"In the East, liturgy is theophany, the privileged ground of our encounter with God, in which the mysteries are truly seen, albeit with the transfigured eyes of faith. What this means to the Eastern Christian can be seen in the following reply of a Russian Orthodox batjushka to his Catholic confrere, who tried to tell him that what was important was the conversion of sinners, confession, the teachings of the catechism, prayer, beside which “rite” plays only a secondary role.
The Russian priest replied:
Among you it is indeed only an accessory. Among us Orthodox (and at these words he blessed himself) it is not so. The liturgy is our common prayer, it initiates our faithful into the mystery of Christ better than all your catechism. It passes before our eyes the life of our Christ, the Russian Christ, and that can be understood only in common, at our holy rites, in the mystery of our icons. When one sins, one sins alone. But to understand the mystery of the Risen Christ, neither your books nor your sermons are of any help. For that, one must have lived with the Orthodox Church the Joyous Night (Easter). And he blessed himself again."
+ Fr Robert F. Taft, "Beyond East and West: Problems in Liturgical Understanding." 2nd Rev. Ed. (Rome: Pontifical Oriental Institute Press, 2001) 159-160.
What Fr Robert Taft mentions in this excerpt from the eight chapter of his book suggests that Orthodoxy points foremost to an encounter with God and participation and union in His life. All of theology, service, missiology, service are encompassed in the seamless Robe of Christ. This Robe is not to be reduced into separate categories to be examined. Nor are these 'components in theoria' to be implemented isolated from the totality of the Faith.
Furthermore, I think the quote is not suggesting complete rejection of systemised theology, catechetical training or even of cataphatic approaches. Instead for Orthodoxy these 'components in theoria' are the first steps which the believer must embrace then abandon so that an apophatic encounter can be encouraged.
To use the words attributed to Fr. Thomas Hopko:
"You cannot know God – but you have to know Him to know that."
How does one encourage this movement in our parishes or in our Sunday Schools (which are in someway dependent on a systemised catechetical framework)? Personally I'm fascinated by one catechesis program that seems to capture this phrase of the Orthodox priest: "...liturgy is our common prayer, it initiates our faithful into the mystery of Christ..."
Started by Roman Catholics who may have been aware of certain insufficiencies in 'text-book' styled catechesis, the Catechesis of the Good Sheperd attempts to overcome the temptation to secularize the Church's ministries and restore the centrality of the Liturgical ethos of the Church in the lives of children.
From the various web resources on the program the following summary can be compiled:
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an approach to the religious formation of children. It is rooted in the Bible, the liturgy of the church, and the educational principles of Maria Montessori. Children gather in an "atrium," a room prepared for them, which contains simple yet beautiful materials they use to help them absorb the most essential proclamations of the Christian faith.
You may be wondering how these materials help the religious life of children. If an adult hears a beautiful passage from the Bible, the adult might take a Bible, find the passage, and read it slowly again and again. He or she may think deeply about the words and perhaps speak to God in a thankful or hopeful prayer. A little child, too young to read, needs another way. In an atrium the child can ponder a biblical passage or a prayer from the liturgy by taking the material for that text and working with it - placing wood figures of sheep in a sheepfold of the Good Shepherd, setting sculpted apostles around a Last Supper table, or preparing a small altar with the furnishings used for the Eucharist. Older children often copy parables from the Bible, place written prayers in order from the rite of baptism, or label a long time line showing the history of the kingdom of God.
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a sensorially rich experience for children from the ages of 3 to 12 years that gives children the opportunity to grow in love and knowledge of God through the Christian tradition.
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is extremely adaptable to Orthodoxy, being the ancient church and the most Liturgical of all. It also emphasizes contemplation and quietness of heart which is at the center of Orthodox praxis and monastic life. It is a wonderful complement to The Law of God and other Orthodox catechism programs for children. Not only would CGS be an asset to any parish but a wonderful tool of evangelism for convert families, who are always looking for good church support for their home catechesis and moral training of the children.
Again what is fascinating is the way the children learn 'inductively' and intuitively from being immersed in the Liturgical ethos encouraged by the program. In its root form this approach is very close to what Fr Robert Taft is quoting. CGS is fundamentally rooted in the Orthodox way of teaching catechumens via lived theology, the liturgical encounter: the place of a beauty where opportunities of beholding Mystery can be encouraged.
It's a program that I pray more Orthodox Parishes and Dioceses continue to review and adapt to Orthodox Theology, Lectionary and the seasons of the Liturgical year.
If you're in the Sunday School ministry in your parish and interested here is some online reading of Orthodox Parishes who have implemented & adapted the Catechesis:
http://www.stathanasius.org/ministries/youth-education/catechesis/
http://www.antiochianladiocese.org/catechesis.html
http://saintanthonyreno.org/SundaySchoolCatechesisforChildren.dsp
http://www.holyapostlesorthodoxchurch.org/news_091012_1.html
http://www.orthodoxcatechesis.org/Sensitive%20Periods%20of%20Development.html
http://www.montessorimessy.com/2012/07/catechesis-of-good-shepherd.html
http://orthodoxcp.wikispaces.com/Eucharistic+Presence+of+the+Good+Shepherd
http://www.orthodoxcatechesis.org/Endorsements.html
http://www.sttheophanacademy.com/2012/03/sunday-of-orthodoxy-in-atrium.html
And this excellent blog of the program implemented in an Orthodox Parish:
http://www.sttheophanacademy.com/2011/01/catechesis.html
http://www.sttheophanacademy.com/2012/06/pentecost-in-atrium.html
http://www.sttheophanacademy.com/2012/04/graduation.html
http://www.sttheophanacademy.com/2011/10/orthodox-figures-for-nativity.html
http://www.sttheophanacademy.com/2011/07/busy-week.html
http://www.sttheophanacademy.com/2011/04/felt-saints-why.html
http://www.sttheophanacademy.com/2012/04/few-more-holy-week-learning-boxes.html
http://www.sttheophanacademy.com/2011/04/revisiting-pascha-learning-boxes.html
