"I Never Learned that in Catechism!"
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
Gods 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 ones 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 saints 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 ones 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
Those serving as Godparents in parishes with a large percentage of converts,
have learned well that among their responsibilities as a Godparent they are to
pray for their Godchildren, help instruct them in the Faith through example, gifts
of books, icons, etc., remember them on their feast days, share in their other
special days (graduations, birthdays, etc.), take an infant or young Godchild
to the chalice for communion, etc. Many Godparents still feel that they should
be doing more. They are right. The canons state that he who is a father to
someone spiritually is more a father than the one who is the biological father.
(This fatherhood also applies obviously to those who are Godmothers).
Just as a biological parent has financial responsibilities regarding the birth
of the child, so the Godparent also has certain such responsibilities at the
childs/individuals spiritual birth. These responsibilities include all of the
expenses surrounding the baptism: the baptismal cross, clothing, towels,
offering to the church/priest, and festive meal following the service.
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 persons 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.
We [The Veil staff] invite our readers, especially those
who were raised in ethnic Orthodox families, to write to us about some of their
faithful customs that have been handed down through the generations. Perhaps we
will receive enough input to share with our readers in one or two more
installments of I Never Learned that in Catechism!
From The Veil, Vol. 13, No. 2 (Dormition Fast, 2006). The Veil is a publication of the Protection of the Holy Virgin Orthodox Monastery. Free subscriptions to The Veil are available by writing or calling the convent: 2343 County Road 403,
Lake George, CO 80827; 719-748-3999. Posted on 1/2/2007 with the permission of the convent.
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