SOKAD Youth European Gathering 2024, Cont.
Part II - Saturday, March 30, 2024
For Part I, click here.
Saturday:
The day started with morning prayers in the Mor Barsaumo Chapel. Let me say a word about the prayers in the monastery during Great Lent. They are intense, and their length increases compared to the regular prayers during most of the rest of the year. Many prostrations are made during these prayers. Below is an example from the homeland of the Syriac Orthodox faithful.
These are intrinsically linked to the fast. As St. Basil the Great wrote, “Every time we fall upon our knees and rise from off them we shew by the very deed that by our sin we fell down to earth, and by the loving kindness of our Creator were called back to heaven.”
My spiritual father taught me about why it is so important that our body worships along with our minds, hearts, and mouths. We are submitting ourselves to the Lord with our entire being. When he first started working with me, he taught me to do at least ten prostrations when I prayed. It has made a world of difference. I am completely awake, totally focused, and ready to pray. I am showing my Lord that I repent of my sin and ask Him to forgive me. When I got to do this alongside all the bishops, priests, monastery students, and other worshippers, it became even more meaningful. Talk about walking out of prayers with a newly focused heart and mind!
After breakfast, all of us got back together in the conference room to discuss the direction for the European youth work and discuss common goals and activities. This was insightful for me, as it clearly shows where the hearts of the young people are when it comes to the Lord. It is not enough to have fun get-togethers –although that is important, too. They want to gain a better understanding of their faith through Bible studies, liturgical elements, and regional traditions from various countries’ backgrounds (Turkey, Iraq, and Syria).
Then, it was time for a group photo. While getting ready for it, His Eminence Mor Polycarpus Augin Aydin walked over to me. We had briefly spoken the evening before, and he remembered something he wanted to tell me. As we were wrapping up, I asked him whether I could take a photo with him. Before I knew what was happening, he said he could do better and asked me to come with him. The next thing I knew, I was not just taking a photo with him but with all the bishops and priests! Let me just say that I was floored and will treasure these photos forever. I also snuck one in with Abouna Charbel and Abouna Aphram. (Thanks to Bahho Kara for some of these photos!)
While getting ready for the group photos, I also got some lovely photos together with some folks that I had met online (Maria, Alan, and Besil) and had not met in person yet. On the way to the conference center for the Convention Day, I got a photo with Raban Semun, the resident monk at Dayro d’Mor Jakob. Such a kind man and a beautiful follower of the Lord Jesus Christ!
At the convention center, chairs were filling up rapidly. While the youth gathering had a restriction on numbers, the Convention Day had been opened to all, and many people and families took the opportunity to come to Warburg and listen to both our archbishops and our young people speak. The archbishops entered to the beautiful Syriac song to welcome them.
The meeting, of course, after an initial greeting by Elisabeth Aydin, was begun with the singing of the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic, Abun d’Bashmayo. I get goosebumps every single time to this day when we pray this prayer together.
Many interesting presentations followed. The European youth groups shared their work over the past year. The archbishops shared spiritual content as well as the results of youth work and the issues we need to address as a church with our youth. Another session by Augin Yalcin discussed religious education in public schools and the advances in various states. A poet shared a poem, which, regrettably, I didn’t understand. Most of the sessions were held in Turoyo, but they were simultaneously translated by His Eminence Mor Polycarpus Augin Aydin into English and by Abouna Amanuel Dag into German via headsets that had been distributed.
The archbishops, priests, and monastery students closed out the Convention Day with some beautiful Syriac Orthodox hymns and songs.
After this beautiful time of worship, I looked at the monastery gift shop that had been brought to the convention center, met another online friend (it was great meeting you, Benjamin Gabriel; you are a blessing to me!), and caught a ride back to the monastery with an amazingly well-mannered and sweet young man, Andreas.
At the monastery, fellowship in song broke out, and I watched the final steps in the making of the bread offering to be used in the liturgy the following day.
It was an entirely meaningful and worshipful day. After meeting my roommate, I closed my eyes, praising God for confirming my choice of the Syriac Orthodox Church as my home in the storm of life.
Note: My final day at the monastery, Sunday, will be described in the next post.