Participating in Holy Vigil
by Paul Fuller (Apr. ’02)
Great and Holy Friday in the Holy Orthodox Church is the most solemn day on the liturgical calendar. Orthodox Christians are in church participating in the services throughout almost the entire day. On Great Friday we witness the crucifixion of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our Savior suffered greatly so that our sins may be forgiven. Christ was mocked, humiliated, tortured by a whip, crown of thorns, nails, and spear, and died on the Cross in order that we may enter into the Heavenly Kingdom as His chosen flock. The Good Shepherd gave up His life for His sheep.
On Great Friday we also watch as the body of our Master is taken down from the Cross and placed in a tomb. After our Lord died on the Cross, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus, bound it in linen cloths, anointed it with spices, and buried it in a new tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Joses, watched over the tomb. The Church over the centuries has joined these two women in keeping watch over Jesus’ tomb. The Vigil at the Tomb of Christ is an ancient tradition in the Orthodox Church. NAC Teen SOYO has committed itself to honor such an important and moving experience by asking the local parish Teen SOYO chapters to participate in the Vigil with the permission of their local parish priest.
Now, you might ask what is a vigil? Simply put, a vigil is a time of watching, waiting, and preparing. As the youth of Orthodoxy, we are asked to watch over Christ’s tomb and to read the Psalms out loud facing the tomb, keeping in mind His sufferings and death for our salvation. Rotating teens to read the Psalms gives everyone a chance to participate together, while allowing time for meditation and prayer when you are not reading. Our Church Fathers were wise in allowing the youth to participate in such an important event because it allows us to get away from the earthly material things, and come together as family, friends, and even enemies for a greater purpose. As students we find we have very little time outside of school, but as Orthodox Christians we must make time to participate in our Faith. The Great Friday Vigil is a perfect opportunity for this to happen. Lent is a time for us, as the Orthodox faithful, to change our lives to become God-like. We do this by fasting, praying, attending Church services, asking forgiveness, giving to others, and humbling ourselves before God and our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to give more of ourselves, and ask for less. We can do this by attending and participating in the Great Friday Vigil.
Personally, I have participated in the Great Friday Vigil since I was 13 years old, along with my sister and many of my friends from my local parish, St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church in Louisville, Kentucky. I find that it rejuvenates me each year because it is rare that I am in silence meditating and praying. I feel so blessed being able to keep watch over my Savior’s tomb, just as Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Joses. The Great Friday Vigil allows me to read the Psalms in front of the tomb, listen to others read, pray to God, meditate and reflect on my life and how I can better it.
Can I Get Some Compline?
by Alexa Younes (Jun ’02)
I was up late, at the last possible minute, trying to finish this article, but no inspiration would come to me as I wrote. I called people I knew for ideas, I made lists of topics, and I even searched the Internet! I won’t go too deeply into it, but my thoughts kept coming back to our recent Parish Life Conference and the lesson that Compline taught me.
I was up late then as well, trying to write an oration for the Oratorical contest, but no thoughts were coming. I got up to take a walk around and I met someone in the hallway. Discouraged as I was, I related my predicament. This someone told me to go to the Compline service to pray and then everything would come. So I went to Compline, and right as Father was saying, “Let us pray to the Lord,” it all came.
As you know I’m sure, the theme for this year’s Conference is, “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My Brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:40) This is an awesome quote for us Orthodox Christians, because Christ is calling us to serve Him through one another. Living in a world where the selfish “I” is constantly emphasized, it becomes so important for us, especially the younger generation, to imitate Christ by serving others. While the world points to flowers and chocolates and Valentine’s Day cards to show us love, God points to the Cross and the triumphal Resurrection of His Son! So, it is in our works of sacrifice and service that we show the love of Christ to those around us.
In serving with love each other and those who are less fortunate, we not only bring the light of Christ into their lives, but we allow the light of Christ into our own lives. St. Maximos the Confessor says, “Nothing created by God is evil.” We are not only created by God, but we’re also created in His likeness, and hence carry His image inside of us. This is why when we serve even our worst enemies we also serve Christ.
The organization Teen SOYO provides incredible opportunities for youth to serve the “least of their brethren,” from volunteering in soup kitchens, to writing letters to orphans in Guatemala. One of the reasons SOYO exists is to provide teenagers with ways to reach out and minister to others through their actions. Some of my most memorable experiences come from Teen SOYO outings to hospitals, and to parishioner’s houses for Christmas caroling. In fact, most of us have had the chance to do these things, and perhaps even more. And while doing all these activities is wonderful, too often we overlook the importance and power of the smaller things in life: a kind word, a letter, a phone call to a loved one, even sharing the comics with a sibling. How many of us walking down the street offer a smile to a passerby? Christ Himself left time to be with children, to sit and talk with troubled hearts, and reassure His disciples even amid His great works of healing the sick and raising the dead. Sometimes experiences in life bring our spirits down and all we want is someone to listen to us. It’s incredible how much we can minister to the people around us by doing these simple things.
So I know what you’re thinking by now: “How does this have anything to do with Compline?” Well, Compline is a wonderful instrument that can be utilized to fulfill the commandment to serve the “least of our brethren.” Sometimes, as I know happens with myself, a few of us, especially the ambitious youth, try to take on the world. I suppose it’s a bit prideful to think that we can change everything like that, but nevertheless, we believe that we can. The truth of the matter is we can’t. We cannot physically serve or change everyone or everything in the world. However, there is different form of service that we’re called to perform for each other which allows us to serve every single person in the world — praying for them.
When I went to that Compline service, I came, like so many other people, with a problem. “Let us pray to the Lord” was the answer I got. It’s the answer that everyone gets, but I think a lot of people underestimate the power of prayer. Just look at the stories of the Saints. The Prophet Isaiah called down rain from the heavens by his prayers; St. George raised a dead man to life by his prayers; St. Thekla was hidden in a rock from evil men by her prayers. St. Paul says in his epistle to the Galatians, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) How else can we bear each other’s burdens if not through prayer?
Prayer is the most powerful tool that God ever gave to us. We can serve each other in the fullest capacity through prayer because our prayers connect to Christ and reach out to everyone in the world. There are no boundaries or confines because our prayers surpass time, distance, space and yes, even death itself! As we said during that Conference Compline service, “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs He bestows life!”
Getting Involved… With Liturgy!
By David Kurian (Dec. ’02)
Think about this. How much has God given to us? He gave us life. He gave us his son, Jesus, who suffered tortures, and died upon the Cross to give us eternal life. We always say ‘thank you’ when someone has done something for us. How can we thank God enough? It is well nigh impossible. God knows that we can never repay Him for all He has given us, and for all that He continues to shower on us. He is overjoyed if we just serve him in humility.
One way that we can thank Him is to serve in our churches, helping others and ourselves on our journey to salvation. Singing in the choir, ushering, reading the Epistle, chanting, these are examples of how we can serve God and be involved in the liturgical service. Some mothers have rambunctious kids, and they’re often at their wit’s end trying to quiet them. We can offer our help and watch over the kids. Then the parent can worship God more meaningfully and more peacefully.
What do you do best? Can you sing well? Are you a good reader? Are you good with kids? Are you outgoing? You can use all your talents, in some way or another, for God’s glory. If you can sing, go to the next choir practice and ask if you can join. Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained. The chanters at your church might teach you to chant — there’s no harm in asking! If you want to usher, just find out who’s in charge of ushering and ask him or her. They’ll probably be happy to have you do it. If you’re outgoing, you can talk about our faith to newcomers to the Church.
Each and every one of us has talents that God has given us. God gave us His light, and we shouldn’t hide it. Don’t think that it isn’t ‘cool’ to go up and sing in the choir. It might inspire others to get involved in the church too! God gave my sister Sarah the gift of singing. She sings in all kinds of choirs, and she chants at church. One day, while at camp, she decided not to go up to chant, because she thought that that might not be ‘cool’ with her friends. One of her friends had heard her chant before and persuaded her to do so. The next day, her entire cabin joined her and chanted the service. If Sarah had chosen to hide the light inside her, it would not have shown on others. You can spread the light of Christ by doing the work that God has chosen for you, and using your talents to glorify God.
Epistle reading is very easy to get involved in. Most of the teens in our SOYO participate in this ministry at our church. It is with great pleasure that the adults in our church welcome us teens to this form of ministry. Epistle reading is really a way of spreading God’s word. Some people hardly read the Bible regularly, and they only hear God’s Word when they come to church. Often, the wisdom of the Word of God is revealed to them when we read the epistle.
All young men should be involved in serving in the altar. Sometimes you might think that it’s boring to do so; but in reality, it is an honor to be like the angels, serving God in the Holy of Holies — the altar. If you participate wholeheartedly, you will understand what is going on during the liturgy; and the service will become extremely meaningful.
Involvement in liturgical services does not stop there. My little brother, Alex, after receiving communion, picks up a handful of bread and offers it to visitors and inquirers at our church. Some have journeyed on to become part of the faithful. Often, in their testimonies of faith, they mention that they felt touched by this little gesture of hospitality… coming from a little kid.
There is no reason for us to be passive in our participation in the liturgical services. Let us be zealous and do it because we love Christ. Let us be imitators of Jesus Christ and give without looking to receive back. Bear in mind, God has given us many blessings; let us use them for His glory.