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November 1, 2006 - "Where Satan's Throne Is..."
Dear Parish Faithful,
If there is one sin that is consistently, if not relentlessly, attacked throughout the Scrptures - from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation - it is that of idolatry. In the First (Primary?) commandment, we hear the solemn words:
You shall have no other gods before me. (EX. 20:3)
The Apostle Paul has formulated what is perhaps the classic definition of idolatry:
Therefore God gave them up ... because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator ... (ROM. 1:24-25)
St. John ends his First Epistle with the warning:
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. (I JN. 5:21)
There exists the one, true and living God Who has created, sustains, redeems and promises to ultimately transfigure the world so "that God may be everything to every one." (I COR. 15:28) And there are false gods who, being essentially non-existent, are powerless. There is really not much of a choice between these two choices, according to the Scriptures. It is a matter of life or death; blessings or curses. (cf. DEUT. 30:15-20) In our enervated, post-modern age in which we prefer subtle distinctions, a plurality of potentially good choices, a fierce defense of personal autonomy, a relativizing of absolute claims, and a wide range of atheisms - secular, scientific or existential, to mention a few - such a "choice" can only seem hopelessly naive, crude, "unfair," or reflective of the unforgiveable sin of biblical fundamentalism. Slaughter and mayhem throughout the ages and up to the present day "in the name of God" have only fueled the suspicion or disdain with which total commitment to the "true God" has been treated. All of the world's monotheists must acknowledge this.
Yet in defense of the biblical witness, it could be said that the various authors of the Scriptures were "inspired" to write in such stark terms because of their total conviction that any choice other than God led one away from truth, life and light; and was thus "evil" or to be "hated." Since the sacred writers were absolutists, they could only speak in absolute terms. The contrast between God and the idols had to be drawn as fiercely as possible in order to make clear what was at stake. As a "jealous God," God could not tolerate the "adultery" of His spouse - Israel, the Church, the human soul - who may be periodically or permanently attracted to the empty charms of the idols. Such double-mindedness led to a wayward heart that could not be trusted. Loyalty, trust and love could only exist on the foundation of unwavering fidelity. This is behind the words of Christ that sharply contrast two basic choices:
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (MATT. 6:24)
The language and the choices perhaps becomes the starkest in the Book of Revelation. In the third of the letters to the seven churches of Asia, "The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword" commands "the angel of the church in Pergamum" to write the following:
I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; you hold fast my name and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed amony you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality. (REV. 2:12-14)
You need to read and review NUM. 22-24; 25:1-3, to understand the allusion to Balaam and Balak. However, St. John has combined "Satan's throne," "food sacrificed to idols," and "immorality" together as a sharp warning to Christians to be vigilant about "cultural assimilation" in an idol-infested world that threatened to swallow up their particular identity as those who bear the name of Christ. The threat may be greater today than in first-century Asia Minor. Only one of many indicators to the contemporary value of the Book of Revelation, as the Spirit speaks to the churches of today through the sacred text of this mysterious book. Though we may have outgrown the wooden, silver and gold statues that made the false gods of the past concrete, we have more than enough "idols" to navigate our way through today.
A bit of reflection, however, may convince us that there may not be a great deal of difference between the false gods of the past and today's "worship" of the unholy trinity of money, sex and power in whatever form those idols appear - a car, house, bank account, stock portfolio, mental phantasies, entertainment, sports, fame, status, political parties, authority, etc. And these are only the obvious and cruder forms of contemporary idolatry! There are books, music, art, science, humankind, progress, scholarship, enlightenment and the rest. All "very good" things in and of themselves and worthy of our time, talents and energy as they are given to us by God to enhance and improve our lives in this world in which we exist. We are meant to enjoy the things of this world as gifts from God. Idolatry is when our minds and hearts "love" anything that belongs to the created realm more than the Creator. And that includes our families! When our human energy - passion - is directed to some object or goal above and beyond God. When our desire to sacrifice for anything or anyone is greater than such a desire for God. It is a hard struggle, as God is not as immediately concrete to us as the world and its objects are that surround us. Yet, the crucified Lord is the concrete manifestation of God's love that is meant to create in us a love for Him in return that surpasses all of our other loves. His "self-emptying" on our behalf is meant to help us "empty" our minds and hearts of the false idols that are powerless in the face of the realities of sin and death.
Idolatry remains the one great and ever-present sin that will always be there to tempt us. When the idols of our imagination become nothing more than the equivalent to the husks that the swine ate, but were longed for by the prodigal son, then perhaps we will come to ourselves and return to the loving embrace of our heavenly Father. To love God more than anything else is not to be a fanatic, but to be whole and sane. Though not the teaching of the world, that it is the teaching of Christ and the saints.
To him who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone which no one knows except him who receives it. (REV. 2:17)
Fr. Steven
October 23, 2006 - A Very Contemporary Revelation
Dear Parish Faithful,
Last week's meditation - offered as Fragments for Friday - was centered on the Book of Revelation and the profound texts found there but not found on the prescribed readings of the liturgical calendar. I spoke there of the Church's sober and cautious approach to a book that has been misused with alarming regularity throughout Church history. What strikes me when reading over some parts of this mysterious book carefully is just how contemporary it is. This is especially evident in chapters two and three where we read the letters "to the seven church which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea." (REV. 1:11-12) However, I do not mean to say that I am now discovering how contemporary political events - say the War in Iraq or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - are "fulfilling" the prophecies found in the Apocalypse of St. John and thus bringing us to the threshold of the "last times" and the end of the world. I completely lack the talent and the desire for such an arcane pursuit!
What I mean by "contemporary" is found in the closing words of the Risen Lord to the churches He addressed in these letters as having the same value and meaning for us today in our modest parishes: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." If the Holy Spirit who spoke then is no longer speaking to the churches today through these sacred texts, then the text is not truly sacred/holy but simply a depository for some curious historical information about first-century Christianity. As the living Word of God, the Scriptures come alive every time that they are read, publicly or privately. The living Word will both console and admonish. It will encourage perseverance in what is good and demand repentance for sinful failings. In the seven letters embedded in the opening chapters of the Book of Revelation, we encounter a wonderful immediacy that is simultaneously deeply inspiring and frighteningly challenging. The mode of belief and life in each local church/parish is a serious matter not to be taken lightly! Not to sound unduly dramatic, but it is clear that through St. John's prophetic ministry, the Risen Lord is telling us that our eternal destiny is decided upon on how we approach our Christian belief and life as a community bearing His Name and witnessing to the truth of His Gospel.
As a telling example, we read the following in what is delivered to the first of these churches:
To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: "The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and found them to be false; I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have, you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God'." (REV. 2:1-7, RSV)
Within the modest space of these meditations, I cannot even begin to try to unpack that entire passage, so rich in imagery and profound in meaning. However, there are some characteristics to all of these seven letters that demand our attention. After describing Himself by using familiar scriptural imagery, each and every letter begins with a seemingly simple: "I know ... " Following this, the Lord will both praise and admonish each of these churches for there positive and negative features. Hopefully, the positive features will prevail over the negative, but that is not the case when you read all of the seven letters - of the church in Sardis the Lord proclaims: "you are dead!" (REV. 3:1)
It is this "I know ..." that we can inattentively read right through that is so revealing. The omniscient and omnipresent Lord knows everything about His churches, for He is their Head, and He walks among them. Nothing escapes His "gaze." Nothing is hidden. In the Gospels, we hear the Lord say: "For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not come to light." (LK. 8:17) Even today, we can put on or best clothes, a smiling face, and act with great courtesy towards others in the church, but the Lord is really concerned about our true spiritual condition, underneath those surfaces that we are so concerned about. Are we also today toiling with "patient endurance" and "enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake?" Demanding at it is, that is what is expected of us. Our "age of comfort" perhaps increases this challenge fourfold. This is so politically incorrect, that I hesitate and struggle even to write it, but do we hate the works of heretics?! The Ephesians seemed to do so and were praised for it. (These "heretics" - the Nicolaitans - appeared to be within the community and thus undermining the church's doctrinal integrity).
At the same time, "I know ..." is also deeply comforting. No matter what tribulations a local church may be experiencing, the Lord is aware of it and His presence consoles us with the certitude of the ultimate victory that He has achieved for us through His Cross and Resurrection. If that local community remains faithful and "conquers" then its members will "eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." It is these consoling images of the ultimate outcome that should inspire each one of us to "fight the good fight." The strength of our faith in their ultimate fulfillment is an essential factor, though. Perhaps we are only seeking a good retirement fund and a vacation in the Bahamas!
On a more personal level, the Lord "knows" those who are neglected on a parish level because they may not quite "fit in" or because of their economic/social status - or perhaps for their burning faithfulness to His commandments? Ignored or overlooked on the human level, Christ sees their good faith and good works, and promises them a reward for their humble perseverance. "The last shall be first" also applies to issues of parish status - and it is the Lord who "knows" this!
The Ephesians had "abandoned the love [they] had at first." There is a certain tension between how much praise the Lord gave the church in Ephesus together with this admonition to repent and recover that first love. He seems to be saying that a local church can continue with the right approach in many essential areas, but be doing this for reasons that have long lost their connection with the true love of God and neighbor that is most essential for a genuine witness to the Gospel to the neighboring world. At the time of that horrible tragedy, I wrote of the Amish making such a witness when their community experienced the shock of those senseless killings of their children. It is that first love of God and neighbor that is the ground for such a witness and the strength of a genuine Christian community. Our parish(es) must continuously strive to recover and maintain "the love [we] had at first" through remembrance, repentance and works.
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." For this to have any meaning at all, then it must mean now and today.
Fr. Steven
October 20, 2006 - A Revelation of Consolation and Hope
Dear Parish Faithful,
On our Church calendars most of the New Testament is prescribed to be read through the course of the liturgical year. Right now, we are reading from the Gospel According to St. Luke, and the Apostle Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians. However, you will search in vain for any designated passages from the Book of Revelation (also called the Apocalypse, from the Greek word apokalypsis) on the Church calendar. After this final book of the Bible struggled to be including in the Canon of Scripture, it was still treated very cautiously because of its heavy emphasis on visions, highly symbolic images, sacred numerology, and millenarian speculation. Even in the early Church, this led to unacceptable interpretations that caused great confusion among the faithful. This use, misuse, and abuse of the Book of Revelation has continued into the modern era. Such marginalized groups as the Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists have their origins in 19th c. America apocalypticism, based on end-of-the-world scenarios that were at least partially fueled by the last book of the Bible. More recently, how many have forgotten the horrible tragedy of the sectarian Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, from the early 90's? Their leader, David Koresh, was presenting himself to his faithful followers as a messianic figure based upon yet one more deeply flawed reading of the Book of Revelation. Somewhat paradoxically, then, the Apocalypse gained admission to the Canon of Scripture through its eventual attribution to St. John the Apostle; but was treated with great caution subsequently because of its inherent susceptibility to gross misinterpretation. Perhaps this is the reason that we have no real commentaries on this book from the great Fathers of the Patristic Era. A certain humble silence prevailed in the presence of the great mystery being revealed in the Apocalypse of St. John.
However much we respect and trust the wisdom of the Church on such matters, it remains unfortunate - at least to me - that the issue of reading from this book liturgically, and therefore publicly, was not reconsidered at some point in time. The Book of Revelation should not be known simply as the source of the notorious "666!" And now that the book is the source of the wildly successful, but theologically confused (if not inept), Left Behind series, we at least need some sober "counter-reflection" to bring some biblical sanity into the discussion of the "end of the world." However, that sounds like too daunting of a task for me within the context of this modest meditation.
I would like to briefly note some of the profound passages that introduce the book and thus give us a small sense of just what we are missing by not hearing the Apocalypse read aloud in our liturgical assemblies. The exalted image of the risen and glorified Lord is "awesome" indeed. After hearing God (the Father) being described as He "who is and who was and who is to come," (REV. 1:4) we then immediately hear of
Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (REV. 1:5-6)
Jesus Christ becomes the object of a doxological passage of praise and worship as does God the Father. This is exactly what we do in our liturgical services on a daily basis. This is made even abundantly clearer in those remarkable passages in which the risen Lord describes Himself to St. John in language that indicates His divine nature:
- I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End ... who is and who was
- and who is to come, the Almighty (Pantokrator).
- I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. (REV. 1:8,11)
We worship and praise the One who is "the firstborn of the dead:"
- I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen.
- And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. (REV. 1:18)
Jesus Christ is a living reality - not a dead example from the past. He sustains the Church that He established "in His own blood." This is the meaning of the further image that He is "in the midst of the seven lampstands." (REV. 1:13) The recipients of this revelation were early Christians facing imminent persecution. They were living in a hostile world. And they probably faced a daily battle with despair and the temptation to apostatize (abandon the faith). They could thus share in the victory that had already been won - but they would have to persevere in order to do so. Not a very attractive prospect!
But, alas, all things being what they are in a fallen and sinful world, an inevitable and inescapable one for a person who confesses a lordship other than that of the prevailing political and social power of the day; in this instance, that of the big and bad Roman Empire of the first century and the evolving cult of "emperor worship." These are clearly timeless themes. The twentieth century and its own "cult of personality" that simply modernized the emperor worship of the past - and which led to countless martyrdoms - is a striking example of precisely the eternal struggle between "heavenly" and "earthly" authorities that contend for the commitment of our hearts and souls. The appearance of an Attila the Hun or Adolph Hitler simply revives this endless struggle in a particularly acute manner.
St. John was thus delivering a revelation of consolation and hope to an embattled Church, rather than offering esoteric predictions of the end of the world that needed rigorously-applied methods of de-coding. In any particular "age of anxiety" our present hope is in the Lord who is present within His Church, and in whom the future hope of the Kingdom is a sure promise. And we further hope that any and all fears that will inevitably descend upon us, will be overcome by that certainty. Read with care within the context of the Church's ongoing existence, the Book of Revelation will yield a harvest thirty, sixty and and a hundredfold to the patient of heart.
Fr. Steven
October 19, 2006 - Notes from Mother Gabriela's Retreat at Holy Trinity/St. Nicholas
Dear Parish Faithful,
Mother Gabriela recently led a retreat here in Cincinnati at the Greek Orthodox Church. Dan Georgescu, who attended, was kind enough to summarize his copious notes and give them a very good coherent shape. You will find them on the attachment.
Part A is a summary of monastic life. You could read it as a further supplement to what Sister Vicki related to us this last Sunday. (In an email sent to me today, Sister Vicki told me that she should have shared her experience that "giving up" all of her material possessions - house, car, etc. - has been much easier than "giving up" the thoughts, temptations and passions that enter the mind and heart and accumulate over the course of many years).
Part B is about Confession. Mother Gabriela offers many good insights here that you should read carefully. She also stressed the need to come to Confession at least during the four fasting seasons of the year.
These are the highlights of the presentation given by Mother Gabriela at the St. Nicholas Holy Trinity Greek Church, Cincinnati. As usual, Mother Gabriela has to be watched carefully and one should listen with attention her words because in this world of noise, she tells a lot of profound concepts with a very simple, calm and humble voice.
A. The first part was dedicated to the different aspects of the monastic life:
- The monastic community is very close to a family where each person has his or her role very well determined. It is equally true for small or large monasteries.
- The private and the community type of prayer are very important and must be respected. There is no perfection in the monk's life. Each one falls and rises again because they are human beings and not saints. It is necessary to be aware of the personal mistakes. One becomes saint after his death.
- The confession is done on a weekly basis. Any small detail is accountable and a correction should be done shortly after the problem is identified. The continuous prayer is the best medicine, the cleaning of the soul and a tool for concentration.
- A proper hygiene is learned and expected. Taking care of the body is a priority in the orthodox monasticism because it is the temple of the soul. All the diseases have to be accepted but everyone should not look for the destruction of his or her body by trying seeking excessive level of ascetic life without counseling. That is why only some of the monks have to ask for an advice and a permission to lead a special life.
- Living in the community is the mainstream way of life for the monks. However, there are particular cases when some monks can live in total seclusion. And it is based on the approval of the "egumen" or "staretz".
- The work is hard in general and the expectations from the rest of the community toward the individual are high enough to make him to go through a long time of selection that could be up to three years.
- To sum up all the characteristics of the monastic life and to exemplify through images a slide presentation was done and has introduced to the Greek parishioners the efforts and the successes of the nuns with a substantial help from outside in turning a 100 year old farm into a splendid monastery that everyone can see today.
As a personal note I was there at the Dormition Monastery during the last weekend it was very hard for me to leave that place and come back home. This year, they have added a good size pond dug in a clearing with a dock, a boat and a lot of fish. The carpenter has built an arched bridge with pressure treated wood.
B. The second part after the lunch was even more important because of the topic &endash; the Confession.
- The main reasons to go to confession were illustrated with quotes from the works of the apostles and the fathers of the church.
- The confession is not only for the major bad deeds. It is a misconception that all the small, insignificant trespasses should not make a case for confession. There is a story about the two brothers who came to an avva for confession. One of them had committed a big sin and was ready to confess and the other brother was downplaying his small sins done here and there. After their confession, Avva gave a bag to each one of them to bring a bid stone or many small stones proportional to their sins. Then, when they came back he told them to put them back exactly in the same place. That was easy for the first brother and the second brother realized that there is no way to accomplish this task to perfection. This is true for everyone in this real world.
- At least four times a year before or during the major fasting periods the true Christian has to confess in order to receive communion. It is such thing as confession without communion but it is not acceptable to have communion without a proper confession and done recently. Everyone has to be prepared for communion and less discussion is about the rare or frequent communion. All the Fathers of the Church discuss mostly about the preparation process, because a man or woman who is mindful is also aware of the right moment when is proper to go toward the chalice.
- The confession is a part of a larger picture that involves a proper behavior and even details like being careful of the own eating habits. One saint said it once "Éeat but do not eat each other". By eating to much meat or other improper food or drinks involves the toxic elements entering the body that affects the soul.
- It is important not to change the confessor at each one's decision because in some jurisdictions there is a different way of handling the penance. The Orthodox Church has many canons of punishment and instead of the confessor giving to the person work of reparation, sometimes, some of these jurisdictions can go by these canons. In general by drifting away in all directions there is a great chance of falling in a state of confusion.
- There are direct sins done first hand, being a second or third party or those sins that involves agreement in misdeeds. In general, the person has to go over the Ten Commandments and decide what are the sins committed and confess them laud with an open heart.
- The last but not the least is the preparation for the confession by praying the right prayers. A frequent prayer will help the confession by cutting down the bad habits and the frequent confession helps the prayer. Each person has to pray hard before and after confession.
In general, we should reach the level where we enjoy the confession as a tool for the cleaning of the soul. Like every beginning it is hard to go on this path but in time becomes a fruitful habit and a benefit for the individual as well as the family and the people around.
October 16, 2006 - A Monastic Visits
Dear Parish Faithful,
It was wonderful to see Sister Vicki in the church with us yesterday. We have a former parishioner who has always been faithful in all things pertaining to God now pursuing the difficult monastic vocation. Her talk about this vocation and the life of the monastery was "just right" in my estimation: honest, clear and pretty thorough considering the compact nature of the time involved. Sister Vicki brought to us the "human face" of what can seem very distant to us. She continues to bring her full dedication to her new vocation as she did to her being a member of a local parish.
As I stated yesterday, our parish has some close links with various monastic communities: Holy Transfiguration (Elwood City, PA), Holy Dormition (Rives Junction, MI), St. Gregory Palamas (Hayesville, OH); and internationally, Mamre Lavra (Guatemala). We also have parishioners who have visited St. Anthony's in Arizona. We have consistently had pilgrimages to these monasteries over the years, and everyone who has participated has truly enjoyed the experience. In addition, some of the abbesses and monastics of these communities have been in our church for retreats in the past. There exists an intangible blessing that comes from these close ties that serve to strengthen our own parish.
This leads us to the paradox that the monastic "withdrawn" and "hidden" from the world may have a much greater impact on the world than those of us still in it! Through their continual prayer for us - and it is almost literally unceasing - and their very example, they can effect countless others to strengthen their own commitment to Christ and His Church. Just by being who they are and where they are, the many pilgrims who visit and encounter them and their monastic lifestyle are usually "touched" in a hidden, deep and unforgettable way. By leaving the world, they then continue to serve the world. Would that we could so positively effect so many others in our Christian witness!
We will definitely plan a pilgrimage next summer to one of our local monasteries. Perhaps some of our parish men will once again visit St. Gregory Palamas monastery in Hayesville before that time. For the sake of your spiritual well-being, you may want to consider joining one of our pilgrimages in the future.
Fr. Steven
October 5, 2006 - The Amish Tragedy: A Short Commentary
Dear Parish Faithful,
It is impossible not to be deeply saddened - and frankly, very sickened - by the recent shootings and killings on our school campuses around the country. These senseless tragedies force us to revisit the Columbine tragedy of a few years ago. The anguish of the parents, families and the respective communities of the victims is beyond our deepest empathy. The latest deaths of the five Amish girls, together with the other five who are wounded and struggling for their lives, is bewildering in its randomness and sheer irrationality. And this is why you have the sinking conviction that it could not have been prevented by even the best metal detector system available, or even the type of campus security system that an urban area could offer, let alone the tranquil isolation of a small Amish schoolhouse. The "evil impulse" - to use the term of the ancient rabbis - that explodes in these acts of violence is unpredictable and unanalyzable. The "experts" interviewed on the major news stations search for rational explanations - including motive, of course - but somehow you have the feeling that they are not quite reaching that dark space within the mind and/or heart where evil resides and then surfaces so unexpectedly. "For what comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts ... murder ..." (MK. 7:20-21) We know and experience evil through its actions and their consequences. But our great theologians always remind us that it ultimately eludes any definition and remains mysterious and irrational. It is the antithesis of the inherent goodness of God's creation. "Deliver us from the evil one" is our last plea to our heavenly Father in the Lord's Prayer.
Yet, this tragedy is revealing to the astonished world one of the greatest and most difficult of the Christian virtues to practice - forgiveness. The Amish, in their quiet dignity, are openly but unostentatiously, offering forgiveness to the killer and to his family. I have read of some Amish who have already ministered to the killer's family. At least initially, there is no talk of "seeking justice" or "revenge." In today's world, when even an insulting comment can provoke the most intense response and even violence, this is very sobering and hopeful indeed. As I heard the midwife who helped bring two of the victims into the world say: an event so tragic will cause you to lose your faith and become bitter; or it will strengthen your faith and bring you closer to God. She said that this was possible if you have Christ "within you." Such dialogue was rather jarring to hear on one of our major news networks! I must plead ignorance when it comes to knowledge of Amish theological beliefs, but their Christian spirit is deeply impressive within the parameters of this horrible event. Perhaps this quiet and withdrawn community is saying something of great significance to the world. Once the cameras and crews move on the next story, will we remember it?
Some of the gruesome details of just what happened within the schoolhouse are now coming out. Thankfully, these girls were not sexually assaulted and tortured, as the authorities now believe was the intention of the killer. And as I just read this morning, one the wounded girls made known a heartbreaking comment by the oldest of the victims: "Shoot me, and leave the others alone." Realistically, we must bear in mind that the survivors and the other children who were released before the shooting began, will carry deep scars into life with them now. These children have been brutally deprived of their innocence. They will have the support of their community and their own growing faith in Christ to strengthen them.
The names of the victims have now been released publicly. The five girls are: Naomi, Anna Mae, Marian, Mary Liz and Lena. Please pray for them, and we will remember them in the Liturgy.
Fr. Steven
October 4, 2006 - To Be A Christian, Part 2
Dear Parish Faithful,
I wrote on Monday about the confession of faith that we make in Jesus the Christ as the first sign of, or witness to, being a Christian. However, "right faith" must be balanced by, and consciously integrated with "right action" for that confession of Faith to be a true witness to the life-transforming power of the Gospel. Without that being so, we face the real danger of being nothing more than a "noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." (I COR. 13:2) However meaningful the phrase sola gracia (by grace alone) may be to indicate the unmerited divine initiative in the "economy" of our salvation - "For by grace you have been saved by faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, lest any many should boast" (EPH. 2:8-9); it becomes rather meaningless if it implies a kind of non-synergistic passivity on our part that fails to manifest the love of God working in our lives - and for the sake of other lives. St. James has been criticized in certain Christian circles for supposedly teaching salvation through "good works." Yet, his strong words are understood to be an essential corrective to a misunderstanding of the Apostle Paul's teaching. St. James warns us against a religion that is "vain:"
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (JM. 1:27)
Further on, St. James speaks directly about the relationship between "faith" and "works:"
What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. ... So as the body apart from works in dead, so faith apart from works is dead. (JM. 2:14-17)
I have no intention of re-examing this long, and at times, dreary debate about the primacy of "faith" or "works" that has beset Christian theology for far too long. At its best, the Orthodox Tradition has always perceived the relationship between the two in a holistic manner. I have actually given myself the simple task of providing you with an absolutely wonderful text that is both deeply challenging and inspiring. It is from the Rule of St. Benedict of Nursia. Here St. Benedict perfectly combines - or as stated above, integrates - a confession in the Lordship of Jesus Christ with the "keeping of the commandments" in such a way that we find the "faith working through love" taught by the Apostle Paul. You will immediately recognize how skillfully he weaves together the Old and New Testaments in this "working description" of what it means to bear the name of Christ, and thus truly be a Christian:
(Benedict of Nursia, Rule, IV - Taken from The Roots of Christian Mysticism, by Olivier Clement)
Rather comprehensive on the whole ... In commenting on this remarkable passage, Olivier Clement wrote the following:
The monk (St. Benedict was writing primarily for fellow monks, but we can simply substitute "Christian" for monk) becomes little by little a center of blessing. His trust in God's infinite mercy enables him to hope. Knowing himself to be fundamentally loved, he feels himself not only able but obliged to serve his neighbor and love his enemy. ...
Being a Christian in these terms - and are there really any other terms? - is thus seen as a life-long vocation, a task that is only possible if we truly love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Fr. Steven
October 2, 2006 - To Be A Christian, Part 1
Dear Parish Faithful,
One could write extensively on the definition/description of what it means to be a "Christian." We encounter this name for the followers of Christ first in the Acts of the Apostles: "and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians." (ACTS 11:26) Although we now realize that the term was used initially in a derogatory sense, it has remained, through the centuries, the distinguishing name for those who believe in and follow Jesus the Christ. We should further recall that it was for simply bearing this name of Christian that a man or woman was put to death in the early centuries of the Church. A martyr was one who died - and who may die today - for being a Christian. To read a theological treatise, or a text on the spiritual life by one of the Fathers, was to immerse oneself into what a Christian believed and what kind of life a Christian was called to lead. I recall the words of St. John Chrysostom who once wrote that "true piety" - his term for being an authentic Christian - consisted of "right belief" and "right action."
Although this is meant to be as harmonious a combination as possible, I believe that being a Christian begins with a confession of faith in Jesus as the Christ - the Messiah, the Anointed One - of God. We find this in the pre-resurrection community of Christ's disciples:
Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (MATT. 16:18)
- She (Martha) said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
- He who is coming into the world." (JN. 11:27)
And also in the post-resurrection community:
Thomas answered him, 'My Lord and my God'. (JN. 20:28)
- If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised
- Him from the dead, you will be saved. (ROM. 10:9)
To further emphasize this, St. John concludes the penultimate chapter of his Gospel with a declaration of the book's very purpose as a Christological confession of Faith:
- Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written
- in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
- God, and that believing you may have life in his name. (JN. 20:30-31)
In a time of great "Christological confusion," emanating from an endless stream of "Jesus books" that offer a plethora of contradictory images of who Jesus actually was/is, it is essential that we never lose sight of this confessional or credal dimension of the Christian Faith. Nowadays, Jesus can be anything to anyone - just as long as He is not the "traditional" Jesus of the Church's apostolic proclamation. The more outrageous the new portrait of Jesus is, the more potentially lucrative it also becomes, I believe we should add. A wonderful book about the incarnate, crucified and resurrected Son of God, Jesus Christ, will hardly compete with the DaVinci Code at the local bookstore! We can disagree with some of these highly-speculative portraits; be rather annoyed at some; and perhaps even be offended at others. As Christians, though, we rightly refrain from issuing "death warrants" against those who "blaspheme" our Lord! At the same time, we should not remain silent or devoid of an informed response. The words of Christ make this clear:
- For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful
- generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory
- of his Father with the holy angels. (MK. 8:38)
And the Apostle Peter tells us of an approach that does not include threats:
- Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the
- hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence. (I PET. 2:15)
It is precisely in the "sacred space" of the Church, that we know who Jesus is. It is the "ecclesial Christ" who remains "the same yesterday and today and for ever." (HEB. 13:8) We openly confess this belief in the Person of Christ with greater elaboration in the Nicene Creed recited together at every eucharistic liturgy. He is "of one essence with the Father!" It is within the same eucharistic context that we make St. Peter's confession of Faith our own in the pre-communion prayers said right before we approach the chalice: "I believe O Lord, and I confess, that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." And then following Holy Communion, we clearly echo the words of the Apostle Thomas in declaring: "for Thou art our God, and we know no other then Thee." Returning to the Nicene Creed - actually called the Symbol of Faith - we know that it is even part of the Morning Prayer Rule found in any basic Orthodox Prayer Book. In and through the Creed, we confess our faith in the Holy Trinity and the Person of Christ on a daily basis. Thus, in a real sense, we pray the Creed!
With great humility - for we are sinners; and yet with real firmness - because we are believers - we need to make this confession of Faith in Jesus the Christ in today's chaotic religious climate. But what of the "right action" that St. John Chrysostom included in his definition of "right piety," or what it means to actually be a Christian? I hope to address this with a Midweek Meditation on Wednesday ...
In Christ,
Fr. Steven
September 25, 2006 - On Holding Grudges
Dear Parish Faithful,
I am unable to prepare a meditation this morning, but did want to distribute to one and all these powerful and penetrating texts below about expanding our capacity to forgive and the terrible spiritual toll that "holding grudges" will cost us. The saints penetrate into these matters with a depth and insight that would make modern psychologists envious. And again, they unflinchingly tell us the great price we pay for all of the insignificant slights and offenses that we cling to for some strange or perverse reasons. They offer us a choice: liberation from thoughts and emotions that enslave our minds and hearts; or remain in that enslavement and thereby "serve" the Evil One instead of Christ!
Actually, these were initially forwarded to me from presvytera Deborah who received them from another parish website.
Fr. Steven
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Remembrance of wrongs is the consummation of anger, the keeper of sins, hatred of righteousness, ruin of virtues, poison of the soul, worm of the mind, shame of prayer, cessation of supplication, estrangement of love, a nail stuck in the soul, pleasureless feeling cherished in the sweetness of bitterness, continuous sin, unsleeping transgression, hourly malice." - John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent (LDA), p.87.
Whenever we become obsessed by some past event in which we perceive that we have been wronged, we give the devil ample opportunity to lead us toward greater temptation. We forget that our warfare is not with each other! We are to engage in spiritual warfare against the Enemy of our salvation and his willing hosts, the demons. When we remember wrongs we fall prey to the Father of Lies and engage in combat with our fellow brothers and sisters.
St John of Kronstadt writes:
"The Devil cunningly induces us - instead of irritating us against himself - to notice our neighbors' sins, to make us spiteful and angry with others, and to awaken our contempt towards them, thus keeping us in enmity with our neighbors, and with the Lord God Himself. Therefore, we must despise the sins, the faults themselves, and not our brother who commits them at the Devil's instigation, through infirmity and habit; we must pity him, and gently and lovingly instruct him, as one who forgets himself, or who is sick, as a prisoner and the slave of his sin. But our animosity, our anger towards the sinner only increases his sickness, oblivion, and spiritual bondage, instead of lessening them; besides this, it make us ourselves like madmen, or sick men, the prisoners of our own passions, and of the Devil, who is the author of them." [My Life in Christ (MLC), p.166].
The victory over this plague, remembrance of wrongs, is true repentance and a sincere struggle to love.
"The forgetting of wrongs is a sign of true repentance. But he who dwells on them and thinks that he is repenting is like a man who thinks he is running while he is really sleeping." [LDA, p.89].
"He who has obtained love has banished revenge; but he who nurses enmities stores up for himself untimely labours." [LDA, p.87].
How true! We can expend a great amount of energy in being, and remaining, mad at someone. Nursing enmities gives birth to sleeplessness, mental and emotional preoccupation, thoughts of evil, and worse. True love, God-pleasing love, bears the sweet fruits of repentance, forgiveness, compassion, and charity.
"True love willingly bears privations, troubles, and labours; endures offenses, humiliations, defeats, sins, and injustices, if they do not harm others; bears patiently and meekly the baseness and malice of others, leaving judgment to the all-seeing God, the righteous Judge, and praying that He may teach those who are darkened by senseless passions." [MLC, p.236]
May we be vigilant in our repentance, our forgetting of wrongs and "hurt feelings." Let us put aside our weapons used for mutual destruction and embrace the Love that is Christ in order to do God-pleasing warfare with the Enemy of our salvation.
September 21, 2006 - The Scandal of The Cross
Dear Parish Faithful,
As we behold the Wood of the Cross exalted on high, let us magnify God who in His goodness was crucified upon it in the flesh. (Small Vespers of the Feast)
Today is the Leavetaking of the Feast of The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, to give the Feast its full title. This is the last day that we liturgically end our commemoration and veneration of the Cross that was placed in the middle of the church on September 14. This Feast, therefore, has a full "octave" for its celebration - it is an eight-day Feast which serves to stress the importance of the Cross in the life of the Church and in our personal lives. To further turn our attention toward the Cross, we recall the Third Sunday of Great Lent - the Adoration of the Cross; and the less well-observed Feast of the Procession of the Cross on August 1. And, importantly, every Wednesday and Friday is a day of commemorating the Cross, one of the reasons that we fast on those two days on a weekly basis.
Yet, the Apostle Paul very succinctly and profoundly captured the unbelieving world's attitude toward the Cross in his well-known text:
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (I COR. 1:23-24)
This leads the Apostle to one of his most astonishing and paradoxical insights:
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (I COR. 1:26)
The "scandal" for the unbelieving Jew would be the claim that the Messiah was crucified. The "folly" for the Greek/Gentile would be the claim that the divine would even enter the realm of flesh and blood and "become" human. God, in and through Christ, transformed what is shameful, weak, lowly and despised - a crucified man - into "our righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (I COR. 1:30) The entire passage of I COR. 1:18-31 deserves careful, close and constant study. It remains fascinating, and highly instructive, that even non-Christians who profess to have a great respect for Jesus Christ, struggle terribly with the scandal of the Cross. This is clearly the case with Islam. Jesus is treated with great respect in many passages in the Qur'an: even to the point of acknowledging His virginal conception in a passage that clearly resembles the Annunciation form the Gospel According to St. Luke! (Qur'an, 3:45-47) However, the Crucifixion is treated in a way that bears no resemblance to the Gospel accounts:
"yet they did not slay him, neither crucify him, only a likeness of that was shown to them." (Qur'an, 4:156-159)
The Muslims believe that someone else - a figure unidentified by the Qur'an - was crucified in the place of Christ, but not Jesus Himself. The Muslim scholar Dr. Maneh Al-Johani wrote: "The Qur'an does not elaborate on this point, nor does it give any answer to this question." Clearly, the "scandal" of the Cross is too much for Muslim sensibilities, since Jesus is for them a great prophet sent by God. Muslims further believe that Jesus was raised to Heaven, yet before He died, clearly an odd teaching that again is meant to completely distance Jesus from His crucifixion. If there is anything that is agreed upon today among New Testament scholars - believers and sceptics alike - it is that Jesus of Nazareth was put to death by crucifixion by orders of Pontius Pilate in the early 30's of the Christian era. This lends a certain fantastic quality to these claims of the Qur'an.
There is a close resemblance here with an early Christian heresy known as docetism from the Gk. word meaning "to appear." In other words, it only "appeared" that Christ was actually crucified and died on the Cross. St. Ignatius of Antioch (+c. 110) vehemently rejected this heresy in its initial inception, early in the 2nd c.
Be deaf, then, when anyone speaks to you apart from Jesus Christ, who was of the family of David, who was of Mary, who was truly born, ate and drank, was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate, was truly crucified and died ... He was also truly raised from the dead, when His Father raised Him up ... (Epistle to the Trallians, 9)
St. Ignatius very poignantly asks: what is the purpose of suffering martyrdom for the Lord (as he did in the Roman arena) if the sufferings of Christ were an illusion? Should a Christian suffer in the flesh if his Lord did not?
But if, as some godless men - that is, unbelievers - say, his suffering was only apparent (they are the apparent ones), why am I in bonds, why do I pray to fight wild beasts? Then I die in vain. Then I lie about the Lord. (To the Trallians, 10)
Returning to the Muslim attitude to the crucifixion of Christ, perhaps this can shed some light on the disparaging claims of certain "extremist" Muslim groups who continue to furiously attack Pope Benedict XVI for his supposedly negative comments toward Islam as a religion that promotes violence. I have read the very public postings of a couple of these groups that refer to Christians disrespectfully and dismissively as "Cross worshipers." These comments have been linked to further highly rhetorical claims that the House of Islam will destroy Rome one day and "conquer" the world. True, these are inflammatory comments coming from marginalized and militant Muslim groups. I wonder, though, if fellow Muslims will practice some self-criticism and distance themselves from such openly disrespectful comments aimed toward Christians. That would only seem consistent from those who are criticizing the Pope with such vehemence for allegedly violating his own commitment to tolerance and peace.
We do not "worship" the Cross. We worship the One Who was crucified upon the Cross for our salvation. Indeed, with the Apostle Paul we call Him the "Lord of glory." (I COR. 2:8) Jesus Christ was not merely a prophet in a chain of prophets sent by God. He is the fulfillment of the prophetic testimony to His coming, as He is the fulfillment of the Law. (MATT. 5:17) We believe, as we chant in the Second Antiphon of the Liturgy, that He is the Only-begotten Son and immortal Word of God ... Who without change didst become man and was crucified." The Cross remains "an unconquerable token of victory," and "an invincible shield." In fact, it is for this reason that in our practice, we
kiss with joy the Wood of salvation, on which was stretched Christ the Redeemer. (Small Vespers)
Christianity does not exist because of what it holds in common with other great world religions, but because of what is unique and distinctive about it, primarily the Incarnation, redemptive Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is because of our love for Christ that beginning on the personal level, we must promote and practice mutual respect, tolerance and peaceful co-existence with sincerely believing people of other religions. I see no other way for those who claim to follow the crucified Lord of glory. This should in no way undermine our sense of Christian distinctiveness - "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (ACTS 4:12) - but actually demonstrate our loyalty to Christ Who never compels but invites - with outstretched arms upon the Cross.
Fr. Steven
September 18, 2006 - Before Thy Cross, We Bow Down . . .
Dear Parish Faithful,
We remain in the Afterfeast of the Elevation of the Cross. This means that we continue to venerate the decorated cross placed in the midst of the church until the Leavetaking on Thursday. Veneration is one much-used translation of the Greek word proskynesis. This word means, more-or-less literally: "to bow down before." In other words, we offer proskynesis before the Cross, which means we "bow down" before the Cross in the form of prostrations. A full prostration is when we fall down on our knees and then thrusting our weight forward and supported by our hands, touch our forehead to the floor before standing up again. We even announce this in the very act of doing it, through the well-known hymn that we sing that accompanies our proskynesis: "Before Thy Cross, we bow down in worship (Gk. proskynoumen), O Master, and Thy holy resurrection we glorify." For many Orthodox Christians, this is very traditional, and hence very natural. However, for a non-Orthodox Christian who may be visiting the church during this Feast, such an act may seem peculiar or intimidating, and upon further reflection or explanation as to its meaning, even unnecessary. How this act of veneration before the Cross would strike a thoroughly secular mind would be more than a little interesting to investigate!
To this day - and perhaps even more today than in the past - there exists an unspoken dualism in the minds of many Christians. Dualism in this context means the separation between soul and body in which only the "soul" is considered to be of any real importance, while the body is basically irrelevant to worship and our relationship with God. The extreme expression of this Christian dualism is the belief that at death the soul alone is taken to Heaven while the final destiny of the body is a matter of complete indifference. (This non-biblical attitude is at least one of the reasons why Christians are more readily looking to cremation as an "end of life" decision in today's world). This belief remains very strong, even though countless Christians to this day continue to recite the Nicene Creed which ends - not with a confession of belief in the "immortality of the soul" - but with that great confession of faith in our ultimate hope: I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come." In other words, Plato is alive and well in our churches today! This warmed-over and watered-down dualism has also made a strong impact on many forms of Christian worship. All that "counts" is on the inside - one's interior attitude, feelings, the heart, etc. Again, the body is of little significance, and the place of worship can be very iconoclastic.
Orthodox Christianity takes the approach that is much more consistent with the biblical understanding of the human person (Christian anthropology) and which is thoroughly holistic. A human person is conceived of as a psychosomatic unity of soul and body (that could also be expressed as spirit, soul, and body); and thus the whole person - soul and body - is meant to worship God. We do not merely have or, even worse, inhabit our bodies (the ghost in the machine?). Rather, we are our bodies as expressive of our personhood. Thus, the whole person -soul and body - is saved and awaits redemption and glorification in the Kingdom of Heaven:
We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (ROM. 8:22-23)
But our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself . (PHIL. 3:21)
For our immediate purposes, we need to stress the fact that the whole person is engaged in worship and that all of our senses - our bodies, we could say - participate in the holistic activity of worshiping God. We express our inward relationship to God with the outward positions, postures or gestures of our bodies, whether that be kneeling, standing or making prostrations. This could signify repentance, contrition, awe, adoration, even resurrection. Of course, there is always the temptation of mere formalism or ritualism. That would render our every gesture as devoid of meaning. But again, in its over-all vision and direction, our worship invites us to relate to God in the fullness of our human nature.
It is wonderful to be able to bow down before the "wood of the Cross," the new Tree of Life on which the New Adam, Jesus Christ, worked out our salvation "in the midst of the earth." This is a profoundly satisfying gesture of adoration and worship offered to the One who stretched His arms out upon the Cross in order to embrace us in a definitive act of reconciliation with God. This could serve to rouse us from the complacency of our lives and the forgetfulness of God, to a direct encounter with the love of God revealed in our Lord's freely ascending the Cross for us sinners. I referred above to the secular mind that would see our actions in church as ludicrous and incomprehensible, the remnants of a medieval mindset. Yet, I cannot but wonder how many "idols" even the most sophisticated of those among the non-religious "bow down" before on a daily basis: money or status; even health and happiness when understood autonomously. Our concern, however, is with a spiritual vigilance that guards against certain outward "pious" actions in church, while inwardly we are actually worshiping the same idols. We can venerate the Cross on Sunday and then live out the rest of the week hardly mindful of the words of the Lord:
If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (MK. 8:34)
This "spiritual schizophrenia" may be just about our greatest temptation these days: a kind of split between our ecclesial life on Sunday and our daily life in the world the rest of the time. We might readily make our prostrations, but be suffering from one more form of dualism: the separation between Church and world. The saints tell us, however, that all of reality is united on the heights and depths, the width and breadth of the Cross.
Fr. Steven
September 11, 2006 - Love Never Ends
Dear Parish Faithful,
For God is love. (I JN. 4:8)
In preparation for the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross on September 14, we heard, on the Sunday Before the Cross at yesterday morning's Liturgy, the text that quintessentially proclaims, announces and summarizes the Gospel:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (JN. 3:16)
It is one thing to have this verse memorized, and another to somehow absorb all of its power and glory. If God indeed "gave his only Son" - clearly implying that He gave Him over to death - then there is no greater love than this that can be imagined or even, perhaps, actually exist. The Apostle Paul basically teaches us the same truth:
But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. (ROM. 5:8)
Clearly, we are far, far beyond an understanding of love that is sentimental or emotional - this is not about "feelings." We would hardly describe God as being sentimental, emotional or "feelings-driven." Yet God is engaged with His creation, and He desires not only our well-being, but our eternal well-being as St. Maximus the Confessor would put it. Thus, He acts toward us in way that is most expressive of genuine love, and that is sacrificially. The love most proclaimed throughout the New Testament - the well-known agape - is a self-sacrificing love that seeks the best possible good for the "other." This was revealed in Christ in all of its stark reality and glory on the Cross. Though we may have abandoned God, God did not abandon us. Though we may have proven faithless, God proved to be faithful. Though our love for God grew cold and was dispersed among lesser objects that enticed us away, God continued to make us the objects of His infinite love. And this was most fully revealed in "the fullness of time" (GAL. 4:4) when the Son of God descended into the world in order to eventually ascend the Cross "for the life of the world." (JN. 6:51)
God created the world "out of love" according to the Fathers of the Church. God saved the world out of love. And, by grace, when the Kingdom of God will come in its full glory and God will be "everything to every one" (I COR. 15:28), God will bring us into the eternal and natural communion of love which most perfectly reveals and expresses the inner life of the Holy Trinity.
Avoiding the sentimentality mentioned above, we could say that "loves makes the world go 'round." Yet many people firmly believe that "money makes the world go 'round." The hard facts of life seem to bear that out. The wealthy can not only purchase any conceivable commodity that the world offers, but also power, status and authority - even the abject servility of those "beneath" them. They can exploit the environment and the worker dependent upon his daily wages for mere sustenance. When the poor passively watch the control of the world in the hands of the wealthy, they too can believe that money is at the core of reality, for their marginalization and suffering are only too real. In fact, the injustice of the wealthy and the cries of the oppressed can seem to go unanswered:
- Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud,
- cry out; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You
- have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day
- of slaughter. You have condemned, you have killed the righteous man; he does not resist
- you. (JM. 5:4-6)
In either a spirit of cynicism or despair, many can truly believe that "money makes the world go 'round."
Yet, money can intersect with love when used in a spirit of stewardship and responsibility; in the giving of the philanthropist ("lover of humanity!"); and thus be the expression of love according to St. Maximus the Confessor. In this great theologian's First Century on Love, we find some wonderful texts that express the intersecting of money and love:
- He who loves God will certainly love his neighbor as well. Such a person cannot hoard money, but distributes it in a way befitting God, being generous to everyone in need. (23)
- He who gives alms in imitation of God does not discriminate between the wicked and the virtuous, the just and the unjust, when providing for men's bodily needs. He gives equally to all according to their need, even though he prefers the virtuous man to the bad man because of the probity of his intention. (24)
- The state of love may be recognized in the giving of money ... and in looking after people in their physical needs. (26)
Notice that St. Maximus equates almsgiving with the "imitation of God." We imitate the God Who is love, by acting with love towards our neighbor, especially those who are need. We respond to love with love - for God and neighbor. The hard facts of life are softened by even the most seemingly small acts of love directed toward those who suffer in this world. Perhaps we can challenge ourselves by examining our worldview and perception of reality with the following question: Is it love or money that makes the world go 'round?" St. Isaac the Syrian teaches that in the end we will regret having sinned against love - and not for failing to have made more money and the power and status that money can purchase.
Ultimately, though, only love will endure. Everything else will come to an end, even prophecies, tongues and knowledge (see I COR. 13:8:10). Combined with faith and hope, we discover the three great Christian virtues that shape us after the image of Christ: "So faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest is love." (I COR. 13:13) When we enter the Church for the Liturgy on the Lord's Day, we enter into the celebration and communion of God's love for us. We actualize and make present that love as a foretaste of the Kingdom of God where "Love never ends." (I COR. 13:8)
The man who has found love eats and drinks Christ every day and hour and so is made immortal. 'Whoever eats of this bread', He says, 'which I will give him, will never taste death.' Blessed is he who consumes the bread of love, which is Jesus! He who eats of love eats Christ, the God over all, as John bears witness, saying, 'God is love.' &emdash; St Isaac of Syria
Fr. Steven
September 8, 2006 - The Great Feasts of the Church
Dear Parish Faithful,
"Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence." (I PET. 3:15)
As promised yesterday, I wanted to provide those who may be interested with a short list of books that explain the meaning of the Great Feast Day celebrations of the liturgical year. Our Church School is studying the Feasts in this year's curriculum, so we will be able to study along with them, so to speak. As I wrote yesterday, perhaps this can be something like the "Year of the Feast" in the parish. No reason that we should not know as much as our students! And since they are good, eager students who are well-taught by our Church School teachers, they end up knowing a great deal. One of the roles of the parish is to be a School of ongoing learning in which we continually broaden and deepen our knowledge of the Orthodox Faith. Obviously, this must go hand in hand with prayer, almsgiving and fasting to be of any true value; but we should never dismiss the educational level of parish life as secondary or unimportant. The goal is ultimately "training in godliness" and not "bookishness;" yet nevertheless we should never become complacent by assuring ourselves that we already "know enough." Orthodoxy is, after all, an inexhaustible font of wisdom and divine knowledge! And this, because ultimately the Mystery of Christ is unfathomable.
Here are some questions that may assist in nudging you along in the direction of spending time learning more about our Orthodox Faith. Since everyone reading this letter is quite literate(!), well-educated, and probably enjoys reading, I believe that these questions are fair enough. The following presupposes that we are already reading the Holy Scriptures:
If I could ever be of assistance in recommending a book or two, or helping you come up with a long-term "reading list," please let me know.
Here are a few titles that deal with the Great Feast Days:
These books can be ordered from St. Vladimir's Bookstore: 800-204-BOOK; or Light & Life Publishing: 888-925-3918
Fr. Steven
September 6, 2006 - Contributing to the Culture of Life
Dear Parish Faithful,
As announced, we will be studying Fr. John Breck's new book Stages on Life's Way - Orthodox Thinking on Bioethics in the upcoming parish Fall Adult Education Class that usually begins toward the end of October. We will concentrate on familiarizing ourselves with both the myriad of difficult bioethical issues facing us today; and the Orthodox Christian response to these issues as articulated by Fr. John. The class will offer a very timely opportunity to not only "catch up" on issues that we hear about, but feel ineffectual in responding to with clarity; but to become aware of issues we have hardly even thought about, and to understand the frightening implications raised by a technology loosened from any moral/ethical considerations and restraints. It should be an exciting learning process for all us.
The responses to an invitation to sign up for a copy of the book have been steady, and I hope to have the books distributed well in advance of the beginning of our class, so that all participants can begin their reading. I have also assigned this book in my class at Xavier University, and therefore have been reading it through carefully myself. In his Introduction, Fr. John makes us aware of the complexity of these bioethical issues, and even concedes that we could easily feel overwhelmed by them and a prevailing tide - driven often by an insatiable desire for "profit" - that threatens to sweep aside any Christian moral and ethical objections. In an early subsection, entitled "Culture of Death or Culture of Life?", he outlines both the "bad news" and the "good news." The term "culture of death," by the way, was initially used by the late Pope John Paul II in his attempt to strikingly outline the unmistakable tendency of modern technological societies to legalize the destruction of life at both its beginning and end - abortion and euthanasia; and life in between - from capital punishment to the proliferation of violent crime and wars around the globe. After a dreary catalogue of the signs of the "culture of death" that cannot be denied, Fr. John offers a much-needed balance by reminding us of the "culture of life" that is still very much a part of our world. I would like to focus on this by sharing a key paragraph from Fr. John's book that make the point very tellingly:
Nonetheless, it is a culture of life, in which countless people offer gestures of self-sacrificing love to those they barely know - in hospitals, in schools, on the battlefield, in coastlands ravaged by tsunamis, or in the Twin Towers. I was in LaGuardia Airport when the lights went out in the 2003 breakdown of electric grids throughout the northeast and central parts of the country. The demonstrations of care and civility shown in that critical time matched those made by New Yorkers during the disaster of September 11. Other such signs abound. Abused children are taken in by concerned relatives or are cared for by compassionate social workers. People who could be earning small fortunes in industry spend their time, with little financial reward, counseling those addicted to alcohol and other drugs, while nurturing their codependent family members. Nurses and other medical professionals tend to the needs of the sick and lonely, not so much for a paycheck as to render a real and precious service to those less fortunate than themselves. Charities flourish. Hospices abound. And Christian missionaries are rebuilding the spiritual infrastructure of places like Albania, are creating seminaries and medical clinics throughout Africa, and are otherwise living, as well as proclaiming the Gospel of peace.
Gestures such as these go a long way toward countering the culture of death. In each person who performs such gestures, they serve as irrefutable witness to the reality of the image of God in the inner depths both of themselves and of those to whom they minister. (italics added)
It is one thing to avoid participating in the culture of death that surrounds us. That can be done through an interior resistance of the mind and heart, through the voting process, or through active protest. Yet, as Christians, are we contributing to the culture of life so eloquently outlined above? Fr. John wrote of persons "who perform such gestures." What gestures? According to Fr. John, gestures that express a "self-sacrificing love" for others. And here I believe he means "others" who are not the immediate and close persons around us. Those outside of the family circle or outside of our circle of close friends. In fact, one more "casualty" of our intensely busy lives could just be an inability to look beyond our own "inner circles." Of course it is based in love, but we would also have to acknowledge a kind of "biological necessity" that drives us toward caring for our families. It seems that it wasn't this that impressed Christ:
For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? (MATT. 5:46-47)
Biblical language refers to the widow, the orphan and the stranger in our midst. But in today's world, the circle of those in need has widened to a much greater extent: hospitals, hospices, charities, the sick and lonely, those caught in addictions, etc. What I found most impressive in Fr. John's examples were those who are willing to take a smaller paycheck for the sake of assisting others! If we are not involved at some modest or humble level in building up a culture of life around us, then we certainly cannot judge the "unchurched," the secularists, the atheists, and others that we may be at odds with philosophically or otherwise.
We believe and confess that Life has prevailed over death itself. This is a source of great joy and consolation. It is also the source of our responsibility to make a contribution to a culture of life, that "others" may share in our joy and consolation in Christ.
Fr. Steven