Genesis Quiz

After many discussions with clergy and reading different things pertaining to my Faith, I've come to this simple foundation and starting point: "It all goes back to Genesis!" With this "new" knowledge, I decided to read through again the first book of the Holy Bible - Genesis.

Enjoy this short quiz on facts from the Book of Genesis and then go read through it again for yourself!

1. Fill in the blank: "And God said, 'Let there be light, and there was ____.'"

a. darkness      b. the creation
c. the sun       d. light

2. Ending each day's description of creation, which came first? "And there ____, and there was ____ - the first day [the second day, etc.]."

a. morning     b. evening

3. Fill in the blank: "And God said, 'Let us make man in our ____, in our likeness.'"

a. image      b. being
c. figure      d. understanding

4. On which day did God finish His work and rest?

a. first day     b. third day
c. sixth day    d. seventh day

5. Which Garden did God place man after his creation?

a. Gethsemane    b. Cush
c. Eden              d. Canaan

Creation of the Animal Kingdom (Orthodox Icon)

6. Which body part did God take from Man to create Woman, while he was asleep?

a. rib     b. heart
c. ear    d. brain

7. From which tree in the Garden did Adam & Eve eat the fruit, disobeying the command of God their Creator?

a. Tree of Life        
b. Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil
c. Tree of Salvation   
d. Tree of Damnation

8. Adam & Eve had two sons, Cain & Abel. Cain killed Abel. Eve gave birth to a third son, saying, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him." What was her third son's name?

a. Abel    b. Adam
c. Seth    d. Lamech

9. Who is the father of Shem, Ham & Japheth? Hint: He liked to hang out with a lot of animals!

a. Cain       b. Isaac
c. Adam     d. Noah

10. What sign does God give to Noah as an everlasting remembrance of their covenant?

a. circumcision                b. rainbow   

c. an altar for sacrifice     d. Jacob's ladder

Noah's Ark (Orthodox Icon)

11. Who is “translated” into heaven, whom didn’t “taste death?” He was well-pleasing to God.

a. Enoch      b. Adam   

c. Noah       d. Abraham

12. What is the name of the mountain that the ark that Noah built to survive the great flood landed upon after the waters had receded?

a. Sinai           b. Ararat   

c. Carmel       d. Lebanon

13. How did Sarah (wife of Abraham) react when the Angel of the Lord told them that she would bear a child (during the biblical story of the Hospitality of Abraham)?

a. She wept             b. She got angry   

c. She laughed         d. She clapped her hands

14. What two cities did God destroy due to their unrighteous ways?

a. Hebron & Ur                    b. Babel & Haran    

c. Shechem & Beersheba      d. Sodom & Gomorrah

15. What is the sign of the covenant between Abraham & God? The covenant being that Abraham and his descendants will be the people of God, and He will be their God.

a. circumcision                 b. rainbow    

c. an altar for sacrifice      d. Jacob's ladder

The Answer Key is below, please highlight to view:

1 D    6 A   11 A
2 B    7 B   12 B
3 A    8 C   13 C
4 D   9 D   14 D
5 C  10 B  15 A

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director

St Sisoes the Great

What's so "great" about St Sisoes? Simply, his humility and of course, the amazing icon which depicts St Sisoes standing over the grave of Alexander the Great. This icon shows humanity in contemplation of the great mystery of death, to help focus our earthly journey towards the Kingdom of Heaven.

I first came across this icon hanging on the wall of St Ignatius Chapel at the Antiochian Village when I was a camper back in the late 90s. It struck me as "odd" with the depiction of bones in a tomb and a saint standing over the corpse. Reading the description in written word, I was amazed at the imagery. Later on, while in college I took courses in Greek & Roman history, one of them focusing on the Life of Alexander the Great.

I had always wanted to purchase this icon, and recently did so from Holy Transfiguration Monastery. I had it blessed and wanted to put it up in my office at St George Houston. Embarrassed as I am to admit, however the icon didn't get hung and got stacked on my desk with a bunch of books and papers until TODAY! I finally decided to get movin' and hang it up. After placing it on the wall, I went online to find the Troparion for St Sisoes the Great to add to my prayer after hanging the icon. Much to my amazement, TODAY is the feastday for St Sisoes the Great (July 6)! God is good!

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St Sisoes the Great is commemorated on July 6 in the Life of the Church. He lived in the Egyptian desert during the 4th/5th centuries, passing from life in 429 AD. He was a solitary monk, pursuing asceticism in the Egyptian desert in a cave sanctified by the prayerful labors of his predecessor, St Anthony the Great (January 17). For his sixty years of labor in the desert, St Sisoes attained to sublime spiritual purity and he was granted the gift of wonderworking, so that by his prayers he once restored a dead child back to life.

Extremely strict with himself, Abba Sisoes was very merciful and compassionate to others, and he received everyone with love. To those who visited him, the saint first of all always taught humility. When one of the monks asked how he might attain to a constant remembrance of God, St Sisoes remarked, "That is no great thing, my son, but it is a great thing to regard yourself as inferior to everyone else. This leads to the acquisition of humility." Asked by the monks whether one year is sufficient for repentance if a brother sins, Abba Sisoes said, "I trust in the mercy of God that if such a man repents with all his heart, then God will accept his repentance in three days."

When St Sisoes lay upon his deathbed, the disciples surrounding the Elder saw that his face shone like the sun. They asked the dying man what he saw. Abba Sisoes replied that he saw St Anthony, the prophets, and the apostles. His face increased in brightness, and he spoke with someone. The monks asked, "With whom are you speaking, Father?" He said that angels had come for his soul, and he was entreating them to give him a little more time for repentance. The monks said, "You have no need for repentance, Father" St Sisoes said with great humility, "I do not think that I have even begun to repent."

After these words the face of the holy abba shone so brightly that the brethren were not able to look upon him. St Sisoes told them that he saw the Lord Himself. Then there was a flash like lightning, and a fragrant odor, and Abba Sisoes departed to the Heavenly Kingdom.

-Taken from the Lives of the Saints from www.oca.org

The famous icon may represent an historical event lost in document form, but preserved in the tradition of iconography. After the Fall of Constantinople in 1452, there appeared among the newly subjugated Greeks an image of a 4th century ascetic Saint, lamenting over the tomb of an even more ancient, pagan Emperor: Alexander the Great. This icon, the Astonishment of Sisoes, is a contemplation on death, but not only the death of a man, but of an earthly empire.

The icon started to appear in Greek monasteries and quickly spread to other monasteries throughout the former Byzantine, now Ottoman Turk, Empire. The ascetic Saint kneeling in the Icon is Sisoes the Great, depicted much larger over the dead bones in Alexander the Great’s open tomb. The inscription found on the icon explains the scene:

"Sisoes, the great ascetic, before the tomb of Alexander, King of the Greeks, who was once covered in glory. Astonished, he mourns for the vicissitudes of time and the transience of glory, and tearfully declaims thus:

'The mere sight of you, tomb, dismays me and causes my heart to shed tears, as I contemplate the debt we, all men, owe. How can I possibly stand it? Oh, death! Who can evade you?'"

Through the prayers of St Sisoes the Great, O Christ our God, have mercy upon us and save us!

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director

Kayaking at Church?

Does your Youth Director go kayaking in the Church Hall? Yep, this guy!

Extreme Sports at St George Houston!

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director

Orthodox Young Adult Book Club

For those interested, we've started an Orthodox Young Adult Book Club in Houston; this program is being hosted by Young Adult Ministries of Greater Houston. We are beginning this summer, Monday, June 11 at 7:00p at St George Antiochian Orthodox Church to receive our copies (graciously provided by St George Church), discuss the schedule, meeting locations, and a brief introduction of the book.

The concept is pretty basic, but I'm very excited about the prospects for this type of program. It takes a great deal of commitment (we plan to meet weekly) to discuss our book. Although, young adults are certainly busy with work, school, and family, we think its extremely important to take time to focus on our Faith. In addition to participating in the liturgical life of our parish communities throughout Greater Houston, as well as service projects and fellowship dinners, our Young Adult Ministries (YAM) group has decided to come together to learn more through reading a book and having discussions on the subjects described in that book. 

Our first book choice for our Book Club is the classic work by Fr Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World. This book is one of my all-time favorites (I've read it quite a few times and always find inspiration from it). I hope that those joining us will enjoy the weekly reading "assignments," as well as our sessions together discussing its depth of knowledge and wisdom shared by its author, Fr Alexander. In my opinion, its subject is a useful "tool" to contemplate the beauty of the liturgical experience and its necessity in our daily struggles towards living a life worthy of Christ and His Kingdom.



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This work focuses primarily on the Eucharist, our participation in the Life of the Church, in the hope of showing the importance of our relationship with God through the fellowship of communicants and sharing the gospel with those who have yet to find the true meaning of their existence. It is certainly a must read and I look forward to our fruitful discussion sessions.

Fr Alexander Schmemann (+1983) during Divine Liturgy

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Book Club Discussion Schedule (Tenative):

Monday, June 11:  Introduction
Monday, June 18:  Chapter 1
Monday, July 2:     Chapter 2
Monday, July 9:     Chapters 3 & 4
Monday, July 16:   Chapters 5 & 6
Monday, July 23:   Chapter 7 & Appendices 1 & 2

For more information, please contact Paul Fuller, Youth & Young Adult Director of St George (paulf518@yahoo.com) and visit our Facebook Group: "Young Adult Ministries in Houston TX."

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director

Orthodox Wear Green for Pentecost, Not Just St Patty's Day!

In our Faith, we symbolize a great deal to help bring understanding of why we have gathered together to pray and how to better participate during certain feasts throughout the Life of the Church.

One such way of symbolism is the use of color to recognize certain features of a feast in the Liturgical Life of our Faith. The color "green" is used during the Great Feast of Pentecost (50 days after the Resurrection of our Lord) - the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.

For more information regarding this Feast and the Icon of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, please visit the following links:
     - Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese website
     - Greek Orthodox Christian Archdiocese website

The clergy vestments, altar cloths, candle holders, etc. during the Pentecostal season are green. At Pentecost, we decorate our churches with flowers and green branches - for the Church "never grows old, but is always young." It is an evergreen, ever-living Tree of grace and life, of joy and comfort. For the Holy Spirit - "the Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life - comes and abides in us, and cleanses us from all impurity," and fills our life with meaning: faith, hope, and love.

                                      

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The Great Feast of Pentecost is followed by a fast-free week; a great season of rejoicing that the Holy Spirit has descended upon the Apostles and revealed to them the Mystery of the Salvation through the Church. That same Holy Spirit remains within the Church throughout the ages, guiding it "into all truth" (John 16:13).

"O heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who art in all places and fillest all things, Treasury of good things, and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Gracious Lord."

In commemoration of this Great Feast in the Life of the Church, I suggest a simple way to bring this celebration of Pentecost "home" with you - during this week, wear GREEN!

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director

Looking Up: The Feast of the Ascension

Then, He went with His disciples to Bethany and stopped on the Mount of Olives. "While they beheld, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they LOOKED steadfastly toward heaven as He went UP, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, 'Ye men of Galilee , why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven'" (Acts 1:9-11).

Ascension of our Lord

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In the Life of the Church, we celebrate the Great Feast of the Ascension of our Lord 40 days following Pascha (this year on Thursday, May 24, 2012). In the presence of His disciples, our Lord ascends to His Heavenly Throne: "I ascend to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God" (John 20:17). According to the account given in Luke's Gospel: "And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now, it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy..." (Luke 24:50-53).

Jesus, their Master, leaves them, yet His disciples are filled with great joy. Its an odd reality to grasp; the comfort of being in the presence of their Lord, especially witnessing His Resurrection and being "filled with great joy" at His departure from them. But the reason for such a feeling among the Disciples is the promise given to them: Jesus tells them that He must go to the Father, but He will send the Holy Spirit upon them.

Troparion of the Feast of the Ascension (Tone 4): “Thou hast ascended in glory, O Christ our God, and gladdened thy Disciples with the promise of the Holy Spirit, having become confident of the blessing. Verily, thou art the Son of God, and Deliverer of the world."

Wishing you and your family a blessed Great Feast of the Ascension of our Lord!

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director

Graduation Sunday 2012 at St George Houston

As a Youth Director, I'm often asked, "why did you do _____ this way?" or "how come you choose that _____?" There are many decisions you just have to make on your own; go with your gut!

One such occasion where decision-making is "key" is our annual Graduation Sunday at St George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Houston, TX. Following Liturgy, we recognize the graduates from our parish community (I'm sure your parish has a similar event) and we host a Coffee Hour in honor of our graduates, providing graduation cakes for all.

Cakes for Graduation Sunday at St George Houston

The past four years, I've purchased the cakes at a local bakery for this event. I've always gotten the same two color icings for the cakes: green and blue. Last year, I was going over the logistics for Graduation Sunday with our former parish priest, V Rev Fr John Salem (now at St Elijah Orthodox Church in OKC). He asked what color icing I was ordering for the cakes, to which I replied, "green and blue." Fr John asked why those colors, pointing out that I did the same the previous year. I laughed and told him those are the colors of my alma maters: Trinity High School & University of Kentucky!
                 

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In my mind: If I order the cakes, I pick the colors!

Congratulations to all the St George Houston graduates of 2012!

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director