Rejoicing in the "Deathless Death"

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ,

"Words cannot attain to what is beyond speech, just as eyes cannot stare at the sun. But though it is impossible for us to tell of things surpassing words, we can, by the love of those we extol, sing their praises, and we may use words to pay our debt, and express our longing for the Mother of God in hymns as best we can, without in any way touching the intangible." ~ St. Gregory Palamas, Homily On the Dormition.

As I like to occasionally point out, the Twelve Major Feast Days of the Church year do not simply "come and go" in a twenty-four hour period. In fact, if you glance at a church calendar, you may come across the following notations when encountering a major Feast: "forefeast," "afterfeast," and "leavetaking (of the Feast)." This is well-illustrated by the Feast we are now continuing to celebrate - The Dormition of the Theotokos. In the Festal Menaion that most of our parishes use (the one translated by Mother Maria and Archimandrite Kallistos Ware), we read the following notation concerning this particular Feast:

The Dormition of the Theotokos (15 August).
One day of forefeast (14 August).
Eight days of afterfeast (16-23 August).

This is the "longest" of the Feasts dedicated to the Mother of God in terms of duration and, as the dates fall this year, the "Leavetaking" will occur next Wednesday, August 23. And that means that we will continue to celebrate this Feast at this coming Sunday's Liturgy. Therefore, we will again have the joy of expressing "our longing for the Mother of God in hymns as best we can," as St. Gregory Palamas has so eloquently stated. This has been the case throughout this past week, as the Church allows us to further contemplate and experience the mystery of the falling asleep of the Theotokos and its bearing on our lives. There is nothing more "theo-logical" than connecting the life and death of the Mother of God with that of her Son and Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord did not pass through His mother, but was truly born of her, "ineffably" and "without seed" as we sing and chant when praising this great mystery of the Incarnation. If the Mother of God held her Son in her arms when He was born; then when she is "born" into the new life of the Kingdom of God, her Son will bear her soul in His arms:

She who is higher than the heavens and more glorious than the cherubim, she who is held in greater honor than all creation, she who by reason of her surpassing purity became the receiver of the everlasting Essence, today commends her most pure soul into the hands of her Son. With her all things are filled with joy and she bestows great mercy upon us. 

Sing, O ye people, sing ye the praises of the Mother of our God:for today she delivers her soul, full of light, into the immaculate hands of Him who was made incarnate of her without seed... (Lity at Great Vespers)

But since the Mother of God is not the "great exception" but rather the "great example," she embodies our greatest longing and hope for human beings created "in the image and likeness of God:" To truly "fall asleep" in the Lord surrounded by our loved ones, as she was surrounded by the apostles and friends, according to Tradition; to offer our soul/life to the Risen and ever-present Lord as a final eucharistic gift in the humble assurance that He will receive it and "carry" it into His everlasting Kingdom; and that we are buried to the accompaniment of "psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" that express our belief that death has been overcome in the death and resurrection of Christ. Although not an "official dogma" of the Church, the belief exists that the Mother of God was bodily "translated" to heaven, since the Lord did not allow the most pure temple of the Word to experience corruption:

The Lord and God of all gave thee as thy portion the things that are abovenature. For just as He kept thee virgin in thy childbirth so did He preserve thy body incorrupt in the tomb; and He glorified thee by a divine Translation, showing thee honour as a Son to His Mother. (Matins, First Canon, Canticle Six)

As Archbishop Kallistos says in his explanation of the theological meaning of this Feast:

... Orthodox Tradition is clear and unwavering in regard to the central point: the Holy Virgin underwent, as did her Son, a physical death, but her body - like His - was afterwards raised from the dead and she was taken up into heaven, in her body as well as in her soul. She has passed beyond death and judgment, and lives wholly in the Age to Come. The Resurrection of the Body, which all Christians await, has in her case been anticipated and is already an accomplished fact. That does not mean, however, that she is dissociated from the rest of humanity and placed in a wholly different category: for we all hope to share one day in that same glory of the Resurrection of the Body which she enjoys even now. (Festal Menaion, p. 64)

However, this affirmation that belongs to the inner Tradition of the Church has, as stated above, never been accorded dogmatic status by the Church. And no doubt is left open to speculation concerning the death of the Theotokos. She died according to the necessity of death that plagues our fallen human nature as that is "inherited" from of old. Her death, therefore, cannot be termed "voluntary" as was the death of her Son. Her Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is her Savior, as He is ours. As Fr. Thomas Hopko has written, summing up her exemplary role for all Christians:

The feast of the Dormition is the sign, the guarantee, and the celebration that Mary's fate is the destiny of all those of "low estate" whose souls magnify the Lord, whose spirits rejoice in God the Saviour, whose lives are totally dedicated to hearing and keeping the Word of God which is given to men in Mary's child, the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. (The Orthodox Faith, Vol. ii, Worship, p. 145)

The Feasts of the Church are a feast of theological reflection and existential participation, as they actualize the events of our salvation and deification in the "today" of the Church's ongoing life in the world. We can further rejoice in the "deathless death" of the Theotokos as we come to church this weekend to worship the living God Who makes all things possible.

The Dormition Fast: A Challenge and a Choice

 

 

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ,

On Tuesday, August 1, we will begin the relatively short Dormition Fast that always covers the first two weeks of August (1-14), culminating in the Feast of the Dormition on August 15. In recognition of the beginning of the Fast, we will serve Vespers this evening at 7:00 p.m.


We will celebrate the Feast with a Vesperal Liturgy on Monday evening, August 14. As has become our tradition, we will place the tomb in the center of the church, decorate it with flowers, venerate the icon of the blessed repose of the Ever-Virgin Mother of God – Miriam of Nazareth - and sing hymns of praise to her “translation” into the Kingdom of Heaven. Not a celebration to be missed! Please mark your calendars and prepare to be present for this beautiful Feast. 

Every fast presents us with a challenge and a choice. In this instance, I would say that our choice is between “convenience” and “commitment.” We can choose convenience, because of the simple fact that to fast is decidedly inconvenient. It takes planning, vigilance, discipline, self-denial, and an over-all concerted effort. It is convenient to allow life to flow on at its usual (summertime) rhythm, which includes searching for that comfort level of least resistance. To break our established patterns of living is always difficult, and it may be something we would only contemplate with reluctance. So, one choice is to do nothing different during this current Dormition Fast, or perhaps only something minimal, as a kind of token recognition of our life in the Church. I am not quite sure, however, what such a choice would yield in terms of further growth in our life “in Christ.” It may rather mean a missed opportunity. 

Yet the choice remains to embrace the Dormition Fast, a choice that is decidedly “counter-cultural” and one that manifests a conscious commitment to an Orthodox Christian “way of life.” Such a commitment signifies that we are looking beyond what is convenient toward what is meaningful. It would be a choice in which we recognize our weaknesses, and our need precisely for the planning, vigilance, discipline, self-denial and over-all concerted effort that distinguishes the seeker of the “mind of Christ” which we have as a gift within the life of the Church. 

That is a difficult choice to make, and one that is perhaps particularly difficult within the life of a family with children who are often resistant to any changes. I still believe, though, that such a difficult choice has its “rewards” and that such a commitment will bear fruit in our families and in our parishes. (If embraced legalistically and judgmentally, however, we will lose our access to the potential fruitfulness of the Fast and only succeed in creating a miserable atmosphere in our homes). It is a choice that is determined to seize a good opportunity as at least a potential tool that leads to spiritual growth.

My opinion and observation is that we combine the “convenient” with our “commitment” within our contemporary social and cultural life to some degree. We often don’t allow the Church to “get in the way” of our plans and goals. And those plans and goals may be hard to avoid in the circumstances and conditions of our present way of life. It is hard to prevail in the never-ending “battle of the calendars.” The surrounding social and cultural milieu no longer supports our commitment to Christ and the Church. In fact, it is usually quite indifferent and it may even be hostile toward such a commitment. 

Though we may hesitate to admit it, we find it very challenging not to conform to the world around us. But it is never impossible to choose our commitment to our Orthodox Christian way of life over what is merely convenient – or simply desired. That may just be one of those “daily crosses” that the Lord spoke of – though it may be a stretch to call that a “cross.” This also entails choices, and we have to assess these choices with honesty as we look at all the factors that make up our lives. In short, it is very difficult – but profoundly rewarding - to practice our Orthodox Christian Faith today!

I remain confident, however, that the heart of a sincere Orthodox Christian desires to choose the hard path of commitment over the easy (and rather boring?) path of convenience. We now have the God-given opportunity to escape the summer doldrums that drain our spiritual energy. With prayer, almsgiving and fasting, we can renew our tired bodies and souls. We can lift up our “drooping hands” in an attitude of prayer and thanksgiving.

The Dormition of the Theotokos has often been called “pascha in the summer.” It celebrates the victory of life over death; or of death as a translation into the Kingdom of Heaven. The Dormition Fast is our spiritually-vigilant preparation leading up to that glorious celebration. 

“Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation!” (II COR. 6:2)

Secrets of Happiness According to Elders of Mount Athos

 

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

“A person who could not swim was floundering in water. He caused waves, which he mistook for a dangerous stream. He began to fight with the waves. Finally, he understood that he can float on the water and then managed to reach the riverbank. When he came out of water, he saw that the river was calm and understood that the waves he was fighting with were caused by him. Any misfortune begins within us. If you get your head straight, it will end within us.”

- Monk Symeon the Athonite

The "pursuit of happiness" remains very high on the life-long agenda of countless people. To be "unhappy" is to be something that only invites some form of misery or other, and which we seek to avoid as much as possible. For Americans, happiness is embedded in the second paragraph of our founding document, The Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Yet, the final goal can prove to be quite elusive, outside of very temporary moments of happiness - however defined or experienced - that may keep us longing for more. 

With this background in mind, I wanted to share the insights from an article that I recently discovered, entitled: "Seven Secrets of Happiness According to the Athonite Elders." I believe this list was formulated by the author more-or-less summarizing or synthesizing the perennial insights gathered over the years from these elders. That may, in turn,  offer a time-tested and life-tested authenticity to the list. I am not offering any of my own commentary to this list of "seven secrets," but I invite everyone to think over - or perhaps to meditate on - this list as to their meaning and effectiveness. We may perhaps ask ourselves the question: If I were to devise my own personal list of the "seven secrets" of happiness, would there be any overlap with that of these Athonite elders? 

Of course, we lead a life so markedly different than these celibate monastics who live in isolation on "the holy mountain." But, when it comes to the interior life and our common human nature (and our shared Orthodox Christian Faith), perhaps we are closer to them than we may think. Actually, my only comment would be that I do not find anything "spectacular" or unrealistic in their list. 

Be that as it may, here is what the Athonite elders suggest as the "seven secrets of happiness:"

1. Faith in God
2. Becoming free from worries and vanity
3. A sober mind
4. A pure heart
5. Ability to forgive
6. Give more, take less
7. Being grateful for small favors

I am hoping that there "plenty" here to think about!

 

Fruits of the Spiritual Life: Two Video Accounts

 

St Paisios the Athonite

Dear Parish Faithful,

"Disorder is the result of sin, and it continues to reflect our inability to be as good as we were designed to be. Among its many deleterious effect, sin has made us low-functioning creatures, and the paltry order that we manage to bring is a caricature of what God has intended for us. All of creation groans (Rom. 8:19-22) in this state of delayed order and rampant disorder, the latter being the result of sin. That sin is most basically manifested in the idea that we thought we could do better than God - a delusion that still plagues all of us."

From The Lost World of Adam and Eve by John H. Walton

 

A good deal of the spiritual life - or even of "spiritual warfare" - is the human attempt to bring order into our personal lives and into the lives of others around us, and even into the world, by the pursuit of the virtues which are ultimately a gift from God. It is the grace of God, freely given in Christ and the Holy Spirit that brings those human efforts to a fruitful fulfillment. By way of "illustration" I thought to include a couple of links to sources that demonstrate the hoped for fruits of the spiritual life as put into effect by flesh and blood human beings.

This first link is to a relatively short documentary of a "latter day" Orthodox saint - Paisios the Athonite. He lived a life of great hardship, when the Greek Orthodox of "Asia Minor" — present day Turkey — were oppressed by the remnants of the Ottoman Empire in that country. The documentary is pretty well done, as it captures both the wider social/political aspects of St. Paisios' life together with his personal struggle for the gifts of humility and love. He became a much beloved elder and spiritual guide, and was ultimately glorified/canonized by the Greek Orthodox Church in 2015.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVX1HOxrDcw

This second link is to a really excellent documentary of the oldest monastery in the world - St. Katherine's on Mt. Sinai. It is an older documentary that I discovered still circulating on - yes! - YouTube. The text, narrated by Michael Hordern, is excellent, as one hears of the monastic ideal of pursuing theosis and the struggle to pray with stillness of mind and body. It is also a wonderful documentary about the monastery itself - its history and artwork - and the close relationship between the Orthodox monks and the Arab Bedouins, who are Moslems. A microcosm of the potential for people of different beliefs living in harmony and mutual respect. A real "lesson" for our deeply fractured contemporary world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht6t_pnGts

If you do watch one or the other - or both - and would like to share your comments with me about them, please feel free to do so.

Fr. Steven

 

Too Busy Not To Pray

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

While looking through a catalogue recently from a Christian publishing company, I came across a rather intriguing title: Too Busy Not to Pray. I say intriguing because this is a theme that I think about often and one that I have raised with others before. Read that title again carefully, because it does not say Too Busy to Pray, but precisely Too Busy Not to Pray. 

 

Either title could serve as an invitation to a book that assumedly addresses the contemporary Christian’s struggle to maintain a regular prayer life amidst his or her busy schedule. However, the title as it stands captures the urgency of the issue much more effectively. I would express that urgency in the following manner: If we are indeed “too busy,” then the only way that we can prevent our lives from spinning out of control—or of losing a God-directed orientation or reducing prayer to moments of danger and stress—is for the “busy person” to be ever-vigilant about praying with regularity to guard such spiritual catastrophes from occurring.

We always need to pray with regularity—“pray without ceasing” [1 Thessalonians 5:17]. But it strikes me that the busier we are, the more urgent it becomes for us to pray. In other words, the busy person cannot afford not to pray. Busy people indeed need the nourishment of prayer. Otherwise, the spiritual dangers are immense. 

The “business” of our lives make us too busy to ... do what? We are certainly not “too busy” to socialize, to seek entertainment, pleasure and diversion—all necessary to one degree or another because of the pressures of work and other responsibilities. And these diversions are layered onto lives that already feel the strain of “multi-tasking” the endless activities that keep our children educated, developing, healthily-preoccupied, etc. (A social commentator recently wrote that mothers have been reduced to the roles of domestic caretakers and chauffeurs. And is this why we still read such nonsense about the very “need” of fathers?).  Therefore, most people carefully construct their schedules so that these extra social and diversionary activities are not terribly neglected. We can cast this under the rubrics of “leisure time” or “recreational time.” (This all gets a bit sloppy when we go further and speak of “vegging out”). It is the careful, calculated and natural integration of such activities into our lives that leaves us with the overwhelming certainty that we are “too busy.” And “too busy” leaves us “too tired.”

And at that point, we just may be. 

The question then arises again, now with a certain persistence: to busy to ... do what? To pray, to read the Scriptures, to assist a needy neighbor, to visit someone who really needs a visit, or even to call someone we know who is lonely? We are “too busy” to integrate the life of the Church into our lives beyond Sunday mornings. We are “too busy” for Vespers, Bible Studies, Feast Days, etc. Perhaps, finally, we are “too busy” for God! How often do we postpone our relationship with God until we have more time? “If only my life would slow down a bit, then I could turn my attention to God, beyond the perfunctory rushed prayer of my busy, daily life—if I even get to it.”

Is this dilemma unavoidable and irresolvable? Every Christian who does face—or face-up—to this dilemma must search his or her heart and ask, “how is it that I am ‘too busy’ to pray?” Whatever honest answers we come up with, I am convinced that we, indeed, are too busy not to pray.