Questions and Answers II
[Page 02, Questions 6 through 9]
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Here are some more questions asked by the faithful. We have answered the questions as best as we can in the limited space. If you desire a more detailed answer please e-mail us at drstepanos@aol.com and we will be glad to expound on our response.
Questions
6. Is there a relationship between the Presentation of the Lord and making fire?
7. When will they stop telling us that ‘Lent is about giving up chocolate and
Coke’? What are we really supposed
to do during Lent?
8.
What is the perfect gift from Godmother to Godson at the time of the
Christening?
9. Why do some Churches emphasize 'hell' while others
don't?
6. Relationship between
Presentation of the Lord and making fire.
Orhnyal Dér Stépanos,
I'd like to know the relationship of
"Presentation of the Lord to the Temple" and the tradition of making
fire that go together.
Sandy M., San Francisco, California
Asdvads
Orhné Dear Sandy,
The connection of the Presentation of the Lord with the tradition of
jumping over the fire was a connection that the Church made early on based upon
St. Paul's approach to making Christianity relevant to pagan cultures as
described in Book of Acts 17:22-29.
In this passage St. Paul utilizes a very interesting approach to
‘connect’ Christ to the ‘unknown god’ whom the people of Athens
worshipped. Listen to what St. Paul
says: “I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’
What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.”
St. Paul goes on and explains to the Athenians that the true God whom
they are worshipping is “The God who made the world and everything in it.”
Then he speaks of Jesus Christ who revealed this God, the Creator of
heaven and earth. This approach of
helping people discover the presence of God in their life by connecting
Christianity to their existing customs was so common that those who practiced it
were given a special title in the Church: The Apologists.
Practicing a pagan religion, the Armenians also had certain customs.
One of those was the custom of jumping over the fire.
This symbolized the ability to overcome the challenges of life.
Since it seemed to serve a practical purpose, instead of completely
eliminating this symbolic gesture, the Church decided to use it to glorify God.
Today, mainly newlyweds jump over the fire again symbolizing the
commitment to overcome life’s difficulties as a couple through the grace of
God. Today this custom exists in Armenia, but people very closely
associate it with the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.
By the way, it is important to note that in the U.S. this important Feast
of the Lord falls on the same day as Valentine’s Day.
Now, how many of us remember February 14 as The Presentation of the Lord
as opposed to Valentine’s Day?
7. When will they stop
telling us that ‘Lent is about giving up chocolate and Coke? What are we really supposed to during Lent?
Orhnétzék Dér Hayr,
I did not get a chance to ask
you this question at Camp. But let
me ask: When will people stop insulting our intelligence as teenagers and keep
telling us that ‘Lent is about giving up chocolate and Coke’?
I believe that as teenagers we deserve a better insight!
Do you have a practical suggestion on how I can make Lent more meaningful
for me? Thank you in advance!
Andrew M., Glendale, California
Dear Antréas,
I am glad that you are seeking true answers to spiritual questions rather than accepting ‘formulas’ that only describe one aspect of an important period of the Church Calendar. The Church in the early period regarded three components as integral to the Christian Way of Life: fasting, prayer and almsgiving (or helping others.)
Without going into a great deal of detail here, although we can discuss in person or through e-mail, fasting relates to willfully depriving ourselves from certain pleasures in this world, so that in prayer we may communicate with God more effectively, and thereby serve Him more by helping others. Therefore, the ‘fasting’ or willfully depriving ourselves of some pleasure during Lent is only part of the Christian life. In fact, whereas ‘fasting’ deprives us of an activity, ‘prayer’ and ‘helping others’ helps us redirect our energies into the service of God.
So here is my suggestion. During this Lent, when you decide to deprive yourself of certain foods and/or forms of entertainment, also think of how you can reward yourself by having a greater sense of happiness and satisfaction by teaching a younger person in your Church community how to pray or sing a Church hymn (sharagan). There are other opportunities such as reading the Bible either for the youngsters in Sunday School or the Church community, or even going to an old age home and reading the Bible for the elderly who desire to hear it.
Therefore, don’t just try to deprive yourself for the sake of depriving. Rather, my suggestion would be to deprive yourself of certain kinds of pleasures and activities, so you may redirect more of your attention and efforts towards other activities in the service of God as opposed to strictly your own personal fulfillment.
8. What is the perfect gift from Godmother to Godson at the
time of the Christening?
Dear Father Dingilian,
What is the perfect gift from Godmother to Godson at the time of the
Christening?
Debbie
Dear Debbie,
First of all, congratulations on your
Godson's Christening.
Second, at any age, the perfect gift
is a prayer for your Godson.
Third, the Godparents always provide
the golden cross for the young person. I am assuming that this has already
been done, and this is not an option for you. But if the golden neck cross
is not given already, I would recommend this. In addition, I would have it
consecrated by the very same Holy Oil with which the Godson is Christened.
Fourth, in order to make your prayer
for your Godson more 'concrete,' you may write it down in person in a
beautifully decorated Bible or have it printed in there.
Fifth, you may also have the prayer etched on a crystal
-- perhaps a crystal cross that can be found in stores. I am not sure
where you live, but in Southern California there are many department stores such
as Robinson's.May, etc., that have Lennox or Waterford (spelling?) crosses that
can be etched upon. This remains as a remembrance for many years.
Sixth, depending on the age of the
Godson, you may want to set up a yearly event to commemorate the Christening,
just like you would his birthday. So perhaps a calendar type engraving or
handcrafted religious item that has the Christening date. In this way, the
date and the event will be remembered and spiritually visited on a yearly basis.
Seventh, you can always open a
savings account for the young one and yearly add a gift. Or purchase religious
videos or books that will help him in his religious education.
Eight, if you have a special ethnic
religious background whether this root is in the US, Europe, the Middle East or
any part of the world, you may want to get a religious symbol from that part of
the world, to emphasize his religious roots.
I hope these suggestions have given you some ideas about the ways which
you can remind your Godson that he is Christened in the name of the Lord in the
Church through the power of the Holy Spirit and is a child of the Heavenly
Father, and at the same time help him remember that your are his Godmother.
9. Why do some Churches emphasize 'hell' while others don't?
Dear
Father Stepanos
I hear some preachers talking about people ‘burning in hell’!
To be honest with you, it scares me.
But somehow, I cannot see why God will have to burn people in hell!
Also I don’t hear this ‘hell’ emphasized in many of the mainline
Churches. Why is that?
Liz, Laguna Beach
Dear
Liz,
You are asking a very insightful question.
The overall answer will take much more space than we have here.
So let me just try to list the important points.
1.
There really is a ‘hell’ and according to the Bible people will actually
‘burn’ in it.
2.
This hell is not created by God to punish, but rather we humans bring it upon
ourselves. We have the choice of
either creating a sense of peace and ‘heaven’ within ourselves, or creating
chaos and ‘hell’ from within.
3.
There is a good reason as to why most of the mainline Churches do not emphasize
‘hell’ as much as they emphasize love, compassion and helping others. Because,
to establish long-term relationships, fear or punishment is never used as a
motivational tool. Just think, how
often can you tell someone else, even a child, that “If you don’t do this, I
will punish you!” Sooner or later
these threats will become ineffective. Consequently,
for building long-term relationships, even with God, it is always best to
motivate with the positive rather than cause fear with the negative.
4.
It is the belief of many Church theologians that both the sense of ‘heaven’
and ‘hell’ begin here and now, in this life, long before the eternal life
after the Resurrection. Especially
in many industrialized countries, we may feel like we live with the comforts
that are fit for ‘heaven,’ but spiritually, with our anxieties, worries and
insecurities, we live in ‘hell.’ This
is the message behind the words of Christ: “Peace I leave unto you as the
world cannot give.”
So the reason that the mainline Christian Churches emphasize heaven over
hell, life over death, is to motivate and encourage people to change their life
for the better here and now. After
all, Christ did say: “God is the God of the living, not of the dead.”
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