Dear Parish Faithful,
Fall Adult Education Class
The book also received a ringing endorsement from Archbishop Kallistos Ware:
- “The Kingdom of God: Paul the Apostle’s Perilous Proclamation”
- “The Foundations of Noetic Prayer”
- “The Meaning and Place of Death in an Orthodox Ethical Framework”
- “Honest to God: Confession and Desire"
- “Four Types of ‘Orthopraxy’ among Orthodox Christians in America”
- “Learning about Ourselves: A Snapshot of the Orthodox Church in the Twenty-first Century”
Fr. Steven
Dear Parish Faithful,
Class Ready to Begin – Come and Learn!
Fr. Steven
“Trampling Down Death by Death”
When we resume our Fall Adult Education Class next Monday evening (December 3), we will be reading and discussing a fascinating article entitled “The Meaning and Place of Death in an Orthodox Ethical Framework,” by Perry T. Hamalis. Inevitably – because death is inevitable - over the years, many people ask me questions about death and dying. Some of these basic questions are the following:
- How do we understand death?
- What happens when we die?
- What do we mean by the separation of soul and body at death?
- What is the relationship between Christ’s death and resurrection and our own deaths?
- What “part” of us – if any – continues to exist until the resurrection of the dead at the end of time?
- Why do we pray for the departed?
- Will we be united with our loved ones after death?
- What exactly does “trampling down death by death mean?”
- How does the fact that we will die impact the way that we live?
- What is an ethical approach to the reality of death?
In my humble opinion, those sound like important questions to me! And these questions have an Orthodox Christian response to them. The essay that we will use for our discussion is quite well-written and filled with insight after insight into the Church’s understanding of the meaning of death and “life after death.” Come and join us for this discussion. You can still order and receive a copy of the book in time to read for next Monday evening. The book is entitled Thinking Through Faith – New Perspectives From Orthodox Christian Scholars (SVS Press). Or, I could photocopy the article for you if you are interested. Please let me know.
Perry Hamalis quotes Archimandrite Sophrony in his article, who says: “Our one and only war … is the sacred battle with the common enemy of all people, of all mankind – against death (I COR. 15:26). In effect man has no other enemy. Our fight is for resurrection – our own and each of our fellow men’s.”
That is really what it is all about. We are all in this together. And deep down we all know it. The Christian response to this reality is called “Gospel” or “Good News.” That Gospel is the heart of our faith. That is what keeps us as members in the Church and coming to church. We will now have the opportunity to discuss these issues in a group setting that is meant to invite questions, shared perspectives, concerns, further discussion, etc. Seize the moment and take advantage of these opportunities. Presenting these opportunities is one of the major purposes of our shared life as a parish community.
Fr. Steven