Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Feast!
On this day when we celebrate the full entrance of the Mother of God into the Kingdom of Heaven, I’m writing to let you know about an opportunity that we will all have this fall to learn as much as we can—and actually prepare as much as we can—for our own entrance into the Kingdom. That’s because, in this year’s Fall Theological Seminar, we are going to be reading through Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos’ classic book, Life After Death. Also, on the first weekend in November, we will be hosting, Deacon Mark and Shamassy Elizabeth Barna, the authors of A Christian Ending: A Handbook for Burial in the Ancient Christian Tradition.
The subject matter may strike some as oddly somber or strangely ghoulish; however, each and every one of us will one day depart this life, so it’s important that we understand what to expect and how to prepare. Also, as Orthodox Christians, if we truly believe that we will be entering into the Kingdom at that point, it stands to reason that we should want to know as much as possible about how we will spend eternity. Finally, there are all those practical considerations—caskets, embalming, cemetery plots, funeral homes; most of us just want to postpone those details to the very last minute, but we will have a lot less anxiety (and our families will have a lot less to deal with down the road), if we will just go ahead and take care of those arrangements.
The books that we will be discussing, and the speakers that we will be listening to, can help us with all of that. Representatives from our own parish burial society, The St Joanna Myrrh-Bearers, will also be on hand throughout the fall, to help us make careful decisions about how we want to get ready for the biggest trip that any of us will ever undertake. So, this really is a wonderful opportunity, and here’s a list of things you can do to take full advantage of this opportunity.
Go ahead and purchase the books. They are both available at Christ the Lightgiver Bookstore (Amazon already has enough of your money); the store is open on Sunday after liturgy, and just about any other time by special appointment. Just get in touch with our store manager, Stephanie Crown, and she will save a copy for you.
Plan on joining us for the Fall Seminar. The reading schedule for each of the sessions is included in this letter. If you live within easy driving distance, we would like you to show up in person. However, if you live in one of the outlying areas (Bastrop/Burnet/Killeen), or if you have health concerns, we will also have an online connection. However, to take advantage of that connection you will need to do two things: A. Make a reservation each week by Monday night (just send an email toremote.meetings@theforerunner.org; that way, we will know if we need to arrange for tech support for that particular session) and B) Be willing to turn on your camera; the discussion will be a lot more personal if we can all see each other.
Participate in the sessions with the Barnas. Father Deacon Mark and Shamassy Elizabeth will be speaking on Saturday, November 5, from 9am-Noon, and from 1pm-4pm (there will be mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks with snacks and a light lunch will be available, all courtesy of the St Joanna Myrrhbearers). They will be talking about practical things that we can do to prepare for our departure from this life and how we can offer funerals that are way more Orthodox and much more personal and a lot less expensive than what most folks currently end up doing.
Invite your friends and family to join us. Again, while the subject matter seems a bit strange, most people really are fascinated by it. Discussing our departure from this life will also give us lots of opportunities to address the uniquely Orthodox teachings concerning salvation and judgement and heaven and hell. Also, even if your family members are unlikely to be interested in Holy Orthodoxy, they still need to understand how you plan to be buried and what your funeral services are going to be like, so this will be an easy way to get started on those discussions.
The first session of the Theological Seminar is just a few weeks away, so please make plans to join us. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me or with Valerie Groh, the leader of the St Joanna Myrrhbearers, or with Stephanie Crown, our bookstore manager.
I hope to see all of you at the sessions this fall.
an unworthy priest
aidan
Schedule for The Fall Theological Seminar
Wed, Sept 1 The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus p19
Wed, Sept 8 The Separation of the Soul from the Body p 35
Wed, Sept 15 Experiences After Death p 111
Wed, Sept 22 The Immortality of the Soul p 133
Wed, Sept 26 The Purifying Fire p 147
Wed, Oct 6 The Second Coming of Christ p 201
Wed, Oct 13 Paradise and Hell p 249
Wed, Oct 20 The Restoration of All Things p 273
Wed, Oct 27 Eternal Life p 313
Sat, Nov 6 “A Christian Ending” Weekend with Deacon Mark and Shamassy Elizabeth
Wed, Nov 3 Diachronic Eschatology p 341
Wed, Nov 10 Epilogue p 373