Spiritual Enrichment: October 2015

Dazzled by the color palette of her native New England landscape, Emily Dickinson styles the natural delights of autumn in the following prose:

The Morns are meeker than they were,
The Nuts are getting brown:
The Berry’s cheeks is plumper,
The Rose is out of town. The Maple wears a gayer scarf,
The Field a scarlet gown.

As a native to the sunny beaches of Florida, the four seasons have long possessed something of a fabled character. For us Floridians, the palm trees never changed color, and we had “hurricane days” off from school instead of snow days. And speaking of snow, the only “white stuff” we ever saw on the ground was the powdery sand that separated us from the Gulf of Mexico. By northern standards, Florida is an endless summer.

But here at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, a true New England fall is upon us. This means stunning foliage, crisp air, and warm, spicy scents. And of course, the end of Daylight saving time (don’t forget to set your clocks back on Sunday, November 1st).

While our natural environment is in perpetual flux, the centerpiece of our campus— the Chapel of the Holy Cross remains constant. Finished in 1963, construction of our chapel was charged by Archbishop Michael of America, and made possible through the fundraising efforts of GOYA chapters from across our nation. It is modeled after the 11th century Church of the Holy Apostles, which is nestled in the archaeological site of the ancient marketplace (agora) in Athens, Greece (and still functions!). And most fittingly, as it is said, the great cross which crowns the golden dome of our chapel occupies the highest point, not just of our campus, but of the greater Boston area. Just as a great beacon shines forth its light to illuminate the way for ships that pass by night, so too do we strive to shine the Light into the world from atop of our Holy Hill.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5

In the communion of faith, the triune God has revealed Himself and speaks to us. And it is in this ordinary ebb and flow of the seasons that we many times hear Him so clearly. As we who live in New England (unfortunately) know, winter is coming. Soon the beautiful gold, amber, and crimson leaves will become brown and gray. The crisp, cool air will give way to harsh and frigid temperatures. And we will begin to long for the scent of roses, fresh cut grass, and coconut oil. And while we get to sleep in an extra hour, we lose many hours of light and sunshine.

But amidst these changes, our chapel will be there; unchanged; a bastion within the bedlam. St. Paul reminds us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Although the days grow shorter, and the natural world around us decays, we are ever hopeful for the coming spring—when the sleeping flowers and trees will be awakened in renewed splendor, and when the light of the day overtakes the darkness once again. In this majestic way, even nature itself proclaims the power of the resurrection of Christ. And always looking above, from wherever we stand on campus, we look up to the cross and are reminded that it is in that chapel that we receive the Light that is never overtaken by darkness.

Menios Papadimitriou
Seminarian

Reading: Ecclesiastes 3, Matthew 5:14-16
Prayer: Dear God, we thank you for Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.

Menios Papadimitriou is a third year Master of Divinity student at Holy Cross Seminary. He is from Clearwater, Florida and has a BA in Philosophy and Political Science from Florida State University. He serves as the coordinator for the Harvard chapter of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship, is employed by the MIT department of student life, assists with youth programming at St. Constantine and Helen Church in Cambridge, MA, and is a teaching fellow to Fr. Eugen Pentiuc, Holy Cross Professor of Old Testament, Hebrew and Semitic Languages and Dean of Academic Affairs.