4:15 Keep us from evil 5:03 Pray Be prepared to not be heard 6:50 Watchfulness 7:21 Danger, Sick 7:49 Young People • Anxiety • Depression • Fragility • Frailty • Prone to problems _Community life disintegration_ _lack of depth_ 9:48 Lost strong bonds among family Family, Community, Enjoyed Presence Friendship, Company, Feel Shared Stability 12:32 Is That Enough? 12:53 Attention between Church and World 14:00 Boundaries, sense of humility 15:13 16:20 The Culture: Architecture, Music, Parking Lot, Icons, Incense 17:35 Hymns, 2000 year old roots. 19:02 Christ at the center The Church Helps To The Kingdom 21:24 Truth, Materialism - desire for more over and over to the point of uncontrolled obsessiveness 23:28 Envy “One upping someone else” “better or worse binary” 24:54 We should have nice things, we should not obsess over them 25:28
My Dear Orthodox Brothers and Sisters. I am a I Roman Catholic from Asia. Living in America. Please be strong in the True Faith - Faith in Our Divine Lord Jesus Christ and the prayers of the Most Holy Mother of God. I pray for you and read about you and am deeply heart broken at the persecution of our orthodox christians in muslim lands. in America, please brothers. Orthodox Brothers. Stand for your Faith!!! Proclaim proudly that you are the children of the Most Holy Theotokos. We Roman Catholics in the East, rely on the Most Holy Theotokos for our protection. Please stay strong in the Faith. Make Our Mother, the Most Holy Theotokos, proud.
I think the greatest challenge for the Orthodox Churches, particularly in the US, is the perception that practicing Orthodoxy involves being tied to a particular culture---Greek, Russian, Bulgarian or whatever culture the particular church originated in. While this works well for those who have immigrant origins in those ethnic groups, it makes everyone else who might be attracted to Orthodoxy a perpetual outsider. Being a Christian of any variety in today's secular society involves a willingness to accept a degree of countercultural lifestyle as your discussion pointed out----but it's not unique to Orthodoxy. In fact, that is precisely what attracts people to Christian discipleship. Orthodoxy however must be cautious about being a bearer of culture at the expense of evangelization.
Orthodoxy will not work in society unless we take control of it or we all become nuns or monks. Sad but true. Russian Orthodox did a good deed by splitting from Putin and become their own country. ☦
I think there may be an American Orthodox Church if I remember correctly. I enjoyed going to some services where the liturgy and readings are also translated into English at my old local church and I believe we should all do whatever we can do to make both the service and church culture more welcoming to people in general.
The first Orthodox Church was established in Antioch (then in Syria) at the time of the Apostles and where the believers were called Christians for the first time.
Hi Joe, it's unfortunate when parishioners don't welcome "outsiders" (ξένη) but don't let that be a deterrent! I've made friends with non-Greek converts to Orthodoxy and it's because of THEIR zeal for our faith that my own faith has grown. No one should let a few bad apples keep them away from the church. Just pray that the hearts of those poor ambassadors of the church will soften.
My family all stayed together but now they are all dead and my contacts are very surface-level. In the near future I will be buying a home in the neighborhood where I will have neighbors and I can ride my wheelchair up to my mailbox and meet people while I am out. Right now I live on the 5th floor of an apartment building for the disabled and nobody speaks just like everywhere else. I also lived in the UK for many years and many other countries and they still have it the way it was when I grew up in the late 60s and 70s. Nabors still look after each other. I could die in here and nobody would know until my caregiver came Monday afternoon that's just the way it is and it feels horrible to someone like me with a huge heart and a generally happy person who wants to help!
I understand. We rented a unit for 2 years and experienced just what you said. Noone would greet you even smile , you would enter the lift...see them after you parked your car...but they moved on or kept looking at their phone...so I greeted and wished a happy day....everyone has their problems and stresses esp with covid, however a hello how are you going...makes a difference. I was dreaming of having a barbecue in the park in front of our unit but quickly realised that would not be...we just keep being our cheerful selves and leave the rest to God.
That was good to listen to. Watching your videos, listening to your discussions are edifying to me. I thank you! I pray God continues to bless you and your ministry.
Excellent points made by all Fathers. It seems to me that raising youngsters nowadays is most difficult, considering all the peer pressure to have "all the latest designer clothes, etc. for example. Parents who "keep up with the Joneses" and not teaching their children how to trust in God, how to live an Orthodox life, how to shun friends who are not Christ-centered...living in a secular world has far too many pressures which families seem to partake in. Just my opinion. Thank you Fr. Panayiotis for hosting this panel.
As a 17 year old boy who just found orthodoxy bc I live in a secular household this is an accurate statement, in this society and especially among us children
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Remember, Christ said we are "in the world but not of this world". We have Christ's spiritual kingdom within an unholy secular world. Christians are called to be "the salt of the earth and the light of the world".
You really hit the nail on the head. This society is sick and isolates people. It appears that we are all "connected" but its just an illusion. There is always a feeling of being watched by someone. We always have to be careful about what we say or 1000 strangers will pick us apart and judge us. We all exist in echo chambers where we have no exposure to other ideas. The Church really needs to step up and provide that sense of community. We need God more than ever.
Im glad you said Orthodox culture, not just ie., greek, russian etc. Thank you for this inspiring dialogue. All of this from God, its the Alpha and the Omega.
This is a wonderful discussion!! Thank you!!! It's definitely not easy to find God -- in anytime, in any era. Why? Because satan is always finding a way to distract us. Truthfully, God loves us all and if we pray to Him and continually say the Lord's Prayer -- God will lead us to the truth. God knows it is difficult to find Him here on earth. However, still -- we find Him because of our love for God. God bless you Fathers for loving us so much that you put this discussion to the forefront that we may find the path to our Lord. I agree with what the Fathers are saying -- through the Greek Orthodox Church, confession, willingness on our part to live an honest life without judgment, prayer and community service -- we will find God and therefore true happiness. I pray all of us to find God, through our Lord, Jesus Christ.
And How does the Church remember and support its Hermits and Solitaries who live alone and ascetic lives of nepisis amid dangerous and hostile and deceptive cities? Living hours away from the nearest Orthodox parish..which Is mainly concerned with the laity and has no ability or desire to be in relationship with the Ascetic reclusive or solitary monastic? The vast sense of lonliness that even the Prophet Elijah experienced is pale in comparison to the need of the eremitical monastic who has given up all to respond to His Call and is left abandoned even by the Church ...and experiences also the times of abandonment by the Lord. The excuse given by Clergy is that " We dont have your experience ,therefore we can maybe ...maybe listen but thats all..we are busy with the people" The Church has abandoned the very ones who pray constantly and are most vulnerable..leaving us open to depression and dispair .And if no priest can understand our experience Certainly no doctor or clinic will...for they are secular! So. Reply in great humility and truth to this if you can ..and do not rebuke us for speaking a truth the Church is choosing to ignore. Your discussion is very good and at some point be broadened..i find that few Christians know there are even now hermits or why they are .And see it as a "personal choice" just like any other secular personal choice. It seems also that many clergy feel the same. There is a widening gap being created in the Church. And we can be sure it is not to the benefit of The Church The people or our Lord or the world. Ljchmou
Peace to you brother/sister I'm going to try to give you my humble advice. First of all, you cannot do this alone. I repeat, you cannot do this alone (at least at first). The road to the knowledge of God is narrow and hard to travel (especially today) and you need someone experienced to guide you. It is not in churches (and it never was) that you can find this kind of guidance but rather in monasteries or traditional communities. It's only once you have found for yourself a spiritual director that you can go, by his permission, into reclusion. I know it's hard to swallow and I know, trust me, how hard it is to find a spiritual guide in our times but you cannot do otherwise, you will fall straight into the snare of Satan if you don't. You are an easy prey to him when you're alone. So what I suggest you to do is to either try to join a monastery (there is some orthodox monasteries even in America) or move to a more traditional community and to search guidance there. If you are truly sincere in your intention to know God you will find it. This can only be temporary for once you have found the guidance that you need then you can go in reclusion. Books can also help but they can never ever replace a real guide. In terms of books, the Philokalia is what you're looking for (I'm sure you know this book already but just in case you don't I'm mentioning it) and also The Way of a Pilgrim. Pray God fervently that He helps you and that He guides you on your quest. You are not alone.
One thing I find very saddening as a Western convert to Orthodoxy Christianity is the aversion to evangelism, and the tendency of parishes to be akin to ethnic social clubs. What happened to the Great Commission? I understand that there were bans on evangelism under the Turks and Communists, but when Orthodox immigrants arrived in the West, why didn't they see their presence as a mission? And doesn't the phenomenon of having multiple Bishops from different Patriarchates covering the same territory go against the the canons? Why can there not be one Bishop for each area, with services in the local vernacular? That was always the case in the ancient world. There is a real problem with an insular cultural supremacy overriding the needs of the Great Commission. All Orthodox immigrants in Western countries can speak the local language, if they couldn't they wouldn't be able to survive. But the local population cannot speak Greek, Slavonic, etc. Why do so many parishes of the One, True Church feel more like synagogues? Although it is becoming less frequent, thank God, I still hear about people being turned away from parishes (usually Greek, it has to be said) for being from the wrong background. This is nothing short of scandalous.
Yes it is a challenge and always has been. But it is such a worthwhile one! The virgin Theotokos will always be there and will always help. God bless orthodoxy, God bless everyone with them own personal struggles. If. we keep on with our faith, we will.get there in the end. And isn't that what Theosis is about?
"Outside the culture of society" means to me mainstream society.....yuck! I'm not a fan of mainstream society. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, the sinner.
People believe they need to maintain certain life conditions and lifestyles in order to exist happily and succesfully. This is simply not true, we can live simply and be happy simultaneously. Jesus said we must be like children. Like a child depends on his parents; we must learn to depend on the Father, Son and Holy Spirt solely. Otherwise we struggle to maintain every aspect of our lives. As a result, we suffer anxiety and depression. Who should we depend on and have trust in, ourselves? or God?
People are drawn to our Festivals, why? What are they seeking other than the food or the exotic experience? My question is how can we transition our Festivals to God's Glory not man's and draw the soul of our visitors closer " orthodoxically" to recieve a true "taste" of our faith?
At the festivals they also get a tour of the church and we have received many converts through that process. Not to mention a lecture or two on the Church.
I don't know what will happen to the church when we lose this elder generation, the young priest here sounds like a pop psychologist. I know he doesn't mean to and I'm sure he's a wonderful person and priest but he sounds like the world, not the church.
I think that it has probably always been difficult to be a religious or spiritual person and to also be a worldly person at the same time. This has probably never been easy. Even in the time of Jesus, we read about the opposition to him and his followers from Pharisees, Romans and various other sectors of society. Nowadays society is changing and becoming more secular, yes, this is true, but I’m sure it was not exactly easy to be religious before that either. As religious people it’s always been a struggle to maintain our faith in the face of opposing forces.
such meaning discussion, rising levels of depression in West Europe are definitely assosiated with rising levels of atheism, and this is confirmed by statistical research
When you ask if the things you guys are doing is enough, my answer would be no, no one can fill God's place in the world, the Alpha is the only one able to get humanity together, all we can do is wait in pain, just like He is waiting in pain, till the perfect moment of His return. God bless humanity, I hope no one has to burn in hell.
I think we can also look at the decline of the church in the modern age as a reason for our increased struggles. For example, the adoption of ecumenism and the new calendar which, always leads to a ‘watering down’ of Holy Orthodoxy.
Is there something wrong with me that I can't feel the evil one? Decades and decades ago I did but since I walked away from a bad situation I have never felt the evil one in my life or being able to feel or see it. I have spent my life and will continue to spend my life until I die caring for others and wanting to make others happy and have a better life. Even if I pack lunches for the homeless that is something they have that they wouldn't have had without me. I think I have done good but I'm not 100% sure either.
Look at the example of our hierarchy in Istanbul. How is it possible to have such a discussion knowing how they choose to live in diminutive status to Islam. Secular society is currently less of a threat to Orthodoxy. We pray they do better.
@@Trisagionfilms Why question those of us Orthodox living as citizens of the USA for the challenge of living in a secular society who see those "leaders" of our Church living as diminutives in Turkey? Clean your own house before you lecture us who live here. Orthodox Christians here live a life in Christ surrounded by other Christians and we live good lives. Somewhere between scoundrels and saints. We live for Christ. We offer our talent time and treasure. That treasure makes it's way to the Phanar and a bit of it to the Turkish Islamic Government and Mulahs there. It's a tragedy of unbelievable proportion to know we send our treasure to Islam through the diminutive Orthodox leadership in Turkey. Fix it before you spend time talking about how we as a free people of these United States of America live in this society. The Orthodox hierarchy needs to address the question of how we exist in a Muslim society which seeks to destroy us. That's where the real discussion lies.
@@Trisagionfilms where does Orthodoxy and our love for Christ reside? Where does Christ reside? Is it in Istanbul/Constantinople or in our hearts and minds? Why are the hierarchy still there? Do they suffer from Stockholm syndrome or are they simply comfortable being the victim? Is being the victim easier than having real responsibility?
@@Trisagionfilms Does the hierarchy love their immediate material surroundings too much? Why are material surroundings more important than the message of Christ? How many Muslims have they converted to Christ and is that an ongoing purpose in their lives living there? They know the language and culture of Turkey. Evangelical outreach bringing souls to Christ should be in the news from Constantinople regularly, shouldn't it? So many questions which demand discussion. These never are, they never are. We'd rather argue with the Catholics, Protestants and Oriental Orthodox about which one of us is right. Meanwhile the world burns all around us as Satan laughs with delight.
I am not from your tradition but I respect it as the bastion of western and possibly east European culture. That is ; the belief system that those collective cultures spring from. And I, along with all deep thinking westerners, understand the basic tennents very well. What is not well explained however is what is meant by the word 'God' . Also the word' Christ' . As well as this term;' Holy Ghost' . And the relationship between the three. I know you all rattle it off like we are all on the same 'page' and know what you are meaning and are in agreement . This is not so. The meaning of these terms varies considerably in various religions even though the terms used are often the same. Having the same terms used for different meanings is an obvious source of confusion and conflict. Respectfully
The early Christians who were persecuted by the Government would go in to underground caverns and caves in order to worship freely. We call them Catacombs. Some of the earliest Christian art can be found in Catacombs.
Please mirror your channel on Bitchute.com or library.com because eventually RU-vid will delete this channel and I would hate for this content to be lost.
is it just me or was the priest on the left with black hair about to say the F WORD ..THATS A GOOD F QUESTION THATS A VERY GOOD QUESTION.......HE SAID ABOUT 7;45 SECONDS
