A.R.O.Y. Writing Extravaganza Returns!
by Jessica Precop, Writing Extravaganza Coordinator

This past year, the National Board took the initiative to re-introduce the National A.R.O.Y. Writing Extravaganza - a competition in which young people from parishes of our diocese are invited write about a specified topic and submit their entries to be judged and prizes awarded ($150 first, $50 second - in each of two age groups).  Entry information was sent to every parish and mission, and was also published in The A.R.O.Y. News.  It has been about 10 years since the last Writing Extravaganza was last held, so we hope our newer generation of A.R.O.Y. members will participate in this challenging and thought-provoking competition.  We have many educated and talented young people to whom we wish to give the opportunity to express themselves in this way.

We received essays from just two individuals this first year (both published below), so it was decided that they would each receive $100 for their entries.  Congratulations to Alexandru E. Radulescu (Cathedral Senior A.R.O.Y.) and Tom Rosco (Sts. Peter & Paul A.R.O.Y.) for their excellent work!  We hope that others will follow their example.
 

QUESTION: As young Orthodox Christians in North America, what are the most important opportunities for us to better live and demonstrate our Faith as members of our society?
 

FIRST ENTRY by Alexandru E. Radulescu

"You are the light of the world […] let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." (Matt. 5:14-16)

One of today’s major concerns of the Orthodox Church in North America is how to prepare its young members to live a proper Christian life in an increasingly secularized world.  What are the most important opportunities for us, as young Christians, to better live and demonstrate our Faith in our society?

The words of the Holy Scripture apply to each generation, and the passage above from the Holy Bible tells us exactly what Christ wants from us, no matter what is happening in the world we are living in.  We have a duty to testify about Him in our society and the best way to do this is by personal example.  Our life is to become the “light” of Christ in the world.

There are many ways to make this mission possible.  I chose three of them: the power of moral choices, use of religious freedom, and personal example.

What is a moral choice?  This question has become a subject of controversy.  What is moral to some might be immoral to others.  Morality pertains to the norms or conducts of life, to what is appropriate, virtuous or right to do.  Now, here is the problem: some might say that it is moral (or right) to allow abortion, for it is the freedom of choice and right of every woman to do so; others, including Christians, say: no!  It is not moral (or right) to allow this for only God has the right to decide on giving or taking life.  Our duty is to stand for the truth given us by Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the answer to all our moral inquiries lies in the precepts of the Holy Scripture, in God’s Living Word.  Those are our true morals.

We are blessed to live in a society with religious freedom.  This is great.  But, are we using this advantage?  There are more Christian martyrs in countries where religion is prohibited and surprisingly more religious ignorance in countries with religious freedom.  So, is it a real advantage?  Yes, it is, if we are to use it to our benefit.  Fr. Jonathan Tobias said in an online article called The Church and Euthanasia that “Ethics cannot be defined by civil law, and that is one of America's chief spiritual problems.”[1]  We cannot impose on others what we, as Christians, believe is right, but we can convince them by applying moral values in our lives, that is, by living Christ-like, moral lives ourselves.

This brings me to my last point: personal example.  You might be an expert preacher on God and morals, but if you don’t apply it in your life, your words become dry like a desert.  Our opportunities to do it?  We have the power to say no to drugs, to abortion, to alcohol, to cussing, to any immoral behavior in general.  There are plenty of solutions, but in order to find them one has to keep in touch with the Church, to live the life of Christ’s Church, because it is within the holy Orthodox Church that you find the Word of God, you learn about the real moral precepts, you have access to the tools of a life in Christ, namely the Holy Sacraments.  You cannot find them at home or any where else.

In conclusion, the greatest opportunity to best live and demonstrate our Faith in society starts by personally becoming a living example of what Christ has taught us; by fulfilling His commandments, we are able to prove that they are not just a set of useless norms but they always bear good fruits.

[1] http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles7/EvansTobias.php, accessed 8/7/07.
 

SECOND ENTRY by Tom Rosco

“Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.”     LUKE 8:39

In the Gospel of Luke, we read of the Gadarene demoniac whom Christ healed by casting out the demons possessing him into a nearby herd of swine.  As we can certainly understand, the healed man enthusiastically wanted to join the disciples, but Jesus had another mission for him.

There were many witnesses who related this story to the other people in this Gentile community, but, with the above command, Christ sent the man back to his home to serve as a living example of God’s work.  In this way, what could have become mere legend instead was witnessed by this man to his family, his neighbors, and all who came in contact with him.  Even more than being told, they could see that the man was cured with their own eyes!  And this how God works through us today.

As Orthodox Christians in North America, we have so many opportunities to live and demonstrate our Faith.  It was once remarked “He who lives well is the best preacher” (Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote).  However, we need all the tools and guidance the Church offers us if we are to overcome the many temptations and distractions also present in the world.  The saints began as ordinary people but aspired to something greater.  They were sinners but overcame sin through Christ.  We, too, must hold ourselves to a higher standard to be worthy of God’s unending love for us.

They say that one of the most important elements in any kind of relationship is communication.  Prayer is our means of communicating with God.  God doesn’t distance himself from us.  If that is the case, then it is by our doing.  St. Basil the Great describes good prayer, “which imprints a clear idea of God in the soul”, as a time in which “we become God’s temple, when the continuity of our recollection is not severed by earthly cares; when the mind is harassed by no sudden sensations; when the worshipper flees from all things and retreats to God, drawing away all the feelings that invite him to self-indulgence, and passes his time in the pursuits that lead to virtue.”

When, for example, Prince (later Saint) Vladimir of Russia sent envoys across the world in search of the “true faith”, they didn’t ask for lists of moral codes and doctrines.  They didn’t arrive and initiate theological conferences.  They simply observed the people in prayer, and they described their encounter with the Orthodox Christian Church (in Constantinople) as “Heaven on Earth.”  Simply being in the presence of prayer can inspire people.

But even more powerful and personal in our relationship with God is our ability to become one with Him through the Sacraments.  In receiving Holy Communion, the body and blood of Christ, we are communing with God Himself...one of His greatest gifts to us.  Through Baptism we join in Christ’s death and resurrection.  Through Chrismation we receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.  And through each of the other Sacraments, we also experience a personal encounter with God in our lives.  Our participation in the Sacraments is not only a personal action, but it also serves as a witness to those around us of our commitment to God as well as God’s commitment to us.  This is why most of the Sacraments are considered communal celebrations, because we all strengthen one another and rejoice in each other’s spiritual growth.

Beginning in our childhood, it is important for us to learn about our Faith...a need that, in fact, stays with us for the rest of our lives.  Sunday schools, bible studies, books, conferences, etc., are all wonderful ways to improve our understanding of the Church’s teachings, but sometimes our encounters with other Orthodox Christians can be the most spiritually enlightening.  As St. Irenaeus of Lyons wrote in his old age to his friend Florinus:

When I was still a boy, I knew you... in Polycarp's house.... I remember what happened in those days more clearly than what happens now.... I can describe for you the place where blessed Polycarp usually sat and conversed, the character of his life, the appearance of his body, and the discourses which he spoke to the people, how he spoke of the conversations which he had with John and others who had seen the Lord, how he remembered their words, and what he heard from them about the Lord ... I listened eagerly to these things, by the mercy of God, and wrote them, not on paper, but in my heart.

Eusebius, The History of the Church

St. Irenaeus’ recollection of St. Polycarp remained with him, as a guide, even until his old age.  Today, it’s beneficial for us to remember this example and be mindful when we’re in the presence of those who inspire and teach us in a similar way.  Maybe it’s a parent, grandparent or other relative, a priest or bishop, or maybe an old friend.  We have much to learn from those who have gone before us, and one day, we too may be in a similar position where others will be influenced by our words and actions.  We have to ask ourselves, “Will I be prepared for such a responsibility?”

As Orthodox Christians, we live our Faith in word and in deed.  To separate one from the other – that is to profess our Faith and not practice what we preach, or to “do nice things” but ignore God’s will and teachings – would make us no different from hypocrites and atheists.  Sometimes we back down from putting our Faith into action, questioning our ability to make a real difference in the world around us and underestimating God’s role in our work.  But we are encouraged by the Church, as St. Gregory Nazianzen so eloquently wrote, “You are distressed by your travels, and think yourself unsteady, like a stick carried along by a stream.  But, my dear friend, you must not let yourself feel so at all.  For the travels of the stick are involuntary, but your course is ordained by God, and your stability is in doing good to others, even though you are not fixed to a place...”

The role of God in good works is further substantiated by Thomas Aquinas, one of the great theologians of Western Christianity, in his Summa Theologica, in which he writes about charity:  

A thing is said to be perfect in so far as it attains its proper end, which is the ultimate perfection thereof.  Now it is charity that unites us to God, Who is the last end of the human mind, since "he that abides in charity abides in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16).  Therefore the perfection of the Christian life consists radically in charity.

So, we in fact are doing God’s work...and when we turn away from charity and other good works, we are then turning away from God.  With so many opportunities to do good in our society – whether it’s a small token of a donation where needed or a significant sacrifice on our part – how could we, in good conscience, choose inaction?  How can we do nothing, knowing that we have God on our side?  The sad reality is that there are those people who do ignore God, who would rather focus on themselves than on others.  But maybe our example will inspire others.  Occasionally there is a news story of people who were so moved by the actions of one person that an entire community came together for a cause...maybe inspired by a child’s determination, a parent’s love or simply a stranger’s compassion.  This is truly God’s work.

In order to accomplish good works, we need to be strong spiritually.  We act out of love for our fellow man and must love everyone – including both those who love us and those who hate us.  Mother Alexandra (Princess Ileana) wrote in her memoirs, “I have lived for a long time beyond fear and pain, and since then values for me have changed.  I wish to judge no man, but I stand uncompromisingly on the side of freedom and justice.  I will fight the powers of darkness in whatever form I meet them, and to the death.  Resentment and hatred I feel none of.  These are weaknesses in which we have no right to indulge today.  They waste both strength and energy, and we can afford to waste neither” (I Live Again, 1951).  As we see in her example, at a time when she and her family were treated with such disdain and contempt, it is far better for us to live by the saying “hate the sin, love the sinner.”  Our love for our enemies shows not only our strength, but is a reminder of God’s love for them.

So as we return to our homes, let us do so as the Gadarene demoniac healed by Christ.  Don’t just tell people you are an Orthodox Christian, show them!  Be that physical link, that visible and real presence, in your community between Heaven and Earth.  Interact with God, preparing yourself for the time when you will be looked upon as an example.  And, most importantly, put your Faith into action.  Those who do God’s work here on Earth help to build His Heavenly Kingdom.

As A.R.O.Y. members, we need only be reminded of this task through A.R.O.Y.’s motto, “Dedicated to Orthodoxy through Faith, Knowledge and Good Works.”