The Need for Patience and Humility

In the story of two miracles told in the Gospel of Luke 8.41-56, we hear of the healing of the woman with the flow of blood and the raising of Jairus’ daughter. In both cases we are taught the great gift of patience and humility. They are companions as we can’t have patience without humility. We will never be humble if we can’t be patient. But when we embrace both patience and humility we can be healed by God.

I Know Better Than You

It goes like this...(generic ‘you’ & ‘me’)

Me: You don’t know what you’re talking about. You never do.
You: You’re doing it again. You never think I know what I’m talking about, but you’re always wrong. I’ve just come to live with having to ignore your opinion.
Me: Nobody thinks like that anymore. You need to come along with the times. You’re old fashioned.
You: You’re being racist. You can’t say that.
Me: You are!
You: No, YOU ARE!
Me: NO...Y O U  A R E!!!!

And so the raging argument continues without any resolution, not because ‘you’ and ‘me’ don’t love each other, but because they aren’t listening. When it comes to issues that are close to our hearts, and most especially religion and politics, most people can’t seem to listen to other opinions. It isn’t because they are being mean. It’s because they already insist they know better. Consider today’s Gospel Reading

Luke 14:1-11 (RSV) - At that time, one sabbath when Jesus went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching him. And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not?" But they were silent. Then he took him and healed him, and let him go. And he said to them, "Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull him out on a sabbath day?" And they could not reply to this. Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, "When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him; and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

The only way we can resolve our conflicts is to be humble and that means to accept that maybe, just maybe, that means we might be wrong. It is completely arrogant to believe you are always right, and yet most of us live in that world. We are always right, and we always know better than everyone else. So today as the political debate rages on, consider how you are adding fuel to the fire. Step back and allow someone to “Say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher,’ then you will be honored.’” But until then remember you don’t REALLY always know better.

Lessons Learned

In a society which elevates self promotion as worthy traits, it is difficult to imagine learning a lesson from a woman crawling on her hands and knees to secretly be healed by God. In a society which awards self accomplishment, it’s even more difficult to accept that it is honorable to sit and wait for healing rather than demand immediate attention. Our society, while offering wonderful opportunities for anyone and everyone to express their God-given talents, the last character trait we expect to see highlighted in humility. But it is humility that is our greatest teacher. In both healing stories we hear today in the Gospel, it is humility rather than self promotion and accomplishment that is lifted up by God.

The woman, despite the fact she had been seriously ill for twelve years without a single moment of relief from doctors, came to God secretly almost crawling on the ground just for a chance to touch His garments. By today’s standards she might have been accused of not have enough self esteem to approach God. Some may even ask, “Doesn’t she know God can heal her? All she has to do is name it and claim it!” God makes a lesson of her humility when He brings her to the front, “Who touched Me?” She was forced to admit she had dared to touch the Lord. She had dared to have enough faith that God would heal her. She knew the teachings of the Holy Scriptures. How many in the crowd knew the Old Testament prophecy this woman knew? (See Malachi 4.2) How many understood that when she reached out to touch the fringe of His garments, she was declaring Jesus to be the Messiah? Even so, this woman chose not to teach others the read the Holy Scriptures; she didn’t even want to be seen. It was enough to have simple faith that Jesus was the Messiah. She was healed and God lifted up her humility for us to learn a lesson.

The man whose son was near death begged Jesus to come to his house. This bold statement reflected a man that knew Jesus Christ had the ability to heal. Then while Jesus was on His was to heal the son, He was interrupted by a strange woman sneaking around to delay Jesus by getting healed. It was just enough of a delay that his son died. Rather than getting upset with the woman or going on a rage against the disciples for not keeping Jesus moving, the man was willing to walk away.  Jesus said, “Do not be afraid. Only believe and she will be made well.” (Luke 8.50)

If we were in the place of either the woman or the father in this morning’s Gospel story, would we have had the humility to sit quietly and wait for God’s healing? Or would we rant and rave that we were here first? Would we have been willing to allow the woman to approach Jesus? Or would we have dismissed her as just another member of the crowd? It is easy to follow the lead of our society and promote our agenda as more important than the others in our group. It is more convenient to demand first come first served rather than allow others to receive God’s attention or blessings before us. But then again any lesson worth learning isn’t easy. The path of self promotion and self accomplishment might be the preferred American way, but it isn’t the Orthodox Way. The Orthodox way is the way of humility.

Humility Accompanies Faith

When we think of faith, many times we think of how we believe God will do special things for us. We “have faith” that God will find us a job. We “have faith” that God will help us get pregnant. We “have faith” that God will find us a new house. It seems we always “have faith” for that God will look favorably upon us, but what about others? Consider today’s Gospel Reading:

Luke 7:1-10 (RSV) - At that time, Jesus entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a slave who was dear to him, who was sick and at the point of death. When he heard of Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his slave. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he built us our synagogue." And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this he marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude that followed him, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave well.

The centurion wasn’t asking for himself. He wasn’t even asking that Jesus come all the way to his house. “Say the word, and let my servant be healed.” Yes, he was showing his faith that Jesus only had to speak and his servant would be healed, but there is something more in the reading if we open our eyes. Consider the deep humility of the centurion. When was the last time you asked God for a blessing for someone else without any regard for yourself? When was the last time you said, “God, You don’t even have to come to me. Just say a word and that little boy I have never met, whose picture I saw on the internet, will be healed.” When was the last time you didn’t feel blessed because God “heard” YOUR prayers and healed someone?

I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t want God to heal our friends. I’m not even suggesting that we should only pray for complete strangers. But we should consider if our prayers lack the humility of the centurion. Just something to consider as you prepare to attend Divine Liturgy tomorrow. Don’t forget to say your prayers and prepare to receive Holy Communion. 

How Much is Enough?

A mother faced with her daughter’s serious illness, approached Jesus for help. “"Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." (Matthew 15.22) But the Lord turned her away with what by modern expectations might be considered harsh. After putting her off; even telling His disciples that she should be sent away, said, “"It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs. And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." (Matthew 15.26-27) After allowing her to express her deep faith and humility in front of others, then He heals her daughter. What exactly was it that God wanted her to express to the crowd?

The mother had already expressed her belief that Jesus was able to heal her daughter. She had already proven her patience when she remained waiting for Him, even after being told to leave. But it was when she confessed that she didn’t want all His attention, nor did she expect any special treatment or anything for herself, but simply wanted her daughter to be healed from the demon. Then God granted her wish, and her daughter was healed from the very moment.

We could learn a lot from this mother, but the greatest is her deep faith and humility. She asked not for herself, but for her daughter. She didn’t ask for special attention from God, but just to be noticed. She was content in her heart to accept whatever the Lord offered her. Life is filled with opportunities for us to choose between our needs and the needs of others. Every day is a chance for us to confess in front of others that we seek God and are willing to accept whatever He has to offer at that moment. In our heart we will know it is enough.

Learning from the Church Calendar

Today’s Gospel Reading: John 1:29-34 - At that time, John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.' I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel." And John bore witness, "I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

The day after the Feast of Theophany the Church commemorates the Synaxis of Saint John the Baptist, the Prophet and Forerunner. You can always tell what the Church teaches about a saint or feast by the way the calendar fluctuates. For example, yesterday was the Feast of Theophany and even though it was a Wednesday, it was a fast-free day. Compare that with the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, another of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Church, but if the Feast happens to fall on a Wednesday or Friday, the fast is only lightened (fish and oil are allowed) but not eliminated. There are many other ways to understand the Church teachings by interpreting the services used to celebrate the feasts. Take notice of the Scripture readings and hymns and you will better understand the expression of the Church.

For example, since today the Church honors the memory of Saint John the Baptist, who lived a life of total humility and always turned attention toward God rather than himself. It speaks volumes that the Church highlights a Scripture reading in which John the Baptist positions himself was not even knowing who Jesus was until AFTER the Baptism. YET.....moments before actually baptizing Jesus, he said, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” (Matthew 3.14) It seems clear that John the Baptist knew who Jesus was. They were cousins after all. So was this false humility?

There was never any false humility in John the Baptist. In today’s reading, true to form for the Baptist, our attention in turned toward God’s revelation of Jesus rather than John’s rank. We can be assured of John’s greatness by focusing on the words of Christ Who said, “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.” (Matthew 11.11) What better way to celebrate the greatest humble man than to emphasize God’s revelation rather than his greatness! The Church is filled with examples of such nuances in the services and calendar of the Church. In this new year I encourage you to make more effort to pay attention to the Church calendar and learn from the choices the Church has made in our celebrations.

Humility Prepares the Way for Christ

When the Holy Trinity was about to be revealed to the world,
God did not send a king, a governor, or an emperor. He sent a man of incredible
humility. John the Baptist expressed his humility by declaring, “There comes One
after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop
down and loose.” (Mark 1.7) He knew he was not worthy of God, but still God
referred to him as the greatest woman ever to be born of a woman. (Matthew
11.11) If you want to prepare your heart and soul for Christ, consider the
humility of John the Baptist.

Self-Esteem VS Humility

Today’s Epistle Reading: St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 5:4-10 - BRETHREN, one does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee"; as he says also in another place, "Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek." In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly fear. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

There is a great difference between genuine Christian humility and what the world calls self-esteem. I have often thought, and taught, that we can create our own depression be falling trap to the world’s definition of self-esteem. The world, because it is fallen and based upon the fallen passions which are self-oriented, teaches that we should strive to always think positive thoughts about ourselves, sometimes to the denial of truth. Popular expressions such as, “You can accomplish whatever you want, so long as you work hard,” or my least favorite, “You can be whatever you want. Just put your mind to it.”

THIS IS A LIE, and when the lie is proven false (when we can’t accomplish something or be something JUST because we want something) we get depressed. The depression creates low self-esteem, as defined by the world, and we begin to think we are unworthy of love and blessings. We sink lower and lower until eventually we lose hope. All this depression could have been avoided by having genuine Christian humility. Before I continue, please understand I am not addressing chemical depression. Chemically induced depression is quite real and can paralyze a person for no good reason. I am addressing what more commonly could be called “the blues” which is not treated the same, but I will leave chemically induced depression to be discussed by medical professionals. I believe other forms of depression are created when we believe the lie the devil has told us rather than the truth which is revealed by Christ.

Tomorrow in the Gospel lesson for the Sunday before Epiphany we will hear directly from Saint John the Baptist’s lips what genuine Christian humility sounds like. “"After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.” (Mark 1.7) Saint John the Baptist, whom Jesus Christ said there was no other man greater who had been born of a woman, felt himself unworthy to even untie the sandals of Jesus, a job normally reserved for the lowest slave. How can a man greater than any other man consider himself unworthy of the work of the lowest slave?

Saint John the Baptist understood genuine Christian humility, also described by Saint Paul in today’s Epistle reading. “One does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God.” It wasn’t that John the Baptist wasn’t great, because he was. He understood honor and blessings are not to be taken, but offered by one who is greater. This was no false sense of humility, as many express in today’s world. Many today have the pretense of humility while secretly believing themselves to be worthy of praise.

So how does genuine Christian humility protect against depression? When we believe the lie that we are great and can accomplish whatever we desire, and then fall short of our desires, depression is the result. However when we understand our own shortcomings and that we should never take honor with pride to ourselves, and then fall short, we are better equipped to accept our shortcomings.

In this New Year, I invite you to embrace the humility of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Paul, rather than the lies of a self-oriented worldly self-esteem. Then be thankful for your blessings and understand your shortcomings. You will have more peace and well on your way to Live A New Life In Christ.

Humility is the Center of Salvation

An important Jewish leader had begged Jesus Christ to come to his home because his twelve year old daughter was very sick. Jesus agreed and, surrounded by a huge crowd of followers, was on His way to the house when He was interrupted by devout and humble woman. This woman, sick for twelve years, believed with all her heart, that if she just was able to reach out and touch Jesus, she would be healed. Unlike Jairus the Jewish leader, she didn’t beg Jesus. She didn’t even want anyone to know she was there to be healed. In fact you could say she was sneaking up to Him to be healed, and would have just walked away after she was healed if she could.

This is exactly what she tried to do when Jesus cried out, “Who touched Me?” (Luke 8.45) Still trying to remain unknown, even though she had been miraculously healed, she kept herself hidden until Jesus insisted, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me." (Luke 8:46) Meanwhile, Jairus twelve year old daughter died from her illness and his servants had come to tell him, "Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher." (Luke 8.49) Jairus was content to step away and return home when Jesus stopped him, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well." (Luke 8:50)

The humility of both Jairus the Jewish leader and the unnamed woman are at the center of the Gospel story. Jesus healed many thousands of men and women during His earthly ministry. Why would the Gospel take the time to tell us of these two particular women? There must be something more that Saint Luke wanted us to learn than just that Jesus has the power to heal. The story is about the humility of two faithful followers of Jesus Christ. In both cases, it wasn’t about the power of God, but their humble faith. “Be of good cheer.....do not be afraid....” (Luke 8.48, 50) were the words of God for these humble servants. When we are humble, there is no need for sorrow and fear.

Humility & Repentance

On the final Sunday of Great Lent, the Church makes one final plea for us to look into our hearts with Christian humility to see our sinful ways. Saint Mary of Egypt was stopped from venerating the Holy Cross of Christ because of her sinful life. The Disciples were prideful and seeking after honor, when God revealed their hearts. It doesn’t matter who we might be, in our hearts we know how far away from God we really live. Saint Mary of Egypt and the Holy Apostles, after having their hearts revealed, lived a life of total repentance. Only once we have seen our hearts, can we truly repent and live with God in Heaven. If we desire to live with God, it will require humility and repentance – you can’t have one without the other.

Repentance and Humility; the keys which unlock the Gates of Heaven

The final Sunday of Great Lent, the Church urges us on further toward repentance and humility on the Sunday of Mary of Egypt. On this day the Church directs our attention to the total and complete humility and repentance of a woman who had been consumed by sin. While at the “height” of a quite successful “career” of prostitution, she was called by God in a unique way. According to the Tradition of the Church, she was attempting to enter the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem with a group of men she had been seducing. An unknown force kept her from entering the Sacred Church, which she interpreted as a sign from God. She made a vow to the Theotokos that if she was allowed to enter the Church and venerate the Life-Giving Cross of Our Lord, she would renounce the world and live in total repentance. She spent the remaining forty-seven years of her life alone in the desert.

On this day we also hear the Lord challenge his disciples to life of humble service. After the disciples were found arguing about who would be greater in God’s Kingdom, Jesus said, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.” (Mark 10.42-44)

These are two great lessons of humility and repentance as we approach the final days of Great Lent. Don’t waste another day. Take full advantage of the days you have remaining for repentance and practice humility. These keys will unlock the gates of heaven and you will be welcomed into the banquet with honor.

Words Matter

With the recent public outcry and racial tensions in America lately over a few (in my opinion) overly publicized legal cases, I have decided to say a few words on the subject, because words matter. Language is a very important element in any society as it defines how members of said society “agree to interact” along personal, social and business transactions. In fact, within the history of the Church, many deep theological arguments were waged over nuances in language. Some arguments, such as the “nature” or “natures” of Christ, resulted in centuries-long schisms with the Christian Church. I use this simply for the sake of example since this post is NOT about theology, but sociology.

In the recent racial outcry expressed in numerous protests and riots throughout America, it has become obvious to me that we are experiencing a language barrier that is so great, only the grace of God and genuine Christian love will ever guide us through the muddy rivers of racial tensions in America. One such barrier I have noticed is the term, “white privilege” currently being bantered about. Reactions to a post by a close friend of mine have been violent and plain old ugly. Using the tensions surrounding Ferguson and New York City as a framework, the author attempted to point out how many of our Churches experience a “tone” that might not be welcoming to members outside our “natural” circle of members.

The author’s points about our Churches are quite accurate, even as I have experienced them in 21 years of lay and ordained ministry. Many of our Churches are NOT welcoming, and anyone suggesting otherwise is just not making an honest assessment. But that alone shouldn’t be enough to create such violent reactions. I figured there had to be more to the picture, so I did a little reading on the term “white privilege” and realized we indeed had a language issue.

“White privilege” is what I would call a politically “hot” term, in that it is used in most cases to express a level of guilt and shame against white members of the ruling class. What the term attempts to convey is the reality that predominately white society has functioned, many times subconsciously , to favor white people and some might consider “white culture” if there really is such a thing in 2014. To deny this reality of any society, whether it is white America or Asian China, would simply be dishonest at best and ignorant at worst. I will state here that I am NOT referring to intentional favoritism and policies though that is undeniably part of our history as well. That would be for another blog post especially since the term “white privilege” also makes that distinction.

As Orthodox Christians I believe a better word to convey the same reality might be, “humility” since it is neither politically “hot” nor racially descriptive. From an Orthodox Christian point of view, humility is objectively acknowledging our current reality, and accepting that God desires more for us and from us. It is also a term that looks inward rather than outward, and calls EACH of us to repentance no matter what our starting point is. Humility, used from this point of view would convey the realty that our American society, being predominately white has certain subconscious realities that give white members of our society an advantage. But that is only our starting point. It also conveys that white members of our society, if they are acting with Christian love, would not desire for non-white members of our society to be overlooked, and therefore reach out to non-white neighbors etc to bridge the gap.

But humility doesn’t stop there, because it also conveys to non-white members of our society that many of these subconscious advantages are neither intentional nor historically reversible. We cannot rewrite history but we should study it and learn from it. If we learn anything from history, it might be that racial tensions are painful. To simply allow the pendulum to “swing the other way” to give non-white members of our society their fair share of advantage, is only to expect the pendulum to eventually return, leaving pain in its wake in perpetuity. Just as white members of society, if they are acting with Christian love, would reach out to non-white members, similarly non-white members of our society, if they are acting with Christian love, also would not want to cause pain and suffering.

The point of Christian humility is that as Christians each of us understands our sinfulness and we each desire to repent and grow closer to God where “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galations 3.28)

If we really want to make improvements in American race relations, a good starting point would be to stop using terms that “in themselves” enrage either side. It also means that both sides, desiring to be on the same side, must acknowledge the reality of the every side. We live in a the greatest society on the face of the Earth, which depends wholly on ever member of society acknowledging the value of the other, no matter which race, economic class, or gender he or she may  be. That is nothing more than humility.

I must also admit that one of the most difficult virtues of Christian love is to allow for free will. God doesn’t take away our free will at any time, even allowing us to deny and hate Him. Neither can we, nor should we even try to, take away anyone else free will. That means, some will choose hate and racism. Humility allows for that too, since our love for God and each other acknowledges that some will reject love, and there really is nothing we can do to change it, but love them. If we see it in ourselves, we have been given the chance to repent.

Rollercoasters and Incense

The other day, while discussing the painful reality that so many Orthodox Christians “just don’t enjoy being in Church” I was asked an interesting question. “Father, if you ask children which they would prefer, going to the amusement park or doing homework, which one do you think they would choose?” OF COURSE they would choose the amusement part, so would I. The problem with this question, all too common to the struggle of Church attendance, is a false option. Let me explain...

There is a campus (they don’t use the term perish) of New Spring Church in Florence that after only six years (the same tenure of my time in Florence) has grown to over 2,000 every Sunday. They are currently building a brand new multi-million dollar church complex that literally dwarfs the bank next door. The Worship experience of this particular Church has become quite popular in Evangelical Protestant circles, with rock music, light shows, no dress code expectations, and a sermon. BUT.....there is no preacher in Florence. That’s right; the “featured” sermon is ON SCREEN from the mother campus elsewhere in South Carolina. Others have characterized the Sunday worship as attending a concert. So, it should come as no surprise that youth (and adults who wish to pretend they’re still youth) flood in from all directions to attend a weekly “free” concert.

And there lies the false choice. Orthodox worship is NOT a rock concert. It is NOT a light show. It is NOT even a sermon, though we do preach. But the false choice is much more than just the style of worship. Orthodox worship is HEAVEN ON EARTH, where we are graced to physically become one with God through the Holy Eucharist. Orthodox worship is directionally opposite from this form of Protestant Worship. What do I mean by directionally opposite?

Where we as Orthodox direct our attention, characterized in the fact that the celebrant clergy FACE THE ALTAR, is toward God. Protestant worship is directed inward toward the self. We speak to God. We sing to God. We bow to God. We worship God with the proper understanding that we are in the presence of His glory. Protestant worship speaks to the heart and, by design, seeks the rush of adrenaline, which explains the “I just FEEL good when I leave that Church” emotion of Protestants. What examples do we have to follow?

Moses hid his face. Exodus 3.6

Isaiah cried out in fear. Isaiah 6.5

John the theologian fell to the floor as though he were dead. Revelation 1.17

Orthodox Christian worship is based upon this example of humility in the face of God. And YET, we are allowed to approach the chalice standing face-to-face with God to receive His most precious Body and Blood into our very bodies. Orthodox Christian worship is a foretaste of how God is being worshiped in Heaven as witnessed by Prophet Isaiah and Saint John.

They didn’t see rock bands. They didn’t see light shows. Of course this should be obvious, but they DID see an Altar, golden candles sticks, smoldering incense, majestic robes, pious processions, praiseful singing, and bowing....lots of bowing. These are the characteristics of Orthodox Christian worship, as they were Jewish worship before us, SO THAT we can prepare to spend eternity doing the same thing in heaven.

Life isn’t about feeling the rush of adrenaline storming down the hill of a rollercoaster. Life IS about preparing to worship God in Heaven. Worship isn’t about feeling the rush of adrenaline during a rock concert. Worship is about offering God incense and bowing at His glory before the His Altar.

Rather than asking our children if they would prefer the adrenaline of an amusement park to homework, maybe a better question would be, “Do you want to be with God?” If so.....forget the rock concert and go to Divine Liturgy. The real problem is that most Orthodox Christians are still comparing the “fun factor” of our worship to the excitement of Protestant worship. And that’s just a false choice.

It’s time to exchange rollercoasters for incense.

The Forgiveness Challenge

With all the commotion making its way through the internet lately about the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” it planted an idea in my mind. What if we all took the “Forgiveness Challenge” instead? It requires no money. It requires no cold water. It requires no internet or social networking account. It requires only your desire to forgive everyone who sins against you EVEN IF they cannot repay you for what they have done.

In the Gospel of Matthew, we hear the ultimate “Forgiveness Challenge” explained. “’Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18.21-22) This is followed by the parable of forgiveness (Matthew `18.23-35) which includes a king (God), a servant (you) and another servant (someone else). The king has called all his servants to settle their accounts with him, but in the face of not being able to repay the king, the servant (that’s you) begs to be given more time. The king, moved by compassion, forgives the entire debt. However the servant (that’s you again) refuses to do the same for the other servant (that’s someone else) so he is thrown into debtors prison (that’s hell) until he repays the debt, which we already know he cannot do.

Jesus “called you out” for the ultimate “Forgiveness Challenge” when He says, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” (Matthew 18.35) You have 24 hours to complete this challenge or risk a lot worse than a bucket of ice water.

The Scriptures and Great Lent - Saint Mary of Egypt

A special study of the themes and Scriptures readings for the fifth Sunday of Great Lent.

Christ said Take up YOUR Cross

Half-way through Great and Holy Lent we are brought face-to-face with the Veneration of the Precious and Holy Cross of Christ. In the Gospel read on the Third Sunday of Lent, Jesus calls each of us to discipleship with the words, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Mark 8.34) Many things can be said about taking up our cross, but one thing is for certain. Christ NEVER said, take up someone else’s cross and follow Him.

A constant theme of our Christian journey is the call to humility. Weeks ago the Church reminded us to be like the humble tax collector rather than the prideful Pharisee. We were challenged to humble ourselves in repentance and return to our Father. And this week, we are called by Christ to take up OUR cross, deny ourselves and follow Him. What is the difference between MY cross and YOUR cross? It’s mine with all my strengths and weaknesses. It’s my personal struggle with the passions that are unique to my Christian struggle, or cross. Your cross is yours.

To take up YOUR cross is to accept your Christian struggle as YOUR Christian struggle, rather than comparing your struggle to everyone else’s struggle. Humility isn’t only for the blessings we experience, but for the challenges as well. What might seem like a heavy burden for you may be light for another; but what seems light to you, may seem heavy for another. Only when you focus on YOUR cross, can you fully appreciate the grace that the Precious and Holy Cross of Christ has for you in your life.

The Pain of Coming to Your Senses

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15.11-32), Jesus tells us of the journey of the youngest son of a father, who wants to go out on his own. He demands to collect his inheritance early and strikes out on his own. His father, loving and supportive, allows his son to leave the safety and comfort of home. Aside from the demand for an early inheritance, many of us can relate to, and maybe even admire, the courage of a young man going out on his own. But that is where the story takes a turn for the worse.

The young man took his inheritance and, “journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.” (Luke 15.13) After losing everything he possessed, he was left to eat pig slop, “and no one gave him anything.” (Luke 15.16) All those he knew in this far country were no help in his pain. He was suffering from some very poor choices. Jesus said, “He came to himself,” (Luke 15.17) and chose to return to his father, not as a son, but as a servant. At least he would have food in his stomach and a roof over his head.

This young man expressed humility by returning to his father, and his father “ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” (Luke 15.20) He had been welcomed back to the family and FULLY restored to his original place in the family. The young man’s humility gave him not just a roof and food, but a family and a home.

This man represents each of us and the choices we make in life. Many times we find ourselves suffering from the poor choices we make, and none of our friends helps us. It only takes the willingness to humble ourselves, admit our poor choices through Holy Confession, and we will be FULLY restored by Christ to His family – The Church! We will not receive simply food and a roof, but we will have Communion with God in Heaven! We don’t have to remain with the pigs, when our Father welcomes us home.

Triodion Day 5 – Love

Since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, I thought I would talk about love. When we love someone, we place them above all other people in our circle. We desire to be in their presence more than anyone we know. We place their desires above our desires, because our true desire is for them to be happy. We consider our desires as less important. And most often we feel like we would “just die” if we didn’t get a chance to be in their presence. These are some of the realities of being in love with another person. As our relationship progresses, unfortunately, some of these realities become histories, as our love can fade was we grow tired of “never getting what WE want,” even though we were the ones insisting.

Human love, is fallen love. Go back and read this post from the beginning…

Did you notice the hidden selfishness in our interactions with the people we love? We want the ones we love to have their desire “only” because we desire to please them to be happy. As human beings, our love is constantly burdened with our fallen nature, and never quite pure in its intentions. What seems like love, is really self-love.

Think about it for a moment. When was the last time you expressed your love for someone with absolutely no personal gain. It isn’t impossible, just challenging. That moment when you realize your love has been imperfect, is the moment you have an opportunity for repentance. That moment, is called humility.

Humility is the theme for the first week of the Triodion for a reason. We cannot repent until we first realize we need to repent. Unfortunately, in our contemporary society, humility gets a bad rap. Most people think humility is the equivalent to self-hate, and the opposite of self-love, which is not true. Humility, in the Christian understanding, is having an honest understanding of whom we are. We ARE fallen human beings, who need God’s grace and assistance to become true human beings, living in communion with God. Until we reach that level of self-awareness, just as the publican did in the Parable of the Publican and Pharisee, we will not repent, because we won’t think we need to repent.

Humility and love work as partners. We can only love purely when we realize we have loved impurely in the first place. One flows from the other. Pure love is only possible when humility gives us the eyes to see our fallen nature and selfish intentions. Humility falls on deaf ears unless we love someone enough to leave selfish intentions behind.