, unless he is completelyinattentive to what he is doine.

Honesty compels us to discern at least one important truth

from St. Dmitri's description of prayer - true, or spiritual

prayer can never be created, caused or coerced in another

person. For who can lift or turn the heart of another towards

God? How can we create "the soul of prayer" in another

person when it is a constant battle to create it within ourselves?'W'e cannot compel a child to pray. \7e can require words or

stance or minutes spent in silence, but none of these will result

necessarily in "inner spiritual prayer," without which "there is

no prayer at all, for this alone is real prayer, pleasing to God."

So, Iet us lay aside any thoughts of compelling children to

pray. In addition to the dubious ethics of such an arrempt, thefutility of it should be clear. How then do we encourage true

prayer in children? I believe that the same passage from St.Dmitri gives us hope that such encouragement is possible, andthat that possibility begins in the nature of children themselves

and in the nature of God.

In his description of prayer as "the raising of the mind

and heart to God in praise and thanksgiving to Him and in

supplication for the good things that we need, both spiritualand physical," St. Dmitri, interestingly enough, is describing anorientation very similar to the natural orientation of children.From the earliest days of its life, it is the all-consuming drive

of any healthy human being to communicate. It is the specific

drive of the child to seek out its earthly parents in exactly theway St. Dmitri describes. From the very start, a child searchesfor the face and voice, the person of the parent, in need andappreciation of physical, emotional and spiritual sustenance.It is increasingly clear from child development research that,

stereotypes about babies only eating and sleeping aside, the

meeting of physical needs is actually not the prime motivation

of a child's communication:

It is interesting to consider that all the effort thenewborn and proverbial child spend in trying tocommunicate with the environment is not only for

asking for food or physical care. Of course, these

are necessary and provide basic welfare, but they arenever the major concern of a child at any age. All the

Winter 2006 page 29

efforts to communicate are aimed

at producing an emotional andcognitive response from the

environment.

In other words, all efforts to

communicate are at temDts to convenerelat ionships.

So the mechanisms for the attention and crying out to

another person, for seeking relationship, the mechanisms for

prayer, are hard-wired into the human child. Children will

communicate and form relationships when given the chance.All that remains is to introduce the child to the person with

whom we wish them to communicate and form a relationship- Cod - and, to the best of our ability, to create the conditions

under which attachment and love are fostered.

Introducing a child to the person of God is a process thatfollows many of the same rules as introducing a child to anyother person. The first and primary rule is presence. \7e cannever attach to or love that which we never meet. It is thefaith of the Church that the presence of God is found most

assuredly in the Eucharist, but also hopefully in the wider

context of the Divine Liturgy and the Body of Christ, the local

congregation.

Therefore it seems reasonable that the central element ofa child's spiritual nurture, from the very starr, will be to takechildren to church and to the chalice often. This seems the

simplest of advice, but it is often ignored. It is not always easy tohave young children in church. \X/hile it is obvious from the waythey "play" church after the service is over that children absorbmuch more (proportional to their level of comprehension) thanthe average adult does in the same amount of time, they oftendo so with all the sound and movement that accompanies theirother activities. Many parents, embarrassed by the display andunsure of what children could possibly be "getting out of it,"

are tempted to leave their child at home instead of perseveringthrough the challenge of keeping both their child and thecongregation h"ppy.

And herein an ugly reality rears its head: encouragingchildren to pray truly is not the priority of most adults in

any given congregation. I witnessed a stellar example of thistruth at the 13th All-American Council in Orlando, FL. Ata "lunchbag discussion" about children in Church, it quickly

became clear that there were rwokinds of people in attendance. Therewere parents, sincerely asking "how

can I help my child become a betterOrthodox Christian?" and there were

the others, seeking ways to ensurethat children did not disrupt churchservices. The force of argument and,honestly, vitriol used by the second

group meant that most of the first group left with theirquestion redefined, Regardless of what they had come inrothe discussion thinking, they had been told in no uncertainterms that their actual task and responsibility as parenrs wasto figure out what their children needed ro stay quiet, still andundistracting to adults in Church.

Now, there seems to almost be a logic to this madness:most pious Orthodox adults are, in the context of a service,quiet, still and undistracting ro the other adults in Church(though every congregation has its infamous exceprions). But,one's stance in church says nothing about the condition ofone's prayer and whether or not it is genuine or acceptable toGod. And then we have that unforrunare fact of Orthodox lifehere in America, that very few Orthodox children grow intopious Orthodox adults. And most possible explanations forwhy they leave the church can be condensed into a single one:they never fell in love and into a relationship with God there.Prayer never grew for them past its external manifestations,never took root as an inner reality, never bore substantive fruit.For the most part, it would seem rhar the form of spiritualdirection in prayer that most parishes have been providingchildren in America, consisting largely of forced conformationto adult behaviors, has not worked. Cavalletti has importantinsight into this phenomenon:

If we want to help children's prayer we should firstof all become aware of how they pray. The diversitybetween the religious life of adult and child, which wehave already mentioned forbids us to impose our ownprayer guidelines on children. \X/e risk leading themalong a path that is not theirs. \We risk extinguishingthe spontaneous expression of their relationship withGod and give rise to the idea that when we pray we saycertain fixed things, without necessarily adhering tothem within ourselves. tVe could separate prayer fromlife in children.

page 30 Winter 2006

I

The perfect is often the enemy of the good. In spite ofrvhat

it may do to the overall level of decorum of our liturgies, the

truth is this - if we want our children to know and love God,

we must take them to Him. Surely, to do this is simply being

faithful to the command of Christ: "Let the children come

unto me, and do not hinder them" (Matthew 19:14). And the

one place (though not the only place) where we know we will

find him is in the Divine Liturey.

And when we do find Him, His presence is compelling.

\7e must trust that it will also be so for our children. Again, St.

Demitri speaks, echoing countless others in the tradition:

All our Church order of prayer, all prayers composed for

home use, are filled with spiritual turning to God. Anyone

who prays with even the least part of attention cannot

avoid this spirituai turning to God, unless he is completely

inattentive to what he is doins.

God inhabits the prayers of His people and draws us to

Himself through them. If we resist His overtures, it is most

often because we are not truly present to them, instead

distracted by earthly cares. Here is an area in which the average

child has a clear advantage over the average adult. A child's

life is not as complicated as an adult's, their mental landscape

less cluttered. For instance, children rareiy spend the Divine

Liturgy wringing their hands over their parents' behaviorl

Cavalletti wisely observes:

The adult no longer has that open and peaceful

relationship with God which is natural to the child;

for the adult, the religious life is sometimes strain

and struggle. For the adult the immediate reality at

all times acts as a screen to the transcendent reality

that seems to be so apparent to the child. And above

ail, the adult has lost in his relationship with God

the essentiality that is one of the most characteristic

aspects of the religious personality of the child. The

younger the child the more capable he is of receiving

great things, and the child is satisfied only with the

great and essential things. The child's interior life is

deeply serious and without trappings.

The skeptic who has never been witness to the gleam of "the

great and essential things" in a child may accuse Cavelletti of

descent into the fantastical. In what ways do adults document

their interactions with the living God? Do we (or if we do,

should we) expect certain kinds of emotional responses,

levels of mental comprehension, spiritual feelings and sensesfrom adults in our parishes? Do we require that an adult "prove"

to us that these things are happening in their lives in order forthem to be accepted as a valued part of the church family? Ofcourse not. Neither should we expect such things of children.The mysteries of relationship with God are just that, mysteries.\With the expansion of vocabulary does not necessarily comeimproved relationship with God. Communication can occurwithout any vocabulary at all.

Communication, in the wider sense of the word, isestablishing a relationship. Human beings are alwaysable to communicate with their environment and withthemselves. [. . . .] Communication should be viewedas a quality of life that is present at any level and thatmakes life possible. To communicate is to live!

This is the starting place - bringing our children intothe presence of God and trusting that He will reveal himselfto them in a way discernable to them and that they have abuilt-in capacity to receive, communicate and commune with

Winter 2006 page 3 |

PRAXI,

him. In addition, there are other kinds of spiritual ,,input', or

"direction" that a parent can give a child that will give themthe tools to respond to the presence of God with true inner

Prayer.

Training, then, must also be twofold, outer and inner:outer in reading books, inner in thoughts of God; outerin love of wisdom, inner in love of God; outer in words,inner in prayer; outer in keenness of intellect, inner inwarmth of spirit; outer in technique, inner in vision.

Again, let us acknowledge that all the inner aspects ofspiritual training listed here, a parent has no control over,excepr as they may occur because a child is brought by theparenr into church. God is the giver of these graces, the childhas sole control over their expression (or non-expression). Butso-called "ourer" training affords several opportunities for aconscientious parenr, godparent or church school teacher, andwe shall examine each one in turn, though not in St. Dmitri,soriginal order.

Training "in words" is the supplying of the child'simagination and consciousness with the words and imagesof prayer available in the Tradition. To rerurn to St. Dmitritdefinitions, the words of specific prayers allow children to givetheir inner prayer, the encounter and relationship they willhave if brought into Godt presence, "verbal expression andshape." Adults can help children find these words in a numberof places. There are the actual experiences and words of liturgyof course. \7e are often amazed at how much of a serviceeven a toddler can recire once a procession begins around theplayground. This complex outpouring of external prayer thatknows nor the bounds of rationality and is quintessentially"6yzantine" - this is what children absorb while held in church,during those times we think they are either "zoning out,, or"goofing off." The intensity and duration of ir can sometimesbe astounding - rhe toddler who cannot sit still for twominutes can somerimes spend upwards of two hours in hisicon corner, dressed in a Christmas rree skirt robe, intercedingfor the world. Often, once a rhythm is begun, the chlldrenwill begin to "ad-lib," creating their own prayers from a mixof "church words" and their own. Cavelletti's observationsconfirm this:

It is a fact that children have an extraordinary capackyfor prayer, as regards duration as well as spontaneityand dignity of expression. Theirs is a prayer of praiseand thanksgiving, which expresses the nearness andtranscendence of God at the same rime.

\fhile rhe "shape" of their pnyer at this time isnot particularly understandable to us, if the inner Draverit contains is real, God surely honors it. \7e, amused, ."ti i,"playing church." I suspect that adults play church more oftenthan young children do.

There are also the words we give children in compellingbooks, movies or music about the faith - all of which, in thismulti-media day and age, fall into the caregory of

,,training in

reading books." Here in the modern \(/estern world, with ourover-abundance of media for children, a reliance on popularmedia as a source of spiritual input and food for prayer is apossibility for children as well. In fact, I would argue thar itis a necessity. In twenty-first century America, our childrenare incessantly exposed ro popular media on every subjectimaginable. Unless their faith receives ar leasr equal .,air

time,,in midst of this btzz, it will become quickly marginalized intheir lives as something uninteresting, unchallenging and notworth spending resources on.

Of course, if the aim is to feed the spirit of the child so as tofoster prayer, the quality and content oia book or video shouldbe excellent - and it does not take much time in the averase"Christian bookstore" to realize that providing a child wiih"religious" resources that present the Tradition with integrityis a challenge. But it is a challenge worth meering. From allthe hundreds of books published for children every year, toeven glean an annual handful that will give a child words andimages and narratives that will help give shape to their innerprayer is invaluable. The source may nor be conventionally"Orthodox" but be perfectly capable of encouraging Orthodoxprayer in an Orthodox child. I know a child who, when he wasfeeling emphatic in a time of "play" prayer, would often segueinto dramatic snatches of Mendelssohn's Elijah oratorio: ,As

God the Lord of Israel liveth, before whom I standl,' \7hatelse could have supplied him with a better "shape" for what hisspirit was trying to express at that moment?

Similarly, it is a challenge to explain and condense thefaith for children in the formal educational context. But it isa challenge worth tackling. Judgement Day will surely revealthat the minds of mediocre Christians are filled with mushfed to them by Sunday School reachers, because the truthwas deemed either to hard to explain or to understand. Or,worst of all, rhe "rruth" was nor actually believed. Let this notbe our fatel Taking seriously the task of conveying the faithto children in integrity and completeness is a humbling butabsolutely essenrial ministry. The possibilities for ,.*"od

"r.great, for both the child and the teacher, as Cavalletti notes:

I

\7e cannot deny that it is precisely the greatest realities

that we neglect to give the child; we hardly touch on

them, taking them for granted. However, we should

ask ourselves if it is actually superfuous to announce

that God is unfailing love, that Christ is truly risen.

To what degree are we ourselves convinced of these

realities? Moreover, there is the conviction, often

unexpressed verbally, that the child is not capable of

receiving such great realities. I believe the truth to be

otherwise: It is we who have not managed to transmit

these realities to children with that essentiality which

is necessary, and the assumed incapacity of the child

becomes an excuse to cover our ignorance and to

exempt us from further and deeper research. It is

easier and less demanding for us to speak to the child

about a guardian angel than of Christ, \Who died and

is risen. Theology, in the serious sense of the word, is

not knowledge for the elite.

The fruit of true theology, quite simply, is knowiedge of

God and thus an invitation to love and, thereby, fodder for

prayer. The better children know God, the more they can

love Him. We must be willing as teachers to let the sources

of the tadition, our theology, "simmer" within us until

their "essentialities," as Cavalletti calls them, become clear,that we might pass them on. There is no worthy substitutefor this process! Too often the writers of curriculum rely ondevelopmental formulas in presenting material and therebysuck the life out of it.

One curriculum for preschoolers, has an entire lessonabout how receiving the Eucharist makes us happy. Neverat any point is a child told the simple yer awesome, life-sustaining truth that in the Eucharist, Jesus feeds us. \With allthe elemental power and relevance such an image can have fora child, why would you ever pass it by for an abstraction thateven the youngest child, having been glared at for talking inthe communion line, knows is not always true? \Which of these"interpretations" would inspire an adult to a closer relationshipwith Christ? Let us not settle for handing out some pop-psychology version of the Gospel, but instead seek out thattruth that inspires true prayer. Surely we will reap for ourselvesat least as much as we wili sow for our children's sake. \fhenwe do this for children we model for them the next two aids toprayer, "love of wisdom" and "keenness of intellect."

"Love of wisdom" is an orientation of life expounded uponin the Scriptures at great length. It is the quest for God and his

good, expressly at the expense ofall the other gods and goodswe might be tempted to spend our lives pursuing. It is, as with

Job, the acceptance of God's will and fear and love of Himabove all else. Its mode of transmission to our children can be,once again, through stories, or a child's collection of proverbs,but the most effective method will be through our modeling ofit in our lives. \fhen our children see us making choices thatreveal the priority of the Church and our faith in our lives, itwill make an impression.

The young child is, spiritually, in the developmental stagegenerally called "belief." Using the most scientific kind ofimpartial observation, he is building a picture of the world andhow it works, and somewhere into that picture he will insertGod and the Church. Exactly where he places it will dependon where he sees it on the map of our lives. If he sees adultsdriven by love of Holy \Wisdom, he will label this behavior"normative" and this love, this relationship, this kind of prayerwill become, at the very foundation of his being, the standardfor an adult.

taining "in keenness of intellect" is the drawing of thelife of the mind, in ever-increasing degrees, into a person'srelationship with God. It is a necessary, ongoing progression, if

Winter 2006 page 33

PRAXI,

be liefis ever to mature into faith, and from

faith into genuine understanding. As we

watch our children grow and achieve new

levels of mental development, we need to

look for ways to engage each new faculty

of their mind with the life of God. For

instance, as their capacity for critical

thinking develops, we need to model

for them how the1. can apply criticism

with charity, and with the goal of clarity

of understanding, not philosophical

grandstanding. tVe need to encourage

them to use all of their talents - heart,

mind, soul and strength - in ways that

honor God and serve the Church. Only

when all parts of our being and our lives

are allowed to be in relationship with

God and are part of our prayer to God,

can we mature evenly in our faith.

taining "in technique" is l ike

much like training "in words." It is

the language, not of the mouth and

mind, but of the body that we teach

them expiicitly and by example. It is

the pause before the icon. It is the sign

of the cross. It is the reverent kiss, the

prostration, or the standing in silence.

But it is profoundly not simply "how to

behave." As children watch and practice

our techniques, they are in fact busy

expanding their spiritual vocabulary

to a completeness well-suited to the

heaven-and-earth mix that man is as the

mid-point of creation. They are adding"words" - not those that they will ever

know precise theological definitions for,

but ones which they define and interpret

with learned motions and sounds and

emotions (hopefully positive). The

toddler dictionary is visual and physical

- "ln the fear of God" means "l ift the

chalice high." He manifests the fact

that prayer, even inner prayer, is not an

ethereal reality in man. It is done by a

physical, chemical body, built by God in

His own image, for His purposes.

The Infant Martyr in the icon - in

the manger or in a martyred mother's

arms in China, Persia, or Russia - is

not an artist 's embell ishment. It is a

particular window on a righteousness,

equal in value and insight to the haloed

adult depicted beside it. But how do we

read that image? How do we recognize

and nurture its possibility in the children

around us? Before all else, with humility,

in recognition ofthe truth that, before he

stood and read as a man in the synagogue,

Our Lord Jesus Christ cried as an infant,

ran as a toddler and laughed out loud as

a child. Surely it earned him contempt

also, but that is not to our credit.

Explaining this text ["the kingdom

of God is within you"l, St. Makarios

of Egypt writes: "The heart is a small

vessel, but all things are contained

in it; God is there, the angels are

there, and there also is life and the

Kingdom, the heavenly cities and

the treasures ofgrace.

Our children, also small vessels,

contain no fewer wonders. If we bend

ourselves to their service, perhaps they

will teach us how to pray.

Jmny Haddad Mosber has a BA in History,an MA in Relryton from Yalz Uniuersity and ispursuing an MTh at St. Vkdimir's Seminary.She worships and teaches preschool church schoolat Holy Ti'ansfguration Orthod.ox Church, NewHauen, CT (OCA) where her husband Father

Joshua is an intern. She is the tnother of three

!0ung sons.

(Bibliography)

I Cavalletti, Sofia. The Religious Potential

oF rhe Chi ld: Exper iencins Scr iprure and

Liturgy with Young Children. Chicago:

Liturgy Tiaining Publications, 1 992.

o Montanaro, M.D., Silvana Quattrocchi.

Undersranding rhe Human Being: The

Importance of the First Three Years of Life.

Mountain View, CA: Nienhuis Montessori

usA,1991.

I God, Mv Friends and Me. Orthodox

Christian Education Commission, 1982.

. St. Dmitri of Rostov, The Inner Closet of

the Heart.

I Found in course packet, original source

unclear.

page 34 Winter 2005

"Faith is to belieue ultat ue do not see. and thethis faith is to see u,ltat ue belieue."

--St. Augustine

In this issue we will continue our studv of Greek words with

the word "ptisteuo."

NE OF THE, COMMON \rORD.CONCEPTS OF THE BIBLE IS FAITHOR BELIEF. It has been fundamental to man's

relationship with God from the beginning. This

one word that is translated as faith or belief occurs about 550times and possibly constitutes the most frequent instruction/

command found in the New Testament.

It would seem probable from such textual emphasis that

faith would be one of the best-understood Chrisdan concepts.

If any word readily could be defined and explained, faith would

seem to be that word. However, such is not true. \(/e must not

assume that we understand a Bible verse unless we know the

meaning or meanings of the words in the verse, and understand

those words in their contextual definitions. If any rypical Bible

class was asked, "What is faith?" A predictable response would

be that faith is belief. \fhen asked what belief is, the response

would be, that belief is faith. Since neither word is defined

from another source, the result is a non-definition.

The Greek word, which is translated as faith, is pistis (noun)

and believe, is translated from pisteuo (verb). The word believe(Greek ver6 "pisteuo"), according to Strong's Greek Dictionary,

means: to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or

thing), i.e. credit; by implication, to entrust, (especially one's

spiritual well-being to Christ.) believe, commit, (to trust), put

in trust with. "Pistevo" comes from the Greek noun "pistii'

conviction (of religi

religious teacher), especially

the system of religious (Gospel) truth itselfi assurance, belief,

believe, faith. Notice the subtle shades of meaninq which are

unlocked in the amplified translations:

"Jesus said to her, I am the Resurrection and the Life.

Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, reiies on) Me,

although he may die, yet he shall live" (John II:25).

"For God so greatly loved the world that He gave up His

only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings

to, relies on) Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John

3:16).

Pistevo is a good example where a word for word translationthat does not do justice to the true meaning of passages in the

Bible. \X/hat is normally conveyed by this rich language getslost, and without careful study, the word of God becomessimplified.

Irene Alexandrou liues in Boca Raton, Florida where she serues ltspresident of the Hellenic Society Paideia of South Florirla. She alsoteaches Modern Greek at Florida Atlantic Uniuersity, and directs

and teaches at the afiernoon Greek School of her parish, St. Mark.

Winter 2006 page 35

I

PRAX]S

OD

sAnlf..A

,, lS llT ilS:,:f,,:l H

STUDYOF

Prvlus Messrl ONesl, M.Dtv,

IRTUL\lNf$.TS RILICS

LESSON FOCUSA study of Saints' Relics explaining what are Relics, why Relicsare venerated, why and how Relics are involved in Miracles, andhow Relics are used in the Orthodox Church.

LTARiIER STYLESUsed within this lesson: Storytelling, Reading Buddies, Questionand Answer, Lecture.

This lesson is divided into three age group levels; l-Youngeststudents, ll-Middle or Middle and Older students, lll-Olderstudents.

Level l: At the end of the lesson students will be able to:Define MARTYR, RELIC, and SAINT.

Level ll: Some students will have made as much progressand will be able to:

Define MIRACLES.ldentify how RELICS are used in churches.Exolain the connections between RELICS andMIRACLES.Tell why Orthodox Christians VENERATE RELICS ANDICONS

Level lll: Some students will have progressed further andwil l be able to:

List different Types of RELICS.Define CATACOMBS and ANTIMENSION.

VOCA'ULARYAntimension: A consecrated liturgical cloth on which theEucharist is celebrated. Stamped on the Antimension is theburial icon of Christ. [Patrinacos, p. 31] In the past in the GreekTradition, and still in the Slavic Tradition, SAINTS' RELICS aresewn in a oocket made for ihe Antimension.

Catacombs: Underground cemeteries used by Christiansto bury the MARTYRS during the years of the persecutions.The Liturgy/Eucharist was served on the tombstones of theMARTYRS. [Patrinacos, pp.7 0 -7 1]

Confessors: Christians who were persecuted for witnessingtheir faith in Christ and lived.

Martyrs: Christians who were persecuted for witnessing theirfaith in Christ and died.

Miracles: Extraordinary events that are beyond what we knowcan happen physically and cannot be explained by the laws ofnature. As Christians, we understand Miracles to be the result

page 35 Winter 2006

I

of God intervening in time and nature for the "purpose ofenlightening, teaching, or benefiting man." [Patrinacos, p.2541

Relics: The material remains of a saint after his/her deathand/or the sacred objects or clothing that have been incontact with his/her body. Material rernarns include: theentire uncorrupted body, uncorrupted body parts, bonesfrom different parts of the body, or bone fragments.[Patrinacos, pp.31 6-31 7]

Saints: People who lived like Jesus requested, living holylives, serving others, praying, etc. Some were martyred fortheir belief in Jesus as the Son of God; others were gteatteachers, preachers, healers, performers of miracles,almsgivers, or pious people as examples for us to follow.

Veneration (du/4): The honor and reverence given toSaints, the Virgin Mary (Theotokos) and to lcons. Worship$atreia), is reserved for GOD and veneration and imitationis for the SAINTS. [Patrinacos, pp. 330-331]

Rr$flmc[s a tAeKoRfiilo hFrKMAf[F{I A Dictionary of Greek Orthodoxy by Rev,Nicon Patrinacos, Available from the Depa(ment ofReligious Education at: (800) 566-1088.

o "The Place of Holy Relics in the OrthodoxChurch" by St. Justin Popovich www.orthodoxphotos.com/Holy Relics.

The following are pictures of relics that can be printed fromwww.orthodoxphotos.com/holyrel ics:

r Along left margin under "Relics", click on St.John Maximovitch. Scroll down the page to hisphotos. Print #2.

I Ctick on St. John the Baptist. Scroll down andpr int #1, #2, &#4,

r Click on "vafious" and print the following:r St. Gregory (Row 1, #2),I SS. Cosmas & Damian (Row 1, #3),r St. Catherine (Row 2, #3),I Bishop Nicholas (Prologue from

Ochrid author (Row 4, #2),I Great Martyr Dimitrios (Row 4, # 4).

r Sarnf Necfarlos of Aegina by Euphemia Briere,St. Nectarios Press, Seattle, WA, 2001. $7.00 Topurchase http:/lwww.orthodoxpress.org/catalog/default2.htm

r Picture of Metropolitan Gerasimos of SanFrancisco consecrating St. John the Baptist Church(Las Vegas) inserting SAINT'S RELICS in theAltar. www.goarch.org I News & Events I OrthodoxObserver Archives I August 2005, p. 23. / Enlargebefore prrnting.

. Any pictures or postcards of Saints whosebodies are uncorruot that can be located - ex.Saints Spyridon (Corfu), Gerasimos of Cephalonia,Dionysius of Zakynthos.

I An ANTIMENSION, if your Church's Traditionplaces RELICS in the Antimension, the TeachingPics/ "Divine Liturgy" Pic #16 shows the Antimension.Teaching Pics are available from the Department ofReligious Education at: (800) 566-1088.

MATERIALS FOR TIIE LE$SOII:r Chalk board or Dry boardr Bible Story Book, preferably with pictures of

the four miracles in this lesson.I Bibles, laid out before classI Paper, Pencils or Pens, laid out before class1 Any RELICS belonging to the Parishr Enough copies of the HymnlPrayer for each

student (opt)I Throughout this lesson, explanatory words are

in parentheses.

BEFORE CLASS:Teacher of the older students should write the fourBible citations on the chalkboard. Allow space towrite the name of the person and the item involvedin the miracle.

OPENING PRAYER:Afterthe teachertakes attendance, the teacher, one ofthestudents or the students in unison can read the followinqhymn.

ALL SAINTS SUNDAY. MATINS . ODE 8:Rejoice, Martyrs, Prophets, Apostles, honored

Winter 2006 ]

A.S. lZ

PRAXIS-.

company of Martyr Priesis, godly choir of the Just,of Ascetics (Monks & Nuns) and Teachers, who allmake melody (sing hymns) with the Myrrhbearingwomen: youths, bless; priests, praise; people, highlyexalt Him (Jesus) to all the ages. ArchimandriteEohrem

1. Acts 19:11J2 - St. Paul healed people by touchingthem or by giving them handkerchiefs that he touched.

Acts 5:12-16 - St. Peter healed people as hisshadow passed by the sick.

Elijah's mantle/cloak, Elisha's bones, thehandkerchiefs St. Paultouched are called RELICS.We will talk more about them in todav's lesson.

MIDDLE AND OLDER STUDENTSI There are four specific miracles in the Biblethat we will examine today. Assrgn each pair ofsfudenfs one of the four Bible citations written onthe chalkboard.

t Give fhe sfudenfs 10-15 minutes to comnletethe following fasks: /ocafe the assigned text; onestudent is to read fhe verses aloud; the other retellsthe mkacle in his/her own words; identify the personand item involved in the miracle, and write theinformation on the paper.

t After 10-15 minutes, selecf four pairs to reporttheir findings fo lhe c/ass: retell the miracle, thenidentify the person and item in each miracle. Writethe name of the persons and items involved inthe miracles on the chalkboard. Review the itemsused,

r Elijah's mantle/cloak, Elisha's bones, thehandkerchiefs St. Paultouched are called RELICS.We will talk more about them in today's lesson.

Only read the levelthat pertains to your class.

I Not everyone believed that Jesus died and rose from thedead and that He is God's Son. The Christians, the peoplewho believed in Jesus Christ, were taken by soldiers andput in prison and punished.

ll During the years of Chrisiian Persecution, when it wasillegal to believe in Christ and to worship as a Christian,those who would not deny Jesus is the Son of God wouldbe physically huri/tortured or killed.

With the older sfudenfs, the teacher may choose to mentiona few or all of the followine means of oersecution.

LESS0rlNOTE: ltalicized words are directions. Regular print is textto use or adapt. Captialized words are vocabulary for thetesson.

I = Younoer students,

l l = Mid; or Middle & Older;

lll = Older students

God works MIRACLES through people and itemsthat SAINTS have touched or held.

What is a MIRACLE? lWrite answers on thechalkboard. Ask additional questions to completethe definition.l

What are SAINTS? [Write answers on thechalkboard. Ask additional questions, to completethe definition.l

YOUNGER STUDENTSThe teacher [1] reads or [2] preferably tells the fourBiblical miracles using a Bible Storybook.For example in the,.,

Old Testament1. 2 Kings 2:11-14 - Elisha used Elijah's mantle to

seoarate the water of the Jordan River.

2. 2 Kings 13:20-21- A man being buried touched thebones of the prophet Elisha and was tevived.

May need to explain why Elisha's bones were the only partleft of him in the grave.

New TestamentThe Apostles also healed people in the name of Jesus,while Jesus walked on the earth, and after He ascended intoHeaven.

page 38 Winter 2006

Some of the Mailyrs were:r Whippedo Flayed (St. Haralambos)o Dragged by horsesr Burned by fireo Burned by oilo Fed to lionsr Beheaded (St. Paul)o Crucified (St. Andrew). Spearedr Put on the spiked wheel (St. Katherine)r Fought the Gladiators in the Roman Coliseum

I Those that died because they believed in Jesus andwould not change their minds are called MARTYRS.

ll Those who were persecuted because they would notdeny Christ and lived are called CONFESSORS. Thosewho were persecuted and died are MARTYRS.

l-ll The family and friends took a MARTYR'S body (ll- orbody parts, prepared it for burial), and then buried it withgreat respect.

l-ll For Orthodox Christians the Body is the Temple ofthe Holy Spirit and is always treated with respect, whetherunborn, al ive or dead.

ll Since Christianity was an illegal religion for the first 300years, Christians had to worship in secret.

ll ln large cities like Rome, they worshipped in theCATACOMBS, and used the tombstone of a MARTYR asthe altar table. [Define Catacombs].

l-ll As I said earlier, the Body (ll or body parts) as wellas any Vestments of Priest-Saints and Bishop-Saints, orclothing or other items the SAINTS may have held arereferred to as RELICS.

l-ll Honoring the RELICS of the SAINTS began early in thehistory of the Christian Church.

ll As early as 156 AD Christians had memorial services forSt. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna over his RELICS.

l-ll Some of the MARTYRS are known by Name, as is theirDate of Death.

l-ll There are also SAINTS who were not MARTYRS, likeSt, Nektarios who died in a hosoital in 1920.

l-ll Many miracles are connected to certain SAINTS whilethey were alive because of their holy lives, like St. Paul andSt. Nektarios.

ll After they died, Christians would go to ihe places wherethose SAINTS were buried to pray, and they continued toask the Saint to be healed or for his/her help. /God workthrough the SAINT to heal someone.l

l-lf St. Nektarios will be our example. Depending on thetime that is available, tell one or both of the following sfodesof Sf. Nekfanbs.

o When he was alive: "One evening a peasant knockedon the door of Holy Trinity Convent on Aegina and said tothe nun who answered, "Please ask the Abbot to pray forrain. Our animals are nearly dead with thirst and can findnothing to eat." The nun went to the saint and told him theman's request. St. Nectarios replied, "We shall pray to Godthat the request of the peasant be fulfilled according tohis faith." Then he lifted his hands in prayer. An hour latera storm burst, and it rained all night. (Sarnf Necfanbs ofAegina by Euphemia Briere, p. 25.)

r After he died: "ln 1920, this humble father was calledto rest in the Lord. At the moment of his repose, the entirehospital was filled with a beautiful and divine fragrance!An article of Saint Nectarios' clothing was placed upon asick man who had been paralyzed for many years, andimmediately this man was healedl Thus began the ever-flowing stream of healings brought about by the holyRELICS of St. Nectarios, and by his intercessions with theLord." (Sarnf Necfarios of Aegina by Euphemia Briere, p.23.)

lf the Teacher has access to pictures of REL/CS from aMonastery or Church in Greece /Europe, use them alongwith those from www.orthodoxphotos.com as he or shetalks about fhe RELICS. Enlarge pictures before printing.Raws and tVumbers refer to the two webpages listed in theRESOURCES Section.

YOUNGER STUDENTS:I Various - Ss. Cosmas & Damian (Row 1,#3)) Great Martyr Dinitrios (Row 4, # 4)

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MIDDLE STUDENTS:The previous, plusI Brshop Nlchoias (Prologue from Ochrid author)

(Row 4#2).t At the teacher's discretion. plcfures from the next

level can be added,

OLDER STUDENTS:All of the previous, pluso St Gregory (Row 1,#2). Sf. Catherine (Row 2,#3)0 Sf. John Maximovitch (Row 1,#1), (Row 1,#2|

(Row 2,#4)

liflfy D0Es Tl{ls lfAppril?As you proceed through fhls secflon, ask if anyone hastraveled to Greece / Europe or Monasteries here or abroadand visited any of these holy sites. If so, ask him/her to talkabout the experience.

l-ll God chose to work miracles through the bodies ofcertain SAINTS while they were alive because theylived like Jesus told us to live. They were filled withthe Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit continues to workmiracles through the RELICS of the SAINTS aftertheydie to teach us, to help us, and to heal us of sickness,allfor our benefit.

ll What happens to the bodies of animals and humansafter we die? Wait for responses, hoping to get decay,decompose, rot, return to dust, dust-to-dust.

ll That is what we expect to happen to the SAI NTS, butthe entire bodies of some SAINTS have not decayed:ex. St. Spyridon, Corfu; St. Theodora the Empress,Corfu; St. Gerasimos of Cephalonia; St. Dionysius ofthe island Zakyinthos, St. John Maximovitch in SanFrancisco, St. Alexis Toth at St. Tikhon's Monastery,S. Canaan, PA. This is a miracle itself!

I Only show the picture of St. Demetrios.

ll Show the pictures of all the SAINTS with incorruptbodies. Bishop Nicholas, St. Gregory, 3 of St. JohnMaximovitch

l-ll The RELICS of some SAINTS give off a sweetsmell, hundreds of years after their death; othersproduce or ooze a type of liquid or myrrh used toanoint the sick. The RELICS of St. Nicholas and St.Demetrios of Thessalonika are myrrh-bearing. Let usexamine these pictures. IShow the whole bodv RELICpicturesl

RILICS TI{ATART IIOT Ii{TIRE AONE$Periodically ask the sfudenfs if they have traveled and seenthese REL/CS or similar ones.

ll The Head of St. Andrew the Apostle is in Patras,Greece in the Church of the 12 domes. The head iscovered entirely with gold to remind us of how speciali t is.

ll Bones of the Fingers, Arms, Legs, and Hands -After the body decomposes, these bones remain.They are usually encased in silver or gold boxes.

ll Sometimes body parts are incorrupt, such as thehand of St. Catherine. lt has the muscle and skin stillon it.

ll Bone fragments are the most common. Theseare used in (a) Altar Tables and (b) Antimensia insome Orthodox Traditions. Christians have worn(c) Reliquary Crosses that open to insert a relic. (SS.Cosmos & Damian)

l-ll Clothing - Although St. Spyridon's body is intact,each year his red slippers are replaced because theyare "worn out." How can that be? We understand thatSAINTS answer the prayers of Christians all over theworld, sometimes even appearing in dreams. lt is amystery, but it seems St. Spyridon "walks" to do hismiracles, thus wearing out his slippers.

l-ll The oilfrom the oil lamp above a SAINT'S RELICSis used to anoint the sick. The oil from the oil lamp overSt, Nektarios on the island of Aegina has been knownto heal patients with cancer and other illnesses.

page 40 Winter 2006

I

RELICS?

l-ll Another important relic is the Cross upon whichJesus was crucified. lt is no longer in large pieces. Onthe Chapel altar at Holy Cross School of Theology inBrookline, MA sits a large silver cross. On the back,is an opening covered with beeswax. Under thebeeswax is a piece of Jesus Cross.

l-ll Both RELICS and lcons are VENERATED(kissed)and treated with great respect because bothare related to SAINTS, holy people close to God. TheRELIC is either the SAINT himlherself or an item theSAINT held or wore, When we venerate a RELIC, weshow honor and respect directly to the SAINT. lconsare holy pictures of a SAINT or an event in the life ofour Lord Jesus Christ or his mother, the Theotokos,the Virgin Mary. When we venerate/kiss an lcon, weshow honor and resoect to the SAINT pictuted in thelcon.

REVTEW TrfE r{t01{U01fTS 0F lrfE USSoilYOUNGER STUDENTS:

Why and how does someone become a MARTYR? Whatis a SAINT? What does a RELIC have to do with SAINTS?

MIDDLE STUDENTS:ln addition to the above: How RELICS are used in churches?Where else do we find RELICS? Define CATACOMBS.MIRACLES and ANTIMENSI0N.

OLDER STUDENTS:In addition to the above: (1) List different Types of RELICS.(2) Explain why Orthodox Christians VENERATE RELICSAND ICONSPraise the sfudenfs for the good job they did today.

When your parents ask, "What did you learn in ChurchSchool today?" do you have something to tell them? Pointto different sfudenfs for answers. lt is important to sharefheir /essons.

CLOS]NO PRAYER/IIYMNThe teacher, one of the sfudenfs or the studenfs rn unlsoncan read the Hymn.

ALL SAINTS SUNDAY. MATINS. ODE 8Rejoice, Martyrs, Prophets, Apostles, honored company ofMartyr Priests, godly choir of the Just, of Ascetics (Monks& tVuns) and Teachers, who all make melody (sing hymns)with the Myrrhbearing women: youths, bless; priests,praise; people, highly exalt Him (Jesu$ to all the ages.Archimandrite Ephrem

Phyllis Meshel Onest, M.Diu. has serued the Metropolis ofPitxburgh as rbe Director of Religious Educationfor oaer 12 yearsand recently joined the staf of the Archdiocese\ Center for FamilyLife - www.familyaschurch.org. Her taork for the Metropolis isauailable on her website at wwtu.phyllisonest.com. Phyllis is inuitedby Orthodox parishes throughout the countrT to lead TeacherTraining rYorbshops and speah on Orthodox Family Life. She isalso one of the frst uomen to graduate from Holy Cross GreekOrthod.ox Schoo/ of Tbeology, Clnss of 1977.

*Materials marked with an asterisk are available for

purchase from the Department of Religious Education,(800) 566-1088.

FIiIAL COMMEiITS 9Y Tl{E TEACI{ERl-ll Does anyone have any questions or want to sayanything about what we learned today? Wait for aresponse. Look at the faces of the students for anyouzzled looks.

w]{AT DoE$ TlfE C]{URC1{ D0 UrrH

ll Remember when the oersecuted Chrisiiansworshipped in the CATACOMBS, using thetombstones of the MARTYRS as the altar table? Asa way to remember the many Christian MARTYRS,when a Bishop consecrates a Church, he placesRELICS of MARTYRED SAINTS in the ALTAR.

ll As the Bishop recites special prayers, he placesthe RELICS in an opening on the top and center ofthe Altar, then covers the opening with warm, softbeeswax. lf you have piclures of the consecrationof your parish, show them along with the picture ofMetropolitan Gerasimos.

l-ll RELICS are also placed in decorative gold orsilver boxes for us to see and venerate. Some maygive off a pleasant fragrance. lf the parish has relics,show them now.

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PRAXIS

KEEPTNG ScoRE &TnAcKTNG PRoGRESS:Quantifying the Quali ty of Leadership

Part 4

A.C. Mecnrs

EASUREMENT IS AN IMPORTANTCOMPONENT in almost any process.Leadership is no different. \We can have all

the greatest ideas on leadership and leadership

development, but if there are no tangible outcomes for the

better, what good is it all? The important word here is process.

There is a srrong potential to think of leadership measurement

as evaluating the leader. When I speak of leadership

measurement I am referring to the process and the way we,

as a church community, implement the process. This is not a

measurement system for individual leaders.

Before getting into measurement, I wili outline the

previous articles, and establish the framework from which the

concepts are developed. This article discusses measurement

and it answers three questions specifically for our church:

' What is the proper framework for a measurement

system?. What to measure?. How to measure? , ..r .... .:l

Ovenvrew oF PREvrous ARTTcLES

The previous articles advanced concepts on leadership

development within the Orthodox Church. \7e explored a new

leadership model I refer to as Contextual Leadership where

we identified five key areas essential to advancing the level of

leadership - those are:. Commitment

' Education. Enlightenmenr. Teamwork. Role Models

tWe ended the last article with a vision for an Orthodox

Leadership lnst i rute being:. An environment where orthodox Christians can

candidly identify and discuss issues of leadership as

they pertain to operational and spiritual growth;. A place where future leaders of our Archdiocese gain

insights into how they can better help their churches;

pase 42 I

Winter 2006

I

. \7here the best thinkers can meet to address

the challenges facing our parishes and religious

communities;. A place where clergy and laity can exchange ideas,

experiences and lessons learned so that the Archdiocese

as a whole benefits.

Advancing concepts, and creating visions for the future

are all essential components of establishing a new framework.

One of the most compelling challenges with leadership and

leadership development is finding out if a real difference is

being made. Measuring leadership and identifying leadership

success remains a challenge for academics as well as real world

companies. We face an even more significant challenge within

our rel ig ious organizat ions.

M easuneMENT Fnavrwonr

The important consideration is that if we do not know how

well we are doing, how will we know what to change or how

to improve. Therefore to make our new leadership framework

a lasting and valuable endeavor, measuring our "leadership

effectiveness" is critical. -Without measurement, there will be

no advancement, improvement and/or ultimate benefit to our

churches, metropolis, and archdiocese. \fith this said let's look

at leadershio measurement.

-Vhen setting up a measurement system there are four

fundamental categories to measure:. Activity

' Results. Tangibles. Intangibles

Perhaps the easiest of these categories to deal with is

activity. There is a tendency to measure activity because

people generally are good at that and it is straightforward. For

example, defining tasks and the things that need to get done.

There is rurely aproblem finding and/or identifying things that

need to get done. Accomplishing these lists of tasks is what I

refer to as "did-he-do" thinss.

\Tithin the model of new thinklng on leadership we

should be measuring effectiveness and results. The big

question is what constitutes effectiveness? This is where the

contextual process comes in again. Measuring effectiveness in

a church context is quite different than in a business context.

Yes our church leaders have business issues to deal with and

we should measure the appropriate aspect of business issues,

but measuring leadership effectiveness is difficult to relegate

to solely tangible measures such as balance sheets, buildings

and additions, etc. Leadership is much more than that. The

tangibles result from the intangibles. If a church leader is"good" (and I will examine that distinction) then the outward

signs of the leadership are the tangibles. What make those

tangibles possible involves the environment, culture, values

and level of commitment that is embraced by the organization(church community) as a whole.

Wunr ro MEASURE

Measuringleadership under conventional secular situations

is dificult in itself. Defining a leadership measurement model

for the Orthodox Church, we find the challenge is even more

dauntine.

Contextual variables infuence the degree to which

individual differences are related to leadership success.

Contextual variables include:. The type of work that the group or organization is

engaged in. For the business community this might

include the extent to which there are standard

operating procedures to accomplish tasks, objective

indicators of how well the task is being performed,

dimensions of the work that are stressful or dangerous,

and interdependencies among work groups. These

are not directly related to our Orthodox community,

but the point here is the context of the entity. \7e

need to understand the work of the greater church(Archdiocese) as well as our local church community.

. Characteristics of the followers. Once again for the

business model the characteristics might include

their experience or maturity, personal commitment

to the work, trust and cooperation with each other,

and expectations of the leader. These are directly

transferable to our church.. The resources available to the leader. -Vhen we

refer to resources we mean, resources needed by

the group to accomplish their work, interpersonal

networks (position power) in the organization.

Power is an interesting term when we refer to

the church community. There are many types of

Winter 2006 page 43

PMXI,

power; unfortunately power is sometimes narrowly

understood as 'coercive power.' This is not what Imean. Another more appropriate type of power is'referent power.' Referent power means that there area consistent set of values, goals and ways of gettingthere even if some people don't agree with the personin power. Referent power means that followers willfollow you as long as there exists a consistent set ofvalues. Resources needed to accomplish work can betransferred to the church example directly. Finally,interpersonal networks can be an extremely valuableresource or a very destructive one.

For contextual variables, the following four types of leaderbehavior variables are used to predict leadership success:

. Supportiur: Expressing concern for the needs andwelfare of subordinates and creating a positive workculture.

. Directiue: Providing subordinates with clearexpectations, guidance, rules and procedures; andscheduling and coordinating work.

. Participatiue: Involving subordinates in decisionsand taking their views and suggestions into accounr.

. Achieuement oriented: Setting challenging goals and

performance standards and showing confidence thatsubordinates will attain them.

Furthermore, research suggests there are three levels atwhich leadership can me measured:

. Level I - the leaders infuence on individuals andindividual performance

. Level II - infuence on groups

. Level III - infuence on the organization

In the context of the Orthodox Church I suggest thefollowing adaptation of the three levels.

. Level i - how laity and clergy leaders infuence thechurch faithful

. Level II -how laityand clergyleaders infuence groupswithin the church community

. Level III - how laity and clergy leaders infuence thelarger organization of the Metropolis and Archdioceseand Orthodox community at large

To extrapolate this concept we examine the effectivenessof our leader's infuence in the broadest range on the churchthe supporting groups and the Orthodox community.

Level l : l rur lueNcE oN tNDtvtDUALs

Leadership effectiveness/success as measured on individualsmay include such things as:

. Church attendance

. Spirituality of the community

. Religious education programs

. Support for church activities/attendance

. Donations of money and expertise

. Growth in membership and facilities

An interesting aspect of this is the relationship betweenthe clergy and laity leaders. \7hen the relationship is healthy,the spiritual leader and laity leaders porentially have a verysignificant infuence on the individual church members.

Level l l : lNr lueNcE oN GRoups

'W'hen we explore the church groups we have a very

interesting dynamic. There are groups such as the religiouseducation, philanthropic and administrative groups.Specifically groups such as Philoptochos, the Parish Counciland the religious education department fall into this category.But there are fraternal groups such as AHEPA and Daughtersof Penelope that also supporr the church, albeit in differentways. Leadership effectiveness of laity and clergy leaders is

I

keenly important here too. Since

the majority of individual church

members belong or participate in one

or more of these groups the overall

leadership effectiveness tends to ripple

throughout. The consequences of

good and bad leadership is manifested

throughout. The interesting dynamic here is the influence that

the leaders of these groups have within a church community.

They may reinforce or conflict with each other which further

challenge the clergy's leadership and effectiveness. This begs

the question -Is the overall environment such that conflict

results or an environment where cooperation and collaboration

exist? Creating this harmonious environment is a measure of

a leader's effectiveness. In this case the leader who creates the

environment is the parish priest. To be more specific, group

leadership measures might include:

. Each group's contribution to the benefit of the church

community

watched by people like financial analysts

and stockholders. \What is important tonote is that short term financial gain can

be shown at the expense of the intangiblehealth of the organization. I have heard

people refer to this type of leadership as"mortgaging" the company. An example of

mortgaging the company is when commercial nuclear powercompanies were competing for the longest operation between

outages. The operations departments could keep the plantsrunning to gain positive publicity as well as demonstrate a high

level of performance to investors, but the iong-term effects on

plant equipment were costly. Typically these costs did not

fully reveal themselves until those who reaped the glory were

long gone, leaving their successors with significant leadership

issues.

Regarding our Orthodox church we look to our bishops

and our archbishops for leadership. \fhile the church doesnot have stockholders we do have stakeholders. \(/e have

tangible measures and real world financial issues, but I submitmany of our senior leadership measures fall into the intangible

category.

Health of our church involves measuring the following:. Spirituality. Effectiveness of missionary efforts. Spiritual guidance. Education. Administration and administrarive oolicies

\fhile this list is shorter than the others, these items

represent huge responsibilities, and require significantleadership skill.

How ro MEASURE

Actually measuring leadership effectiveness presentsother challenges. Going back to the Individual, Groupand Organizadonal infuence along with the tangible andintangible measures, the complexities become apparent. The

tangible measures are relatively straightforward in the form offinancial reports, membership numbers, church attendance,etc. This article will suggest methods for measuring theintangibles. More importantly, we must keep in mind that for

. Degree of harmony and

between groups. Level of support provided

leaders

Degree to which these groups project a positive image

of their religious community

Each group's ability to attract quality members who

are supportive of the church and its mission

The environment thar supports construct ive cr i t ic ism

and or critical evaluation

Level lll: lNplueNcE oN THE BRoADEST LEVEL

This level of leadership infuence is most intriguing.

Expectations tend to be the highest, results are diffused and

followers are least familiar with the issues affecting decisions,

and their perceptions ofleadership's performance. In measuring

performance at this level success is evidenced by the health of

the organization.

Health of the organization means different things

depending on the context. In general there are tangible and

intangible measures. Leaders are typically driven toward

the tangibles such as financial results, stock performance

depending on the industr;r, etc. These are measures that are

cooperation within and

by the lay and clergy

Winter 2006 page 45

a complete picture of leadership effectiveness we must integrate

the tangible and intangible results. If we don't integrate them,

then we are setting ourselves up for focusing on the tangibles,

setting aside the intangibles, resulting in a skewed picture and

making no improvement over the status quo,

When measuring the intangible contributions that lead

to effective leadership, the best way is to gain a rounded yet

structured perception of the leader's ability to lead from the

followers, peers and superiors. This is more commonly known

as a 360'assessment. In addition we must measure the infuence

the leader has on his organization and the subsequent effects.

It is suggested that the 360' methodology be instituted

cautiously. This instrument, in the religious context is not

one for broad application, but it is valuable and should be used

based on a well thought out pian with appropriate monitoring

and analysis.

On a broader level, surveying methods are one of the more

widely used techniques for measuring the intangibles. The

issue here is the design and distribution of the survey, followed

by the analysis, and then reporting of 6ndings. People tend to

think that surveys are simple to design and straight forward to

administer. In the realm of leadership effectiveness, measuring

this impression is the farthest from the truth. Surveys to

measure leadership effectiveness need to be carefully designed,

distributed, analyzed and then reported. lVhen done correctly

extremely valuable information can be gleaned and then feed

back to individual leaders, organizations, etc. In addition, the

information in the right hands can be the basis for ongoing and

continuous improvement. Examples of a few survey questions

at this level include: [a few of these need to be tailored to the

church context]

1. The extent to which the Archdiocese and Metropolis

communicate the church's values and soiritual

expectations of the laity.

2. The extent ro which the Archdiocese and Metropolis

provide structured mechanisms for laity involvement

in decision making for all members of the Archdiocese

and Metropolis.

3. The extent to which the Archdiocesan organization

supports and enhances its efForts to administer its

mission and buiid the type of religious organization

that can effectively meet future challenges.

4. The extent to which the Archdiocese and Metropolis

give priority to religious education and demonstratestheir commitment to the priority.

5. The extenr to which the goals and objectives of the

Archdiocese and Metropolis are translated into specificperformance expectations at all levels. Also, are thereperformance measures in place to provide feedbackto all levels of performers regarding how well they aredoing?

WHnr ro Do wrrH THE FTNDTNGs

Analyzing the findings of performance measuremenr

is the topic of a whole other article, centering on continuousimprovement methods. Rather than offering superficialcomments I prefer to address the issue in a separate article.

-JTithout follow up on the findings from the measuremenr ofleadership effectiveness and success sends significant and tellingsignals about the leadership. \When I started writing this series,the whole perspective was ro look at leadership in a holisticmanner; a way of affecting positive change within the structureand traditions of our Holy Orthodox Church. If we, as anArchdiocese and religious community make a commirment ro

l["* i *r.".*

I

leadership development and measurement, we are acceptingno excuses and only results. The alternative is to deal withleadership when it is convenient or in vogue which is worsethan not even acknowledging the topic. Unfortunately the catis out of the bag and as most of you who read these columnsknow that I have been calling for a level of commitmentthat is unprecedented in the past. Now is the time, we have

the framework, we have the tools, now we need to make ithappen.

Nore:

Performance measurement is a complex and sensitive issue.Knowing how to do it the right way is essential. Measuringleadership quality and effectiveness is even more difficult. Theperspectives and views advanced in this article are more thanthis authort perspective on the issue. To be of value this workhas to be grounded in research and proven performance in

the area of measurement. To that end I want to thank mycolleague and longtime friend, Anthony Ameo. Tony is aperformance measurement professional who has studied atthe University of Maryland, which is renown in performancemeasurement and has applied that learning by designing andimplementing measurement sysrems in various organizarions.Tonyt contributions and critical evaluation have increased thevalue of this article significantly. Thank you, Tony.

A,C. Macris is the principal of A.C. Mauis Consubants, a pratice that

focuses on organizational and management consuhing. He attends St.

Sophia parish in New London, Connecticut where he chairs the St. JohnChrysostom Oratorical Festiual.

Earlier installments of this series on leadership are available in

back issues of PRAXIS magazine, available for purchase through theDepartment of Relisious Educarion ar www.rel igioused.eoarch.org.

or cal l (800) 566-1088.

Winter 2006 |

e"s" +z

SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY

THE TNcLEDTB LESA LESSON PLAN

MouieMr. and Mrs. Incredible (two of many "Supers") were

heroes in their time and saved the lives of people whowere in trouble.

ChurchDuring the early years of growth of the Church, manylives were saved through faith in Christ the Lord.

MouieSome of Mr. Incredible's acts of courage and methodsof protecting the people were misunderstood by society.As a result, he and all the other "Supers" were forbiddenfrom expressing their special powers - society thoughrit was too dangerous.

ChurchIcons were misunderstood by society. The faithful usedthem as aids in their worship (Iconoducles) to furthervenerate the people and events depicted in the icons.

There were others who view icons as objects of worship(Iconoclasts) and fought to remove icons from thechurches and forbade the Orthodox Christians fromexpressing their faith.

MouieMr. and Mrs. Incredible have kids and instruct themnot to use their special powers that were passed downthrough the blood-line because of how society viewedthese powers.

ChurchThe period of the iconoclasts infected the Church (from

about the year 730-843) and subsequent generations ofnew Christians were told not to use the icons that wereso special to Christians before them.

MouieViolet, the Incredibles' daughter, has trouble generatingher force-field because she cannot openly exercise herspecial powers. She is frustrated, selFconscious, hurrand unsure of her self. She was forced to hold back hertrue potential.

ChurchThe faithful feel a void in their faith because rhey cannot openly use icons in their worship. This caused thesar,ne reaction that Violet experienced. The Church wasforced to hold back her true potential.

page +8 |

Winter 2006

I

MouieMr. Incredible is gett ing a chance to f inal ly use his

powers again by carrying out secret missions for his

new employer (a mysterious woman). Th. mysterious

woman's master betrays her because of her favoritism

towards Mr. Incredible, captures him and holds Mr.

Incredible hostage.

ChurchFor a period of time, the Church was allowed to use

icons in her worship after the Empress Irene stopped

the persecutions of the lconocludes. The 7'h Ecumenicai

council in787 upheid this position by oficially approving

the use of icons again. Unfortunately, a succeeding

iconoclastic Emperor (Leo V) betrayed the decision of

Empress Irene and the Ecumenical Council and resumed

the oersecution of the Orthodox Christians.

MouieMrs. Incredible realizes there is a problem and goes out

to rescue her husband. She finally realizes the only way

to save Mr. Incredible is to allow her family to finally

exercise their powers to fight the evil that is behind her

husband's captivity - the character Buddy.

Empress Theodora, Leo V's daughter in law who is now

taking charge, seeks to rescue the Church by restoring

the icons. Convicted by the Holy Spirit, Empress

Theodora realizes the Church needs to exercise its faith

by allowing icons to be venerated and to fight against the

enemy -The lconoclasts.

MouieMrs. Incredible encourages her children to hold fast, be

courageous and to use their powers to protect themselves

as she ventured out to rescue their father. Violet finally

ie"li"., what she must do and embraces her powers to

fight the bad guys. All throughout the movie, her hair is

covering half of her face- this is a sign of her frustration

and selFconciousness. Once she is encouraged to use

her powers to stand up for what is right, she puts on

her mask and is now ready to engage in the battle. For

the rest of the movie, Violet's hair is always pulled away

from her eyes as a symbol of her new courage and self-

realization as a "Super." In the end, the family works

together to rescue Mr. Incredible and the evil "Buddy"

is defeated.

God is using Empress Theodora to return to the Church

its true worship potential. She encourages the Church to

stand up for what is right and joins the fight to rescue the

faithful from the erroneous thinking of the lconoclasts.

The Church is strengthened by the ,Jr,r.n of the icons to

the Churches (putting on the Incredible's mask). Icons

were finally brought back into the Church in the year

843, as celebrated as the tiumph of Orthodoxy. This

is celebrated every year during the First Sunday of Great

Lent as the "Sunday of Orthodoxy."

\fhat were the true icons that were brought back intothe Church? THE PEOPLE

Yow are Liuinq lcons-incredible quotes from Mrs. Incredible as she is giving

advice to here daughter (play DVD at chapter 19; time

73:20 ro a5:40).

Could God Himself be giving you the same advice?

o"Your identity is your most valuable possession-

protect it."r"And if anything goes wrong, use your powers."."These bad guys will kill you ifthey get the chance-

don't give them that chance."r"I'm counting on you, be strong."o"You have more power than you realize... it 's in your

blood."

The editors would iike tt-r

lesson plan for submitting

Education.

thank the unknown author of this

it to the Department of Religious

PRAXTS-

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ELrznserH Boncn

Hou easy it is to say, "My LordJesus, boue merc)/ ott me! I bless

Thee, my LordJesus; help me!" - St. Macarius of Egypt

WHv rs rHrs so HARD ro oo?

UR LIVE,S ARE, I IULL OF DISTRA(]TIONS,

br-rsiness, complexitr '. lo some degree, this is ,r n-ratter of

choice, r'vhat do rve focus on, rvhnt do we ignore? Everr

if our l ivcs are chaotic and busy, our minds clon't have

to be. We need to require ourselves to lefocus our .rtteutiotr

on olrr spil i tunrl, inner l i fe. \ i le have the preciotrs tools of

Orthodox praxis; pra1rs1t, frrsting, almsgiving. Thesc tools are

the cltrcial exercises that we r.reed to stay spirituallv f it. How do

we irccomplish spiritual f itr-ress with the n-rult itude of demands

on or-rr l ives?

\7e must take control of-our choices, slow our n.rinds and

hearts, and take the time to offer prayers. It is our choice to qo

irl-read and clo this rvork or not. In a velv practical r'r'av, once

we make this choice, we can gr:rcl,rallv fill ourselves u;r rvith

the practice of good things, which leaves iess room in our l ives

ro be consumed bv lesser rhir-rgs. It doesn't have to be bie. or

occup)-our entire drrr'. but u'e necd to start, be faithful to it,

and allow Clod to provide the increase. The saints "fi l led" their

l ives r.vith holy l iving ro the degrce that thcv became saints

r.r. ith u'or-rdcror.orking relics. Thlor-rgh God\ gr'.rce, we all have

this same potential.

Pnnven

Ir,{any of us are recluired to usc a computer to accon'rplish

our regular r'vork, r,vhv r.rot utilize the computer for holy work

irs lr.ell? Your persor-ra1 computer can be an "instrument" of

grace, the bells, if yor-r rvil l , call ing you to prav, and e.'en

prompting you by providing thc text easily. The comfruter s

reliabil i tv rnakes it a perfect renrinder to sa\. your personal

T

tN,,,,,,::,',:':,'. I lI|E,ll T ia*GYER AND PRTPARATIOA

s

page 50 Winter 2006

prayers following the direction of your spiritual father. What

you are looking to do, is to establish a "set it and forget it"

system. In this section, I have listed a few websites that have

prayers and daily readings. The simplest way to access themregularly is to bookmark them to your toolbar, or set them

as your home page when you open up your internet browser.

Require yourself to visit this area first each day. After you have

prayed, then begin your day of work. If you keep a browser

window open on your computer, you might enjoy the website

from Mt. Athos that allows you to light a virtual candlel \X/hat

an encouragement to glance at throughout the day!

http://www. goarch.orgOn the top menu bar, if you click on the online chapel, you

will see a button, "Daily reading and daily saints," On the

right side at the bottom ofthe online chapel page, you can

sign up to have this delivered to you as a free daily e-mail

service.

If you click on Liturgical texts, which is located in the

middle towards the bottom of the main page, you will get a

list of numerous services, prayers and sacraments, accessed

with just a click of the mouse. These are also available at the

very bottom of each document as a printer friendly version.

http://www. antioch ian.ors/orthodox-Drayers

Morning, midday, evening and occasional prayers are

available here, also available in a printer friendly format.

http://www.oca.ors/OCSelect. asp?SI D =2

A selection of morning, evening and occasional prayers.Available in a printer friendly format.

http://www.myriobiblos.grltexts/en glish /prayerbook/main.

htm

This website, provided 6y Holy tinity Monastery,

Jordanville, NY has an extensive listings of prayers and

services.

http:// biserica.org/ Publicati i/ServiceBook/Pra)'ers/index.

htm

Here is a large index of prayers, both for specific times of the

da,v, and various needs.

htto://www. i nathos.erlathos/en/athos.asp?m= 04004&c= 1

You will need Macromedia shockwave to operate this

website. (This is available as a free download at http://

www. macromedia. com/shockwave/download/download.

cgi?P1-Prod-Version=ShockwaveFlash.) Here you will see

a chapel on Mt. Athos, and be able to light a candle, (or

many) by dragging and dropping them onto the virtualcandlestand. This would make a pieasant browser to leaveopen on your desktop during the workday, since the candlesdo burn down, you may replace them periodically, and thussay another prayer!

During the day, if you are routinely at your computer whenit is time to pray, a simple alarm clock feature can remind youto say prayers, and then with a click on your bookmark, yourprayers can be displayed. The computer doesn't do the prayingfor you, but it is able to remind you and even open up thebookl

If you do not have internet access, but still work on acomputer, you could creat€ a document of prayers using anyword processing program, and open that document at your

prayer time. This would be a bit more labor intensive initially,

but then, you would have prayers accessible in a file, on yourworkstation.

One idea for a Church "family night" could be a computersetup night! As a group, everyone could set up their own machines

Winter 2006 page 5 |

PRAXTS_ _

We have the

conventronal tools of our

faith, as wellas some

unexpected ones to help

us on our path,

orwatch someone demonstrate this. Invitechildren, reens, and adults, encouragingeveryone to use their computers for theirspir i rual enhancemenr.

PRepRRRloru

The sacraments and services of theOrthodox faith are concentrated withsignificance and beauty. In order todeepen ones understanding of what isgoing on dur ing rhe service or sacramenr,one can prepare oneself by reading moreabout it beforehand. As noted above,on the GOA site, the full text of manyservices are available if you would like topre-read the service or print it out to rakealong. By reading the epistle and Gospellesson ofthe day before services, one canbe ready to absorb the iesson more fullywhen ir is read in church.

Several CD's of instructionalmaterial are available throush theDepartment of Religious EdJcation.These do not require internet access,making them workable on mosrcompurers that are equipped with a CDRom drive.

Tlte Rryal Road - This is a thoroughoverview of Great Lent. Each weekexplored chronologically, lendingirself to regular use, as Grear Leniprogresses. This would be ideal for usein most age groups as a Lenten studytool, or the framework for a Lentensrudy.

Ba?tism and Chrismation - ThisCD wouid be excellent gift for newparenrs or an adult catechumen of theOrthodox faith. These sacraments areexpiained.

Croun them u.,ith Gloty and Honor(Maniagd - In addition to informationabout what marriage is in an Orthodox

context, there is also a personalitvinvenrory for the betrorhed ro fi l l outand examine. This tool can help thecouple to identify and discuss potenrialconfficrs (and thus hopeFuLly avoidthem). Another handy tool in thisCD is a customizable bulletin insert.This template allows you ro creare apreformatted, personalized bulletin,that includes a wrirren introducrion/explanation to the marriage service.Since many non-Orthodox wiillikely attend a friend's wedding, thishelps rhem to understand what ishappening, and teach them abut theOrthodox faith.

In addition to educaring oneself ora church school class, all of"these makevery good gifts for growing Godchildren,catechumens or family members whoare about to encounter one of theseevenrs. Since they are independent oftheinterner, the information is accessiblewith just a computer.

'A monk was once asked, '.\fhatdo you do there in the monastery?', Hereplied, "\7e fall and get up, fall

".,d g.t

up, fall and get up again."-Tito Colliander (20,h Century)

We will fall down in our spirituall i fe. Bur we are nor alone or wi thourhelp. Ve have the convenrional tools ofour faith, as well as some unexpectedones ro help us on our parh. Our .hoi . .is to follow rhe path, and continue ro qerup when we fall.

Elizabeth north@Praxis magazine. She is married to Holy Crossseminarian, Brad Borch, and has two chi/drenwhose photos occasional/y appear in praxismagazine. She is also a registered nurse whoworks with cardiac telemetry patients at St.Elizabeth\ Medical Center in Brighton, MA.

page 52 I Winter 2006

OUR LIVI RELI CS

Vrcrr Cassrs

LTHOUGH THE STORIES THEY PASSFROM GENERATION TO GENERATIONsometimes don't seem important in our modernsociety, Yiayias are precious gifts. I wish for

everyone to have a yiayia, and rhat they would listen to her.For me, the lessons that I learned from my yiayia would berepeated over the years to my own children, and to my churchschool students.

While preparing to teach church school a few years ago, Irecalled the many lessons I learned from my Yiayia.

There were beautiful icons in her room, religious srories,heavenly incense burning in her home, and the kondili or redvigil light that always burned.

'With my Yiayia, we heard and

practiced church etiquette and learned the hand kneading ofprosforo. Her green thumb allowed her to grow plants thatwere needed for the church's services. She made our name dayor saint's day very special.

One of the most memorable stories Yiayia told was offinding the Life-giving cross. As I sat in fronr of a group offirst graders one particular Sunday, I tried ro convey ro themwhat I knew about Tou Stavrou, or the Elevation of the Cross.I wanted to bring to life the day's procession, the meaning ofthe Life-giving Cross, and much more.

I went on to tell the class about Saints Constantine andHelen. The children sat quietly as I told them about thismother and son and their intent search for the cross uponwhich Jesus was hung. I turned to an adult sitting with mein the class, and to my surprise, she did not know what I wasgoing to say-she had nev,er heard the storyl

Winter 2006 page 53

PRAXI,

I continued with the srory,explaining rhat SS. Consranrine andHelen were seeking rhe cross, and hadsearched over a large territory of landin Jerusalem when Empress Helen toldher son, the Emperor Constantine andhis crew, ro starr digging where a fresh,sweet-smelling, green plant was growing.The plant was sweer basil. This iswhy thecross sits on a rray surrounded by basilduring rhe feasr of the Holy Cross.

This is a wonderful story to retelljust as my Yiayia told it to me. Howshe would relish in talking about theprecious cross of September 14! It isespecially nice when parishioners cangrow the basil to share in the traditionand celebrate the purity of this day. Asthe children prepared to process withhandcrafted crosses that we had madetogerher in class; I recalled the lessonthat I was taught by

-y yiayia. At the

end of Liturgy everyone was given somebasil to take home.

I especially recall the spiritual"life" in her voice when she ,el"ved rhi,information. All of this made

-. "*"r.of how important our oral traditions areto us. This is how we transmit so muchof the richness in our Orthodox faith.

Yiayia taught us many things,particularly church etiquette. She taughtus how to dress and sir r.spectably, ,r,dto be attentive. 'After all, we are in God,shouse," she would say.

Yiayia's tradition of taking theincense burner throughout her houseevery Saturday night affected all of us.She had her red kondili (vigil light) litnear rhe icons on the wall in her bedroom.It was originally lit with oil and laterwas converred to an electric lamp. Therewere more icons on the dresser. The largeTheotokos icon is especially

-emor"bl.as it made the area into a tinn holy

place, like a mini church. \fe knew thatYiayia prayed every morning and night(maybe more). When she left her parentsand family to begin a new life in a .rewcountry, she brought with her thesebeautiful traditions. They are precious tous, and we don't want to lose them.

As my family reflects on ourmemories of Yiayia, what was importantto her has become clearer to us. Her firstgrandson recalls that, when he was ateenager, a priest visited our church forHoly iVeek (yes, Yiayia wenr ro everyservice). Yiayia remarked abour th.visitor, "He eyen walks like a Driest.',This incident made a lasting impressionon that reen, who cherished it. Thatteenager is today a Greek Orthodoxpriest, and that priest is now a bishop inour holy Orthodox Church.

The dictionary defines a relic as"something that has suryived the passageof time, especially an object o. .rrr.olwhose original culrure has disappeared,something cherished and kept as amemenro or, "a religiou.

-.rnori"l.', Th.

memories ofher actions which reflect thelove of Christ, "survived the passage oftime." \fhile her memory is not a relic

in the Orthodox sense, rhe qrace rhatresulted from the embodime"nt of herfaith, makes this aspect of her life worthimitating.

Today I realize how special my yiayiaSophia was and how precious thosemomenrs were! These lessons conrinue toaffect those who, directly or indirectly,have been taught by her and all yiayiasthat teach their families to understandour faith. I know that we need thesestories to be told to us, we need to hearthem with the love and understandine ofthe many generarions rhar came beior.us, and we need to continue to passthem along. \We cling ro her memories asan important legacy to guide us in ourlives.

For all the many days we calledYiayia on her name day and wished her"Chronia Polla!" we thought we helpedher to live to her 9B,h year- But orr.. ,h.had died, her stories came to a differentlevel-a brighter and more importantmemory. The holiness of the Elevation ofthe Cross, will be with me always. Threeyears ago my Yiayia died on September14. She was buried on September lZ rhefeast day of St. Sophia, and her nameday. \7e shall not call her again to tellher "many years," but we will alwaysremember.

Vichi CottitffiChurch School for hany years at HoluTrinity Greeh Orthodox Ciruh in Gran?Rapids, Michigan. Recently, she returnedto college. She has three childreru and loohsfory.uard tu communicating the importance

"ffo*lb and our naditions. Her'email is:

vickicassis@sbcglobal. net.

p"g.5+ I

winter 2006

St. Katherine

,N THECOMPANY

OF THE SAINTS

Reucs rN THE EnsrrRN OnnroDoxlnno,r,oN

St. John of Damascus St. Mark

St. Mary

same principle to relics as they had demonstrated with icons,

breaking open shrines and burning the bodies of saints buried

in churches. St. John saw clearly, as did the Iconoclasts, the

inherent connection berween relics and iconsl in fact, he

argues for the use of icons by showing their similariry to the

bones of the saints, thus showing that icons and relics are

similar in nature. They both belong to the larger category of

holy objects through which God works wonders (like the rod

of Moses). St. John wrote,

Tell me, is it not fitting to worship the saints, rather than

to throw stones at them as you do? ... And if the bones of

St. John Chrysoxom

Dn. Bnucr Brcr

lNrnooucroN

N A,D. 787. IN THE, AFTERMATH OF THEICONOCLASTIC CONTROVERSY and theultimate "triumph of Orthodoxy," the Second Council

of Nicaea anathematized all those who despised holy

relics and set forth the canon that no church should be

consecrated without them. St. John of Damascus (whose

feast day is December 4 along with St. Barbara) was an

ardent defender and champion of the veneration of both

relics and icons against those rvho believed that this practice

was idolatrous (the Iconoclasts). The Iconoclasts applied the

Winter 2006 page 55

the just are unclean, why were the bones of Jacob and Josephbrought with all honour from Egypt? ... If God works wonders

through bones, it is evident that He can work them through

images, and stones, and many other things....

The physical remains of the Saints of our Church are

foundational for the consecration ofour sanctuaries and in the

liturgies celebrated therein. Throughout the world, wherever

Orthodox Christians gather to celebrate the Eucharist, the

altar entombs the blessed relics of one or more Saints, whose

presence abides among the faithful. \7hat then makes the

practice of the veneration of relics, including their entombment

within the altars, so important for Orthodox praxis? \fhy do

we as Orthodox Christians take every opportuniry to touch

and kiss material objects endued with holiness, such as icons,

the hand of a priest, or the tomb or relic of a saint? This article

will hopefully shed light on this important aspect of our Holy

Tiadition, by giving voice to some of our most revered Church

Fathers on the subject of relics and their importance in our

spiritual lives.

OrrcnvEw oF Rilcs rN THE Cxuncn Fenrm

A good definition of "relics" (in Greek ta leipsana) is "the

mortal remains of holy persons, or objects sanctified by contact

with them." The first relics venerated by Christians were those

of the martyrs. Secondary relics are things such as instruments

of Christ's or the martyr's passion, articles of clothing, etc.

The first post-biblical Christian reference to relics may

be found in the Martyrdom of Polycarp. After attesting thatPolycarp's execution (A.D. 156-157) was attended by many

miracles, the Christians of Smyrna go on to describe how

they removed his remains after his corpse had been cremated

according to the custom of the Romans:

Thus we, at last, took up his bones, more precious than

precious stones and 6ner than gold, and put them where it

was meet. There the Lord will permit us to come together

according to our power in gladness and joy, and celebrate the

birthday of his marryrdom, both in memory of those who have

already contested, and for the practice and training of those

whose fate it shall be.

]n this mid-second century account of the veneration

of the relics of Polycarp, we learn that there was a practice

memorializing the saint at his tomb at least annuaily, and that

they served to not only remember the life of the saint, but alsoto embolden and renew the resolve of the Church during frequent

persecutions by the Romans.

St. Cyr i l of Alexandr ia (+444), in a work defending

Christianity addressed to the Apostate Emperor Julian, attested

to the practice ofveneration ofrelics, and clarified the difference

between their worship and veneration. He wrote, "'W'e by no

means consider the holy martyrs to be gods, nor are we wont

to bow down before them adoringly, but only relatively andreverentially." St. Cyril is answering the charge of idolatry

against the Christian practice of venerating the relics of the

martyrs, makes the distinction between worship and veneration

of the saints that is picked up again four centuries later during

the Iconoclastic controversy. 'S7e will see further below that

veneration is not worship of the saint, but rather worshipping

God in the company and cornmunion of the saint through

proximiry to his or her holy relics.

St. Gregori' of Nyssa gives us a most vivid witness to theveneration ofrelics from the fourth century in his eulogy ofthe

martyr St. Theodore. He exhorts the worshipper to approach

the tomb of a marryr "believing that to touch it is itself asanctification and a blessing and if it be permitted to carry off

any of the dust which has settled upon the marryr's resting place,

the dust is accounted as a great gift and the mould as a precious

treasure." Through his briefwords here, St. Gregory highlights

rwo more aspects of relics; first, the believer who touches the

tomb of the martyr not only "memorializes" his or her death,

but receives "sanctifcation and a blessing" from touching thisholy object; and second, the holiness spreads from its source

to everything that it comes in contact with. So, the righteous

soul of the saint, by its living in the body, thus sanctifies thebody even after the soul has departed. Then, the saintt body

sancrifies the tomb in which it is held; the tomb even passes itsholiness "contagion" onto the dust or mold that settles on it.The believer takes with him or her some of this sanctification as

they return to their cities and homes. This is a frequent theme

in the Fathers when the saints and the veneration of their relics

are discussed.

REucs rN HoLY ScRrprune

The belief in the power of holy objects, particularly thetombs and bodies of the holy people, was not new to theChristian faith. According to the Gospels, Jesus points tothe practice in Jerusalem of building up the tombs of the

page 56 Winter 2006

patriarchs and the prophets, and states that those who do

this thereby "testify" to their deeds and martyrdom.s Much

earlier in II Kings, the power of relics is depicted vividly when

ae corpse is thrown into the same grave as the great prophet

Elisha and when it comes into contact with Elisha's corpse,

the man is brought back to life (while Elisha's body remains

unchanged).10

This resurrection event narrated in II Kings, which so

clearly depicts the residual sanctity and charisma of a holy

person's body after death, attracted the attention of several

Church Fathers in their teaching and preaching about relics.

For example, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, in his catechetical lecture

about the resurrection of the dead, refers to this account,

saying:

I have passed over Elia and the widow's son whom he

raised, and Eliseus, who rwice raised from the dead,

once while he was living and once after his death.

'When alive, he wrought the resurrection through his

soul. But not only to honor the souls of the just, but

also to instillfaith in the power inherent in the bodies ofthe

just, when the corpse cast into the sepulcher of Eliseus

touched the dead body of the Prophet, it came back

to life. The dead body of the Prophet performed the

function of the soul, and his buried corpse quickened

the dead, itseli after imparting life, remaining among

the dead. Why? Because if Eliseus had arisen, the

deed would have been ascribed to his soul alone, and

to show that even in the absence of the soul there is

a mysterious Pouer in the body of the saints, because of

the just soul which dwe/t in it so many years and used its

ministrjt. Ler us not foolishly disbelieve, as though this

had not happened; for if the application to the sick

of handkerchiefs and aprons, 11 mere appurtenances of

the body, raised them up, how much more should the

Prophet's actual body raise the dead. ''

Here St. Cyril of Jerusalem explains why this miracle

happened the way it did; why the Prophet was not raised, but

rather oniy the corpse that touched the prophet's soulless body.

It was in order to teach us that "there is a mysterious power

in the body ofthe saints" due to the fact that a righteous soul

dwelt in that body for so long. The body is transformed; its

transformation changes the natural course from corruptible to

incorruptible, from inert decay to radiating sanctification and

healing power. St. Cyril wants his catechumens to understand(and we would be weli to heed as well): let us not foolishly

disbelieve that the relics of the saints are inert or "merely

symbolic;" they contain "the power inherent in the bodies of

the just" and can provide sanctification and blessings to us

who believe.

Berruc rN THE CovparuY oF THE Snrxrs

In the fourth century and onwards, relics were often placed

in a martyrium, a building containing one or more tombs of

martyrs. St. John Chrysostom, in his sermon On Holy Martyrs,

encouraged his flock to spend time in such mar4,ria, so that

by being "in the company of the saints" they could receive

spiritual refreshment. Here is an excerpt from his sermon:

\Thenever the crowd of affairs and multitude of day-

to-day worries ... spreads a thick darkness over [your]mind ... leave fyour] house, exit the ciry say a firm

farewell to these confusions and go offto a marqzrium,

enjoy that spiritual breath of fresh air, forget [your]substantial preoccupation, luxuriate in the peace and

quiet, be in the company of the saintr, ... pour out much

supplication and, when lyou] have shed the weight

from [your] conscience through all ofthese actions, goback home with considerable refreshment. L3

In addition to being "in the company of the saints,"

St. John here mentions that being close to the saint's relics

makes it an ideal place to pray intensely. Though he does not

expiicitly say it, he implies that the supplications are assisted by

the saint's presence and may also involve asking for the saint's

assistance and intercessions. Elsewhere in the same sermon

On Holy Martys, St. ]ohn is awed by the efficacy of the saints'

presence at the martyrium, noting that his congregation is

more responsive to the silence of the saints than the soundsof his own sermonsl In particular, he notes that "the image

of the martyr itself and the memory of all their good deeds"at the martyrium produces "copious fountains of tears" andenthusiastic prayers.ta

There are many examples of healings taking place atthe tombs of the saints, where their presence is mysteriously

distilled or concentrated.'5 The oractice of "incubation" is

a good example of this ph..ro-..ronl this is the practice of

sleeping in the Church sanctuary, often near the saint's tomb, in

order to receive healing or a blessing through the intercessionsor actions of the saint(s).16 Martyria often functioned as placesof incubation, as St. Gregory of Nyssa's Second Homily 0n t/1eForty of Sebaste testifes,lT

Touching relics had many other salutary effects onthe faithful. St. Basil wrote, "He who touches the bones of

a martyr partakes in the sanctity and grace that reside in

them."r8 Similarly, St. John Chrysostom says "Not just the

martyr's bones, but even their tombs and chests brim with agreat deal of blessing." He advises to take the oil that hastouched the martyrs' relics and anoint the whole body withit.1e Elsewhere, he describes the benefits of relics to be for "the

healing of fevered bodies and forgiveness of sins, removal ofevil, treatment of diseases of the soul, incessant prayer, boldspeech with God - everything spiritual and brimming withheavenly blessings."2O St. Gregory of Nazianze mentions "the

chasing away of demons, the curing of the sick, the causing ofvisions and predictions of the future" as some of the benefitsbestowed to those who venerate relics.2l

St. Asterius ofFers another summary of the beneficial usesof the martyrium of St. Phocas in Sinope; he writes,

The thoroughfares from every country are full ofpeoplecoming to this place of prayer. This splendid shrineis a place of relaxation for the affiicted, a resource ofthe needy, a surgery for the sick, and Egypt for thehungry. ... As when in wintertime the doves throughneed of food fly to the recently sown land and gatherthere, so the host of wandering poor assembles on theIsthmus of Sinope as ar a common storehouse.22

Let me offer one final excerpt from St. John Chrysostomon the benefits of venerating the physical remains of the saintsand spending time in their midst:

Marryrs' coffins are nothing else but safe harboursand fountains of spiritual streams and inexhaustiblewarehouses of abundance that are never embarrassed.Indeed, just as harbours render safe the ships theyreceive swamped by numerous waves, so too do themartyrt coffins render our souls quite calm and safewhen they receive them swamped by day-ro-dayaffairs. And just as the fountains of cold streams revivebodies that are worn out and burning up with fever,so too in fact do these coffins cool souls infamed byinappropriate passions. From sight alone they quenchinappropriate desire and consuming enr.1z and seethingrage. . .. '3

St. John describes at least three characteristics of relicsin this portion of his sermon: first, the biessings pouring ourfrom relics are inexhaustible, even if they are divided anddistributed; second, the "sight" of the coffin or relic has a real

page 58 I Winter 2006

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or metaphysical effect on the faithful seer. This theology of themetaphysical effects that reiics have on those who approach

them can perhaps be seen best by looking at a negative example,-- how demons react around relics. In another sermon by St.

John, he describes vividly the repulsive efFects a martyr's bones

have on those who are demon possessed: "without a doubt

you'11 see them jumping back and feeing. For they instantly

leap right out of the front doors as if about to set foot on hot

coals, and they don't dare to look directly at the coffin itself."2a

The demon possessed don't even have to look at the coffin tofeel its effects, to be repulsed by the "magnetic 6eld of hoiiness"

emanating from the relics. So great is the power of the ashes of

the saints that it doesn't just sit inside the remains, but extends

beyond them and repels the unclean powers and abundantly

sanctifies those who approach with faith."15

A third aspect of relics that St. John mentions briefy

here, but elsewhere at some length, is the inexhaustible and

contagious nature of their powers and blessings. He often,

as here, compares relics to a fountain whose source is endless,

supplying abundantly to all who come and dip their vessels in

its waters; it flows out of the hollow of the spring and effects one

thing after another that it comes in contact with. John recalls

from Scripture (Acts 19:12) how the healing power emanating

from the apostles were sent out to those in need of healing.

Reuc oF rHE Hor-v Cnoss

Let me mention briefy the fact that some relics are objectsthat were used by or came in contact with Christ, a marryr, ora saint. The most celebrated example of a relic of this type isthe All Holy and Life-Giving Cross, upon which our saviourdied and through which the world was saved. Its venerationdates to at least the fourth century. \7e learn from St. Cyrilof Jerusalem (before A.D. 350) that the wood of the Crosswas already distributed throughout the world. St. GregoryPalamas, in his treatise On the Holy lcons writes, "You shouldvenerate not only the icon of Christ, but also the similitudeof His cross. For the cross is Christ's great sign and trophy ofvictory over the devil and all his hostile hosts; for this reasonthey tremble and flee when they see the figuration of the cross.This figure, even prior to the crucifixion, was greatly glorifiedby the prophets and wrought great wonders."26

The cross came to not only refer to the event of Jesus'crucifixion, and all the import of this historical event for rheworld, but also came to be venerated itself as a material object.rtThe Holy Friday liturgy demonstrates this transformationquite clearly.

Winter 2006 page 59

The body rs transformed;

SnNcrrncATroN oF THEBooY Dunrnc Lrre

Before concluding, I want to return

to the teaching of St. Cyril ofJerusalem

on the sanctity of the saint's body. He

taught thar "there is a mysferious plwer

in tbe body of tbe saints, because of the just

soul which dweh in it so many years and

used its ministry."28 Several of the Fathers

build on this idea of the sanctification

of the body by the soul, seeing it as a

process that occurs during the course of

the saint's life rather than after his or her

death.

its transformatton chanqes

the natural course from

To Gregory of Nyssa "the body ofCorruptible to incorruptible the ascetic begins already on earth to

Iive the life beyond procreation and

nutrit ion it wil l have in heaven.... We

must begin (in this l i fe) the journey

from inert decay to :Jl*,:::i.Ti:g ":H;lr'rfflT:convictions in this regard: 1) that

asceticism on earth would be reflected

in the heavenly body, and 2) that his

radiating sanctification and sister Macrina's and brother Basil'sphysical remains were relics, as much asih. ,".r.d remains of any marryr.

In St. Gregory's Life of St. Macrina,

healing pOWef. heresolvestovisithissisterMacrinaafter

a period of about eight years apart. On

the way, St. Gregory had a dream whichmade him anxious about the future; he

dreamed that he was carrying relics in

his hands that shone forth like brilliantrays reflecting from a mirror facing the

sun.30 After he visited with his sisterwho was very ill, and having retired tohis room, the secret of his dream wasrevealed to him. Gregory saw that therelics which he had beheld in his dreamwere not that of the martyrs who had

already passed on to the next life, as hehad previously supposed, but rather the

relics of his sister who was still alive. Hewrites about his sisrer, "For the image Ihad seen was indeed true - the relicsof a holy martyr which had been deadin sin, but now were resplendent withthe indwelling power of the Spirit."3rSince the process ofsanctification ofthebody begins during the life of the saint,some of the Fathers stressed also to allthe faithful that they should take careof how they treat their bodies and whatthey do with them. Cyril ofJerusaleminstructs his catechumens that theyshould "trear rhis body with care, Ipray yov, and understand that with thisbody you will rise from the dead to bejudged."32

Cottc lustoN

The tombs and relics of the saintsserve as physical mediarors betweenheaven and earth and therefore are thefocus of mortal pilgrimage and prayer,The relics of saints retain traces of theirrighteous soul while they were on earth,and therefore touching them or beingin their presence affords the believer ahost of benefits, including sanctification,

blessings, the gift of ardent, heart-feltprayer, healing, and peace that the worldcannot give. May we be able to see thecoffins and altars ofthe saints. and receivespiritual refreshment from having beenin the company of the saints.

Throughout the world, whereverOrthodox Christians gather to celebratethe Eucharist, the altar entombs theblessed relics ofone or more Saints, whosepresence abides among the faithful.

So, the righteous soul ofthe saint, byits living in the body, thus sanctifies thebody even after the soul has departed.

The body is transformed; its transformation changes

the natural course from corruptible to incorruptible, from

inert decay to radiating sanctification and healing power.

Since the process of sanctification of the body begins

during the life of the saint, some of the Fathers stressed also

to all the faithful that they should take care of how they

treat their bodies and what thev do with them.

Dr. Bruce Bech is Associate Director of the Pappas PanisticInstitute of Hob Cros Greek Orthodox School of Theology.He is a graduate of Haruard Diuinity School with a 7hDin New Testament and Early Christian Studies. He residesin Newburyport, Massachusettt w/tere he is a member ofAnnunciation Greek Orthodox Church.

(Notes)

' "Relics," Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, p. 117 0.

'? St. John of Damascus, ,4p ologia Against Those 'Vho Attach the DiuineImages, no. 1, par. 45 in online text http://w.ccel.org/ccel/damascus/icons.ii.html.3 "Relics," The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, vol.3, p.7779.a 7he Martyrdom of Polycatp, 18.2-3, 7he Apostolic Fathers, trans. KirsoppLake, vol 2 (Cambridge: Harvard Universiry Press, I976) p. 337.5 AgainstJulian, vi, PG. L)OOil, 812; trans. "Relics", website NewAduent,hrrp: / /w.newadvenr.org/cathen I 1 2- 34a.h m.6 PG., XLVI, 735-48; trans. "Relics", website /\'/rn Adaent, http://w.newadvent. org/c athen I L 27 3 4 a.htm.7 lbid, co|.740.8 See particularly the wording of Lrke11:47-51: alsoMat23:29.e 2 Kings 13:21; similarly, see also the miracles xsociated with the mantleof Elijah in 2 Kings 2:14.t0 A reference to Acts 19:12 where the handkerchiefs and aprons oftheApostle Paul were brought to the sick to heal them.11 Lecture i8 par. 16, "On the Words: 'Ard in One Holy Catholic Church:and in the Resurrection ofthe Flesh, and in Life everlasting,"' TheWorks ofSaint Cyil ofJerusalem, voI.2, translated by Leo P McCauley and ArthonyA. Stephenson (\X/rohington: The Catholic University ofAmerica Press),p.129.p PG 50, 649, 4-78 translated Johan Leemans et d, 'Let us Die That \X/e

May Liue:' Greek Homilies on Christian Martlrs fom ,4sia Minor, Pdlestineand Syria c. AD 350-AD 450 (London: Routledge, 2003), pp 10-11.1r St. John Chrysostom, I Homily on the Holy Martys, Leemans, p. 120.t1 For example, see St. Basil's sermon On the Forty Marryrs of Sebaste8 (PG 31, 523), and St. Gregory of Nyssa, On Thedore (GNO X, 1/2,70-71); cited alongwith other examples in "Let U Die ThatWe May Liue:"Greeh Homi/ies on Christian Martyrs from -hia Minor, Palestine and Syria c.AD 350-AD 450, Johan Leemans et al., p. 48, fn.27.

'5 Most often the sanctuaries were dedicated to a saint lvho is known fortheir healing powers, such as to Sts. Cosmas and Damiar16 Gregorii Nyseni OperaX, l12,166-167.nrSt. Bmil, Homifi on Psalm 115 (PG 30, 112); cited by Leemans et a[. p.

'8 St. John Chrysostom, I Homily on Matyrs, (PG 50, 664); translation

'Wendy Mayer and Pauline Allen , John Chrlsostom (London: Routledge,2000). p. 96.

le John Chrysostom, OnJulian,PG 50,673; cited in Leemans et al, p. 12.

'0 Leemans, etal, p. 12; St. Gregoryof Nazianze,AgainstJulianI,69.2r St. Asterius, On Phocas 9.2-3.2r St. John Chrysostom, I Homily on the HolT Mar4,rs, Leemans, p. 121.

'?r St. John Chrysostom, ,4 Homily on Julian the Martyr, trans WendyMayer, p. 133, in Leemans et al2a'Wendy Mayer, John Chrlsostom, p. 87.2t Text quoted from http:l/q.wrv.rlon:rcLos.net/parristics/lalarnas onieons.shtrnl.26 Nathan D. Mitchell, "The Cross that Spoke," The Tiddition of the Cros,p.72.

':- St. Cyril of Jerusalem, The Vorks of Saint CJril of Jerusdlem, Lectwe 18par. 16, vol . 2, p.129.28 St. Gregory ofNyssa, On the Soul and Resunefiion,PG 46, cols.97c-98c; quoted from Caroline \(alker Bynum, 7he Resurrection ofthe BodT inWestern Christianiry, 200 - 1336 (New York: Columbia University Press,1995), p.84.

'?e The Life of Macrina, text from Lowther Clarke, \(K., The Life of St.Macrina, (London: SPCK, 1916). Headings provided by Paul Halsall, aspart ofthe Interner l4edieval ScrLrce llool (December 1997), online f,rtp.,'imrv.fordham.edulhalsrlllbrsislmacrila.html. The section is "G regoryResolves to Visit His Sister."3o lbid, section "She Sends Gregory Away to Rest Himself." See alsodescription of St. Julian by St. John Chrysostom, A Homily on Julian theMarryr, trans Mayer, p. 132, in Leemans et al.3' Cyril ofJerusalem, Oration 4, par. 30; compare Oration 18, par 20 wherethe stains ofsin remain in the body (the opposite ofbodily sanctification).

Winter 2006 page 6 |

PMXI,

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HRISTMAS HAS COME ANDGONE ONCE AGAIN. Every yearwe give pricey gifts to our friends and

family. IWe give to the less fortunate,

the poor, the homeless. And once this special

season is over, we return to our usual lives. That

is, we go about our lives and consider the other

eleven months of the year as that "unspecial"

and "routine" time of year.

During this special time, we seem to be

happier and more friendly to our neighbors.

There are myriads of television Christmas

specials showing the positive side of humanity.

It's just unfortunate that we behave like Ebenezer

Scrooge the rest of the year and not like JesusChrist.

Christmas is the birth of our Lord, JesusChrist. It is the beginning of the fulfillment

of Godt Promise to His children: eternal life.

Christmas is only a step in our journey towards

the Resurrection. The point of Christmas is

to embrace this Promise all year and not just in

December.

A Promise is an act by a person to fulfill a

bargain of sorts or a task. The Promiser (in this

case, God) follows through for the Promisee (in

this case, us). Ve confuse Christ's birthday with

His sacrifice for us. His birth is the beginning of

the fulfillment of Godt Promise to His children,"'For God so loved the world that he gave his

only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him

should not perish but have everlasting life" John

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Ch arl le Brown!During Christ's "birthday" season, we pray for

peace. However, "peace and good will toward all"

becomes a happy memory on January 2"d (the officiai

end of the Christmas season). tWe forget that "peace

and good will toward all" should be practiced all of

the time. \7e talk about the magic of the season as if

we could wave a wand or say a magic speil and conjure

up that peace. \7e give until our wallets bleed and

bandage them on January 2"d and think we've done

our Christian duty. tWhen in fact, we should give of

our time, energy and talents that God has given all of

us until our neighbors are really free from pain and at

peace. Instead, we get caught up in the commercialism

at the local department store and fret over which toy

to buy for our children rather than tending to the

needs ofour neighbor.

An apt microcosm of our world at Christmas

is the animated tale, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Charlie Brown is the lovable loser. He's the kid some

of us were in grade school. In the cartoon, he is given

the task of organizing the Christmas pageant for the

group. Also, he's in charge of finding and buying

the biggest, "bestest" Christmas tree for the pageant.

Charlie Brown finds a lonely and pitiful little tree for

their event. During their rehearsal for the Christmas

Pageant, the Peanuts gang gets caught up in the hustle

and bustie of commercialism of Christmas and forget

the true meaning of God's Promise. tVhen they see

what kind of tree Charlie Brown has bought, they

laugh and humiliate him. Charlie Brown walks away

with his pitiful tree in disgrace.

At this point, Linus takes the Peanuts gang to task

by quoting to them Luke 2:8-74:

Now there were in the same country shepherds

living out in the fields, keeping watch over

their fock by night. And behoid, an angel of

the Lord stood before them, and the glory of

the Lord shone around them, and they were

greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them,"Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you

good tidings of great joy which will be to all

people. For there is born to you this day in

the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the

Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You

will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths,

lying in a manger." And suddenly there was

wirh the angel a multitude of the heavenly

host prais ing Cod and saying:

"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace,

goodwill toward menl"

The Peanuts gang in their humility, hear Linus

and they seek out Charlie Brown and show him their"peace and good will." (They help make the sad little

tree a beautiful tree through their love oftheir friend).

If onlywe could be like the Peanuts gang and love each

other with the same passion that his friends showed

Charlie Brown when they decorated the little tree.

More importantly, if only we couid be as forgiving as

Charlie Brown is towards his friends.

It's Christmas time again. It is the fulfillment

of God's Promise that He gave to us. God's Promise

is realized at the Crucifixion and then at the

Resurrection. Let's live that all of the time and not

iust in December.

Lia Leuis graduated from Holy Cross Greek OrthodoxSeminarl in Brookline, MA in 2001 with a Masters ofDiuinity degree. She is employed by tbe Uniuersity ofMedicine dt" Dentistry of New Jersey.

Winter 2006 page 63

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