The Mind as an Airport

(see the Philokalia)

A unique analogy within Orthodoxy and the writings of the Church Fathers is the idea that our mind is likened to an airport. The spiritual warfare that we, and our children, live amongst is as the numerous planes flying overhead at any given moment. These thoughts, or airplanes, can land in the mind, which is the entry point to our soul. Our task is not to allow the harmful planes to fuel up and stay parked at our airport! We must use the God-given discernment we have to dismiss the planes before they take root and darken our soul.

We do not blame ourselves strictly for the planes flying over us, for example, to say that anyone is created evil, or a bad person because of them. Rather, a person can be taken hostage to harmful ideas, which when rooted in the person, only then become their responsibility. This is what we mean when we say, a person has the capacity to sin, and fall to the passions. The passions themselves do not originate from within us. We were created good. We only live within a fallen world, and when we fall, we are offered the medicine of repentance and metanoia that only Christ's Church can offer us.

Simply put: Standing watch is being ready to tell those negative thoughts to fly away and we must teach our children to ignore them. Here's how I used this idea with a young girl.

During the Divine Liturgy one day, at the time of the holy consecration of our Lord's Body and Blood, a beautiful God-fearing young girl in our community was next to me and became quite frightened and distracted by the thought that she saw a spider. I am not certain if the spider was indeed there, but regardless, it took her and my attention away from our Lord for that brief moment.

So, I ask, was the evil one victorious in his attempt to steal our thoughts away from Christ? When explained, I believe this young girl understood. Not because of any extraordinary analogy, but because her mother has equipped her with the necessary tools for battle, and combined with the grace of God, she's prepared to struggle for the Kingdom.

Choosing a School

Training Up a Child: Educational Options for Orthodox Christians

Excerpts from online article by
Bishop THOMAS (Joseph), Ed.D.,
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

"Before you examine the school’s ability to teach academics, however, it is absolutely necessary that you determine whether the school is Christian-friendly, Christian-tolerant or anti-Christian. If you find the school to be Christian-friendly and capable of teaching academics, you may want to utilize it as part of your responsibility to rear and educate your children. If, however, the school is merely Christian-tolerant or is anti-Christian, it behooves you to look for other choices. Let me stress that in raising your children, it is their eternal salvation which should be at the top of your priorities. This is your responsibility before God."

"Whatever teaching method you choose, Christ must be at the head of the classroom. The icon of Christ is what your children must view in you, in their teachers, on the screens of their computers, and in the faces of their peers."

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

*** Special thanks to Ashley who first posted this article ***

Graveyard Cleanup

Most American cemeteries have maintenance workers, but I've been thinking that this would make a fantastic service project. Take your kids, your teens, or your youth group and go spend the afternoon amongst the tombs!(Especially if you know where many fellow Orthodox faithful are buried)Did you know the early Christians celebrated the Divine Liturgy underground with the bodies of the reposed alongside the worshipers.(catacombs) Can you imagine that!

Prayer for those fallen asleep is an ancient tradition of the Church. Since we believe that life continues after death, we say the members of the Church that have reposed maintain spiritual communication with those of us that remain on earth. As St Paul says in Romans 14:7-8, "Whether we live or die we belong to the Lord."

* Pick a Saturday or Sunday
* Copy prayers of Memorial Service
* Pack rakes,shovels,flowers,garbage bags
* Select an area of the graveyard to tidy up
* Spend time reading the tombstones
* Read the Trisagion prayers for the person buried there
* Teach the following (taken from a text by New Skete, Mt Athos)

The one, holy, and universal Church is divided into two parts: the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant. To the Church Triumphant belong all those who ended their struggle in earthly life victoriously; they await their crown of righteousness (the Saints). To the Church Militant belong all those still struggling on earth against sin in order to attain perfection.(saints, with a lowercase "s") It is by the love of Christ, which is eternal, that we are bound to one another as His creation.

St John Chrysostom stated, "Let us help these souls as much as we can, and offer them a small assistance. We ourselves should pray and we should ask others to pray for them. We offer charitable acts together with supplications for those departed so that they may receive consolation. For, if Job's children were cleansed by their father's sacrifice, then why doubt that the dead do not gain benefit from our prayers and charity?"

Lastly, if time permits, consider discussing the significance of Kollyva, the traditional mixture of boiled wheat and fruits which dates back to the 4th century and is usually offered on 40-Day and One Year Memorials. Get your hands dirty preparing this tasty treat if you can and end the day with this quote from St Simeon of Thessaloniki,

"The kernels of wheat and fruits of the earth show that human beings are also seeds. When they are cast down on the ground they want, with the power of God, to rise up again like grain, and after they manage to sprout up, then full grown and alive, they want to be offered to Christ. For just as what is now a seed will be buried in the earth and after that will germinate and come to fruition and bear forth its ample fruit, so too a human being that is now delivered to the earth on account of death wants to rise up again."

For Christ is the resurrection, the life, and the repose of all, and to Him do we ascribe glory, together with the beginningless Father, and the all-holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Lives of the Saints

St. Clement of Rome wrote: "Come to the saints, for they who cleave to them shall be made holy."

There are no greater stories to share with our children and teens than from the lives of the Saints. No movie could compare! You want adventure, encounters with
wild animals, travels to foreign lands, superhuman feats, and miracles unbelievable to the human eye?
Look no further!

Unlike fictional characters, the Saints exist, and ARE real. Children never have to stop believing in them like the tooth fairy, santa, or the boogy man! The Saints, whom make up the Church Triumphant, serve the Church militant, us, who are still marching along in this world fighting against the passions. They illumine the way for us to follow, and when we share their lives with our young people, the same seeds of virtue will be planted in our souls. We will be drawn to imitate them with great conviction to change our lives according to a more holy path.

Take a look at these resources

Saints for specific needs

Online Lives of the Saints

www.abbamoses.com

OCA Saints

www.orthodox.net

Saints by Name & Month

www.orthodoxchristian.info

Father Serfes Saints

Greek Archdiocese Calendar

In Print Resources

Daily Lives Calendar (My Favorite)

A Child's Paradise of Saints

Christina's Hero's

40 Saints: Teachers Text

Prologue of Ohrid

St Dionysios (Others like this also available)

Synaxarion Series (Many volumes, but worth it)

"Our Church honors saints not as gods, but as faithful servants, holy men and friends of God." - St.Nektarios Metropolitan of Pentapolis (+1920)

Ticket for the Game

Today, my husband used a great analogy while speaking with a new catechist. He explained Orthodoxy to him like this. We, in the true Church, have the ticket for the SuperBowl. However, we've still got to travel there and the journey is where we face the truest test. It's a narrow path and not easy to follow. (Anyone who struggles to fast, pray and give up worldly conveniences understands this)

We also don't know who else may make it inside. There will be others who show up, and get in at the last hour, or even others who come from around the world. This is up to our Lord.

But lastly, there are those with a ticket but they don't do anything with it. For them, having the title "Orthodox" won't be enough.

So, to all of us with tickets in hand, on the correct path of salvation, let us show up for the game, having worked diligently to get there. May our Lord in His great mercy grant us entrance. Kali Dynami