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Topic of the Week:  Are You On the Fringe… Or Not?

“…We must remember this, brothers and sisters—the martyrs are always at the fringe…. They are the definition of a fringe group. This is where every Orthodox Christian should expect to be. It is really our natural place….

Whether it is the throwing to the lions of martyrs in Rome, or a bribe to deny Christ in the Ottoman Empire, or a handshake inviting you to join a secret society in Western Europe, or a family dragged out of their church by Canadian police—all have one thing in common: Whether to do whatever we have to do to secure our place in the world, or to be made part of that fringe minority that may be confessors or martyrs.

Christians will ultimately—always—end up on the fringes of society.”

Excerpted from  A Fringe Minority? That’s Just Christian Life

Adult/Family:

“… Saint Cyril of Alexandria tells us, you’d better be prepared if you are going to persevere to the end! Most people give up on the first round!… How on earth do we do that…. when we have trouble just saying our prayers every day, and not eating meat on Fridays?

When St. Paul says we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us, St. Basil the Great tells us we can only be a conqueror if we don’t yield to those who lead by force.

Just as that great cloud of witnesses did—the holy martyrs and confessors of the Russian Church.

St. Augustine tells us that a true, faithful Christian is recognized by faith in the resurrection of the body—his or her own body. They have no fear of death. Threats don’t work.

By contrast, we can see where faith is not present: people live in constant fear of death. We never see martyrs for Christ there, because there is not faith. There is only fear of death.

What does St. Paul tell us?

I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:38–39)….

This is where we find our hope! Death cannot separate us from the love of God! St. Clement of Alexandria tells us, we must cleave to God with our whole heart.

What is our choice? Will we cleave to God with half our heart?… If we do, is it any wonder we live with one foot in the world, and wonder why we are unhappy? No—the Lord tells us through His saint, cling to God with your whole heart!

Brothers and sisters: We must become convinced—just like those holy confessors and martyrs—that this world will not bring us lasting joy….”

Excerpted from A Fringe Minority? That’s Just Christian Life

Preschool/Elementary:

Watch this video about Saint Xenia of St. Petersburg.

Saint Xenia started out just like everybody else, living a worldly life with a lot of social activities including going to parties with her young husband. It sounds like she was a normal person with a lot of friends, doing what everyone else was doing. What caused Saint Xenia’s life to change? After this, she could have continued going to parties and living a comfortable and easy life, like everyone else. What did she do instead that made her not like most other people? What did she give away? Why did she do this? [She decided worldly things had little meaning and she was more interested in ‘heavenly treasures’.] After she died, how is she known now? [She is a saint!] Is it better for us to do what everyone else is doing, or is it better to do what is pleasing to God?

Blessed Saint Xenia, intercede to God for us!

But this book to read more about her life: 51 – Paterikon for Kids – Saint Xenia of Saint Petersburg – Potamitis Publishing

Middle School:

“…We will not find our strength to overcome the world in the world.

It is not in the grocery store aisle.

It is not on a travel agency website.

It is not in the latest advances in technology….”

Where do we find our strength from? Read A Fringe Minority? That’s Just Christian Life to discover where.

High School:

“…During the twentieth century, more have died as martyrs for Christ than in all other centuries combined….

—and almost all of these have made their witness to Christ under the yoke of Soviet totalitarianism. We must remember, these martyrs were not a group, however—they are a collection of millions of individual souls.

Each with a life…. a family…. a story.

Each of them made a choice—indeed, a series of choices, with God’s help—which brought them to the point where they would give their lives for Christ….

—which brought them from the comfortable and safe mainstream of Soviet society, just a few decades ago, to the fringes…”

Are you living a comfortable Christian life that does not demand too much, or are you on the fringe? Read more here:  A Fringe Minority? That’s Just Christian Life

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