Half a
decade ago, the few converts to Orthodoxy were usually individuals who wanted
to marry an ethnic Orthodox Christian. Catechetical preparation for reception
into the Orthodox Faith was minimal, at best.
In the
past thirty or so years, we have experienced a literal flood of converts to the
Faith. They are embracing Orthodoxy because they realize they have found the
true Faith. Almost every parish now has classes for those who are interested in
converting to Orthodoxy, and instruction in the beliefs of the Church is quite
intense.
Thanks be
to God!
While
catechumens and newly baptized adults learn about doctrine, worship and
Orthodox theology, there are a number of practices which often go unnoticed.
When people visiting monasteries see or hear about certain practices they are
amazed and say “I never knew that!” even though they had undergone extensive
catechetical instruction. Often they ask, “Where does it say that?” The truth
is that while we very often can point to canons and specific teachings, there
are many things that come from the “living tradition of the Church.”
Note that this is “tradition” with a small
“t”, not a capital one.
Many people
of ethnic background who grew up in the Faith had a grandmother who was their
first and primary teacher in Orthodoxy. A number of those grandmothers were
uneducated in the formal sense of the word, but they truly lived their Faith.
Perhaps they could not expound on theology, but their piety and faith spoke
louder than any words. One Greek priest referred to some of the things we
learned from our grandmothers as “Yiayia-ology”; a Russian priest called it
“Baba-theology”. While some things may be tinged with superstition, many of
these grandmothers’ teachings are true traditions that are not included in
formal catechism, but which form a valid practice in the life of the Orthodox
Christian.
We would
like to present a few practices which are very valid. Some of the following are
perhaps pious “grandmother theology” while others are very definitely things
that are included in the service books and/or in the holy canons of the Church.
The sign of the Cross
It is the
practice in every Orthodox country to make the sign of the cross when passing
by an Orthodox Church or cemetery, when beginning a task, and when setting out
on a journey by car, train, plane, bus, etc. In passing a church, it is done as
a sign of respect for the holy place; by a cemetery, it is a prayer for the
departed, and in beginning any task or journey, it is asking God’s blessing.
New clothing, vehicle, home
The first
time one would wear new clothes, shoes, etc. is to Church. Obviously this
practice would not include things like bathing suits or prom dresses! In
wearing something to Church for the first time, there is the sense that these
clothes are dedicated to God and are to be worn in honorable situations.
This same
understanding of something new being brought to the church is applied to a new
car. There is a blessing in the service books of the Church specifically for
this! The first place that a new vehicle should be brought is not to show one’s
friends and relatives, but to the priest for prayers to bless its use and keep
its occupants safe.
We know
that the priests bless homes at Theophany, but no Orthodox Christian brought up
with proper “grandmother theology” would ever move into a new dwelling before
it was blessed by the priest. For those who are building a home, there is even
a prayer for blessing the foundation of the house!
Patron feast days
Catechumens
have learned to observe their patron feast day by attending Divine Liturgy (if
it is served), to pray to their patron saint, and to greet others who celebrate
their feast day with “Many years!” There is more: the Church provides a special
blessing for a coliva on a saint’s day. We often think of coliva—the sweetened
boiled wheat—as something offered in honor of the departed, but there is also a
“coliva for the saint”. This coliva can be the sweetened boiled grain, or it
can be a bread, even fruit or pastries. It is brought to church and placed on a
small table (not in the place where the coliva for the departed is placed) and
then at the “Blessed be the name of the Lord” at the end of the Divine Liturgy,
the choir sings the troparion to the saint, the priest comes with censer and
holy water and reads the specific prayer for the blessing of this coliva in
honor of the saint. After the dismissal of the Liturgy, the person who has
offered the coliva distributes it to the people present in honor of his feast
day.
It is
also customary to make an offering either to the church, a monastery or the
poor on one’s feast day, in honor of the saint, for the saints were not only
offerings to God, but also teach us to show mercy and give alms.
Godparents
Icons
We know
that icons are venerated in our Faith, that we have icons in our churches and
homes, even in our vehicles. We need to remember that these are holy and must
be treated as such. Saints died for the sake of venerating icons, yet we who
venerate them, who “collect” them, who adorn our homes with them are often
iconoclasts! Just as no one would smoke a cigarette in church, he should also
not do so in a room or vehicle which has an icon in it. Icons should be put in
places of honor, not laying on top of a coffee table where something will spill
on it, not placed on the floor, not in a place of dishonor like a bathroom or
inside a barn.
Many
church bulletins, newspapers and other printed matter have icons on them. These
are still icons and should not be thrown into the trash can when we are done
reading them. The proper way to dispose of any holy item is to burn it and then
bury the ashes in a clean place (not in a garden which is fertilized with
manure). Icons on bulletins, newspapers, etc. can also be cut out, mounted or
framed, or sent to missions which are in need.
Prayers for the departed
There is
a way of speaking in Orthodoxy that is very distinctive and which makes our
very mention of someone who is departed a prayer in itself. Whenever someone
mentions the name of a departed loved one or relative, they immediately say,
“May God forgive him! her.” For example, “My grandfather, may God forgive him,
had a great influence on my life.”
Of
course, our faithful, both converts and those raised in the Orthodox Church,
know that we pray for the departed at specific Memorial Services and that they
are remembered at the Proskomedia before the Divine Liturgy. We can also
request a Memorial Service (Panakhida, Parastas) for an individual or for
family members at any time of the year (with only a few exceptions). It is
traditional when having a Memorial Service to also make a financial offering to
the church as well, and to host a meal in memory of the departed.
Very
often, when a family member falls asleep in the Lord, the family will make an
offering to the church of a needed item: an icon, candle stand, vestments, etc.
in that person’s memory.
Offerings
in memory of the departed can be given at any time whatsoever, even without a
Memorial Service. In fact, in villages in an Orthodox country it is very common
to have a complete stranger approach you and hand you a handkerchief, a small
bread or pastry, even a few coins, etc, saying, “this is in memory of my
mother! father/brother, etc.” In accepting this gift, the recipient says “May
God forgive him/her.”
It is
especially the practice to make an offering on behalf of the departed if/when
someone dreams of that person, for it is felt that the departed one is in need
of intercession at that time. St. Ephraim the Syrian affirms that “the departed
feel the prayers and sacrifices made for them.”
CONVERSATION