Saint John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival

This yearly Archdiocesan Project provides students with an opportunity to speak about their faith, their Church and their heritage, as well as to enhance their writing and oratorical skills. This national festival is divided into two divisions: Junior (7-9 grades), and Senior (10-12 grades). Students are encouraged to prepare a speech on a list of topics provided by the Archdiocesan Department of Religious Education. The teens present their speeches to our community during the month of March. Two representatives are then chosen to represent the parish of Saint Barbara on the District Level, where they have an opportunity to advance to the Diocese and Archdiocese Level Festivals. Our Parish Oratorical Program is coordinated by Theodora Sarris who does an excellent job assisting our students in the preperation of their homilies.

2005 Oratorical Festival Topics
Festival Theme: The Triodion
Junior Division
1. When reading the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11-32, we learn about the various stages of repentance. What are they?
2. The Salutations to the Virgin Mary are chanted on the first five Fridays of Great Lent. Explain the role of the Theotokos in our salvation.
3. The Third Sunday of Great Lent is dedicated to the Adoration of the Holy Cross. As Orthodox Christians, what does the Cross mean to us?
4. The Fifth Sunday of Lent is dedicated to St. Mary of Egypt. Tell us how her life inspires you to be a better person.
5. During the Orthros service for Great and Holy Tuesday, celebrated on Monday evening of Holy Week, the hymns and Gospel reading are dedicated to the “Ten Virgins” (Mt 25:1-13). What can we learn from them?
6. "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom" (Lk 23:40). What do these words of the penitent thief mean to us as Orthodox Christians?

Senior Division
1. In Luke 18:14, we read, “for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” How can humility be cultivated in our lives when society encourages us to "put our self first"?
2. In the Gospel lesson for the Fourth Sunday of Triodion, Forgiveness Sunday, we read in Matthew 6:15, “if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Why is this directive necessary for our salvation?
3. The Book of Genesis, chapters 37-45, tells the story of the Noble Joseph, who is commemorated in the service held on Palm Sunday evening. In his suffering, he serves as a “type of Christ.” Explain this relationship.
4. "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me" (Lk 22:19). Talk about how the Eucharist is the primary link between God and man.
5. On Great and Holy Monday, the Gospel lesson relates the dialogue between Jesus and the Scribes and Pharisees. At one point Jesus says to them, "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity" (Mt 23:25). What can we learn from this warning?
6. When the Three Youths were in the furnace, (Daniel 3:1-30), they chanted the hymn of Azarias, "Let us praise the Lord, and highly exalt Him, above all forever." We chant this hymn on Saturday of Holy Week. How can their story of faith be applied to our lives?

2005 Oratorical Festival Speaker Tips
By Dr. James C. Skedros, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
Introduction
The Holy Triodion is both a period of time as well as a liturgical book, which contains hymns and services celebrated during the holy season called by the same name. This liturgical period begins with the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee, the fourth Sunday before the beginning of Great Lent, and ends with Vespers of Holy Saturday. In all, the Triodion (both the book and the season) covers a period of ten Sundays (the four Sundays prior to Great Lent and the six Sundays of Great Lent) and Holy Week. The Triodion is a remarkable book. It is available in English translation (The Lenten Triodion. Translated from the Original Greek by Mother Mary and Kallistos Ware) as well as on the web in selected portions translated by Fr. Ephrem Lash (www.anastasis.org.uk/triodion.htm).

Junior Division
1. The second of the four Sundays preceding the beginning of Great Lent is known as the Sunday of the Prodigal Son. The Gospel reading for this Sunday is the parable of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15:11-32. This parable, one of the best known of all the stories told by Jesus, is filled with many layers of meaning and significance. At the center of the parable is the prodigal son, who, after leaving home and squandering all of his money, returns home, repents, and is welcomed into the warm embrace of his father. Of interest, of course, is the loving and gracious father as well as the older brother of the prodigal son who watches the events of the story unfold with certain indignation and self-righteousness. However, it is the theme of repentance, and specifically the repentance of the prodigal son, which is the main focus of the story. As expressed in the actions of the prodigal son, repentance has various stages: self-willed departure (a decision not to live according to God’s will), thinking that you live a sinless life (enjoying your life of sin), acknowledging the misery of your sin (realizing how alienated you have become from God), a desire to return to your previous state (the key to repentance), the actual return (the Sacrament of Confession), and forgiveness (the bestowing of God’s abundant grace). Consider how some or all of these various stages of repentance apply to your own experience of repentance and how these stages relate to the parable of the Prodigal Son.

2. During the first five Fridays of Lent, the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates the service of the Salutations to the Mother of God. This service is known by two other names: Hairetismi (which is the Greek word for “salutations”) and the Akathist Hymn which is the long poetic hymn (called a Kontakion) made up of twenty-four stanzas sung by the priest. Most of the sentences of this hymn begin with the word “Rejoice” (or “Hail”; in Greek Haire) and it is from this word that we get the title for the Service of Salutations. The Akathist Hymn speaks of the Virgin Mary in magnificent terms praising her for the role she plays in the history of salvation. For the Orthodox Church, the Virgin Mary is a key participant in bringing salvation to the world. She is the one who gave birth to Jesus Christ, the savior of the world. Yet before she gave birth to Jesus, she freely accepted God’s calling to be the person who would bring into the world the Savior of the world. That is, before there was Christmas (the birth of Jesus) there needed to be the Annunciation (when Mary accepted her role to be the mother of Jesus). Read carefully the first twelve stanzas of the Akathist Hymn where the Annunciation and the Birth of Jesus are discussed. Consider Mary’s reply to the Archangel Gabriel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38) and what they mean for her role in our salvation.

3. The Cross is the universal symbol of the Christian faith. The cross adorns our churches, we wear a cross around our necks, we make the sign of the cross when we pray at home or in Church, and a cross depicting Christ hanging on it is found behind the altar table of every Orthodox church. Yet what does the Cross really symbolize? Is it merely a symbol used to identify us as Christians? Or is it, as St. Paul says, “the power and wisdom of God” (I Cor 1:24)? For the Romans, the Cross was an instrument of torture and death, yet for Christians it is a symbol of victory: not victory in a magical sense, as a good luck charm. Rather, the Cross represents Christ’s victory over suffering and death. This victory comes through Christ’s Resurrection. On the Cross, Christ suffered and died for all of humanity. Read for yourself what St. Paul has to say about the Cross in I Cor 1:10-31. Think about Christ’s suffering on the Cross. Why did He choose to suffer? Why couldn’t we be saved without the Cross? Why do you wear a cross around your neck?

4. On any given day throughout the year, the Orthodox Church remembers the life and deeds of holy men and women (the saints) who are examples of good Christians. During Great Lent, many such holy women and men are commemorated in order to provide us with role models of how we are to live our lives. One of the greatest of these saints is St. Mary of Egypt. On the Fifth Sunday of Lent, the Orthodox Church remembers St. Mary as an example of repentance and of deep commitment to the Christian life. For most of her youth and young adulthood, St. Mary lived a sinful life. More than anything else, Mary was interested in fulfilling her lustful desires. Following a miraculous conversion experience, Mary changed her life. She gave up her sinful life and fled to the desert outside of Jerusalem where she lived alone for some forty-seven years. Throughout all those years in the desert, Mary constantly repented for her previous sins, imploring God to grant her forgiveness. Read the Life of St. Mary of Egypt. What is it about her life that most impresses you? In what ways is Mary a role model for teenagers?

5. The Orthros (or Matins) service for Holy Tuesday contains as one of its main themes the parable of the Ten Virgins. This story, found in Matthew 25:1-13, is told to the apostles just prior to Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. In the parable, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to ten maidens (virgins) who took their lamps to go out and meet the bridegroom. Five of the maidens (Jesus calls these virgins “wise”) took oil along with them in case their lamps ran out of oil. The five other virgins (whom Jesus calls “foolish”) took only their lamps with them without any reserve oil. The five foolish virgins missed the coming of the bridegroom because they had left to go and buy more oil since theirs was running out. It was only the five wise and prepared virgins that entered into the marriage feast (the kingdom of heaven). There are two key aspects to this parable: the oil and that of being prepared. Without oil, that is, without the oil of charity (as the Fathers like to refer to it), one cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. This oil cannot be borrowed, as the foolish virgins tried to do. It can only be gained on one’s own. If we desire to meet the Bridegroom (Christ) we must have our own oil, our own works of love and charity. Second, it is the wise virgin, the one who is prepared and always ready for Christ’s second coming that will enter into the kingdom of heaven. Read some of the hymns for the Orthros of Holy Tuesday along with the Parable of the Ten Virgins. Think about what it means to be prepared for the coming of the Bridegroom.

6. One of the more dramatic moments in the Gospels comes at the moment of Jesus’ crucifixion. Although all four Gospels describe the Crucifixion, it is the Gospel of Luke (Lk 23:39-43) which gives us the most detail about the two thieves who were crucified alongside of Jesus. One of these thieves repents for his previous sins and beseeches the Lord, “Jesus, remember me when You come into your kingdom.” With these simple words, expressed with the deepest of conviction, the penitent thief is accepted into Paradise and is granted the gift of eternal life. The words of the thief reflect both his confession of sins and his belief in Jesus. By asking Jesus to remember him in His kingdom, the thief has acknowledged Jesus as Lord and King, since only a lord or a king has a kingdom. The Orthodox Church makes use of these words in many of its prayers, especially those for the preparation of receiving Holy Communion and especially in the Communion Hymn “Thy Mystical Supper.” Consider how it is possible that a thief, who has committed untold crimes, is given eternal life with the expression of a few words? Think about your own confession of sins and confession of faith. Do you say them with meaning and conviction?

Senior Division
1. For most of us, life in the twenty-first century is not too difficult. We have loving parents, we attend good schools, we have plenty of food to eat, we have lots of clothes to wear, and, for the most part, we live our lives unencumbered by worries of a material nature. Additionally, our parents, teachers, relatives, friends, the books we read, the magazines we peruse, the television shows we watch, all encourage us to think positively about ourselves and about our lives. Not that any of this is bad, but how do we reconcile the words of Jesus “for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18.14) with a society and culture that demands that in order for us to succeed in life, we must put ourselves first? How can we accept Jesus’ statement that in order to follow Him a person must “deny himself and take up his cross” (Mark 8.34) with society’s message that “it’s all about me”? Think of situations in your life where by placing yourself last you would help others around you. How can you practice humility or “taking a back seat” in a society which encourages you to be first in all things?

2. The fourth Sunday of the Triodion (which is the last Sunday before Lent and is commonly called Cheese-fare Sunday) is known as the Sunday of Forgiveness. The hymns for Vespers (on Saturday night) and Orthros (before liturgy on Sunday) emphasize the importance of forgiveness in the spiritual life. Even the gospel reading for this Sunday begins with the words, “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, nether will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt. 6.14). These powerful words of Jesus follow immediately after He gives the apostles and those around him the words for the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6.9-13). Of all the different themes contained in the Lord’s Prayer, it is the theme of forgiving the sins of those who have trespassed against you that Jesus chooses to highlight. Throughout the Gospels the theme of forgiveness is emphasized (see especially Mt 18:21-35; Lk 17:3-4). Why such an emphasis on forgiveness? What is the importance of forgiveness in our spiritual lives? Think of examples from your own life where you have experienced the power of forgiveness, either by forgiving someone of accepting the forgiveness of another. How did this experience make you feel? Why was it important for you to give or receive forgiveness?

3. The story of the Noble Joseph is found in the Book of Genesis 37-45. Joseph was the son of Jacob and, due to jealousy and pride, Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. The story continues with Joseph’s life in Egypt and his eventual ascendancy to an important position in the Pharaoh’s retinue. The Orthodox Church has chosen to commemorate the story of Joseph on the Monday of Holy Week (which we celebrate on the Sunday evening of Palm Sunday with a special Matins Service known as the Bridegroom Service). The Church highlights the story of Joseph for two important reasons: first, like Christ, Joseph unjustly suffers at the hands of his own brothers. Just as Joseph is betrayed by his closest associates, so too will Christ be betrayed by one of his own disciples. Second, as Joseph is tempted by the evil Egyptian woman and refuses to submit to sin, so too will Christ be tempted throughout the days before his crucifixion to walk away from his impending suffering and death. Yet, both Joseph and Christ will refuse these temptations and choose to follow the more difficult road which leads to the Father. When we speak of Joseph as a type of Jesus, this means that the Old Testament story of Joseph has more than one meaning (as do many Old Testament stories). The first meaning is the obvious one, that is, the story as it is told and the morals which the story teaches. A second meaning is that the story points to events in the future: Joseph’s unjust suffering at the hands of his closest associates points to the future events surrounding the last days of Christ’s life. By reading the Old Testament in this way, Christians are able to learn from both the historical meaning of the text as well as what the text might say to those who now know the rest of the story—that is the story of Jesus’ salvific work of incarnation, redemption, and resurrection. Read the story of the Noble Joseph in Genesis and look for parallels between Joseph’s life story and that of Jesus’.

4. Receiving Communion—the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ—is the central act of worship for Orthodox Christians. For many of us, we have received and continue to receive Christ’s Body and Blood every Sunday. This is a very good practice and a practice which should continue throughout of lives (and not just while we are in Sunday School). Yet, too often we consider the action of receiving Christ’s Body and Blood in a passive way, that is, as receivers of a gift and not as participants in the preparation, celebration, and reception of the gift. For most of us, receiving Communion is like taking a vitamin; we take it because it is good for us. And indeed Communion is good for us. Yet Communion is not some magic pill or formula that automatically makes us a better person. The Eucharist is the entire celebration of the Liturgy; the Eucharist begins with the offering of bread and wine offered by the people. The celebration of the Eucharist, that is, the Liturgy, takes place in the presence of the faithful. A priest is not allowed to celebrate the Liturgy alone without anyone in attendance. The Greek word litourgia literally means “the work of the people.” By definition, Liturgy, and thus Communion, which is the focal point of the Liturgy, is the work of the people. We call the Eucharist a “bloodless sacrifice.” For the ancient Jews, animal sacrifices were made to God in the Temple. Yet it was pious Jews who brought animals and offered them to the temple priests to be sacrificed. We too bring the bread and wine as a gift to God. Yet the remarkable thing about our sacrifice is that God takes our offering of bread and wine, and returns them back to us as a gift of his Son’s body and blood. We offer a gift, and God gives us a gift back. Read closely the words of St. Paul in I Corinthians 11:23-32 regarding the Last Supper as well as the accounts in the Gospels (Mt. 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22:15-20). Think about the Eucharist as both that which humanity offers to God (a sacrifice of thanksgiving “Eucharist”) and which God gives back to us. Consider why we receive the Eucharist in the context of the Liturgy instead of in the privacy of our own bedroom.

5. Turn on your television and go to any station that has commercials: the network stations, cable stations, independent local channels, children’s stations. Watch one of these channels for twenty minutes or so. However, instead of paying attention to the program being broadcast, pay particularly close attention to the commercials. Note how beautiful the women are and how handsome are the men. Look at their teeth—all straight and white. Maybe it will be a commercial for a hair product. The women or men in the commercial are all young, attractive, healthy-looking and happy. In some sense, there is nothing wrong with these commercials. However, commercials, like so many other things in life, are superficial. They present an ideal picture of life. However, for most of us, life is not so perfect. In fact, many of us work exceedingly hard to try to look and act as if we are perfect, like the commercials we watch. The classmates we pass in the halls of our schools seem always to look better than we do; they seem to be prettier, stronger, smarter, and more popular. In a series of rebukes (Mt. 23:1-36), Jesus points his finger at the Jewish religious leaders of his day and asks them to look beyond their outward appearances of piety and religiousness in order to examine their hearts. Jesus challenges them to think about their true intentions, motivations, and desires. It is as if Jesus is saying that although they look and act like very pious people, in their inner thoughts and motives, they harbor hatred and jealousy for their fellow human being. So too are we as Christians to consider these warnings of Jesus. We can look like the prettiest person in town or present ourselves as the most religious member of our family, but if inside our hearts and minds we hold thoughts and intentions which are sinful and hurtful to others and God, then our appearance is simply deceiving. The false masks we often wear, either because we are uncomfortable with who we are or because we are tempted by society and our peers to be someone else, make us look outwardly attractive. Yet the question remains, how attractive are we on the inside?

6. The story of the Three Youths is one of the most powerful examples of steadfastness of faith found in the Old Testament. The story is set during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, and relates how the King erected a new golden image to be worshipped by all in his Kingdom. Four pious Jews (Azarias and the Three Youths, Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago) refused to follow the dictates of the King and were thrown in prison and condemned to die by fire. Miraculously, God protected the Three Youths from being consumed by the fire and in response Azarias and the Three Youths sing this incredible hymn of praise to God which includes the refrain, “Let us praise the Lord, and highly exalt Him, above all forever.” Read the story of the Three Youths in Daniel 3:1-30 (note that your English Bible will not contain the Prayer of Azariah nor the Hymn of the Three Youths; for these you will need to go to your Holy Week Book and look for the prophecy from Daniel which is read on Holy Saturday morning). For those of us living in the United States, we have the freedom to worship as we please. There is no King who demands us to worship false gods. Yet, society and American culture continually bombard us with invitations to worship false gods and to deny our Christian morals and values: pre-marital, abortion, drugs, alcohol, the perfect physical body, the perfect tan, money, material goods, etc. These and many other false gods abound in our society. Do we have the courage to stand up to them, as the Three Youths did, and reject them for their emptiness and shallowness, especially in a society which will ridicule us for doing so?