How much is enough?

2013 New Testament Challenge – Day 20 (Reflections on 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus & Philemon)

Every year I participate in a special effort called the New Testament Challenge sponsored by a priest of the Orthodox Church in America. He encourages Christians to spend the Christmas Fast, also known as Advent) reading the entire New Testament as a preparation for Christmas. Each year I have done this, it has been blessing to me and I pray this year will be no different. As part of the New Testament Challenge, I endeavor to blog a bit about the reading for that particular day. I may miss a few, but I pray for those who follow this blog (NOW ALSO ON FACEBOOK) it will be a blessing.

With the emphasis on materialism so common during the so-called “holiday season”  it seems good that today we read,

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6.6-10

It doesn’t get any more than that! Be content with enough, and allow ‘others’ to pursue wealth.

Until tomorrow…..Consider how much is REALLY enough

Holiday Depression

Today’s topic from the Preachers’ Institute for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge is “Holiday Depression.” The holiday season can be exciting, fun, filled with family, and fulfilling. It can also be lonely and depressing. One of my childhood friends is a firefighter/paramedic who has worked many holidays in his career, which have oftentimes included suicide attempts. Sometimes, too many times, the attempts had been successful. But holiday depression is not limited to those without family. ANYONE can feel lonely or depressed during the holiday season.

First, I would like to address the term itself – holiday season – before I attempt a few words about depression. When and what is the holiday season, and whose description do we allow to influence our outlook on life? The commerce-driven society has only one goal – to make money. It only cares about how much money is in our bank account, and (maybe more importantly) how it can separate it from OUR bank account and transfer it to THEIR bank account. Yesterday, as part of our family Thanksgiving tradition, we watched Miracle on 34^th Street, during which Mr. Macy says, “We’ll be known as the store with a heart….and consequently we’ll make more profits.” If we depend upon the society to determine the length (and priority) of the holiday season, we will inevitably find ourselves neither satisfied (since the department stores are never satisfied), nor full of joy. If you doubt this reality, take a moment and research the shopping trends of Americans as it pertains to Christmas.

So, what does the Church say about the holiday season? Beginning with November 15^th, the Church asks us to fast, increase our daily prayer, Scripture reading, and charity. It is a season, through prayer, in which we PREPARE our souls to receive the Good News of Christ’s Incarnation in the Flesh. It is a 40 day period, similar to Great Lent but less intense, of focusing on God rather than ourselves. It is a complete opposite emphasis than the retails stores.

Here I must take a moment to clarify that, while I am NOT a trained psychologist (I had a few classes), I do not ascribe to the opinion that depression is as wide-spread as society suggests. I personally believe our society has created a “syndrome” mentality, where moods and mentalities which are well within the normal human experience, create the need for treatment. I also think this mentality is perpetuated by the idea that we must always be “happy,” a characteristic of our general desire to please ourselves. If we are not pleased, then we are not happy.

I think this is the struggle we must engage as Orthodox Christians. The reason the Church invites us to fast, is to teach us that life is not about pleasing ourselves, but pleasing God. If we can embrace that difference, when we find ourselves without certain pleasures or material “things” in our life, we can better appreciate this as a “normal part of life” rather than a failure of life. It might be a failure for the retail stores to separate us from our money, but it is in no way a failure of life.

If you find yourself every year during the holiday season feeling like a failure or wanting more than you can either afford or secure, please consider the difference between these two priorities. Do you want to follow the priority of the retail stores or the Church? Which priority do you think has YOUR best interest in mind? Which priority do you think is better for your soul? Which priority do you think will better keep you from being depressed this holiday season?

I do not discount the reality of a neuro-chemical imbalance which can create a clinical depression. Science has blessed us with a better understanding of the human brain, and we are blessed when we embrace this science. Check out the CDC website for more information about depression.

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.

What to do with all those Black Friday Bargains?????

2013 New Testament Challenge – Day 15 (Reflections on Mark 12-16)

Every year I participate in a special effort called the New Testament Challenge sponsored by a priest of the Orthodox Church in America. He encourages Christians to spend the Christmas Fast, also known as Advent) reading the entire New Testament as a preparation for Christmas. Each year I have done this, it has been blessing to me and I pray this year will be no different. As part of the New Testament Challenge, I endeavor to blog a bit about the reading for that particular day. I may miss a few, but I pray for those who follow this blog (NOW ALSO ON FACEBOOK) it will be a blessing.

Today is “Black Friday” so I wanted to keep my comments on the readings somewhat connected. If you read me earlier post today, “If you need it, buy it; If you can’t afford it, WAIT FOR IT,” then you already know my feelings about “Black Friday” so I won’t repeat them here. Today I want to reflect on a conversation I had last week, and Mark 14.3-9.

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted? "For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they criticized her sharply. But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. "For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. "She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. "Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her." (Mark 14.3-9)

The other day, I had a conversation with someone about, as I was told, wasting money in decorating the Church. I’ve had this conversation MANY times before, so it doesn’t faze me, but it ties well into today’s readings. Have you ever noticed when people complain about “wasting money” in decorating the Church, they defend their affront with, “God doesn’t need money!” In my personal experience with this topic, the one with the affront is not at all financially struggling. In fact, they are fairly well off.

Although today’s reading in the Gospel of Mark doesn’t make reference of Judas’ intention in filing HIS affront, other sources do. “This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.” (John 12.6) I’m not suggesting the person with whom I had my conversation last week was a thief, merely that I’m not quite sure the affront was as pure as I was led to believe.

God has directed that His Temple be decorated with the finest materials; gold, fine linens, precious stones, etc. You can read about the construction of the Temple in Exodus 25-31. Why did He command this if He didn’t desire it? The point is the value WE place on those precious items. WE place a value on gold, and therefore we gild items that are of precious value to us, OR to show high social status. When we decorate God’s Church with golden items, it is because we place a value on those items and we wish to honor the highest social status that God deserves. When we pretend to be affronted by the money spent decorating God’s house, and then proceed to spend “Black Friday” filling our shopping baskets with items we don’t even need, how much affront is genuine?

So here is a challenge for you, specifically during this shopping season. How about you take the money saved on GREAT BARGAINS and bring it to the Church? This would be consistent with Saint John Chrysostom’s urging to take money saved during fasting periods and giving it to the poor. It might also help keep things in perspective for the Christmas shopping season. If we focus on spending the savings on ourselves, or worse, MORE SHOPPING, then we really haven’t benefited at all.

Until tomorrow…..You’re right! God doesn’t need money….but you probably don’t need that extra stuff you’re buying on sale either.

If you need it, buy it; if you can’t afford it, WAIT FOR IT!

Today’s topic for the 40 Days of Blogging is avarice, which is the love of money. I guess the topics fits well with Black Friday. Today is “Black Friday” which was originally designated because it represented the day on which most retails stores FINALLY were in the black for the year. The holiday sales continues to be the “make-it-or-break-it” for most retails centers.

I’m not a big fan of “Black Friday” madness, especially with the many riots and chaos lately at area malls. Having said that I won’t begrudge someone for taking advantage of a sale price for an item that he needs.  I’ve already blogged about my feelings on Thanksgiving Day shopping and on rushing out to buy more stuff the day after we are supposedly thankful for the stuff we already have. So, today I won’t beat that bush. Rather I will presume you already have made up your mind to shop today. That probably also means you will be reading this AFTER you return from a long day of shopping.

For me the issue isn’t whether or not we can get a good price on something, but whether or not we need the item in the first place. I’m sure most would agree that the Christmas frenzy has achieved irrational levels lately. I remember a day (that expression makes me feel old) when getting new socks, a pair of pants, a couple of shirts, and new pair of shoes make the bulk of our gifts, along with a few toys. We needed the clothes as children. Our parents took advantage of Christmas to “bulk up” our present count by wrapping each item separately. NOW, parents wrap countless toys and throw in a token article of clothing. Long before our children return to school in the New Year, the new toys are either already broken, lost, or they have grown bored of playing and go digging for last year’s toy.

So this year, go ahead and take advantage of store sales – they’re there for a reason – and find the best sale on the items you NEED. That new pair of shoes your son has needed since soccer season ended; those new socks to replace the hole”y” socks your daughter wore out at gymnastics practice. Put them away and wrap them up for Christmas. Then sit back and take inventory of your finances before going back “out there” to the mall. What else does your family REALLY need this year? Don’t allow the sales to talk you into purchasing something just because it’s a good deal. A good deal is no longer a good deal when it sits abandoned in the corner collecting dust.

I want to add one more thing about Christmas shopping. Americans are more in debt now than ever before. It seems we cannot discern the difference between needs and wants. If anything, I think it shows a society that has grown more and more impatient. We would rather pay HUGE amounts of credit card interest than wait a few months to purchase our stuff. That is where a simple dose of fasting would help, by the way. It would help us learn to do without and tame our urges. I’ve written on fasting and its benefits to cure just this very problem before.

So I invite you to adopt a new slogan this Christmas shopping season…

“If you need it, buy it; if you can’t afford it, WAIT FOR IT!” You’ll be much happier, and a much less in debt. You can thank me later.

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.