Orthodox Mission: The Liturgy after the Liturgy

THE LITURGY AFTER THE LITURGY
BY Fr Ion Bria
http://www.iocc.org/orthodoxdiakonia/index.php?id=7



In recent years, there has been a strong emphasis in Orthodox ecclesiology on the eucharistic understanding of the Church.

Mother Gabriella (Gerontisa Gavriellia) on Faith and Love

Some encouraging words from the Apophthegmata of the Mother Gabriella (Gerontisa Gavriellia):

And Mother said ...

Only one thing do I know that I have always, and it is not pride, nor fantasy, but that which I have day and night, wherever I find myself-three things: first, Faith; second, Faith; third, Faith. That's all! Nothing else can I say to you. It has directed all my life.
When we believe and someone says, "Do you want to come to Lebanon with me?" I say, "Yes."
"How do you say Yes to everything?"
I say yes because I believe that if it is not for my good God will make it so that the No will come from the very one who invited me. Some paper will not be ready, or something will happen.
Today I am ninety years old-may you live so long! I read again and again and again in the Gospels, and I see something strange. Jesus Christ comes and says to the Apostles, "Leave now what you have and follow Me."
Now, if they said, "And who are you? Why should we lose what we have? Why should we lose our profit? Where will you take us? What will you do with us?"-if they had said that, what would have happened? They would have remained in darkness.
They said Yes to some Unknown who came and said, "Throw all that away!" Why? Because they believed in God, and they waited for the One who would say to them, "Come!" And that was the beginning.
Because if we say No, what will happen? ... One or the other: If you believe, you will walk on the water like St. Peter. If you are scared-Bloop! Nothing else.
Through all my life it has been like that. They called me to the strangest and most distant place in India. One night they sent me a message: "Come and see someone who is sick." We started out in an ox cart driven by some shepherd boy. And as we were going up the mountain in the forest, what do I see above us? Two eyes shining, a tiger. What do you say then? "Lord have mercy on me, and may Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
So I closed my eyes and saw that written within me. Because He said to us, "Why do you worry? Why do you worry? Even the hairs of your head are numbered!" Why worry? Faith is lacking. May we have faith.

Again, Mother said ...

Once when I was there where I was, some foreign missionary came and said to me, "You may be a good woman, but you're not a good Christian."
I said, "Why?"
"Because you have been here so long and you only go about speaking English. What local languages have you learned?"
I said to him, "I haven't managed to learn any of the local languages, because I travel a great deal from place to place. As soon as I learn one dialect, they start speaking another. I've only learned 'Good morning' and 'Good evening.' Nothing else."
"Bah, you're no Christian. How can you evangelize? All the Catholics and Protestants learn all the local dialects in order to ..."
Then I said, "Lord, give me an answer for him." I asked it with all my heart, and then I said, "Ah. I forgot to tell you. I know five languages."
"Really? What are these five?"
"The first is the smile; the second is tears. The third is to touch. The fourth is prayer, and the fifth is love. With these five languages I go all around the world."
Then he stopped and said, "Just a minute. Say that again so I can write it down."
With these five languages you can travel the whole earth, and all the world is yours. Love everyone as your own-without concern for religion or race, without concern for anything.
Everywhere are people of God. You never know if the one you see today might tomorrow be a saint.

Giving and Imparting as Mission

"I never stopped trying to exercise my missionary efforts while teaching or talking to or counselling my students. I wasn’t bent on having them join my church, but I was trying to be contagious and to instil in them a sense of faith, of trust, of beauty, and finally of joy.

My idea always was, and still is, to try to discover what is missing in a person’s vision of life, what venue to use in order to reach people on their own ground. Whenever I feel a void, I try to fill it with hope and higher expectations from real life; not career, nor knowledge, but the poetic sacred aspect of life, so often missing from people’s lives.

I insist that it is our sacred duty as those blessed with such abundant blessings from our life: our faith, our church and its services, Pascha, the beauty of nature, faithful friends, etc., to share these blessings with any and all who come into our lives, who cross our path and who dwell, if even momentarily, in our line of vision...

...Every one of us, every day has a chance to proclaim one’s faith and love in deeds and works, in compassion and love, in bringing peace and being truly grateful.

This is mission. Give unto others what we have in abundance."

+ Matushka Juliana Schmemann, "The Joy to Serve" (Montreal: Alexander Press, 2009) 78-80.

The Treasure Within

"the Church must convey the importance of the rites and rituals of the faith, starting with the initiatory rites of Baptism and Chrismation. Our life in Christ begins at Baptism; it ought to supply for us a firm foundation upon which we can build our lives. The Lectionary provides a wellspring of lessons on Baptism; through the ordinary proclamation of the Scriptures, priests can bring to the fore the importance of Baptism. Likewise, the Church year itself—especially the feasts of Epiphany, Easter, and Pentecost—offers many wonderful examples of renewing of our lives in Christ through water and the Spirit. The Collects, chants, and prayers of these festivals supply ample material to inspire such preaching and teaching."

+ Fr William C. Mills

On Hospitality, Generosity and Giving

"When we love the name of salvation, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and have mercy upon each other, we fulfill all the Law. Through mercy, Abraham was pleased, to host God, and His holy angels.
...When we continue to keep Him, in our inner being, He will make us rich, so we can give to others. We do not ask for, the wealth of this world, but for the salvation of our souls, by calling upon His holy name."

+ Wednesday Watos Psali, Midnight Praises, Coptic Orthodox Church, http://tasbeha.org/hymn_library/view/356 

"I am frightened at the possibility of being condemned. Not because I have robbed, or committed adultery, or done something forbidden, but rather for having failed to care for Christ himself in the person of the poor. Servants of Christ, let us then visit Christ! Let us take care of Christ! Let us feed Christ! Let us welcome Christ...in the person of the poor."

+ St Gregory of Nazianzus

Holiness is Wholeness

Holiness is Wholeness
by FrDn Pawel Mucha


In a way that it is difficult for an outsider to imagine, the Mission and the parish are truly interdependent. They are ideally one piece of one woven fabric. To appreciate this, fully, one has to be involved in both the Mission and the parish. To know one without the other is to be unable to see the wholeness that actually exists, the one with the other. The Mission is the foundation upon which the parish is built. The "spirit" of the Mission permeates the "spirit" of the parish. However, it is perhaps no accident that the Mission preceded the parish. Or did it? Worship has been the key to the life of the Mission from its very beginnings. As Fr. Roberto wrote in "The Poor Our Masters", describing the development of the life of St John's:

Orthodox faith, theology and worship should colour and shape Orthodox diaconia. Gradually a pattern of life developed centered around the Divine Services, all-night vigils and vespers services in the chapel that, although only the size of a small room, was in constant use. (http://stsilouan.org/article/poor.html)

In the Mission, and in the parish, the teaching of St. John Chrysostom that the Church should have two tables, one for the Lord and one for the poor, is  realized as a way of life. This is one of the most important lessons that those who come to the Lived Theology School (to learn what Orthodox mission is) have to grow into. It is one of the reasons why Lay Missionaries (formerly interns) have always been fully involved in the life of both the Mission and the Mission parish: and contributed greatly to, and benefited greatly from, both.

As Metropolitan Kallistos so eloquently put it in a retreat talk on the words of the Liturgy, “Let us go forth in peace”:

Let us reflect on what happened at the Last Supper. First there was the Eucharistic meal, where Christ blessed bread and gave it to the disciples, ‘This is my body,’ and he blessed the cup, ‘This is my blood.’ Then, after the Eucharistic meal, Christ kneels and washes the feet of his disciples. The Eucharistic meal and the foot washing are a single mystery. So, we have to apply that to ourselves. We go out from the Liturgy to wash the feet of our fellow humans, literally and symbolically. That is how I understand the words at the end of the Liturgy, ‘Let us go forth in peace.’ Peace is to be something dynamic within this broken world. It’s not just a quality that we experience within the church walls.  

Let’s remind ourselves of the way in which St. John Chrysostom envisages this liturgy after the Liturgy. There are, he says, two altars. There is, in the first place, the altar in church, and towards this altar we show deep reverence. We bow in front of it. We decorate it with silver and gold. We cover it with precious hangings. But, continues St. John, there is another altar, an altar that we encounter every day, on which we can offer sacrifice at any moment. And yet towards this second altar, an altar which God himself has made, we show no reverence at all. We treat it with contempt. We ignore it. And what is this second altar? It is, says St. John Chrysostom, the poor, the suffering, those in need, the homeless, all who are in distress. At any moment, he says, when you go out from the church, there you will see an altar on which you can offer sacrifice, a living altar made by Christ. 

Whilst this quote may appear to be directly relevant to the service of the Mission it actually makes no difference what your situation in life is. The “liturgy after the Liturgy” is to be lived wherever you are and whatever your life consists of. It is equally valid for families, the home, the workplace, social life – for all aspects of your life.

The great blessing of this place is in being able to live a whole Christian life. One would hope that if St. Basil, or St. John Chrysostom, walked in the door of the Mission they would recognize this place as something familiar to them and somewhere where they would find everyone striving to live both the Liturgy (and the other services of the Church) and the liturgy after the Liturgy. As some ancient liturgies have it, “Let us go forth in peace to love and serve the Lord.” There are no limits on either the love or the service. Holiness is realized in a life wholly lived.




From St Silouan Mission Parish, Toronto. Quarterly Newsletter – SPRING 2014 http://stsilouan.org/

Aim of Orthodox Mission

"Orthodox mission consists in giving the treasure we have, and leaving the other to decide whether he will take it or not. If the other wants to join the Orthodox Church, you will never say "No." Our aim is to transmit the tradition of the Gospel in all its fullness, remaining free from any anxiety to convert anyone. You cannot impose on anyone's freedom. You are there, you give your witness; you are a candle, lighted by paschal joy, and if the other wishes to take from your flame, then of course, you will not refuse him."

+ Archbishop Anastasios of Albania. From Understanding Orthodoxy: How to distinguish true mission from proselytism.

A Proposition for Evangelism

A Proposition for Evangelism
By Fr. Jonathan Tobias
http://web.archive.org/web/20140619202025/http://janotec.typepad.com/terrace/2014/06/a-proposition-for-evangelism.html

The Church: The Body, Mission and Life of Orthodox Christians

The Church: The Body, Mission and Life of Orthodox Christians

"So we will prepare for the coming Sunday, for the Big Feast of Pentecost, which as you know is the second, is the second big feast of the year after Pascha. And so let us truly partake of it, not just a little bit, you know God says “open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” So often when I give communion it’s important that a mouth is open so that communion can be given. So open your mouth and receive all that God has given you. So come feast, partake richly of the grace that comes when we stand in feast together and in the liturgies.

Doxa Patri Ke Eyo Epnevmati.

Christ is Among us. (Congregation: He is and ever shall be!)

What is Faith?

What is Faith?

"Doxa Patri kai Yio ke Aghio Pnevmati. Christ is risen. Faith. Isn't it what it's all about on Thomas Sunday - faith? Now that's not the same thing ... Faith is not the same thing as believing in things, like "I believe in electricity; I don't necessarily understand it, but I believe in it," or "I believe in taxes; I don't particular understand it, but I believe," or "I believe that there was a man on the moon."

That's not what faith is about. It's not about believing things you can’t quite figure out, just close your eyes and "I believe." That's not what faith is.

The Words of a Heart

It seems that the great elder Apa Makarios was journeying in the blazing North African desert one day with a zealous young novice.

Urging the disciple to go on ahead of him, Apa Makarios found a shaded place to rest awhile. The novice went on ahead and soon encountered a priest of the Egyptian idols traveling on the same road. Filled with fundamental zeal, the novice verbally attacked the priest, piously proclaiming that God could not and would not have anything to do with his religion and its evil idols. So abusive was this young monk, that it is said the priest of idols struck him with a mighty blow, leaving him semiconscious at the side of the road.

As the priest proceeded on his way, he soon encountered Elder Makarios, sitting beneath the shade of a great rock. Seeing him, the old monk called out saying, ‘My brother, you must be weary with the burden of your travels. Why don’t you sit here with me in this cool place for a while and speak to me of your journey?’ ‘What?’ the priest responded, still enraged by the last encounter. ‘Are you, old monk, not also going to berate me and condemn my faith and my gods as did that young monk down the road?’ ‘Certainly not,’ replied Makarios, and again bade him to sit and speak with him as a brother and fellow-pilgrim.

There the two sat and spoke of things great and small for hours.

Seeing evening’s approach, the ancient Makarios finally arose to bid his new friend farewell and be on his way, but the priest of idols would not let him go. ‘I shall in no wise allow you to depart this place, unless you allow me to return with you.’ And so the two made their way back to the monastery, picking up and helping the young, confused—and very much humbled—novice on their way. When they arrived, Apa Makarios called together all the brethren to greet the new seeker, and treated him with the greatest of honors.

Now all of this was beyond the comprehension of the young monk, who was so certain of where God was and where God was not. So he went by night to ask the elder to explain all that had happened with the infidel priest of idols. And the ancient Makarios, who must have shined like the sun in the midst of that desert night, responded with words like these: ‘My child, the hostile words of a closed heart can turn a potentially good situation into a bad one, while the hospitable words of an open heart can turn a potentially bad situation into a good one.’

+ As retold by Fr. Elias Bouboutsis in his book "Singing in a Strange Land," (Massachusetts, Holy Cross Orthodox Press: 2010) 30-31.

Don't dumb down the message

Sometimes we might feel that it would be beneficial to reduce or package the Christian message to make it more 'relevant', 'hip', or accessible. In this video, Father Robert Barron addresses some of the issues of embracing the feel-good banners and balloons presentation of the Faith which he experienced as a child. His observations are definitely food for thought for Orthodox Christians.

Fr Robert Barron Comments On Reductionist Faith 

at the 10 minute 15 seconds mark of this 

Keynote Speech on the "7 Keys to the New Evangelization":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRzDBro3FiE&feature=share&t=10m15s

Partial Transcript:

Homilies and Preaching

“The homily should not be a sermon about the Gospel, but preaching of the Gospel. In other words, it should not be an explanation of what was read, nor a class in theology, nor a meditation on the Gospel theme, because all these depend on the preacher’s own gifts and talents. What feeds the congregation is not the preacher’s rhetorical or theological or devotional skills, but the Gospel itself”

From "Theologia Prima: What is Liturgical Theology" by Professor David Fagerberg paraphrasing Fr Alexander Schmemman

Singing to the Lord all my life

"The second goal of the choir is to teach the liturgy. This goal is subtle, and never really formalized, but it is there. Part of singing any piece well, whether it is just one song, or an entire musical is to understand the meaning and context behind the words. A musician visualizes why they are expressing the message of their piece and conveys that message through the dynamics of their voice. In the Liturgy we sing as the faithful and as the angels. We sing words asking for mercy, describing the Lord’s Power and enter into dialogue with the priest and the Lord. The entire text of our service is taken from both the Old and New Testament.  The more these children understand the context of the words they are singing, the more they understand the depth of the service they attend every week. The more they understand, the more they remember and hopefully value the service."

+ http://orthodoxwoman.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/singing-to-the-lord-all-my-life-beginning-with-a-junior-choir/

Becoming Christian

A beautiful quote from Abouna Maxym's article on Serving Through Outreach which calls attention to authentic expression of Orthodoxy and of living in and participating in the Divine Life of Christ. Again the theme is being not just doing, being Christian and not artificially implementing a 'Christian' worldview, genre, philosophy, programme, ethic or activity.

"The first thing that must be said about acquiring this spirit of service is that it will not happen by simply reading about Christ’s acts of service in the Gospel and trying, with no preparation, to imitate Him.  The fact of the matter is that the Lord did not simply perform acts of service; rather, His deeds of love flowed naturally from His gracious character.  His deeds reveal His identity.  If we try to analyze the activity of Christ in the Gospel with a view to implementing a programme of Christ-like service to others, we will fail.  Acts of service that do not have their origin in a gracious character are not credible and are often undertaken for the wrong reasons.  Unfortunately, the wounded human heart is capable of sin even in performing good deeds if it is not being purified, enlightened and strengthened by the Holy Spirit.  We come face to face with a fundamental problem: we cannot act as Christ acts through observation and implementation alone.  We cannot acquire the spirit of service as we would a skill or a discipline.  We must instead receive Christ’s life and then struggle to allow His character to emerge in us.  This is why the Orthodox Church carefully distinguishes between the imitation of Christ and the life in Christ.  The former allows us to learn about Christianity; the latter allows us to become Christians."

+ Very Rev. Maxym Lysack, Serving Through Outreach

Also check out Fr Maxym's talk entitled "Orthodoxy and the World."

Where are the Children?

"BIG does NOT equal successful. Especially in the church. One of the church things I participated in had huge numbers, but very little depth; theologically and relationship-wise."

WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN?

Reblogged from http://orthodoxwoman.wordpress.com/2014/04/21/where-are-the-children/

Going on Mission

"Let us go forth in peace."

+ Dismissal, The Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, Byzantine Orthodox Rite

"The love of God the Father; the grace of the only-begotten Son, our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ; and the communion and gift of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Go in peace. The peace of the Lord be with you all. Amen"

+ Dismissal, The Divine Liturgy of St Basil the Great, Coptic Orthodox Rite

Going on Mission
An excerpt from "With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life"
by Fr Henri Nouwen

The Way Of The Church Is Love

Such an important reminder (forgive me beloved if I've ever fed your fallen passions and fed mine. Pray for me a sinner):

"I once asked someone: "What type of warrior do you consider yourself to be? Christ's warrior or temptation's warrior? Are you aware that the evil of temptation also has its own warriors?"

A Christian must not be fanatic; he must have love for and be sensitive towards all people. Those who inconsiderately toss out comments, even if they are true, can cause harm.

On Orthodox Service and Missiology

"Orthodox faith, theology and worship should colour and shape Orthodox diaconia." + Fr Roberto Ubertino

+++

The Poor - Our Masters
By Fr. Roberto Ubertino
http://oca.org/resource-handbook/commservice/the-poor-our-masters

The Gospel in Action

"The Eucharist … is the Gospel in action. It is the eternally existing and eternally accomplished sacrifice of Christ and of Christ-like human beings for the sins of the world. Through it earthly flesh is deified and having been deified enters into communion again with earthly flesh. In this sense the Eucharist is true communion with the divine. And is it not strange that in it the path to communion with the divine is so closely bound up with our communion with each other. It assumes consent to the exclamation: “Let us love one another, that with one mind we may confess Father, Son and Holy Spirit: the Trinity, one in essence and undivided.”