There is a famous saying; “Charity begins in the home” and for Orthodox Christians, this must be doubly true. Children will learn from their parents the proper attitude towards others, especially those in need, from the actions of their parents. We ourselves will teach our own soul, and grow closer to God, as we learn to love those whom he has created and put in our path.

 

Forgiveness Vespers is the time of year when the entire parish comes together to request forgiveness for the hurts we invevitably and often unknowingly cause others. In the home, this is far easier to do, and parents should model for children what forgiveness looks like. Make sure they see you reconcile after a fight. For those living with Non-Orthodox our attitude when we have wronged someone is even more important; we must be the first to seek to heal the relationships that have been ruptured, just as Christ would have us do. As a light to the world, we must be a visible example of this, oftentimes, very difficult teaching. No less (in fact, more so!) than the number of Icons we hang on our walls or the number of breads we make to celebrate feasts, our willingness to forgive as we have been forgiven, and to love as we have been loved, tells the world that this is an Orthodox Home.

 

Here is a list of quotes from Fathers and Mothers about the importance and reality of Forgiveness.

 

Here a priest interviews a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, discussing what it takes to experience forgiveness, both giving and receiving.

 

Here is an excellent article on the power and necessity of forgiveness in Orthodox life.

 

Tithing

 

It is also important to remember that not only our lives but our resources must be placed at the disposal of Christ. The phrase “Stewardship” tends to be used only in reference to our money. We roll our eyes when the priest begins talking about stewardship, thinking “the church is hitting us up for money, yet again!” We often see the beautiful vestments, the gold chalice, and the gilded Icons of our parish and think that clearly The Church is doing fine, financially.

 

What we do not see is the air conditioning bill, the electricity bill, the priest at his second job, the cost of keeping up the grounds (mowing, watering, are we paying a gardener? If not, who is volunteering their time? Do we expect the priest to do it, when we don’t pay him enough to work only at the temple in the first place?), the gas to the kitchen and heating bill, the cost of a youth minister (how we love ot complain when our youth program isn’t as vibrant as the protestant one down the street, and ignore that they pay full time ministers to work on the program around the clock). The fact of the matter is we often fail to see how much money must go into keeping a temple running smoothly. If 100 people put $20 in the basket every sunday, that’s a yearly operating budget of only $24,000. To pay the priest, the electricity, the gas, the water…

 

Beautifully, there is a solution that benefits our souls and our local parish church! The ancient Judeo-Christian practice of tithing. Tithing means giving a fixed percentage of our income to The Church. The percentage means we ourselves are not choosing how much to give, a way of entrusting everything to God. Many of the Fathers spoke on tithing. Here is an excellent article on it. It points out that those unused to tithings might not begin with 10% of their income, but a lower percentage. Always a percentage however, so the number is not up to us.

 

Family Charity Project 

 

It can also be beneficial to have an ongoing Family Charity Project. The way I have seen this done is to have a jar into which family members empty their spare change. When the jar is full they have the money counted, and when they have enough (whatever they believe to be enough) they choose a charity to donate it to. Below are some wonderful Orthodox Charities. Some are surprised to hear that their church is this involved in the world!

 

• International Orthodox Christian Charities - On the scene in areas of disaster, IOCC has excellent charity ratings, responding to human need after earthquakes, floods, fires, and war.

• Orthodox Christian Missions Center - Bringing Orthodoxy to new people every day, OCMC is focused on evangelizing the world, in obedience to Christ’s command.

• Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve - Dealing with the poor and needy through volunteers and donations here in North America.

• Zoe For Life - Both an adoption help-group and a pro-life resource for women experiencing a crisis pregnancy.

• Orthodox Christian Fellowship - For those who have a heart for college ministry, OCF is a national organization seeking to help college students retain their faith in a place growing more and more hostile to it.

• Project Mexico - Involved in evangelizing, but mostly to help impoverished Mexicans. Project Mexico builds homes, sponsors an orphanage, and more.

 

There are many, many more out there! If you have a love for a specific issue spend some time searching - there may be an Orthodox Organization you can be involved with, to help spread the faith and the Love of Christ!

 

Hospitality

 

Our homes should be just as our churches are, welcoming and comfortable for guests. Having people into our homes has become rather outdated lately, but having friends over for dinner, or even just coffee, letting people know they can turn to us in times of need, is deeply part of the Orthodox Christian tradition.

This is a simple walkthrough from a Protestant website looking at the many forms hospitality can take, and how to nurture within ourselves a love of this Christian action. As its been said "If you are more fortunate than others do not build a taller fence, but a longer table.