The Nativity and Our Daily Lives

Dear Parish Faithful and Friends in Christ,

If you recall, on Monday morning I shared a few deeply theological passages from a Nativity Homily of St. Gregory Palamas with you in the form of a meditation. I concluded by promising some more from St. Gregory about the impact of this glorious Feast on our lives. In other words, the most profound theological reflection upon the mystery of the Incarnation leads to conclusions we must draw for our own daily lives, our own interior lives, and our relationships with fellow human beings. St. Gregory closes his homily with these words of pastoral exhortation (notice how scriptural his admonitions are):

Brothers and sisters, let us preserve this peace in ourselves as far as we can, for we have received it as an inheritance from our Savior who has now been born, who gives us the Spirit of adoption, through which we have become heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ (cf. ROM. 8:15,17). Let us be at peace with God, doing those things which are well-pleasing to Him, living chastely, telling the truth, behaving righteously, "continuing in prayer and supplication" (cf. ACTS 1:14), "singing and making melody in our heart" (cf. EPH. 5:19), not just with our lips. Let us be at peace with ourselves, by subjecting our flesh to our spirit, choosing to conduct ourselves according to our conscience, and having the inner world of our thoughts motivated by good order and purity. ... Let us be at peace with one another, "forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you" (COL. 3:13), and showing mercy to each other out of mutual love, just as Christ, solely for love of us, had mercy on us and for our sake came down to us. Then, recalled from the sinful fall through His help and grace, and lifted high above this world by virtues, we may have our citizenship in heavenly places (cf. PHIL. 3:20), whence we also wait for our hope (cf. ROM. 8:23), redemption from corruption and enjoyment of celestial and eternal blessings as children of the heavenly Father. May we all attain to this, at the future glorious advent and epiphany of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom belongs glory unto the ages. Amen.

Fr. Steven

The 'Enfleshment of God'

Dear Parish Faithful,

One final reminder of the Nativity schedule:

Monday - Vespers of the Prefeast at 7 pm
Tuesday - Vespers of the Prefeast at 7 pm
Wednesday Morning - Royal Hours at 9 am, 10 am, 11 am, Noon
Wednesday Evening - Festal Matins at 7 pm
Thursday - Divine Liturgy at 9:30 am
Saturday - Divine Liturgy at 9:30 am

I very much look forward to our festal Liturgy on Christmas Day. It is "meet and right" to "lay aside all earthly cares" and rejoice in this most awesome Feast of our Lord's Nativity in the flesh. Nothing complicated - just a child-like simplicity that we all need to periodically experience. As the "people of God," we first assemble together as the Body of Christ to proclaim, praise and participate in the coming of the Incarnate Son of God who is born as a "little child" for our salvation. I hope that this is the primary focus of the day for one and all. Regardless of how we plan the remainder of the day, our presence in church for the Liturgy is essential, for the Feast would be less than festal and "something" would be missing without worshiping the newborn Christ within the context of the Liturgy. It has been at least five years now - perhaps more - since we moved the initial midnight Liturgy to Christmas morning, so that our growing number of young families and children would be more willing and able to participate. The "reward" for this change has been a full and lively church with a deep sense of a "parish family" coming together to embrace the Gift of God in the person of the Incarnate Lord. A strange and awesome mystery that compels us to be thankful to God. And which impels us toward the church for the festal Liturgy. I am sure that everyone joins me in preparing for this Feast with a growing sense of anticipation.

_____


The full title of the upcoming celebration of Christ's birth in the Church is: The Nativity in the Flesh of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. This is also referred to as the Incarnation, literally the "enfleshment of God," based upon the classical text" "And the Word became flesh" of JN. 1:14. In the Incarnation, the Son of God becomes the Son of Man. The incarnation is the real "birth" of theology, of seeking for words "adequate to God," that express something of the power and majesty of the Word of God who has revealed Himself to the world. We should never feel intimidated or "inadequate" when approaching Orthodox theology. A living theology is not a dry, arid, and jargoned petrification of God in a lifeless series of concepts. Rather, genuine Orthodox theology is life-giving and life-affirming. As it transforms the mind, it will lead to a transformation of life. Orthodoxy is a way of life, not simply a doctrine. Therefore, a "daily dose" of good Orthodox theology can serve to lift up our drooping spirits, reminding us of our high calling in Christ Jesus as well as refresh our minds and hearts with the Truth that is incarnate in Christ. When the great Church Fathers speak of our Lord's Nativity, always remember that they are addressing the mystery of the little Child being the pre-eternal God: From a Nativity homily from St. Gregory Palamas (+1359) we hear of the Incarnation in very eloquent words.

Please strive, brothers and sisters, to lift up your minds as well, that they may better perceive the light of divine knowledge, as though brightly illumined by a holy star. For today I see equality of honor between heaven and earth, and a way up for all those below to things above, matching the condescension of those on high. However great the heavens of heavens may be, or ... the celestial regions, or any heavenly place, state or order, they are no more marvellous or honorable than the cave, the manger, the water sprinkled on the infant and His swaddling clothes. For nothing done by God from the beginning of time was more beneficial to all or more divine than Christ's nativity, which we celebrate today.

The pre-eternal and uncircumscribed and almighty Word is now born according to the flesh, without home, without shelter, without dwelling, and placed as a babe in the manger, seen by men's eyes, touched by their hands, and wrapped in layers of swaddling bands.

The very Word of God from God emptied Himself in an indescribable way, came down from on high to the lowest state of man's nature, and indissolubly linked it with Himself, and in humbling Himself and becoming poor like us, He raised on high the things below, or rather, He gathered both things into one, mingling humanity with divinity, and by so doing He taught everyone that humility is the road which leads upwards, setting forth today Himself as an example before men and holy angels alike.

Next: An exhortation from St. Gregory of the impact of the Incarnation on our way of life.


Fr. Steven

'Mankind was my business!'

Dear Parish Faithful,

I am including something of an "addendum" to the Monday Morning Meditation posted as "Inexcusable Excuse Making" on our parish website. 

The over-all theme, based on the Parable of the Great Supper, had to do with how being "busy" can easily lead to excuse making of a dubious kind because we then justify postponing our relationship with God based upon those very excuses. As I mentioned in the meditation, the Master of the Supper was not impressed. 

 Right now, I am rereading 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens. For me, one of the most effective passages in the book, is toward the beginning, when the Ghost of Jacob Marley visits Scrooge on Christmas Eve. By this time, the miserly and miserable character of Scrooge has been masterfully etched in by Dickens. And to this day, the name of Scrooge is synonymous with avarice, greed, and a joyless and meaningless accumulation of profit. Earlier, Scrooge had articulated some of the utilitarian philosophy of the 19th c. when he coldly said in reference to the poor and prisoners, "If they would rather die they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

The Ghost of Marley returns to haunt Scrooge, but Marley himself is in great torment and anguish. Imprisoned in chains that he cannot free himself of, Marley is doomed to roam the earth as a restless spirit witnessing human suffering that he cannot alleviate because he ignored that suffering selfishly during his time on earth. Of the chains, Marley says:

"I wear the chain I forged in life. I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it."

With a deep, bitter regret, Marley then confesses:

"My spirit never walked beyond our counting-house - mark me! - in life my spirit never roved beyond the narrow limits of our money-changing hole; and weary journeys lie before me! ... Not to know that no space of regret can make amends for one's life opportunity misused! Yet such was I! Oh! such was I!"

At this point in this somewhat macabre dialogue between the two, Scrooge begins to grope for some signs of hope and relief as he intuitively realizes that Marley is speaking words of warning to him for his cold-hearted scorn for the rest of humanity. When Scrooge protests the working of an unseen providence, by saying "But you were always a good man of business, Jacob," we then hear what may be the most significant - and well-known - passage in this scene:

"Business!" cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. "Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!"

It held up its chains at arm's length, as if that were the cause of all its unavailing grief, and flung it heavily upon the ground again.

"At this time of the rolling year," the spectre said, "I suffer most. Why did I walk through crowds of fellow beings with my eyes turned down, and never raise them to that blessed Star which led the Wise Men to a poor abode! Were there no poor homes to which its light would have conducted me!"

Anticipating the regret of a life not well-lived is a frightening thought. Especially if it comes down to having been too busy!

Good literature is capable of leaving strong indelible images that are much more effective than a well-argued treatise. Dickens' characters were always exaggerated or "larger than life," as we may say. But they then "typify" a great deal about life in the process. 

Besides the necessary business that makes up our lives, and which must be done carefully and responsibly, just what else are we so "busy" with? Does that business also lead us away from charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence? Are we presently scurrying around, making sure that we will have a "Merry Christmas," while also turning our eyes downward so that we too cannot "see" the blessed Star that guides us to the Incarnate Christ? Are we going to somehow be able to "fit" the Church into our "Business?"

Fr. Steven

The Incarnation: A New Blessing to Both Male and Female

Dear Parish Faithful,

At the AAC in Pittsburg, I picked up the latest copy of St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly. The first article proved to be quite fascinating and I am including an important excerpt below that I will explain. The article is entitled "Women and the Church in the New Millennium," by Catherine Brown Tkacz. Her intention is to review the Church's living Tradition and find clear examples of the equality between women and men. She begins with the following general affirmation:

"The authentic Eastern Christian doctrinal and liturgical heritage regarding women is rich and positive, and these Byzantince traditions include many exemplary teachings which highlight the importance of women. The full humanity and moral competence of women and their spiritual equality with men are implied in the Old Testament and given fresh emphasis by Jesus Christ. The early Church Fathers explicitly taught the spiritual equality of women and also demonstrated it practically through a balanced offering of male and female examples in their preaching. The Eastern Fathers are notable for this. The balance of the sexes is evident in Byzantine iconographic programs and hymns, even in the calender..." (p. 244-245)

My intention is not to review this very well-researched and well-written article here. But I would like to share a beautiful passage that clearly fits into our preparation for the Nativity Feast, dealing as it does with the events surrounding the coming of Christ as He is alive in the womb of His Mother. In other words, as the excerpt below will amply demonstrate, Christ was recognized by both women and men even before He was actually born! This balance seems to be most and best typified by the Gospel According to St. Luke, as the examples below will reveal. Catherine Tkacz writes as follows:

"In the New Testament, even before Jesus' ministry begins, a new emphasis on the spiritual equality of the sexes was arranged by Providence. As has been recently argued, the very manner of the Incarnation imparted a new blessing to both male and female. The balance of the sexes is seen in the responses to him while he was yet in his mother's womb and then again when as an infant he was presented in the Temple. Historically, the first persons to acknowledge him as Lord were Elizabeth and her son John, who was in his sixth month of gestation. This is not trivial: Elizabeth addressed Mary as "the mother of my Lord." (LK. 1:43) That is, the privilege of seeing, by the insight of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus is Lord was given to a pregnant woman. This historical fact conveys great respect for women and for life at every stage. Jesus himself was only a matter of days old. His incarnate body consisteed of only a few cells when Elizabeth and the pre-born John acknowledged his divinity. Later when Mary and Joseph took the infant Jesus to the Temple, both Simeon and Anna were inspired to recognize the Lord. Simeon's words were recorded by Luke and are famous as "The Song of Simeon." Luke identifies Anna as "prophetess" and records the fact that she, in effect, evangelized for the Messiah immediately, in the Temple. Again the Holy Spirit inspired both sexes to acknowledge Jesus. Further, the Spirit of God moved Luke to include these events in his Gospel, so that the Church would know of them." (p. 250-251)

Again, I chose this one example among many because it deals with the events surrounding our Lord's Nativity. Hopefully, this rich passage has something worthy of our "meditation" as it serves to bring the Scriptures to life for us. Her two concluding sentences to the whole article should also prove to be of interest and worthy of further reflection:

"With impressive detail, the Liturgy, the hymnody, the preaching, and the art of the Church commemorate the accomplishments of men as well as women. In the world today, perhaps more than ever before, it is necessary to go beyond letting the tradition speak for itself and to voice these truths overtly." (p. 274)


Fr. Steven

Inexcusable Excuse-Making

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ,

In the Parable of the Great Supper (LK. 14:16-24), heard yesterday as the prescribed Gospel pericope for the Second Sunday Before Nativity, we were offered a revealing glimpse into humankind's inexhaustible propensity for making excuses. This unending flow of excuses is often cloaked as tightly-argued rationalizations, served up with an unassailable logic, and promoted with sincere conviction. Psychologically, excuse-making is not to be confused with lying - at least on the conscious level (though this distinction can get a bit murky, in that we can actually believe our own lies as we believe in our excuses). These excuses serve to free us from responsibility, disentangle us from awkward situations, or even undermine our own well-being due to blindness or some hidden perversity of character.

It seems as if we "inherited" this propensity for making excuses from Adam and Eve as the story of the Fall unfolds in the Book of Genesis. After disobeying the divine commandment by eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve offer excuses as to why they both succumbed to the serpent's insinuations (GEN. 3). These excuses were blatant evasions of moral responsibility. They covered up a refusal to repent. They assigned blame elsewhere, but accepted none for themselves. And these excuses were made directly to God! How strong, therefore, is the human need to fabricate excuses to rationalize away our sins! We see the same pattern depressingly repeated by children, corporate executives, clergy of the Church, and by husbands and wives in our homes. The domestic "paradise" established potentially within the Mystery of Marriage is undermined by the same processes that destroyed the original Eden of the first man and woman: temptation, assent, sin, refusal to repent, feeble excuses to justify and avoid responsibility, and negative consequences to follow. The "image and likeness of God" is obscured by this "dark side" of the human condition.

Returning to the parable found in St. Luke's Gospel, we hear that Christ relates a story about "A certain man who gave a great supper and invited many." (14:16) This is clearly an image of our heavenly Father's gracious invitation to experience the joy of fellowship with God in the eschatological Kingdom. A supper/banquet implies fellowship, sharing, and the joy of communal celebration. It has thus been a constant image of sharing our life with God in the Age to come, culminating in the glorious "marriage supper of the Lamb" in the Book of Revelation (19:9). Even on an "earthly level" it is an invitation that is often readily accepted. Who wants to pass us a sumptuous meal? Nevertheless, with a realism that we can all relate to, the servant of the man who has prepared the supper is forced to hear a series of excuses that are meant to free the recipients of the invitation from the obligation to attend. But so as not to cause offense, they offer excuses that sound reasonable enough. As Christ says explicitly in the parable: "But they all with one accord began to make excuses" (14:18). What, then, does the servant of the parable hear? More or less, the usual:

The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.' Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' (14:18-20)

Taken from the daily routine of obligations and responsibilities, again we acknowledge the reasonableness of these excuses. (Interpreted allegorically by the Fathers, the excuses, according to a note in the Orthodox Study Bible, refer to "people devoted to earthly matters, to things pertaining to the five senses, and to all the pleasures of the flesh"). However, the "master of the house" was not impressed, for we hear that he became "angry" upon the return of his servant with the news that the supper would only be thinly attended. The master of the house further responds by ordering his servant to bring in other guests, including "the poor, and the maimed and the lame and the blind." (14:21) Discovering that "still there is room" (14:22), the servant is told to "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled" (14:23). The master's hospitality is so abundant, that he will invite and even compel "guests" that according to social etiquette would usually remain uninvited. In other words, those for whom the banquet should have been a natural culmination of an ongoing relationship - the elect of Israel in their chosenness by God - will find themselves on the outside; while wholly unexpected guests - the lawless Gentiles - will be given free and gracious access to the Kingdom prepared before the foundation of the world.

The excuses offered in the parable are easily translated into the one cliche that is ever-present in our daily vocabulary and repeated like a mantra when searching for a formula readily understood by one and all: "I am so busy!" In fact, everyone is not only "so busy," but actually "too busy." Just like the figures in the parable. Therefore, we believe that our level of responsibility is lightened, and expectations for our time and energy must be minimal to be fair. Our relationships may suffer, but that is unavoidable. That is how the world and our lives are structured. So we have the "perfect" excuse as to why we cannot prayer with any regularity; fast with any concentration; and practice charity with any concern. Committed Orthodox Christians are too busy to come to confession, read the Holy Scriptures, or come to non-Sunday liturgical services. Being too busy, we struggle to "fit" God into our busy schedules. If that fails, it cannot be helped - God will understand. Yet, other troubling questions seem to intrude themselves upon the safe haven of pleading the excuse of being busy. Although no claim is being made that the following are a "top ten" of such questions, I do believe that they are an "honest ten:"

1. Were the excuses of the parable enough to justify a broken relationship with God?
2. What convinces me that the excuse of being busy should satisfy God's "demands" upon me?
3. Can it be spiritually dangerous to be so busy?
4. Am I free of any moral responsibility to change the ordering of my life so as to respond to God and neighbor without any excuses to relieve me from doing so?
5. What are the implications of being "too busy" within the context of my relationship with God?
6. Is it possible that I have become overly-dependent upon the excuse of always being busy?
7. What does it mean when we come to the "supper" - the Liturgy - but fail in partaking of the "food" freely-offered - the Eucharist?
8. What excuses do I offer for refusing the Master's hospitality?
9. If the excuse is being unprepared, what am I doing to change that pattern?
10. How do I understand the last words of the parable spoken by Christ: "For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper?" (14:24)

The Parable of the Great Supper becomes quite challenging when given some attention and thought. Although meant to reveal the foolishness of inexcusable excuse-making, it nevertheless reveals what God intends for those who respond to His gracious invitation: the unending joy of the Kingdom of God best characterized as a great and joyous supper where "all is now ready" (14:17). This hospitality is so great that no one is excluded, except through self-exclusion posed in the form of unconvincing excuses not to attend. There is always room. Having been invited, and having accepted this invitation, our task is to overcome the universal propensity of making excuses in order to preserve our self-autonomy and self-regard. We may then join the elect "where the voice of those who feast is unceasing, and the gladness of those who behold the goodness of Thy countenance is unending. For Thou art the true desire and the ineffable joy of those who love Thee, O Christ our God, and all creation sings Thy praise forever. Amen." (First Prayer of Thanksgiving After Communion)

Fr. Steven