Christ the Savior Orthodox Church

The following is a collection of questions and answers which have appeared in our Sunday bulletin since August 1, 2006. The answers provided below are by no means definitive, nor a substitute to asking questions of one's own priest. They are offered merely to give insight into Orthodox Christianity as it is lived and practiced in our local parish and diocese.

If you have any questions about the answers provided below or some other subject, please contact Fr. John. For more information on Orthodox Christianity, please see our pages For Inquirers and About Orthodoxy.

Charity (top)

Question:	While leaving the church last Sunday, I noticed that we have a gold-plated Gospel Book cover on the “Wish List”. Shouldn’t we be using our money to help the poor and destitute instead?
Answer:	Thank you for this question – I was hoping that someone would ask it! Without a doubt we, as a church, should be engaged in charity. In the Scriptures, the very word for “charity” means “love”, and since “God is love” the primary work of the Christian is charity. One only needs to remember the words of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians, “though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels… and though I understand all mysteries and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so as to move mountains, and do not have charity, I am nothing.” However, then St. Paul says something which might be a little surprising, he says, “and though I give out all my goods to feed the poor… and have not charity, I am profited nothing.” Why would St. Paul says this? Well, one answer is that St. Paul is talking about the need to have the right intentions when helping the poor - one must help the poor out of love. No doubt, this is definitely true, but perhaps St. Paul talking about something more as well? If we consider the Gospel message in its entirety, in its fullness, as St. Paul always does, we would have to acknowledge that charity is about more than meeting people’s temporal needs, no matter how poor or destitute they may be. Real charity is about meeting their eternal needs as well. This is why Christ, when healing the physical infirmities of the people, always took more care for their spiritual restoration and healing. Christ’s primary focus was to raise mankind from earth to heaven, to impart forgiveness and reconciliation with God. And to this day, the Church, in continuing the Lord’s ministry, follows His example. This is why the Church’s primary objective is not to end world hunger or find cures for diseases (as good as these things may be), the Church’s primary objective is to save souls, to bring all of mankind into the Kingdom of God, making each and every person joint heirs with Christ of the Father’s eternal inheritance. And so, when we see our churches adorned with beauty and splendor, it is so that both the poor and rich alike might glimpse something of the eternal inheritance which awaits them, should they be willing to leave the transitory behind and enter into the joy of their Father’s House. The famous Russian writer, Dostoyevsky, talking about the power of beauty to inspire man, went so far as to say that "beauty will save the world." Similarly, the Church teaches that without this vision of the glory of God and the beauty of His Kingdom, we will lack direction in our lives, and even if our earthly needs are met, we will still suffer the loss of our souls. Perhaps, King Solomon, who constructed the first Temple with great glory as was commanded of him by God, said it best, “where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18) On a practical note, all the liturgical items used in our church, while beautiful enough to convey something of God’s glory, are also of modest value (i.e. our chalice is gold-plated rather than solid gold). In this way, the Church, while focusing on what is most important, what is super-essential, still has funds to minister to the temporal and material needs of God’s people as well – Christian charity demands no less.
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Death & Burial (top)

Question:	What is the Orthodox Church’s teaching on the cremation?
Answer:	The following is taken from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America: “Because the Orthodox Faith affirms the fundamental goodness of creation, it understands the body to be an integral part of the human person and the temple of the Holy Spirit, and expects the resurrection of the dead. The Church considers cremation to be the deliberate desecration and destruction of what God has made and ordained for us. The Church instead insists that the body be buried so that the natural physical process of decomposition may take place. The Church does not grant funerals, either in the sanctuary, or at the funeral home, or at any other place, to persons who have chosen to be cremated. Additionally, memorial services with kolyva (boiled wheat) are not allowed in such instances, inasmuch as the similarity between the "kernel of wheat" and the "body" has been intentionally destroyed.” Exceptions are made for circumstances where it may not be avoided (when civil authority demands it, or epidemics) or if it may be sought for good cause as determined by the local hierarch, but when a cremation is willfully chosen for no good cause by the one who is deceased, he or she is not permitted a funeral in the church and may also be permanently excluded from liturgical prayers for the departed.
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Fasting (top)

Question:	I've never fasted before, well at least not for a whole fasting season. And I'm afraid to start because the fasting guidelines look to be just too difficult for me. What should I do?
Answer:	Your question is an excellent one, particularly because you see not just the need to fast but also the need to find a profitable level of abstinence – one that is not too difficult nor too easy. As with anything else one has never done before, one should start slow and then make a gradual increase. This may mean abstaining just from meat for the period of the fast, and then next fast abstaining from meat and dairy products. But whatever level of abstinence you choose (and it is advisable to consult with your priest when doing so) should be carried out through the entire fasting period, not just on particular days of the week.
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Question:	How is fasting different from abstinence?
Answer:	Fasting, strictly speaking, means a totally going without food and drink for a certain short period of time, usually until a particular time of day (say noon, 3pm, or sundown) or for the whole day (such as on Great and Holy Friday). This type of fast is kept when preparing for Holy Communion, as physical hunger helps to cultivate the spiritual expectation of receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. While abstinence, on the other hand, means refraining from certain types of foods (such as meat, dairy, fish, wine or oil) and reducing our portions so that we leave the table before we are completely satisfied. This type of fast is kept over a long period of time, as during the four fasting sea-sons, and throughout the year on Wednesdays and Fridays. The aim of abstinence is to slowly and deliberately starve the passions so that man's spirit can break free and return to God. For this type of fasting to be effective, it must be undertaken with patience and unbroken continuity. As Fr. Alexander Schmemann explains, "The time factor is essential for it takes time to uproot and to heal the common and universal disease which men have come to consider as their 'normal' state", that is it takes time for man to realize that he is not meant to live on bread alone but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God.
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Question:	Fasting is great in theory but it seems practically impossible. What kinds of food can I prepare without meat or dairy products?
Answer:	In today's consumer market there are many ways to keep the fast without having to resort to a bread and water diet. The following two resources should help: the cookbook, "When You Fast… Recipes for Lenten Seasons" by Catherine Mandell, and vegan-food.net, a website with hundreds of Lenten recipes.
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Feastdays (top)

Question:	Why is the Nativity of Christ celebrated on December 25th?
Answer:	There are two main explanations as to why the Church chose to celebrate the Nativity of Christ on December 25th. The first says that the day was chosen to oppose the great pagan feast of the sun god, which was celebrated near December 22nd at the Winter Solstice, the time of year when the days started to get longer again (at least in the northern hemisphere). It is believed that the Church chose December 25th, because it ensured that Christians would be fasting during the pagan celebration and would therefore not easily be tempted to participate. And also because it would help the pagan peoples to leave off worshiping the false sun god and instead celebrate the coming of the True God, “the Sun of Righteousness”. The second explanation says that the day was chosen in relation to the feast of the Annunciation, which was celebrated on March 25th commemorating the supernatural conception of the Lord in the womb of the Virgin Mary. The Annunciation was celebrated on this day because of the belief in the ancient world that great men died on the same day as they were conceived. Since the Lord was believed to have been crucified on March 25th, it also came to be believed that He was likewise conceived on this day. And since it followed that the Lord’s birth would be nine months after His conception, the feast of His Nativity was set on December 25th.
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Question:	What are the Royal Hours? And why are they an important service of Christmas?
Answer:	The Royal Hours combine the 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 9th Hour services into one service which is characterized by special Psalms and hymns, as well as Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel Readings, relating to the upcoming Feast. It was customary during Byzantine times for the Emperor to be in attendance for the entire service, and for this reason it became known as the Royal Hours. The Royal Hours are an important service of Christmas because in the reading of the prophets (Old Testament), apostles (Epistles), and evangelists (Gospels) we see the Nativity of Christ in its full Biblical context of expectation, preparation, and fulfillment. There is no other service which more beautifully foretells or proclaims the Lord’s salvific coming in the flesh.
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Holy Scriptures (top)

Question:	How old was Saint Joseph the Betrothed when he became the guardian of the Mother of God?
Answer:	According to early Church Tradition, Saint Joseph was eighty years old when betrothed to the Virgin Mary. The Chaste Joseph, as he is sometimes called, was a widower who had four sons and two daughters from his previous marriage; in the Scriptures, these children are called the brothers and sisters of Jesus, though there is no blood relation since Joseph was not the father of Jesus. Besides his irreproachable, trustworthy, and honorable life, the elder Joseph’s great age made him a suitable guardian for the young virgin girl who had vowed to live in perpetual virginity. When the Virgin Mary was found to be with child the elderly Joseph feared to take her as his wife, not because people would think that he fathered the child because he was too old for this, but because people would think that she had fallen into sin with another man; this is why Saint Joseph thought to put her away privately (Matt. 1:19). Saint Joseph reposed at the age of about 100. The last reference to him in Holy Scripture is in Chapter 2 of St. Luke’s Gospel, when he, together with the Virgin Mary, brought the 12-year-old Christ to the Temple in Jerusalem. By the time of the Lord’s crucifixion the elderly Joseph had already reposed; since Jewish law did not require the Virgin Mary to be entrusted to the brothers of Christ because they were only half-brothers, the Lord entrusted the care of His Mother to his beloved disciple Saint John the Evangelist.
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Question:	In last week’s Gospel the Lord said that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. What does this mean? And do I have to literally give up all my possessions to enter Heaven?
Answer:	While some say that the Lord is speaking here about the physical impossibility of a camel passing through the eye of a sowing needle, the 11th century saint, Theophylact of Bulgaria, says that the Lord here was referring to a certain gate in Jerusalem called the Needle's Eye, that was built so low that a camel could only pass if it entered kneeling and unencumbered with baggage. The lesson would then be that an eternal inheritance awaits those who unburden themselves of sin, and in particular, the things of this world. In the Old and New Testaments there have been many who had riches, yet attained the highest levels of sanctity. Their wealth was not an obstacle to their entrance into Heaven for five reasons: 1) they did not consider their possessions to be their own, instead they saw themselves simply as stewards of the Lord’s goods, living only on what was necessary and using the rest to help those in need; 2) while they had wealth and possessions, they were able to use them dispassionately since they had given their heart entirely to the Lord and cared nothing for the world’s deceits; 3) they, while grateful for the Lord’s blessings, saw themselves unworthy due to their sins, and this allowed them to become “poor in spirit” even though they were given great wealth; 4) they trusted in the Lord alone, not their temporal riches or prosperity; 5) they were ever mindful of their death as the day in which they would have to give an account for what they had received.
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Question:	I attended the last Bible Study and if I’m not mistaken, you said that it is not always a sin to be drunk. Can you please explain this to me again?
Answer:	Sure! The Fathers say that drunkenness comes from three different things: 1) wine, 2) the passions, and 3) the sober intoxication of the Holy Spirit. The first needs no explanation. The second type of drunkenness comes when one’s heart is so enrapt in sin that one’s mind can no longer think straight, making a person spiritually impaired and subject to a serious fall. This unfortunately happens with each of us when, for example, we are overcome by a fit of anger or consumed by a desire for pleasure, power, or wealth. In these cases we often do things which we later regret when we come to our senses. This is why the Prophet Isaiah says, “Woe to those who are drunk without wine” (Is. 28:1). These first two types of drunkenness, coming from wine and the passions, are always sinful and will inevitably lead to physical and spiritual hangovers. However, the third type of drunkenness, the sober intoxication of the Holy Spirit, is never sinful and never leaves us with regret or remorse. This is because when one is filled with the Holy Spirit one’s heart not only experiences the joy and gladness which it was created for but one’s mind is granted clarity and enlightenment. The Apostles experienced this sober intoxication on Pentecost and were believed to be drunk on new wine, yet their minds were sharper than ever as by the Holy Spirit they were able to speak in all the languages of the world, proclaiming the wonderful works of God.
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Question:	So how can I experience this sober intoxication of the Holy Spirit?
Answer:	Before we can drink deeply of the Holy Spirit, we first need to empty our spiritual glasses of what is already in them. This means we need to pour out of our minds and hearts those things which are displeasing to God. Then, and only then, can we receive the sober intoxication of the Holy Spirit. Think about it, if my heart is full of anger and animosity, how can it receive God’s love and forgiveness? If I continually stuff myself with food and drink beyond measure, how can I learn temperance and self-control? If I read dirty magazines all day and never read the Scriptures, how can I learn the wisdom revealed in God’s Law? For this reason, the first step in the Christian life is to empty our spiritual glasses, our minds and hearts, of the wine that leads to the drunkenness of sin. Then, little by little, as we pray, fast, study, and pursue virtue, God will fill us with His new wine, His Holy Spirit, which brings the joy and clarity of sober intoxication. This is step two, to do everything we can to fill our minds and hearts with God’s truth and love. But let us remember, step one comes before step two – the glass must be emptied before it can be filled. This is because as the Lord taught us, no one who has just drunk old wine (and is full on sin) desires new wine (the Holy Spirit) for such a person says that the old wine (the sinful life) is better. For this reason, Christ says that new wine (the Holy Spirit) must be put into new wine skins (minds and hearts which are empty and ready for the filling). (Luke 5:37-39)
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Liturgy & Worship (top)

Question:	What is the Prokeimenon? And why are there eight tones?
Answer:	The name Prokeimenon (meaning “foremost”, “principal”, “chief”) is given to a short verse, generally selected from the Holy Scriptures, which embodies the meaning of the entire service, and therefore, refers to the chief contents of the prayers, hymns, and lessons from the Scriptures for the day. Because of its importance the Prokeimenon is repeated three times and is emphatically singled out by the words, “Let us attend!” (From A Manual of the Orthodox Church’s Divine Services) The eight musical tones used in the Orthodox Church have existed from the earliest times, probably originating in Jerusalem or Antioch. In the 8th century, Saint John of Damascus systematically organized these tones in the Octoechos or the Book of Eight Tones. Each tone, has its own unique set of melodic formulas, which could be arranged in a assortment of different combinations, providing both structure and diversity to the Church’s hymns. This eight tone system allows hymnographers to convey specific spiritual feelings and emotions to the faithful, such as sorrow, peace, or joy. While all Orthodoxy uses the same division into eight tones, the way in which these tones are sung varies from one Orthodox Church to another. That is, for example, the Russians sing them quite differently from the Greeks.
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Question:	What is a catechumen? And why are the catechumens asked to depart during the Liturgy?
Answer:	A catechumen is a person who is undergoing a period of instruction with the hope of being united to the Church through Baptism, Chrismation, and the Eucharist. Since the earliest times, catechumens participated in only the first part of the Divine Liturgy, what is called the Liturgy of the Word, since it concluded with the sermon following the reading of the Word of God. Catechumens were dismissed at this point because they were not yet baptized and therefore could not yet receive Holy Communion, which is the fulfillment of the second part of the Liturgy, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. While in contemporary America it is generally the practice for catechumens to attend the entire Divine Liturgy, other parts of the Orthodox world still keep the more ancient practice of dismissing the catechumens after the Gospel. It is interesting to note that in the early Church, in addition to the catechumens, those under penance and those who had not prepared themselves to receive Holy Communion would also leave the church at the dismissal. This they did because they felt it too difficult to be present and not approach the Holy Chalice when the words were pronounced “In the fear of God and with faith and love draw near!”
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Question:	Is it better not to show up if I know I'm going to be late to church?
Answer:	It's always better to show up late to church rather than not at all. That being said though, it is always better to be not just on time for church, but even a little early. We should try to be a little early so that we can gather our thoughts from the cares of the world and redirect them to God. By doing this before the service begins we will be ready to receive Christ who tells us that when two or three are gathered together in His Name, He is in their midst. (Matt. 18:20) Even in the secular world, if we are expecting the visit of person of honor, we make sure that we not only arrive before he does but we also make sure that we are ready to receive him properly. This is why we should arrive in church early and then instead of conversing with our neighbor (which there is time to do after the service), we should set about our primary task, which is to turn our minds to God and warm our hearts in prayer.
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Question:	What is the service of Compline?
Answer:	Compline is the service of prayer before retiring to bed – it is the “evening prayers” of the Church. In Compline we give thanks to God for the day which has just passed and we express hope that He will grant us a restful sleep during the coming night, as well as a peaceful repose after death with all the Saints. This service, which is not lengthy (only about 15-20 minutes), brings a peaceful conclusion to our busy day and can be read at home without a priest, as well as in church with one.
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Parish Administration (top)

Question:	Last week the Parish Council was installed into office, and I have some questions about it. First, in the old country we never had parish councils, is this a genuinely Orthodox practice?
Answer:	While the appearance of the parish council is relatively new to the Orthodox Church, and is most likely a phenomenon which developed in part due to Protestant, or even secular influences, there has never been a time in the Church when the clergy and the laity did not work together for the accomplishment of the same goal – the building up of the Body of Christ and the spreading of the Gospel. In the Orthodox Church, the work of the parish council is holy and blessed; a grace-filled work accomplished in union with Jesus Christ. For this reason council members not only receive a blessing from the bishop to take office, but they also prepare themselves for installation to office by prayer and the Sacraments of Confession and Communion. In this way the parish council member is made a worthy servant of the Lord, and the Parish Council becomes a genuinely Orthodox instrument for spreading the Gospel and extending the Lord’s Kingdom.
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Question:	Well who runs the parish? The Priest or the Council?
Answer:	This is a difficult question to answer, because really neither “run” the parish; Christ is the Head of the Church, and it is the Holy Spirit who animates His Body, of which the clergy and laity are both members and servants. Yet from a practical standpoint the administration and good order of the parish fall under the sole responsibility of the bishop, and by extension the priest, who is his representative. However, while ultimately the bishop and priest must give an account for the flock (Hebrews 13:17), they do enlist the help of the laity by calling them to certain offices, whether they be ordained (such as deacons, sub-deacons, or readers) or simply blessed (such as iconographers, choir directors, youth group leaders, or council members). Those who are enlisted in these offices assist the priest, much in the same way that the priest assists the bishop, and the Apostles assisted Christ Himself.
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Question:	What about the Council President? What is his role?
Answer:	Before answering your question, it should be explained that it is not really correct, according to Orthodox theology, to use the word “president” in this case. By definition the “president” is the one who presides as the highest elected official (e.g. the President of the United States) – in the Church, the President is the bishop, and by extension the priest, who presides in his absence. Instead, the term “warden” is used which signifies custodianship or guardianship, since in the extended absence of the priest, the official parish seal and keys to the church building are placed in the temporary guardianship of the Senior Warden. In addition to serving as a custodian, the Senior Warden, may be appointed by the Rector if he so desires, to chair a parish meeting. It is the privilege of the Senior Warden to be a signature on parish checks (two signatures are required for all expenditures), as well as one of the two required signatures on official ecclesiastical and civil documents – the other signature required being that of the Rector. Like the Rector, the Senior Warden is an ex-officio member of all parish organizations. The term of office for the Senior Warden is the same as for all other council officers – two years. In the event, that the Senior Warden cannot fulfill his duties, he is to be replaced by the Junior Warden. If any other office is vacated, the parish council elects one of its members to fill the vacancy.
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Question:	What exactly is a Bishop?
Answer:	The bishop is the first and highest degree of the clergy in the Orthodox Church (the Biblical term is overseer). He is the successor to the Apostles in the service and government of the Church. A ruling bishop is responsible for and is the head of all the parishes located in his diocese. The ministry and authority of the lower orders of clergy (priests, deacons, subdeacons, readers) is derived from the bishop, who alone performs the mystery of ordination. Likewise, lay stewardship in the Orthodox Church (educative, administrative, or otherwise) is conducted with the blessing of the bishop. While Orthodox hierarchs may differ in rank and title (as some are called patriarchs, popes, metropolitans, archbishops, or simply bishops), nevertheless all bishops are equal as they all share in the same apostolic succession, they all have the same sacramental powers, and they all are divinely appointed teachers of the faith. For this reason, not only has no bishop in the Orthodox Church ever had universal jurisdiction but no bishop has ever even had the right to interfere in the affairs of another’s diocese. Yet, in matters of faith and practice the bishop is not entirely on his own but instead remains subject to the decisions of local and general councils of bishops. In the same manner all councils of bishops remain subject to the general consciousness of the entire Church which as the Body of Christ includes both clergy and laity alike and is governed by the Holy Spirit.
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Parish Life (top)

Question:	What is the proper way to greet a priest or a bishop?
Answer:	In the Orthodox Church priests are greeted in a special way. When we come to a priest (or bishop) we should ask his blessing by putting our right hand over our left hand and saying, "Father bless!" (for a bishop, "Master bless!"). Our hands, one over the other, make the image of the cross. The priest then makes the sign of the cross over the person and places his hand in their cupped hands. The person then kisses the priest's hand, as the priest says, "God bless you!" or "May the Lord bless!" When receiving a blessing from a bishop, one should make a small bow before asking for the blessing. A small bow is made by bending at the waist and touching the floor with the right hand. It is not necessary for the elderly to make a bow, nor for anyone to make the sign of the cross before receiving a blessing, either from a bishop or a priest.
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Question:	In today's modern world, should an Orthodox Christian still ask a priest for a blessing and kiss his hand? This looks strange to outsiders. Wouldn't it be better just to shake the priest's hand?
Answer:	When a priest gives a blessing he arranges the fingers of his right hand in a specific pattern. His fingers form the Greek initials of "Jesus Christ" – IC XC. This shows that the priest imparts, not his own blessing, but the blessing of Christ, Whom he serves. For this reason, the Church teaches that even in today's modern world, one should not exchange the opportunity to receive God's blessing for a mere handshake.
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Question:	When should one receive a blessing?
Answer:	One should ask the priest for a blessing: 1) when one greets him or says goodbye, and 2) during the appointed times in church, for example, after being anointed with oil, at the end of Compline, or after Confession. One should not receive the blessing of a priest, when in the presence of a bishop; instead one should receive a blessing from the bishop.
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Question:	In your sermon last week you said that the commandments of Christ and the guidelines of the Church are not life-burdening but life-bearing, life-transforming, and life-transfiguring. Is there a difference between the commandments of Christ and the guidelines of the Church?
Answer:	This is an excellent question! And yes, while both the commandments of Christ and guidelines of the Church, when kept spiritually, can lead us to freedom in Christ, there is still an importance difference between them. Commandments require universal application; they are “binding” on every Christian. For instance, no Christian should kill, steal, lie, etc. and every Christian should pray, fast, be baptized, repent and confess their sins, receive Holy Communion, etc.. In short, every Christian without exception must keep the commandments, loving God with their whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and their neighbor as themselves. While guidelines on the other hand require pastoral application as they are more personal in nature. This is because they direct us not so much what to do, but how to do it. That is they teach us the manner in which we should pray, fast, repent and confess our sins, prepare for Holy Communion, etc.. While the Church gives the same guidelines for everyone (men and women, monastic and married, clergy and laity), these guidelines must be tailored to the life of each individual Christian inasmuch as each person is unique. Sometimes this means lessening the “rule”, sometimes this means strengthening it. But however the guidelines are modified they must be modified with the sole intent of helping the Christian draw closer to Christ. For this reason, guidelines should be modified in consultation with one’s priest, who has been ordained with the specific charge of pasturing Christ’s reason-endowed sheep.
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Prayer (top)

Question:	Is it an Orthodox practice to pray in one’s own words? Or do we only pray with prayer books?
Answer:	This is an excellent question, and the answer is definitely “yes” as Orthodox Christians we should learn to pray in our own words. But before prayer in one’s own words can develop properly, one must first learn how to pray and what to pray for. This is why the disciples asked Christ to teach them to pray, so that they could pray in spirit and truth. Now, as we know, prayer to God can take on a variety of forms, but as St. Basil the Great says there are four types of prayer which are absolutely necessary for the Christian to develop in order to have a healthy relationship with God: 1) praise – in which we glorify God, 2) confession – in which we repent and confess our sins 3) petition – in which we ask for those things necessary for salvation, and 4) thanksgiving – in which we offer to God our gratitude for all He has done for us. Since the prayers of the Church include all four of these types of prayer, they help us become well rounded Christians. They help us not only avoid unhealthy types of prayer such as complaining or self-justification, but they also help us move beyond simply asking God for things in a selfish way, to giving Him thanks for everything, confessing our sins before Him, and praising Him for His great goodness. These prayers of the Church which we find in prayer books were written by the Saints, those men and women who passed through all the stages of the spiritual life on their way to union with God. One could even say that the Saints have left us their prayers as a spiritual roadmap to the Kingdom, for they teach us not only how and what we should pray for on our Christian journey but also what our hearts should feel and how our minds should think. When we make the prayers of the Church our own through attention and feeling we put ourselves on that same straight and narrow path which the Saints themselves took, that path which leads from earth to heaven. Now it will happen that after time, when we start to become accustomed to praying in the manner of the Saints, we will feel prayer taking on its own life within us, and even when we do not have our prayer books before us we will start to feel the need to 1) praise God, 2) ask His forgiveness, 3) seek those things necessary for salvation, and 4) offer Him thanksgiving. At these times, when we are moved by the Spirit, our prayer can take on its own words and be very pleasing to God.
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Question:	How should we pray in our own words?
Answer:	Prayer in our own words should be simple and direct. There is no need for eloquence or verbosity. In fact, at times there is no need for words at all. God knows what is in our minds and hearts even before we have a chance to verbalize our thoughts and feelings. It is enough simply to say, “Lord, have mercy” or “Thank You, Lord”. Or to say the Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me” or in the plural form, “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on us”. Whatever our pray is, it should be spiritual not intellectual, it should come from the heart, wherein resides the Holy Spirit who cries unto God, “Abba, Father!”
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Question:	What is the best way to develop this spiritual prayer?
Answer:	Each person is different and no two peoples’ prayer life develops in exactly the same way. However, generally speaking we should apply ourselves to both prayer with books as well as prayer in our own words. In the morning and evening, and before and after meals, we should use the prayers given to us by the Church, those prayers which we find in Orthodox prayer books. And at all other times, whether we be at home or work, during the day or at night, we should seek to remember God through short simple prayers such as “Lord, have mercy” or the Jesus Prayer. The more we apply ourselves to continual prayerful remembrance of God, the more we will start to see a change in our lives. We will become not only more sensitive to the Lord’s presence among us and within us, but also more sensitive to the presence of our neighbor and his or her temporal and eternal needs. We will begin to become more spiritual people, not in the prideful sense – may the Lord preserve us from this – but in the sense that we will start to realize are destiny to live in loving, self-sacrificial communion with God and each other.
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Sacraments (top)

Question:	I've heard that marriages in the Orthodox Church are not performed on certain days. What days are these, and why is this?
Answer:	In the Orthodox Church marriages are not performed: 1. On the Eves of Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year. 2. On the Eves of Sundays, Twelve Great Feasts, the feast of the parish, and some other great feasts. 3. During the Great Lent, Apostle's Fast, Dormition Fast, and Nativity Fast. 4. From Christmas (Dec. 25th) through the Synaxis of the Baptist (Jan. 7th). 5. During Cheesefare Week and Bright Week. 6. On the Day and Eve of the Beheading of the Baptist (Aug. 29th) and the Elevation of the Cross (Sept. 14th). Marriages are not performed on these days so that the wedding celebrations do not compete with the festivities of holy days, nor conflict with the solemn character of our fasts. Before setting a day for your wedding be sure to speak with your priest.
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Question:	Please forgive me for this question, is it safe to share one spoon when receiving the Holy Communion?
Answer:	In a word, "Yes", it is safe to receive Holy Communion from the same spoon. The reason why it is safe is because of what is being received – the Body and Blood of Christ. In the nearly two thousand year history of the Church there has never been a case where a person became sick or contracted a disease from receiving Holy Communion. The only time people have become sick through partaking of Holy Communion is when they partake without proper preparation. This is why the Apostle Paul warns: "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he who eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks condemnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged." (1 Cor. 11:28-31) On a practical note, the safest way to receive Holy Communion, that is so that an accident does not take place, is to open one's mouth wide, and then close one's mouth on the spoon in the normal fashion.
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Question:	Why do the Church’s guidelines say that we must go to Confession at least during the four fasting seasons in order to receive Holy Communion?
Answer:	In answer to your question: the Church’s guidelines concerning Confession before Communion are actually much stricter than four times a year, calling for frequent communicants to receive Confession at least once a month (see the OCA Guidelines for Clergy). These guidelines were put in place long ago to help prepare us for a joyful and untroubled union with God through the Body and Blood of Christ. However, as we have said earlier, guidelines are not unbendable rules which require legalistic fulfillment, rather they are meant to be applied in a manner helpful to our own personal circumstances. Guidelines are meant to “meet us where we are at” and help lead us up to heaven. For this reason, as your priest, and as one who must give an account for your souls (Heb. 13:17), I felt it pastorally necessary to modify the guidelines, lessening the “rule” to only four times a year, to fit the life of our parish. If this guideline is still too difficult, please speak with me and we can address your personal circumstances.
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Question:	I’d like to attend the Saturday night service, but I just cannot make it. What can I do Saturday night to better prepare myself to receive Holy Communion on Sunday morning?
Answer:	What you can do Saturday night to prepare for receiving Holy Communion on Sunday morning depends on your individual situation. There is no one single answer to this question. Some will spend a little extra time reading the Scriptures, while others will spend more time in prayer. Some who have to work on Saturday evenings, will start their preparation earlier in the day, or even earlier in the week. As Christians we live our lives from one Communion to the next. That is we spend our entire week both in the joy of being united to Christ the previous Sunday and in the anticipation of being united to Him again at the next Divine Liturgy. When we live in this way, every thought, word, and deed takes on a completely new importance and has a much more profound significance. This feeling of spiritual consciousness, experienced perhaps most fully when preparing for an evening Communion at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, is the primary way in which we can prepare to be united with God in the Holy Eucharist. The Christian who so applies himself throughout the entire week will most acutely feel the joy and power of receiving the Body and Blood of Christ.
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Question:	How does Confession help prepare me to receive Holy Unction and Holy Communion?
Answer:	Each Sacrament in the Orthodox Church has its own unique function in bringing about the healing and restoration of man, who, as we read in Genesis, was tricked by the serpent and became sick and subject to death having been infected with the poisonous venom of sin. According to the Fathers, Confession is the first step on the road to healing, for through Confession man can spit out the devil’s deadly poison and purge himself from sin. Then once the poison has been expelled, the spiritual and physical wounds left by the bite can be healed through the anointing of Holy Unction. And through the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ, the Sustenance of eternal life, man can regain his strength and return to health of body and soul. Yet, just as anointing a snake bite with oil and feeding a man healthy food, will not bring about healing unless the poison is first removed, so too the reception of Holy Unction and Holy Communion will not profit a man unless he first purges himself of sin through Holy Confession.
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Question:	How often should I confess my sins?
Answer:	One should confess one’s sins and spit out the devil’s poison whenever one is spiritually bitten to the point that one’s health is in danger. One may reach this point from a single deadly bite, such as murder, adultery, fornication, or some other very serious sin, or from a series of lesser bites, such as anger, overeating, judging others, or lustful thoughts. As a general rule, the frequency of one’s confession should depend on the amount of poison with which one has been infected.
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Question:	Is it necessary to confess every time I receive Holy Communion?
Answer:	If one receives from the Holy Chalice infrequently, say once or twice a year, then yes, one should go to confession each time before receiving Holy Communion. However, for the frequent communicant, one who receives Holy Communion every Sunday, it is not necessary to confess one’s sins before each time one receives, that is, unless one has fallen into a serious sin. In such cases, one should not approach the Chalice until one has first confessed one’s sin and fulfilled the advice or penance of one’s father confessor. Finally, although it is not necessary for the frequent communicant to confess his or her sins each time he or she approaches the Chalice, confession should be made at least during each of the four fasting seasons, lest the poison received over time through small sins lead to the same spiritual death as that which comes through a single deadly bite.
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Social Issues (top)

Question:	In last week’s bulletin there was a survey dealing with contemporary moral issues. I noticed that 62% of the Orthodox Christians who participated in the survey said that they felt abortion should be legal. Is this really what the Church teaches?
Answer:	Actually, the Orthodox Church has a very strong Pro-Life position, considering abortion to be an immoral and unlawful termination of the life which begins at conception. Each year Orthodox Christians have a strong presence at the March For Life in Washington DC, which protests the regrettable decision of the Supreme Court to legalize abortion in the “Roe vs. Wade” case of 1973. On the “Sanctity of Life” Sunday, the Sunday closest to the anniversary of this unfortunate event in our nation’s history, we ask the Lord to “enlighten the minds and hearts of those blinded to the truth that life begins at conception; enable us to guard, cherish and protect the lives of all those who are unable to care for themselves.” Then we also ask the Lord to “be merciful to those who, through ignorance or willfulness, affront Thy divine goodness and providence through the evil act of abortion”. This is just one example of how the Church not only condemns the act but also places great emphasis on caring for those parents who have been physically, psychologically, and spiritually traumatized by abortion. The fact that the majority of Orthodox Christians surveyed felt that abortion should be legal indicates one of two things: 1) Orthodox Christians do not know their Church’s teaching on the Sanctify of Life, or 2) we choose to disregard these fundamental truths, listening more to popular opinion than the Word of God. In fact, the survey appeared in the bulletin to point out the tragic disconnect for some Orthodox Christians between what their Church teaches and what they think personally.
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Question:	What about homosexuality? What does the Church teach here?
Answer:	Throughout the Old and New Testaments two things are clear regarding this topic: 1) homosexuality, together with all other forms of sex outside marriage, is detrimental a person’s spiritual well-being and growth, and therefore is revealed by God as sinful and destructive, and 2) those who struggle to overcome this obstacle can obtain their salvation in Christ just like anyone else who is challenged by a passion for greed, anger, alcohol, lust, pride, etc.. In short, God condemns the sin in order to save the sinner. When we as a nation, community, or individually encourage homosexuality either through gay-marriage, same-sex unions, or even simply moral legitimization though mass media (TV shows like Will & Grace or the L Word), we find ourselves in disagreement with God, Who as our Chief Physician, identifies this lifestyle as unhealthy, dangerous, and destructive. On the other hand when we despise and hate those who struggle with homosexuality either through gay-bashing, hate-crimes, or even simply by mocking them, we find ourselves at enmity with God, Who loves homosexuals enough to die on the Cross for them so that we all might be healed.
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Question:	Well, should the Church express her views on these and other social political issues?
Answer:	Absolutely, the Church should express her views on these issues, and here’s why: We live in a nation whose laws, for good or bad, are written in the court of popular opinion. Usually our laws reflect the natural law innate in all of mankind – for example: it is a crime to kill, steal, rape, etc.. However, there are times when our laws contradict this natural law (abortion, gay-marriage, etc.), and in these cases mankind suffers. This is because our man-made laws are written on mere paper and cannot overturn God’s eternal truth written on the fleshly tablets of the heart. And so, when we break God’s Commandments (even with the “permission” of our legal system), we self-destruct individually and collectively – it’s like driving a car off a cliff and expecting it to fly just because we rewrote the manual to say that it could. A car is a car, and a human being is a human being – only the inventor and Creator can change the way they operate. This is why in this changing world, we rely on the Church, the “pillar and ground of truth”, to reveal to us how we should live before God and with one another. That’s not to say that the Church should be directly involved in the legal system, writing and codifying laws – the Church’s focus is elsewhere. However, it does mean that the Church has a responsibility to inform society of the dangers of breaking God’s Laws – if society is driving its car off a cliff and expecting to fly, it’s the Church’s job to say something. Finally, we do well to remember that when our Founding Fathers set up a separation between Church and State, they never envisioned a nation in which God’s voice was drowned out by the masses – they established “a nation under God,” a nation whose people listened to the voice of eternal truth.
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Stewardship (top)

Question:	Why should I give to the Church?
Answer:	This is a very important question, and primarily for two reasons: 1) offering our time, talent, and treasure is a necessary component of our spiritual life – we need to do this for our salvation; and 2) offering our time, talent, and treasure supports the ministry of the Church – we need to do this for not only our own salvation but also the salvation others. Let’s look at the first reason – our own personal salvation. The Lord says, “where your treasure is there will your heart be also.” In other words, what we spend our time, energy, and money on reveals what is in our heart. The most clear examples of this in the New Testament are the poor old woman who offered her whole livelihood to God when she gave her two mites and the rich young man who chose not follow the Lord because he could not part with his possessions. In this life each of us will gravitate between these two poles – love for God and love for the world. This is what Christ means when He says that “no servant can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (riches).” And so our offering of time, talent, and treasure should indicate to us, what God Himself already knows, that is how much we love Him or how much we love the things of this world instead of Him. Now, the second reason we give to the Church is to support the Lord’s ministry on earth. Of course, it should be said right off the bat that the Lord does not need us to do anything – He is the Creator of the universe and can do anything and everything He wants. However, and this is important, while the Lord doesn’t need us, He does want us, and He wants us to labor together with Him for the salvation of our neighbor and the whole world. The Lord wants us to be His hands helping those in need, His mouth preaching and teaching, and His feet carrying the Good News to all the ends of the earth – this is how we form His Body, the Church. But for this to happen, for us to work together with God, for us to be His Body, we need to invest our time, talent, and treasure in performing the Lord’s ministry – we need to put our faith into action.
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Question:	How much should I give to the Church?
Answer:	This question can be answer in two ways: 1) theologically or 2) practically. Theologically speaking, there are two standards: the Old Testament tithe and the New Testament sacrificial offering. In the Old Testament, the Israelite people gave the first 10 percent of their wealth to God; this 10 percent offering, known as the tithe, was mandatory for the rich and poor alike. In the New Testament, the bar is set higher because Christ teaches us by His own example to give sacrificially. Giving sacrificially means adjusting the way we live our lives, making practical changes to how we spend out time, energy, and money, in order to give more to the Lord’s service. For instance, a sacrificial offering to the Lord might be: instead of going to a movie on Saturday night, we participate in the Vespers service, and we take the money we would have spent on the movie and snacks and give it to the Church or the poor. This type of offering is the most pleasing to God because it comes from a change in the way we live our lives. Now the more we sacrifice in this way, the more we distance ourselves from the example of the rich young man who chose not to follow Christ because he loved the world and the more we draw closer to the example of the widow who with two little mites gave her whole livelihood to God out of her great love for Him. This is the manner in which the Lord wants us to give because it helps to bring about our own salvation – it is sacrifice that is the key. Now practically, if we are talking numbers, everyone knows that we have to give enough for the Church to be able to operate, for the bills to be paid. But does this mean dividing the expenses of the Church equally among its members? For example, in our case, do we say that since the Church needs approximately $63,000 from its parishioners to keep the doors open that each member (not family) must give $2,100 per year or $175 per month? No, of course we can’t say this because first off our offerings are voluntary and secondly the finances of each person are different, some can offer more and some can offer less. However, this number of $175 per person, per month, does tell us something. It tells us practically, just what the Lord is trying to tell us theologically, that to be members of His Church requires a sacrifice, it requires us to make real changes in our lives – what we do with our time, what we expend our energy on, and what we do with our money. And so, whether we look at giving to the Church from a theological or practical perspective – it is sacrifice that is the key.
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Question:	If sacrifice is the key, then why does Saint Paul say that God loves a cheerful giver?
Answer:	It’s commonly held that we enjoy things much more when we work hard for them. Whether it be in family life, business, sports, or anything else, we appreciate success much more when it is earned through sacrifice than when it is simply given to us without any effort. The same is true with regard to the Church. If we can bring ourselves to sacrifice our time, talent, and treasure then we will experience real joy in our lives, both in our own spiritual development as well as in the growth of the community. However, if we aren’t willing to sacrifice these things, then this joy will be absent from our hearts, and instead we will feel sadness. We will be sad at the stunting of both our own spiritual development as well as the growth of the community, not to mention the knowledge that others will have to sacrifice more themselves in order to pick up the slack for us. So God loves the cheerful giver; and the cheerful giver loves God. And in the final analysis the cheerful giver’s joy comes not so much from simply having a church to worship in as it does from the knowledge that that church exists and the Lord’s ministry is being fulfilled in part because of his or her own personal sacrifice. It is this voluntary sacrifice that makes the giver a true member of the Body of Christ and a real living stone in the House of God. It is this voluntary sacrifice which unites each of us with Jesus Christ and each other, and what more could a person be cheerful about?
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