Welcome dear siblings in Christ to the first Q&A! If you have a question that you’d like me to answer, leave it in the comments and I’ll provide my answer based on my jumbled experience of what I call Orthodoxy. Without further ado, let us see what difficult theological conundrums you have in store for me!
First question. Orthodox Boi asks: Do Orthodox believe that Virgin Mary is a part of the trinity?
Yes we do, and we refer to her as Mrs. Father. Joking aside, no, Ever Virgin Mary is not part of the Trinity, unless some extremely important memo got jammed in the heavenly fax machine.
Jubair Khan asks: How come children who are born into Orthodox families get to be baptized early on, receive Communion, and then learn about the faith, while newcomers must learn about the faith and then be baptized before they can receive Communion?
This one’s rather simple. Our own capacity to understand Christ isn’t an issue to come to Christ; however, our willingness to come to Christ can present an obstacle. When children are little, they cannot understand more complex notions, God included; however, the Church is working on the assumption that, as their mind develops, their parents will fill them in on details and that these children will remain Christian. It is a bit different with people growing up outside of the faith, as we have no guarantee that these people will stay. Catechumenate, in that case, is sorta of a trial period to see whether they will stick. Remember the parable of the workers in the field, the children born into religion and the grown ups entering it work toward the same prize.
whatiwishicouldplay asks: thoughts on the colour purple? Irregardless of any theological implications.
I like it. Sadly, I don’t get to use it much as very few things in world are purple. In fact, it was an extremely expensive color, so I don’t even get to use it on clothes that much. If I’m not mistaken, it was even forbidden for anyone other than an emperor to wear it in certain cultures. I usually use it for backgrounds. Prefer darker purples and purples that are more on the blue side.
Bong Lord asks: Who was Saint Bishu (Mar Bishu), I was brought up told he was my guardian saint, but it was never explained who or why.
Saint Bishu or Mar Bishu is another name for Saint Paisios the Great. I’ll try to make a Reliquary episode on him soon.
Demetre Tsikoradze asks (I apologize in advance for mispronouncing your name): He essentially asks: how come is hell eternal yet in my other clip I essentially say that our prayers can save someone from hell?
The day has come. I’ve dreaded this question. Actually, it is rather simple. There is a distinction between our suffering in afterlife before the Last Judgement and our suffering after the Last Judgement. In the Orthodox Church, when we die, we all go to the abode of the dead, or Hades, where we experience a foretaste of our future bliss or torment. Things are a bit dynamic there, and with the prayers of the living, our state there can improve - that is why emperor Trajan was saved by the intercession of St. Gregory the Great. However, it is all over after the Last Judgement, when the unrighteous dead will experience eternal torment, or what we call hell. In English, the two, hell and hades, are usually simply called ‘hell’. Just remember to pray for the dead.
John Doe asks: Is it possible to not attend Church because of personal conditions (distance, abusive family etc) and still be a good Christian?
There is absolutely nothing external that can make us bad Christians unless we allow it. As the Fathers have said: “Adam fell in Paradise and Lot found salvation in Sodom.” Temptations and trials will come, but how we react to them is what will, in the end, make us good Christians. Yes, we need to go to church, but that is the command for those who can attend in the first place.
The Thoughts Of a Hermit (unrelated to the Essence of Thought) asks: What are the times of the Year we Fast? I just became a Catechumen. So I would like to join in on the feasts and fast. But I don't know when everything is...
If you are a catechumen, you absolutely should listen to what the priest in charge of your catechumenate tells you. It is all too easy to wish to ‘join in’ on fasting and then burn out. Fasting is rarely easy and its charm will wear off extremely fast.... that’s why it’s called fasting. Hehe.
Anywhoo, the fasting periods in the Orthodox Church are very simple and are as follows:
Every Wednesday and Friday;
Great Lent, consisting of 40 days, starting with Pure Monday and ending on the Sixth Friday
of the Great Lent;
Lazarus Saturday and Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem;
Holy week, right after the Feast of the Entrance, starting with Great Monday and ending on Great and Holy Saturday;
The Apostles Fast, which starts on the second Monday after the Feast of Pentecost, and ends on the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, on June 29th;
Dormition Fast, lasting two weeks, from August 1st to August 14th;
Nativity Fast, lasting 40 days, beginning on November 15th and ending on Nativity on December 25th;
We have three additional fast days: Day before the Feast of Theophany, that is, on January
5th; Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14th and the Feast of the Beheading
of Saint John the Baptist on August 29th.
And last, but not least, there are days when there is no fasting, even on Wednesdays and Fridays, which are: the week following the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee; the
week following Pentecost; the Bright Week, right after Pascha; the period between the Nativity and the Eve of Theophany. Lastly, one does not fast on Theophany even if it falls on Wednesday or Friday.
See, I told you it is simple!
Daniel Diaz asks: What are your funny impersonations or impressions of all main Orthodox jurisdictions? Haha
You know, I found this so hilarious, that I decided to make this into a separate clip for a milestone special.
That's it for the first Q&A. Remember to subscribe, if you haven't already, and if you want a question answered, leave it in the comments down below. Bye!
First question. Orthodox Boi asks: Do Orthodox believe that Virgin Mary is a part of the trinity?
Yes we do, and we refer to her as Mrs. Father. Joking aside, no, Ever Virgin Mary is not part of the Trinity, unless some extremely important memo got jammed in the heavenly fax machine.
Jubair Khan asks: How come children who are born into Orthodox families get to be baptized early on, receive Communion, and then learn about the faith, while newcomers must learn about the faith and then be baptized before they can receive Communion?
This one’s rather simple. Our own capacity to understand Christ isn’t an issue to come to Christ; however, our willingness to come to Christ can present an obstacle. When children are little, they cannot understand more complex notions, God included; however, the Church is working on the assumption that, as their mind develops, their parents will fill them in on details and that these children will remain Christian. It is a bit different with people growing up outside of the faith, as we have no guarantee that these people will stay. Catechumenate, in that case, is sorta of a trial period to see whether they will stick. Remember the parable of the workers in the field, the children born into religion and the grown ups entering it work toward the same prize.
whatiwishicouldplay asks: thoughts on the colour purple? Irregardless of any theological implications.
I like it. Sadly, I don’t get to use it much as very few things in world are purple. In fact, it was an extremely expensive color, so I don’t even get to use it on clothes that much. If I’m not mistaken, it was even forbidden for anyone other than an emperor to wear it in certain cultures. I usually use it for backgrounds. Prefer darker purples and purples that are more on the blue side.
Bong Lord asks: Who was Saint Bishu (Mar Bishu), I was brought up told he was my guardian saint, but it was never explained who or why.
Saint Bishu or Mar Bishu is another name for Saint Paisios the Great. I’ll try to make a Reliquary episode on him soon.
Demetre Tsikoradze asks (I apologize in advance for mispronouncing your name): He essentially asks: how come is hell eternal yet in my other clip I essentially say that our prayers can save someone from hell?
The day has come. I’ve dreaded this question. Actually, it is rather simple. There is a distinction between our suffering in afterlife before the Last Judgement and our suffering after the Last Judgement. In the Orthodox Church, when we die, we all go to the abode of the dead, or Hades, where we experience a foretaste of our future bliss or torment. Things are a bit dynamic there, and with the prayers of the living, our state there can improve - that is why emperor Trajan was saved by the intercession of St. Gregory the Great. However, it is all over after the Last Judgement, when the unrighteous dead will experience eternal torment, or what we call hell. In English, the two, hell and hades, are usually simply called ‘hell’. Just remember to pray for the dead.
John Doe asks: Is it possible to not attend Church because of personal conditions (distance, abusive family etc) and still be a good Christian?
There is absolutely nothing external that can make us bad Christians unless we allow it. As the Fathers have said: “Adam fell in Paradise and Lot found salvation in Sodom.” Temptations and trials will come, but how we react to them is what will, in the end, make us good Christians. Yes, we need to go to church, but that is the command for those who can attend in the first place.
The Thoughts Of a Hermit (unrelated to the Essence of Thought) asks: What are the times of the Year we Fast? I just became a Catechumen. So I would like to join in on the feasts and fast. But I don't know when everything is...
If you are a catechumen, you absolutely should listen to what the priest in charge of your catechumenate tells you. It is all too easy to wish to ‘join in’ on fasting and then burn out. Fasting is rarely easy and its charm will wear off extremely fast.... that’s why it’s called fasting. Hehe.
Anywhoo, the fasting periods in the Orthodox Church are very simple and are as follows:
Every Wednesday and Friday;
Great Lent, consisting of 40 days, starting with Pure Monday and ending on the Sixth Friday
of the Great Lent;
Lazarus Saturday and Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem;
Holy week, right after the Feast of the Entrance, starting with Great Monday and ending on Great and Holy Saturday;
The Apostles Fast, which starts on the second Monday after the Feast of Pentecost, and ends on the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, on June 29th;
Dormition Fast, lasting two weeks, from August 1st to August 14th;
Nativity Fast, lasting 40 days, beginning on November 15th and ending on Nativity on December 25th;
We have three additional fast days: Day before the Feast of Theophany, that is, on January
5th; Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14th and the Feast of the Beheading
of Saint John the Baptist on August 29th.
And last, but not least, there are days when there is no fasting, even on Wednesdays and Fridays, which are: the week following the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee; the
week following Pentecost; the Bright Week, right after Pascha; the period between the Nativity and the Eve of Theophany. Lastly, one does not fast on Theophany even if it falls on Wednesday or Friday.
See, I told you it is simple!
Daniel Diaz asks: What are your funny impersonations or impressions of all main Orthodox jurisdictions? Haha
You know, I found this so hilarious, that I decided to make this into a separate clip for a milestone special.
That's it for the first Q&A. Remember to subscribe, if you haven't already, and if you want a question answered, leave it in the comments down below. Bye!
