My two girls and I, along with other families from the seminary, saw a local production of Amahl and the Night Visitors at Purchase University, NY on Friday evening. A very grand performance of an Opera written by G.C. Menotti primarily geared toward children to encourage the love of the opera. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of only an hour long performance on a simple stage about a heart-warming tale of a crippled boy, his widowed mother and three night visitors needing a rest inside the families poor home before the three continue to follow their bright star.
http://www.usopera.com/operas/amahl.html
I believe we have found a more edifying Christmas tradition. The message of the Christ child outshines the decision process to choose what is appropriate and what is not -- especially during the Advent Fast.
5 comments:
Sounds like a nice time. This is kind of funny that you mentioned how we must focus on Christ during this time. Yesterday, Father and I were at an event, sponsored by Orthodox people, and not everything they had was fasting food. Some people got really upset over it and really wanted to complain. Then on the way home Father and I were talking about it and said yes food is a part of the fast, but not the only one. So someone might be "fasting" from food, but if they are not nice to others and criticize, isn;t that just as bad as eating non-fasting food? What do you think??
A wise nun once told me: "It's not What goes into your mouth -- IT's what comes out"
Something to chew on (no pun intended)
I have a hard time, too, that our culture cannot see past the indulgent pre-celebration festivities...however, we are in America where the Orthodox culture is still so very forgein.
Please understand, that I do not suggest not to follow Orthodox ways, yet, when entertained in another's home -- we ought to eat what is placed before us. Pray for them, forgive them for what they do not know and those when they should know better...and eat the "roast beef" -- in moderation :) There is more harm in the judgement...
Although, sometimes, feeling that we, as Orthodox, act as if we are experiencing Christmas far more superior than the non-Orthodox or the non-faster, then, yes, we are going about the Advent season entirely wrong.
We don't have to like it but we certainly need to love while not liking these things...does that make any sense? It is a hard thing, indeed and only by God's strength can we love as He first loved us.
SOrry for the preachy trip :)
I wish you were there with us so you could tell that to the people. :-) To me, we must worry about ourselves, and not about what other people are doing. For the others who were fasting, like us, we made no fuss and just ate the foods that were fasting. I think sometimes people just want to criticize others, and then tell the priest's family so they can look at them in a bad way. In the last two years of being a priest's wife, I have never looked at what others are doing, even though they ALWAYS look at what my family is doing. But I am so used to it now! :-) You will too very soon.
Lord have mercy on us all!
You seem to take all in stride -- a wonderful quality in a Priest wife!
That sounds like such a beautiful story. I've never heard of it, but I think I'll go ahead and purchase it for Christmas.
Thank you.
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