orthodox, Orthodox or ORTHODOX?

I admit that I stole this post from Pastor Peter's blog Pastoral Meanderings where the title was "Are you lutheran, Lutheran or LUTHERAN?" It was a great post and, upon reading it, thought that this could easily be framed for an Orthodox environment. So, with both gratitude and apologies to Fr. Peters, here it is:

In any congregation we have a mix of Orthodox -- not what you think. You are thinking a mix of Orthodox jurisdictions like Greek, OCA, ROCOR, Serbian, Antiochian etc. I am not talking about that. The mix of Orthodox we have in our congregations comes not from the various backgrounds of the Orthodox within the congregation but flows from their level of information, identity, and ideology.

The orthodox within a congregation are the folks who do not attend. They have their names on a membership roll and may or may not be contacted about this, informed of the need to be regular at the Lord's House and Table, or may just be allowed to hang on in this tenuous thread of a connection for, well, ever. These can sometimes be the people who insist that they know more than others what is Orthodox and what is not, and usually, what is going on in the Church today is not their idea of Orthodox. They were once active but something happened -- no, not the big thing that made them mad and turned staying at home into a protest (though sometimes that happens). Most of these gradually dropped out -- over time -- growing out of the habit of church attendance. These are often the ones who are least informed of what it means to be Orthodox, have an identity of being Orthodox but that identity is outside of their daily lives and does not affect who they are or what they do today, and whose ideology tends to be conservative but is less rooted in Liturgy and the Scriptures than in "that is the way it was when I grew up..."

The Orthodox are those who attend, but irregularly. These are not just Nativity and Pascha or Palm Sunday folks (though some of them are and they will even tell the Priest, "See you at Pascha" or "See you at Nativity" or "See you at Palm Sunday for the 'baby parade'"). But that is generally not the only time you see them. They will always be there at baptisms, weddings, and funerals. They are friendly and genuinely like the Church. They may even get The Word or other diocesan publications via the web. They intend to be active and usually see themselves as being active. They seldom realize how long it goes between times when they show up. They know a lot of the folks in the pews. They know the congregation and her history. They have a good idea about what the Orthodox believe and teach, less so an idea of what Scripture says. They are informed about the big things but less so little things (both theologically and in terms of what is going on in the congregation), their identity is deeply rooted both in Orthodoxy and in the congregation but less so in the weekly at the Divine Liturgy, and their ideology tends to be moderate on just about everything (having learned well from St. Paul moderation is a good thing).

Then there are the ORTHODOX who are there most Sundays, feast days, Holy Week, even Saturday night Vespers, -- in fact, when they are gone, everyone notices and wonders where they are today. These are the folks who sit in the pews week after week, who attend meetings, who volunteer for work days, who teach Sunday school, who sit on the Parish Council, who read their bulletin, who are advisors to SOYO (or GOYA and other youth equivalents) who provide coffee hour, who man the bookstore, who sing in the choir, who chant, who make the Holy Bread and who are concerned about the long term future of the congregation and the Diocese. Many of these are old time families who have a deep history within the congregation and a deep affinity for things Orthodox. But many of them are new to the Orthodox faith -- some having come from churches where the Gospel was not clearly proclaimed and where feelings replaced the Sacraments as means of grace. They have come through the journey looking for and finding a home where the liturgical life is rich, the music is the handmaiden to the Word, the Eucharist is central, the Scriptures are believed and preached, and life flows from and back to the altar . These are the folks who give extra toward the family in need (generally without anyone else noticing) or make sure that when something needs to be done, it is done regardless of how overworked they already are in service to the church and the Lord. They know the Priest well, may not always agree with him, but who know how to disagree without conflict and who try, in every way possible to find common ground on most all issues. They are rooted in the past but look for the best of what which comes from today. They bring back to the Priest the bulletins from other churches when they are away from home. They stand at the doorways and greet people (strangers from off the street or strangers to them from among the orthodox and Orthodox listed above). They are informed Orthodox, they are Orthodox in identity and informed choice, and their idealogy is based on the faith once and for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3) and taught through the Church and experienced through the Offices, Divine Liturgies and the Mysteries.

Sure you can divide up the folks differently and I claim no infallibility on this division. And I say this not to judge. I love them all. Some orthodox really want to be ORTHODOX but don't know how or think it is too much effort. Some ORTHODOX want to be Orthodox and step down their participation because the church is taking up too much time. I know that if the orthodox were really needed, they would be there but they see the Church as a fire extinguisher for emergencies and they would be the fire extinguisher in case the Church had a desperate need. But such a view cheapens that the Church is a hospital for those who are sick--and we are ALL very sick with sin. It's easy to come to the Church when we need it because of personal and sudden tragedy. It's all the more difficult when things are going great and we choose to revel in our prosperity, not realizing or not wanting to realize that such has come from God.

It's easy to be very judgmental especially for those of us who have come to the true faith from a tradition, as good as it was, did not have the fulness of the faith. We tend to speak out more of the need for our family and friends to be not only Orthodox but ORTHODOX. And then we lash out at those who may only be orthodox and throw up our hands in disbelief when they don't seem to realize all the great things the faith has for them and for their spiritual health. Some of us ORTHODOX feel that we have an angle on holiness, even suggesting that we are somehow worthy to be deacons or even priests. That will be a cross many of us will have to bear for the rest of our lives, a burden with which we will continually struggle. And hopefully, we will all be changed

With daring and with boldness

In an earlier post, I talked about preparation for the Holy Eucharist, which, I fear, is not done by many. At the same time, how much preparation can one possibly do to receive the Lord who is Holy in my body which is corrupt and sinful? In the Canon for preparation for the Eucharist, we confess that this is a mystery, saying: "How is it that I who am but clay partake of the mystic food! O Great Mystery! O Divine Compassion!" We sinful creatures cannot possibly wipe away our transgressions by ourselves. That's why the Lord came, incarnate, in the first place.

Since we cannot make ourselves holy no matter how much prayer and preparation we put ourselves through, that is why it is significant that we must confess that it is with daring and with boldness that we approach the chalice at every Divine Liturgy, especially in our prayers of preparation. In the 10 prayers of preparation, the following speak of the boldness and daring we have in Christ Jesus to come to his Holy Table. A few snippets:

From the first prayer of St. Basil the Great: Wherefore, though I am unworthy of both Heaven and earth, and even of this transient life, since I have wholly subjected myself to sin and am a slave to pleasures and have defaced Thine image, yet being Thy work and creation, I the wretched one, do not despair of my salvation; but emboldened by Thine immeasurable compassion, I draw nigh.

From the second prayer of St. Basil the Great: I know, O Lord, that I partake of Thine immaculate Body and precious Blood unworthily, and that I am guilty, and eat and drink judgment to myself, not discerning the Body and Blood of Thee, my Christ and my God. But trusting in Thy compassions, I take courage and approach Thee...

From the third prayer of St. John Chrysostom: For it is not one presumptuous [i.e. in my own goodness] that I draw nigh to Thee, O Christ my God, but as one taking courage in Thine ineffable goodness...

From the fourth prayer of St. John Chrysostom: I am not sufficient, O Master and Lord, that Thou shouldest enter under the roof of my soul; but since Thou, as the Friend of Man, dost will to dwell in me, with trust I draw nigh.

From the seventh prayer of St. Symeon the New Theologian: These things now do give me daring, These things give me wings, O Christ God; Trusting, then, in the abundance of Thy benefactions toward us, With rejoicing, yet with trembling, I partake now of the Fire.

Our sinfulness should keep us away from the Lord. Sinfulness separates us from our Lord. But He came incarnate bridging the uncreated with the created. That was nothing short of boldness, if not of love. Or perhaps boldness and love are the same thing. We are told to approach "with fear, with faith and with love." But as God was compassionate to come down from on high, to be incarnate for us, should we also not be bold to trust in that compassion, not at the expense of ignoring our sins or saying they don't exist?

So, let us be bold, let us be daring and, above all, let us approach with love.

Excellent read from Fr. Joseph's Blog

Though I have a link to his page from mine, I just thought that I would call your attention to his most recent post, which he himself stole from someone else (hey, at least he acknowledged it!). It is an excellent reminder for any Christian of any confession, whether convert or cradle, of the mistakes we so often make in the Church when we neglect the Gospel for worldly things, though they appear as God-pleasing, which we often substitute in its place. This message is from a new martyr of the 20th century, Mother Maria Skobstova, who was murdered in the Nazi concentration camps. I will confess that I find myself in the second category of the ritualist. You can read a few blogs down on how such is the case with me.

This warning, unfortunately, needs to be posted in every Orthodox Church

Translation:
No turned off cellphones in Church--100 prostrations!


Too legalistic? Nah.

Commemoration of the Great Martyr, Demetrios the Myrrh-Streaming

This glorious and wonderworking saint was born in Thessalonica of noble and devout parents. Implored of God by childless parents, Demetrius was their only son, and so was raised and educated with great care. Demetrius's father was a commander in Thessalonica. When his father died, Emperor Maximian appointed Demetrius as commander in his place. As he appointed him, Maximian, an opponent of Christ, particularly recommended that he persecute and exterminate the Christians in Thessalonica. Demetrius not only disobeyed the emperor but openly confessed and preached the Lord Jesus Christ in the city of Thessalonica. When the emperor heard of this he became furious with Demetrius. Then, when he was returning from battle against the Sarmatians, Maximian stopped at Thessalonica to investigate the matter. The emperor summoned Demetrius and questioned him about his faith. Demetrius openly acknowledged his Christian Faith to the emperor and also denounced the emperor's idolatry. Maximian cast Demetrius into prison. Knowing what was awaiting him, Demetrius gave all his goods to his faithful servant Lupus to distribute to the poor, and joyfully awaited his imminent suffering for Christ the Lord. An angel of God appeared to him in prison, saying: ``Peace be to you, O sufferer of Christ; be brave and be strong!'' After several days, the emperor sent soldiers to the prison to kill Demetrius. The soldiers found the saint of God at prayer and ran him through with lances. Christians secretly took his body and honorably buried it. Healing myrrh flowed from the body of the martyr of Christ, curing many of the sick. Soon, a small church was built over his relics.

An Illyrian nobleman, Leontius, was afflicted with an incurable illness. He hastened, with prayer, to the relics of St. Demetrius and was completely healed. In thanksgiving, Leontius erected a much larger church on the site of the old church. The saint appeared to him on two occasions. When Emperor Justinian wanted to translate the relics of the saint from Thessalonica to Constantinople, flaming sparks sprang from the tomb and a voice was heard: ``Stop, and do not touch!'' And thus, the relics of St. Demetrius have remained for all time in Thessalonica. As the protector of Thessalonica, St. Demetrius has appeared many times, and on many occasions has saved Thessalonica from great calamity. His miracles are without number. The Russians considered St. Demetrius to be the protector of Siberia, which was conquered and annexed to Russia on October 26, 1581.

Troparion to St. Demetrios:

A Great Champpion hath the whole world found thee to be when in grave perils; for thou dost put to flight the heathen, O victorious one. As thou didst humble Lyaeus' arrogance and gavest boldness to Nestor in the stadium, thus, O holy Great Martyr Demetrios, do thou entreat Christ God that our souls be saved.

Kontakion to St. Demetrios:

God, Who hath given thee invicible strength, O Demetrios, hath adorned the Church with the royal purple of the streams of they blood and hath kept thy city unharmed, for thou art the support thereof.

By thine intercessions to Christ our God, Who has bestowed us the Great Mercy, O Great Martyr Demetrios, may our souls be saved.

Full participation to receive the fullness of Christ

Just know, that before reading, the parts in boldface are preface. They have no direct bearing to my theme.

I've been living in Kansas City now for almost a month. It has been a period of transition and very humbling. I am, of course, most grateful for my parents agreeing to help me through this difficult time, but I am still disconnected. I spend most of my time at the house where I grew up doing chores like trying to find some employment for the 2010 school year, staying on top of some bills that I have still to pay, but I really spend most of my time doing a lot of reading and research in my field which I haven't been able to do for the past five years. It's been refreshing. However, one thing that has been getting to me is the loss of my home parish, St. Mary in Omaha. I was able to go up there last weekend for the church's ethnic dinner which I agreed to help with long before my sojourn back here to KC. So, I went there for the weekend and it was good to be home. It was good to be present at all the services of the Church, to chant at the chanter's stand. I was home once again.

Here in Kansas City, I've been trying to acclimate myself to the local parish here, St. Basil the Great. It is in the Antiochian archdiocese and they have just completed the exterior of the temple. They have to finish the iconostasis and landscaping as well as some roofing but it's amazing what they have done. THe parish mainly consists of converts but there are some ethnic Arabs and one or two Russians. No Greeks, though, which is disappointing. I've started chanting with them because that's what I do, but it's been hard since these chanters are relatively new and don't have a full grasp of the Byzantine ethos and music, which is fine, since neither do I. But they have developed some really bad habits (harmonizing the ison, not knowing when to chant sticharically as opposed to troparically, etc.) and with time, they will get better. I'm doing my best not to correct them on the spot since I'm only going to be here for a short time, God willing.

But what has really taken me by surprise, and for the good, I think, is the priest of St. Basil, Fr. Elias Issa. Fr. Elias, despite being an Arab, actually has an interesting journey. Born into Orthodoxy, he later apostacized and became an Evangelical. But then he found his way back and with the same zealousness that a lot of cradle orthodox ascribe to converts. This weekend, after Liturgy, he had some announcements to make and I was absolutely floored by what he said. It's not controversial,but in perfect line with Orthodox belief and praxis. But, I know that if Fr. Don, my priest at St. Mary had said this, people would have grumbled and moaned, walked out, even would have cursed at him for saying such a thing. So, what did Fr. Elias say?

He said that parishioners should not present themselves for communion unless they have availed themselves of the full cycle of services and kept not only the communion fast, but also the fasts of Wednesday and Friday. Now, in some jurisdictions, such as ROCOR, that's par for the course. But to talk like that in an Antiochian parish, you will automatically be branded as a hardcore legalist and shunned! No matter, he is absolutely right.

Too many Orthodox think that you should come only to Liturgy on Sundays. Even during Lent! Now does that mean these people will not be saved? Of course not since that is ultimately left up to God. But why wouldn't you take advantage of every opportunity to grow spiritually? These same people who insist that the preparation Fr. Elias expected of them before receiving the Eucharist is legalistic are behaving just as legalistic, thinking that attending the Liturgy is a requirement for their salvation and also that such is the least that they can/should do. Unfortunately, though, the number of people who come to Vespers and/or Orthros is few. The number of people who fast on Wednesday and Friday are few as well. Bodily and spiritual preparation aren't necessary, they will insist. After all God saves by grace doesn't he? Such is a specious argument and it is an argument that I expect to get from Protestants not cradle or convert Orthodox. This just shows you how poorly catechized so many people in the Orthodox world, even in the American Orthodox world, are.

As Americans, we have this sense of rights and entitlement. If a priest were to say to a communicant that he should not receive the Eucharist, what are the chances that the would-be communicant would say that he/she is entitled to it? Pretty good, though I should not make a blanket statement. But, here in the US, we think we're entitled to housing, social security, drug coverage, etc. so it's not so unpredictable that our belief in political entitlements should also be extended to what we think we are spiritually entitled to.

Before communing, in the Great Horologion and also in the HTM prayer book, there are some didactic verses to be read before the actual communion prayers that Orthodox should take to heart. They read:

When thou, O Man, are about to eat the Master's Body,
Draw nigh with fear, lest thou be seared: It is fire.

And as one is in the line to receive the Body and Blood, he should pray these words of Symeon the Translator:

Behold, I approach Divine Communion;
O Maker, burn me not as I partake,
For Fire art Thou which burneth the unworthy.
But purify Thou me of every stain.

Tremble, O man, as thou beholdest the deifying Blood,
For it is a burning coal consuming the unworthy.
The Body of God both deifieth and nourisheth me;
It deifieth the spirit and wondrously nourisheth the mind.

The Body and Blood of our Lord is fire. When Isaiah beheld the Seraphim and received the communion in the form of the hot coal, he realized that and could only say: "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth, Heaven and Earth are filled with Thy Glory." We, of course, say those words in the Anaphora of the Liturgy calling to mind the dread awe of our Lord as Isaiah himself beheld it.

If the Lord's Body and Blood is fire, then how else can we be prepared to not be burned unless through prayer and fasting, cleansing ourselves spiritually so that there is no kindling of the passions left in us to burn? Of course, not everyone can do that, no matter how hard he gives himself over to such spiritual discipline. But with no preparation at all, with no humbling of oneself, with no effort, why partake in the first place? We pray in the pre-communion prayers that God "account me worthy to receive without condemnation Thy divine, glorious, immaculate and life-creating Mysteries, not unto punishment, nor unto an increase in sins, but unto purification and sanctification and as an earnest of the life and kingdom to come, as a rampart and help, and for the overturning of adversaries, and for the blotting out of my transgressions" [The Sixth Prayer of St. John the Damascene, HTM Horologion, p. 800]. Other prayers of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great have similar thoughts.

Preparation takes time. We never, ever, just enter into the presence of God. We don't just walk into a church and say, "I'm in God's presence." It takes time for that to happen. Why? Because we are sinful creatures. For those who want to radically shorten the service, get in and out in 45 minutes, if that, they are ignorant of this very fact.

Now, how is Fr. Elias going to enforce this? Is he going to have a checklist of everyone present for Vespers on Saturday night and Orthros on Sunday morning? Is he going to call people at home on Wednesdays and Fridays and ask about their menus? I'm sure not. People will probably continue to do what they have done simply because change is difficult, even when the truth is presented clearly to them and because it will take extra time from them doing what they want to do. But Fr. Elias does have a responsibility in this. When my godfather, Fr. Aaron Warwick was ordained a priest and celebrating the Liturgy, Bishop BASIL put into his hads, the lamb that was to be consecrated and Aaron was told, on no uncertain terms, that when he comes before the dread Judgment Seat of Christ, he will have to make answer to Christ the Judge that he did not commune the unworthy or in any way defile the sacrament. Now, I don't know about him, but if I were being ordained and if I were told exactly that, I'm sure my hands would tremble to the point that I would drop the lamb right then and there, overcome with fear of our Lord. So, when Fr. Elias said these words, and it was his third warning according to how he prefaced his comments, he was not enforcing some arcane law; he was doing what he was ORDAINED to do.

The Holy Mysteries are incomprehensible to us. They cannot fit neatly into any prearranged category nor adapted to fit a brand new one. Aristotle says that everthing known is knowable. Not for the Christian. The Christian faith (and I'm not talking about the creed or beliefs, but the actual workings of faith) is one that is revealed. If you were to strip Christianity, basic mere Christianity, of what has been revealed, all you would have left is a residue that would be no more than morality with a tincture of theism.

How does such faith come about, asks our Lord? He answers: By prayer and fasting. Now, everyone must do according to his giftings and his inherent abilities. I'm not saying, nor any Orthodox for that matter, that sick people should refrain from food and drink to receive the sacrament. But without the effort, what is to be gained? We are not puppets.

We must prepare. We must avail ourselves of the opportunities given us. Can we make every Vespers? No. I know I haven't been able to. But when we start to look upon the Eucharist as something we are entitled to instead of fire which consumes the unworthy, the threat of which can start to vanish with our prayers and fasting, then why shouldn't we do it? The legalists' answer of "I don't want to" is sheer ego.

It's been hard

It's been hard lately to really settle in to my new living arrangements not least because I never thought I would be in this position again, especially at the good age of 33, but, lo and behold, here am I. I have little to no privacy and I am in an environment where it is very difficult to practice the faith I have embraced, particularly in my prayers. But, all in all, I am grateful for my family who has taken me in during my time of hardship. May God grant them their requests that are unto salvation and life eternal.

But, it has been difficult because I cannot really seem to connect with the church here. It's not that the people have been unwelcoming or mean--quite the contrary, but, simply, it's not home. This weekend, I was given a blessing to chant Vespers and I had to work very hard not to do too much or do anything to suggest that I was now going to be calling the shots, which I pretty much did back in Omaha.

Back in Omaha, I could go to the church whenever I wished. I could stand before the iconostasis and pray/chant the hours, matins, vespers, paraklesis, akathist, compline, whatever I wished. It helped a lot that I could do that. Here, I don't have that same arrangement and, honestly, there's no reason I should. Fr. Don understood my situation and that is why I could go to St. Mary's anytime I wished and I don't expect Fr. Elias to be understanding or to trust me with unfettered access to the new temple.

I'm going to be here at least another two and a half months, assuming that my plans remain unchanged. This just shows how much St. Mary in Omaha was my spiritual home. I was comfortable there. Here, I feel very much a stranger, even in one of God's church. Hopefully, this is only a temporary problem. I miss St. Mary's a lot and I'm happy that I will be going back there this coming weekend for a little visit.