You don’t have an opinion in being born Orthodox. To be raised in this church means to accept my upbringing, to become steady in my church, and to be present whenever it wanted my presence (In Sundays and feasts, during the Lent, and if my work allowed I visit my church if it was open everyday). Our people say using the common language: “I am going to the prayer”, because they feel that the main role of the building of the church is to have prayers.
But in my home, what prayer shall I pray while not having all these huge books that we use? You can at least read in the small Horologion (book of hours) or maybe in the big Horologrion. You can repeat fixed available prayers, and if you had more awareness the priest might guide you into what you pray.
You should participate in the Divine Liturgy in the church of you parish, and if it was far then you go to the nearest church to your home, and do not excuse yourself by going to a temple of a different faith saying that it is the nearest church. Religion is not related to what is near or far. You are a member in the Orthodox Church, and you have to strengthen your membership in it by staying related to it all the time. You cannot simply say: All rituals are alike; it is not a matter of rituals, it is a matter of belonging. If you live according to the Orthodox faith, you go to its center. Others have different beliefs, we respect them and cooperate with them in a lot of issues, we hope to unite together in the time that God sees appropriate in his wisdom and will. You go to the desired unity coming from your church, and you walk towards the unity holed up with what you inherited from the saints where you were baptized. You and the sons of your church together love the other brothers and each one of us and them stands where his brothers and shepherds are.
Moreover, remember that you go to church to learn. Through preaching and meetings or biblical evenings that the responsible people direct you through them, you receive the orthodox teaching that contains our dogma. Others have their dogmas that we don’t argue about; scholars discuss them until the conflict points between us are discovered. You are not launching a war against anyone when you commit to go only to your church.
This stays until your death. I remember that my mother told me several times: “I know that I want to die Orthodox”. I don’t know why she said this and nothing else tempted her. You will not stay Orthodox unless you decided to do that and you had determination to do it. You have to say this for people around you if some of them were from different faiths. To be buried in an Orthodox cemetery is something very important so that your bones will be with the bones of the sons of your religion. They are bodies embraced by the Holy Spirit. Do not accept to be thrown any way.
This is how your loyalty to Christ should be. The Orthodox faith is not a shirt you wear a day and take off the other. It stays with you all your life through faith, understanding, prayer and religious traditions.
The religion that we live in our church is awareness, the awareness that carries you to the heavens.
Translated by Mark Najjar
Original Text: “أن أموت أرثوذكسيًا” – 26.12.10
