Paschal (Resurrection) Season: 2021

(Some of the following information taken from Fr. Thomas Hopko’s, The Orthodox Faith, Volume 2, Worship, published by the O.C.A.’s Department of Christian Education)

Bright Week

The week following Pascha (Easter), is called Bright Week, by the Church.  Pascha is celebrated this year by the Orthodox Church on May 2, one month after Christians of the Western Tradition.  As Holy Week was a final time of anticipation and preparation for “the Feast of Feasts,” so Bright Week is a period of unique Resurrection joy, manifested outwardly in diverse ways.  For instance, during Bright Week there is no fasting at all from various types of food; all liturgical hymns, ideally, are to be sung rather than read; and the Church remains highly decorated, with the royal doors and deacon’s doors of the iconostasis left open as they were during the Midnight Service.  This latter practice emphasizes visually that the gates of God’s Kingdom have been open to man through the Cross, Tomb and Resurrection of Christ.  Services during Bright Week are celebrated in a particularly glorious manner, identical to that experienced during the Midnight Service and Resurrection Vespers on Pascha Sunday.  The traditional announcement, “Christ is Risen,” is sung repeatedly by the Church choir, and people greet one another with this same message of hope. 

Introduction to the Paschal Season

While Bright Week is a time of profound, perhaps uncommon celebration, the Resurrection season is not limited to one week.  For forty days, until Ascension (this year June 10), the faithful recall in songs and greetings the joyous news that ‘Christ has trampled down death by death, bestowing life upon those in the tombs.’  Clergy and altar servers continue to wear their brightest vestments, and everyone stands (rather than kneels) in prayer, both at home and in Church.  The practice of standing in prayer during the Paschal Season serves to stress our belief that in Christ we are already resurrected beings, residents on earth yet citizens of Heaven. The faithful continue this practice until Pentecost (this year June 20), when after Liturgy for the first time since Holy Week we kneel in prayer during three special prayers that are read from the ambo by the clergy.

The five Sundays following Pascha emphasize, through the appointed Scripture readings and hymns, (1) post-resurrection appearances of Christ;  (2) the Church’s early life and missionary endeavors (epistle readings are taken from the Book of Acts); and (3) aspects of baptism, through which we ourselves have died and risen with Christ to a new life in God (Gospel readings are taken from the most “sacramental” of Gospel accounts, that of John the Theologian or Evangelist).  Fr. Thomas Hopko (of blessed memory) in his Orthodox Faith Handbook Series, Volume II, provides a summary of the meaning of the five Sundays of Pascha.  The following contains quotes and paraphrases from that summary.       

Thomas Sunday (May 9)                                                                          

On the Sunday following Pascha, called in our liturgical books “the Second Sunday,” the stress is on the Apostle Thomas’ vision of Christ.  The significance of the day comes to us in the words of the Gospel:  “Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see My hands;  and put out your hand, and place it in My side;  do not be faithless, but believing.” Thomas answered Him, 

“My Lord and My God!”  Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen

Me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”  (John 20:27-29).

In this last statement Christ refers to all those who will come after the Apostles and become disciples through their words. This includes Christians of every century, including our own.  We have not seen Christ with our physical eyes, nor touched His risen body with our physical hands, yet in the Holy Spirit we have seen and touched and tasted the Word of Life (1 John 1:1-4), and so we believe.  In the early Church it was only on this day that those baptized at Pascha removed their (baptismal) robes and entered once again into the life of this world.    

The Myrrhbearing Women (May 16)

The Third Sunday after Pascha is dedicated to the Myrrhbearing Women who cared for the body of the Savior at His death and who were the first witnesses of His Resurrection.  The three troparia of Holy Friday, (having to do with the Noble Joseph of Arimethea anointing and burying the Body of Jesus;  Christ’s descent into hell and its defeat;  and the angel’s proclamation to the myrrhbearing women of Christ’s resurrection) are sung once again and form the theme of the day: 

     "The noble Joseph, when he had taken down Thy most pure body from the Tree, wrapped it in fine linen and anointed it with spices, and placed it in a new tomb." 

      "When Thou didst descend to death, O Life Immortal, Thou didst slay hell with the splendor of Thy Godhead."

      "The angel came to the myrrhbearing women at the tomb and said: Myrrh is fitting for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself a stranger to corruption! So proclaim: The Lord is risen, granting the world great mercy."

The Paralytic (May 23)

The Fourth Sunday is dedicated to Christ’s healing of the Paralytic (John 5).  The man is healed by Christ while waiting to be put down into the pool of water.  Through baptism in the church we too are healed and saved by Christ for eternal life.  Thus, in the church, we are told, together with the paralytic, to “sin no more that nothing worse befall you” (John 5:14).  Our Lord’s question to the man, “Do you want to be healed?” is directed to us as well, reminding us that the gift of life and illumination through the Resurrection brings with it responsibilities.  It must be nurtured and shared with others.  

The Feast of Mid-Pentecost

In the middle of the Fourth Week, there is a day which is called by the Church, the Feast of Mid-Pentecost (this year May 26).  On this day we recall that Christ, “in the middle of the feast” teaches men of His saving mission and offers to all “the waters of immortality” (John 7:14).  Again, we are reminded of the Master’s presence and His saving promise: “If anyone is thirsty let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37). 

The Samaritan Woman (May 30)

The Fifth Sunday after Pascha deals with the Woman of Samaria with whom Christ spoke at Jacob’s Well (John 4).  Again, the theme is the “living water” and the recognition of Jesus as God’s Messiah (John 4: 10-11; 25-26).  We are reminded of our new life in Him, of our own drinking of the “living water,” of our own true worship of God in the Christian Messianic Age “in Spirit and in Truth” (John 4: 23-24).  We see as well that salvation is offered to all:  Jews and Gentiles, men and women, saints and sinners.

The Blind Man (June 6)

Finally, the Sixth Sunday commemorates the healing of the man blind from birth (John 9).  We are identified with that man who came to see and to believe in Jesus as the Son of God.  The Lord has anointed our eyes with His own divine hands and washed them with the waters of baptism (John 9: 6-11).  In Christ we are given the power to see and confess Him as God’s only-begotten Son, and we are given the ability to comprehend clearly and with love, our own lives, the lives of others and the world around us.

Ascension, Pentecost and All Saints Sunday

The Paschal Season ends with the great feast of Ascension (again, this year June 10) on which believers celebrate the Lord’s ascent in order to be glorified with God the Father and to glorify us with Himself.  He goes in order to “prepare a place” for us, and to take us into the blessedness of God’s presence.  He goes to open the way for all flesh into the “heavenly sanctuary...the Holy Place not made by hands” (See Hebrews 8-10).  Furthermore, Christ ascends in order to send the Holy Spirit (an event celebrated on Pentecost) who proceeds from the Father, to bear witness to Him (Christ) and His Gospel in the world, by making Him (Christ) powerfully present in the lives of His disciples.

On Pentecost (June 20) the Church celebrates the final act of God’s self-revelation and self-donation to the world.  God’s plan of salvation – starting with and including the formation of His chosen people, Israel; the sending of the prophets; the birth of Christ; His teachings, miracles, sufferings, death, burial and resurrection – all of this culminates with the giving of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and the birth of the New Israel, the Church of God, the life of which is the continued presence of the Spirit in our midst.

The Sunday after Pentecost, that of All Saints (June 27), reveals the power of the Holy Spirit in this world, the reason that He was given.  The Saints are those who, without a doubt, have been saved and transformed by the Spirit’s presence, a fate open to all who believe.  And then finally, on July 4, we commemorate All Saints of America, as a logical follow up to the previous Sunday.  This celebration affirms God’s presence and activity amongst His disciples in North America, placing before us local and contemporary examples of sanctity.    

Thus, a journey which began for us way back on February 14 with the Sunday of Zacchaeus will end on July 4.  But the journey was taken for a reason.  The seasons of fasting and celebration that we have experienced are to lead us to a deeper faith in Christ as Savior.  They are to instill within us a stronger commitment to our own mission, to be Christ’s witnesses “to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

The Cross, Tomb and Resurrection: A Three-Day Pascha

(The following is a brief reflection on Holy Friday, Holy Saturday and Pascha in the Orthodox Church. Much of the following information was compiled from writings by Fr. Alexander Schmemann and Fr. Thomas Hopko.

NOTE: Because of COVID restrictions, as well as limited personnel available to celebrate the more complicated services, the schedule for the last three days of Holy Week has been modified this year for St. Barbara’s.  The decision was not made lightly, and only after a great deal of thought. We hope, however, that these 2021 modifications, as well as a slightly expanded Bright Week schedule will be of benefit, especially to those unable to drive at night.)   

“The Cross, Tomb and Resurrection of Christ,” is a liturgical formula frequently heard in Orthodox Christian services. These final events of our Lord’s ministry are inseparably linked to one another. Their commemoration on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Holy Week form, what has been called, a three-day Pascha. Christ’s crucifixion is His Self-Offering for the sins of the world, His exodus from this life. That which follows is the Tomb, in which the Lord “rested” on the Blessed Sabbath from the work of re-creation. His rest however, was anything but static. The Icon for the day depicts the Savior’s descent into hell, filling all things with His glory, even death itself.  And then, our Lord’s Rising on the Third Day signals the resurrection of those who with faith worship His power, who take up their own cross and follow Jesus.  

Great & Holy Friday (April 30):

On the one hand, this is the most solemn of days, the day of Christ’s Passion, His Death and Burial.  On this day the Church invites us, as we kneel before the tomb of Christ, to realize the awful reality and power of sin and evil in “this world,” and in our own lives as well.   It is this power that led ultimately to “the sin of all sins, the crime of all crimes” the total rejection and murder of God Himself (Fr. Alexander Schmemann).

On the other hand, the Church affirms that this day of evil is also the day of redemption.  “The death of Christ is revealed to us as a saving death, an offering of love” (Fr. Alexander Schmemann).  Holy Friday is the beginning of the Lord’s Pascha, for the One Who is raised, is the One Who is crucified for us and for our salvation.  “By death Christ tramples down death…”  Thus, the tomb of Christ, placed in the center of the Church, is lavishly adorned with flowers, for from the tomb comes life.

The afternoon service is often referred to as “Burial Vespers.”  During its celebration the final events in the life of Christ are brought to mind through the scripture readings and the hymnography.  At the conclusion of Vespers, the faithful kneel and the choir sings, in a very slow manner, the troparia for the day which speak of Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus burying the Body of Jesus; and the angel’s announcement to the Myrrhbearing Women that, “Myrrh is fitting for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself a stranger to corruption.”   As these words are heard the clergy and servers make a procession around the tomb with the “winding sheet” on which is an icon of the crucified Lord. This winding sheet is placed on top of the tomb and venerated by the faithful.  

Service for Holy Friday will be celebrated at 3:00 pm. 

Great & Holy Saturday (May 1):  

On the morning of this day, at 10:00 am, we will celebrate the Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil.  This service “inaugurates the Paschal celebration…”  On ‘Lord I Call Upon Thee’ certain Sunday Resurrection hymns are sung, followed by special verses for Holy Saturday which stress the Death of Christ as the descent into Hades, the region of death, for its destruction.

"A pivotal point of the service occurs after the Entrance, when fifteen Old Testament lessons are read, all centered on the promise of the Resurrection, all glorifying the ultimate Victory of God…The epistle lesson is that which is read at Baptisms (Romans 6:3-11), referring to Christ’s Death and Resurrection as the source of the death in us of the “old man,” and the resurrection of the new man, whose life is in the Risen Lord  (Here we must remember that Pascha has always been the most traditional time for Baptisms of catechumens).  During the verses immediately after the epistle reading the dark Lenten vestments and altar coverings are put aside and the clergy vest in their brightest robes.  An announcement of the Resurrection is then read from the last chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel. The Liturgy of St. Basil continues in this white and joyful light, revealing the Tomb of Christ as the Life-giving Tomb, introducing us into the ultimate reality of Christ’s Resurrection, communicating His life to us…”  (Fr. Schmemann). 

It should be noted that on Holy Saturday every major act of the Vesperal Liturgy takes place in front of the Tomb: all processions, readings and Holy Communion.

Service celebrated at 10 am.

Pascha (May 2): 

Because this year is unique, the Main Resurrection service (Matins and Divine Liturgy) will begin at 10:00 am on Sunday morning.  During Matins the Paschal Canon will be heard along with “Christ is Risen,” sung many times. the Sermon of St. John Chrysostom will be read. During the Liturgy, the Prologue of St. John’s Gospel will be chanted.  We hope to have this done in several languages, symbolic of the universal character of the Christian Faith.  A Gospel lesson will be read as well during the Vespers at 5 pm. 

Paschal Matins and Liturgy will be celebrated on Sunday May 2, from 10:00 am to 12 noon, followed by the Blessing of Paschal Baskets.  Agape Vespers will be celebrated on Sunday, May 2, at 5 pm.

Sunday of the Prodigal Son: Remembering Others and Returning to the Father

(Sermon, Feb. 28) “Remembering this saving commandment and all those things which have come to pass for us: the Cross, the Tomb, the Resurrection on the third day, the Ascension into heaven, the Sitting at the right hand of God the Father, the Second and Glorious Coming...” (Prayer at the Consecration of the Gifts at Liturgy)

“Remembering our all-holy immaculate, most blessed and glorious Lady, Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us commend ourselves, and each other and all our life, unto Christ our God.” (Exclamation following each Litany)

The Orthodox Church has a lengthy history and an equally long memory of her experiences with God throughout the centuries.  On a personal level, however, individual Christians tend to have short memories when it comes to positive moments and events. In contrast, they cling tenaciously to the negative, to thoughts of how they were injured, either by others or simply by circumstances in life.  

The Church is all too familiar with these human tendencies.  In her wisdom, therefore, she offers a rich tradition that celebrates God’s saving activity in the lives of people: lest we forget. Orthodox Christians have inherited, for example, icons, prayers and a 2000-year-history that bear witness to the mighty works of the Lord performed in each generation, to individuals transformed by divine grace. We are to learn from their experiences, and always remember that, God is with us! He never abandons those whom He loves.

At the first Passover, the Israelites were instructed to recall, to relive each year, and to tell their children about God’s deliverance of His people from bondage to the enemy. (Exodus 13) We Christians have the same mandate, except in our case the enemy is not Pharaoh and the Egyptians. The enemy is identified with death, worldly corruption and the devil. Thus, each Holy Week prior to the Christian Passover (Pascha), we recall step by step, Christ’s Procession to the Cross, the details surrounding His Burial, the events immediately after the Resurrection, and the Old Testament prophecies concerning these things.  Similar attention surrounds the feasts of Christmas and Theophany (the Winter Pascha), as well as additional feasts of the Church throughout the year.  

Remembrance, however, is not only fundamental to the Faith.  More specifically, it is at the heart of the Gospel heard on this third Sunday of Pre-Lent, the Parable of the Prodigal Son. (Luke 15:11-32) The father never forgot his youngest son who had gone astray. All the months, perhaps years of praying, of wondering what happened to his child, ended emotionally with an outburst of tears, as the father embraced his son “once dead, now alive, once lost, but now found.” (15:24,32).

The wayward boy also never forgot. He certainly rejected his birthright for a period of time, but buried in his subconscious were memories of his home. As the months went by, he became more self-aware, acknowledging to himself his former dignity, as well as personal acts of betrayal. This ultimately became the impetus for repentance, for the son’s return to the father.

During the upcoming Fast (begins March 15), we will be called to remember how Man has betrayed God through sin, how each of us personally is guilty – on some level – of denying our birthright in Christ. We too, therefore, must return to the Heavenly Father through heartfelt repentance, a loving Father Who awaits us with open arms.

It is important to note that the story of the Prodigal affirms the place of freewill in the life of Man. Ultimately, all advice and counsel, even grace itself, must be freely received by an open heart willing to change.

Quite telling is the fact that the father in the Gospel never went after his son to force him to do the right thing. He could have very easily enlisted the help of his eldest son and servants for a rescue mission, but he did not. As a result, the Prodigal had to learn the hard way, discover for himself the foolishness of his actions. Nothing that a desperate father could have said to his rebellious child in such a situation would have made an impact on the boy’s heart, unless he was in a receptive state of mind.  To be sure, he could have been brought back forcibly to the estate, but inwardly – in spirit – he would have remained a Prodigal.   

In like manner, the Heavenly Father honors our freedom. He never coerces Christians or non-Christians. Instead, He invites, calls, encourages, instructs, warns us of what might lie ahead, and allows for every possible door of opportunity. He even gives freely to Man the gift of grace, “the power and effectual operation of the Holy Spirit,” to bring about a profound transformation within believers. But it all must be received willingly.

This explains prolonged periods of preparation before major Church celebrations, such as Pascha being preceded by Lent.  As we approach God, it is not just a matter of His acceptance of us, but of how open we are to His presence in our lives.     

The upcoming Fast will be welcomed wholeheartedly by many. It will prove difficult, even irritating for others, precisely because it involves freedom, self-discipline, and preparation.

No one forces us to fast, pray, to guard our senses, to practice charity toward others. No one is watching daily to see if we adults are following the disciplines of Lent designed to soften our hearts. No one, in fact, is keeping track of whether or not we generally follow the teachings of Christ. In the final analysis, we are responsible for our words, actions and thoughts, for our spiritual progress or lack thereof. We are responsible, but the Church through her longstanding tradition – by the act of continual remembrance – is able to show us the way, provide us with the grace of redemption, the Spirit of enlightenment which must be willingly received and nurtured in the lives of believers. 

If we are open to possibilities, much can be learned through the act of remembrance, recalling the events of our Lord’s ministry, invoking as well the names of those who have gone to their rest before us. We glean much from our forefathers’ mistakes, and especially from their spiritual victories. We benefit greatly from their prayers on our behalf, and from our union with them in Christ.

Again, the Fast begins on March 15. Even though we still “enjoy” COVID-related restrictions, the Coronavirus cannot overcome the gift of grace and a strong desire to be with God. St. Paul assures the believer, “that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, (is) able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) It has been noted by our bishops that the Crosses currently before us offer many hidden opportunities to approach the Lord.

Taking all this to heart, let us indeed enter the upcoming Fast with joy and all seriousness, using the time wisely for the glory of God, to the best of our abilities.  

Forgetfulness (of God) is Foolishness

Archpriest Steven Kostoff

And he (Jesus) told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’  And he said, ‘I will do this:  I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’  But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”  (LK. 12:16-21)

Whenever I hear this particular parable, I think of the words of Tevye the Dairyman in Shalom Aleichem’s delightful Yiddish stories about that warm and attractive character.  (Also, of course, the main character in the musical “Fiddler on the Roof”). In his musing about God one day, Tevye said:  “The more man plans, the harder God laughs.”  Profound theological thought from a poor dairyman!

It is hard to recall a more straightforward parable in terms of its over-all meaning and intent.  The Lord is here speaking of the inevitability and unavoidability of impending death.  Death is universal and ubiquitous.  And it remains the great equalizer between rich and poor. More specifically, though, the Lord is here dramatizing an unexpected death, one that catches a person totally unprepared and thus rendered a “fool” in the process.  The rich landowner’s foolishness is revealed in the fact that he had forgotten about God in his pursuit of his “treasure.”  His forgetfulness is his foolishness. There is no indication that the landowner was a particularly sinful person.  He may have even seemed pious and God-fearing on the surface.  But Christ often specifically warns against surface appearances, or what we call “lip service” to God, while the heart is actually quite distant.  Then again, the word sin, from the Gk. amartia, actually means “missing the mark.”  So, while a person may refrain from committing sinful acts, that same person can be completely “missing the mark” when it comes to a real relationship with God.  One can have social status and be totally lost at the same time.  The rich landowner reached a point where he began to evaluate everything in life based on the “self” and not on God.  His “portfolio building” resulted in an impoverished relationship with God.

Universal truths are often taken for granted or limited to banal platitudes of recognition.  This is probably the most true when we speak of our own impending deaths.  It is so true, that very truth has lost any revelatory dimension.  There is also the unconscious denial and the rationalizations that we use to “cope” with the hard truth of death.  And we cannot spend our time living in fear of an unexpected death.  That would only paralyze our capacity for living.  Yet, how many human beings throughout the world will this very day experience what the rich landowner of the parable did!  A “cardiac episode,” a fatal accident, victimization through a horrific crime.  This is the “stuff” of daily living.  And these things will happen to countless human beings this very day.  A Christian, needs to have a realistic awareness of precisely such possibilities.  But beyond such a realistic awareness, hopefully a life rich toward God.

This parable is not about creating a sense of fear or trembling in the face of death.  Our Christian hope is meant to liberate us of just such anxiety and fear.  However, I believe that we can speak of a “warning” given to us by the Lord.  Or perhaps a call to vigilance and preparedness.  Of setting our “priorities” in order, as we may say today. We need not be so swept up in our activities and pursuits that we forget God in the process.  There is no real excuse for that. Such an outcome renders our “successes” null and void. When we inevitably die and leave behind everything that we have accumulated, we can either hear the words, “Fool!” as in the parable; or “Well done, good and faithful servant!”  According to Christ this will depend on whether or not we spent a lifetime trying to get “rich towards God.”

(Father Steven Kostoff is rector of Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit Church, Cincinnati, Ohio. He is also a member of the adjunct faculty of the theology department at Xavier University in Cincinnati, where he has taught various courses on Orthodox theology.)

2020 Stress Test: Some Thoughts on the Coronavirus and Church Order

Fr. Basil Zebrun

(This past year provided people ample time for prayer and reflection, as well as opportunities to get bored and irritated with the world’s “new norm.” Additionally, many have expressed anger and grief, losing loved ones to the Coronavirus, as well as jobs to extreme economic slowdowns.  My brother priests and I – like everyone else – have thought a great deal about this disease, its effect on people’s lives and thinking. One particular concern has naturally been COVID’s effect on believers – clergy and laymen – and their relationship to the Body of Christ. The following article reflects just a few of our common thoughts along these lines. It offers no ultimate answers to many questions posed by Church members, but is a personal exercise, enabling me to clear my head, and to sort through some of the confusion of the past nine or ten months. It provides me as well, the present opportunity to share the thinking of others whose advice and counsel I value. I encourage readers to review the recently posted Encyclical of Hope by the OCA’s Synod of Bishops (oca.org) which addresses the issue of COVID-19 and the faithful, in a much more comprehensive manner.)                     

2020 functioned as a stress test of sorts for the Orthodox Church and her members. Challenges related to COVID-19 revealed both strengths and weaknesses of faith amongst Orthodox Christians, as well as differing views on Church order. Confusion was experienced in light of varied responses by bishops to the pandemic.  Many believers during the past nine months found themselves asking, “Whose teachings do we accept about the possibility or impossibility of getting sick while in Church?  Which practices should we agree to follow, when it comes to masks or no masks in Church, multiple Communion spoons or one, social distancing during services, and sign-up lists for worship?” Exacerbating the situation all along, was the hyper-politicization of anything related to the Coronavirus.  

Discussions of the above issues proved enlightening and surprising, as well as tiring. There was however – based on my limited exposure to COVID conversations – one fundamental item of Church order mentioned, but not greatly emphasized: the role of one’s bishop as a father in Christ and the administrator of his diocese. He is after all, the person ultimately responsible for the welfare of communities entrusted to his care. Members of these communities are his spiritual children, who ordinarily are sensitive to his wishes. They follow his directives, knowing that they are not issued haphazardly, but only after much prayer, thought and deliberation with others. Each bishop is responsible for his own flock.  Members of that flock look to him as their shepherd, the sacramental presence of Christ, the Chief Shepherd. 

It seems that the advent of COVID-19 tested these basic principles of Church order in unique ways, at least in North America. In light of the pandemic, each bishop issued directives for parishes subject to his care. Directives differed, however, from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, from diocese to diocese. Variations led to confusion, and not a few Orthodox Christians, especially in large metropolitan areas, opted to follow directives from other hierarchs that matched their personal ways of thinking and comfort zones.  Accordingly, some believers chose to attend multiple Orthodox Churches from Sunday to Sunday, while others stayed at their home parishes following, ignoring and/or questioning local parish and diocesan guidelines.        

Such activity, however, threw light on an additional widespread issue: the contemporary understanding in North America of what it means to be a “member” of a particular parish and/or diocese?  For years, multiple overlapping jurisdictions in this country, along with the positive fruit of Pan-Orthodox cooperation, have helped to blur lines of community.  Thankfully, believers feel quite comfortable in whatever Church they attend liturgy. Consequently, people have sincerely wondered, “may we accept as a norm, Orthodox Christians at large who have little to no clear accountability to any one parish or to any one bishop?” Such a notion is outside of my personal experience or way of thinking.  It is certainly foreign to practices involving clergy ordinations and subsequent assignments: i.e., there are no priests or deacons possessing at large status. Each is attached to a specific altar. Overall, however, the idea of laity at large also seems inconsistent with Orthodoxy’s understanding of Church and community, the believer’s experience of belonging to a specific family, with a particular father in Christ. Yet, here and abroad, there do exist many Orthodox Christians who function on this level of membership. Jurisdictional irregularities in North America easily allow for such a practice to take place.      

On Tuesday, December 29, Archbishop Alexander met in Dallas with clergy of the Southcentral Deanery of the Diocese of the South.  At this gathering, His Eminence, along with Archimandrite Gerasim (Diocesan Administrator and Dean) highlighted the resiliency of our communities in the year 2020, their ability to adapt successfully, under trying circumstances.  He also touched briefly on matters related to the smooth functioning of any diocese. In the process he provided an informative article by Bishop Alexis of Bethesda concerning obedience in the priestly life. Quoting St. Silouan, His Grace began by asserting that, ‘the spirit of obedience is necessary not only in monks, but in everyone else too.”  The article was meant simply to reinforce to the clergy the notion of proper Church order, as they and their parishioners follow the directives of Archbishop Alexander and the OCA’s Synod of Bishops regarding the pandemic.       

The deanery meeting, however, brought to mind certain vows from the Orthodox Chrismation Service.  When a catechumen is received into the Church, he affirms his wholehearted acceptance of basic Orthodox teachings and practices: “I believe and confess it,” he says aloud after each question from the priest.  Included in his confession, is faith in Christ as the Chief Shepherd, and in the Holy Spirit as the Guide and Pilot of the Church. He declares openly his acceptance of Conciliar decrees, the traditional interpretation of Scripture, seven major sacraments, veneration of saints and icons, and prayers for the departed.  He also acknowledges bishops and other leaders as being appointed by Christ to rule the Church.  

At the very end of this list, the catechumen makes a specific pledge: “true obedience, unto (his) life’s end, in guidance which is salutary unto the soul, to the Holy Synod (of Bishops) … and to the Bishop of this Diocese, as the true Pastors appointed by the Holy Spirit; and to the Priests ordained by them” (Hapgood Service Book, pp. 460-461). 

The wording of that particular vow may be open to interpretation. Its necessity may even be questioned since the place of bishops in the Church is already acknowledged by the catechumen, and because some service books do not include it.  Jurisdictional anomalies also call into question the current meaning and purpose of this vow on a practical level. Logically, however, if one makes such a pledge publicly, in the context of a particular, local community, the only reasons to disregard it would be for matters of heresy or immoral teachings espoused by one’s bishop. It is certain that current ecclesiastical disciplines related to the Coronavirus do not fall into these two categories, although some people may have different thoughts.                 

My opinion, and that of others, is that relative to Church life across the country, the challenges of COVID-19 in 2020 simply placed a bright spotlight on – among other things – issues that existed before the pandemic. These are slowly being addressed, however, by hierarchs and theologians: i.e., how Orthodox Christians today relate to their respective bishops, parishes, dioceses, and to Church order overall. Our present situation also calls into question how the faithful might respond to future hardships more difficult than what is now experienced: a stress test of sorts. We have been living in unique times for the present generation of Orthodox Christians in North America. The past nine months provided strong opportunities to exercise Christian charity, and to discuss Orthodox fundamentals. They offered the chance to grow spiritually, to learn from our mistakes, as well as from wisdom shared by others.

A Call to Christians

By Metropolitan Georges [Khodr] of Lebanon

This article, translated (2013) by Archpriest Alexis Vinogradov, appears in a collection of talks and essays titled L’Appel de l’Esprit, Église et Société, les Editions Cerf, Paris 2001.  The text originally appeared in “To Christians of My Nation,” Lissan-ul-Hal, January 14, 1968.

“Metropolitan George was elected to the episcopate on February 15, 1970. In addition to his duties within his diocese, he has been involved deeply in the education field, working as a professor of Arab Culture in the Lebanese University and of pastoral theology in St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology of the University of Balamand. Metropolitan George has been active in the ecumenical movement and in dialogue with Islam, as well as representing the Church of Antioch in pan-Orthodox and ecumenical meetings.  He has been a prolific writer with many articles, sermons, and books to his credit.” (orthodoxwiki.org)

You are bearers of a great vocation; you are a leaven of salvation. This is so on account of the One whose name you bear, and in whom you have been baptized. You are mistaken, however, in thinking that without him you can maintain some usefulness. You also make the mistake of thinking that others can make no progress, as if labels had some meaning in themselves; as if Christ could not, with or without the aid of water, baptize in God anyone to whom he would grant his grace. Certainly, all comes from the Savior whom you worship: all truth, all purity, all greatness, all that is ideal. There is nothing good in this world that is not in some manner upheld by Christ. But the Lord acts wherever he pleases and you have no say in limiting his work. He promised to shower you with his gifts, but he never told you that you would be the sole beneficiaries. I admonish you: do not be more regal than your King, him who can “from mere stones, raise up children for Abraham” (Mt.3:9).

You are not the end-all of this world! The world was not created to serve you; rather, it is you who are called to be servants. For, the servant listens attentively to the will of his master, and strives to realize his plans. All notions of domination are alien to your faith; such ideas are replaced by the ideal of service. All responsible persons among you find legitimacy in your authority only in its abnegation. And this authority wanes to the extent that its bearer allows himself to revel in it; it loses its reason for being, often long before it vanishes in reality. Neither the Lord in whom you believe, neither those for whom you are responsible can tolerate an authority that is not founded on service. Moreover, the cultural dominance in which you see your advantage, and by which you wish to justify a manner of superiority, is in process of becoming a myth, if it has not become such already. Learning is no longer your exclusive property, and knowledge—in its character of openness to the good, of refinement, the sense of taste and discernment, spreads more and more among peoples. If civilization is largely connected to women, who form half the human population, and who are its inspiration and teachers, it is clear that non-Christians, as well as Christians, share equally in all the gifts of nature.

Nothing else is as dear to the heart of Christ as this development. Since, Christ’s desire is for all; he is not, in any event, the property of anyone. He responds to the needs of all as, during his earthly ministry, he acted independently of the beliefs of any one individual. All the progress achieved by the faithful of other religions, gives him as much joy as that of his own disciples. He is the Savior of the world, not merely of his followers. He grants salvation to all by diverse paths, among them: culture, technology, and legitimate social struggles. Why do we not rejoice with Him in the success of others?

I would go so far as to say that the Lord is connected with ethical, artistic and scientific revolutions currently taking place in the world; in one or another manner they reveal his presence in the universe. Contemporary Christian thinking takes this position and begins to discover that God’s presence is not restricted to attitudes of humility, of good works or charity. If manifesting his presence God desires the good of all, it is a given that he will vary the means of expression. The spiritual life, with all that it can bring of inspiration and personal transformation, cannot exhaust the spiritual energy in the world.

Of course, the world is transformed by holiness. When the world was yet small, without great complexity, and still free of the confrontation with problems of a universal order, holiness had a simpler face. But in a world open and in process of unification, more and more complex in globalization and its attendant problems, there is no doubt that holiness has also to find new forms. And these forms should not exclude the exploration of objective and technical solutions to the difficulties of mankind. The creativity, by which today’s man succeeds and surpasses himself, bears a presence of Christ hidden from the world. The day will come when this presence is revealed, but for now it must remain concealed. Their duty of love towards the world imposes on Christ’s disciples the responsibility to participate in its development and radical transformation. Their love can no longer remain on an individual level; it must show itself on the level of community action and historical change.

Christians must achieve this transformation of the world with others, for the good of all. This can no longer be the business of one group or one country, whatever its advantages. No, it is no longer tenable for this transformation to occur as a result of action in one direction; it must be the result of an exchange, of participation. For, every assistance provided by an entity with power towards another less developed one, exposes the powerful to the risk of subordinating the weaker one, of imposing its needs and thus ending in a politic of supremacy. The believer must give not only with generosity, but he must learn to receive with the same simplicity and the same humility, as do those who are recipients of his gift.

If that is the Christian vision today, then you who are Christians, wherever you are, must be at the same time ready to give and to receive, that is to say, in a state of participation. Ready to give because you have been given by Christ; ready to receive not because of any reward, but because therein lies also a grace given you by Christ through others.

The contribution of our nation on the world stage can be the inauguration of this idea of participation that the great powers seem not to have yet discovered. It happens, moreover, that an awakening is engendered by those who seem insignificant. But that which ought to concern you more directly, that which is more important, is that the true life of man lies in his abandonment of himself, that it is through this abandonment and in the encounter with the other in truth, that a human being ends up in finding himself. Until now you have not known the other in the Lord. You have only seen his ugliness. Naturally, aside from his weaknesses and contradictions, no man is exempt from childishness, artificiality, and egocentricity. But the ugliness of the creature cannot overwhelm in him the imprint of his Creator. Every human being, by virtue of his vocation, by the charisms given him by God, and by his aspirations towards infinite horizons, participates in Christ. It is only in this light that you must see the other; in doing so you will help that person bring to life in himself that divine personality he is called to become. More importantly, you must also realize that you will not simply remain neutral, that you will in fact become strangers to Christ if you refuse to regard the other in this way.

Thus, what is the point of striving to affirm some sort of superiority, and desiring at all costs that it should be acknowledged by others? Christ makes himself present only in love; if you are not replete with it yourselves, you will contribute nothing to the edification of your country and to the well-being of humanity. It is in love that you will find meaning within yourself and in your life; it must therefore be everything for you. Without it you battle with the void and return to a primitive barbarism.

Essentially, you are the core that is called to die so that others may live. You hold the secret of life because someone has taught you to accept death. All your success lies in this self-effacement, in this perpetual élan that opens to you the boundaries of the Church towards new horizons of your sacrificial witness. It is precisely in not advertising this secret that you confirm your identity. Your entire particularity rests in the fact that you neither try to define it, nor impose it. You will only be saved to the measure that you are not preoccupied with your own salvation. On the contrary, you ought to plunge into the mêlée, into the very heart of the world’s problems. You won’t seek to dominate for: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.　It must not be so with you” (Mt.20:25,26). You, you are not of this world. Each time you take pride in the fact that you hold certain power according to the world’s reasoning, or gain honors according to common convention, you cease to have an active spiritual presence. For, “God chose the lowly things of this world and the things despised—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are” (1 Cor.1:28).

Do you believe in all this? (oca.org).

Facing our (Worst) Fears

Archpriest Steven Kostoff

“For I am sure that neither death, nor life, not angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, not height, nor depth, not anything else will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39)

I cannot find the exact citation at the moment, but I recall that St. John Chrysostom once said/wrote that, as human beings, we have three major fears: 1) poverty; 2) illness: and 3) death. And what we fear we do our utmost to avoid.  We are surrounded by this fearful triad in such a way that we cannot ignore, try as we might, the dangers to our well-being that they persistently threaten us with. Poverty and illness can be thoroughly debilitating, but both can be overcome. Yet the finality of death is inescapable, and for this reason it remains the greatest of our fears, with only its postponement as our most realistic goal. For this reason, we all maximize our capabilities and strategies so as to hold these three fears at bay. Now, as a Christian pastor, preacher and theologian, St. John went on to say that through our faith in Christ, we need to always remember that none of these three fears - or perhaps we should say “realities” -  can keep us from God. The poor person can still believe in and trust God. The one who is ill can turn to God with patience and prayer. Even death itself is not a barrier between ourselves and God because the death and resurrection of Christ have removed the “sting of death,” and transformed death into a passage to God. All this leads St. John to the conclusion that there is only one thing to actually fear - and that would be sin! And for this reason: it is sin that creates the barrier that keeps us away from God. If, therefore, you come to the realization that the supreme good in life is closeness with God, then you realize that there is nothing in this world that can undermine that relationship but sin itself, that “missing of the mark” that frustrates our relationship with God. Poverty, illness and death itself cannot keep us from God, but sin can and will. Ultimately, a profoundly encouraging insight by a deep Christian thinker and pastor.

I should add that in no way did St. John brush aside the terrible effects upon living human beings of poverty, illness and the fear of death. He tirelessly preached to his flock about its responsibility to alleviate the crushing burden of poverty that others are suffering from; or to deeply sympathize and assist those who are struggling with any kind of illness or physical defect. He knew firsthand about the harsh environment of a sprawling cosmopolitan setting and how the well-to-do and healthy members of that society can coldly ignore the sufferings of others - even among his Christian flock. He knew the grip that the fear of death terrorized his same flock with. Poverty, illness and death were daily realities that he contended with when both a presbyter and then bishop in the cities of Antioch and Constantinople. All the more so, then, as a preacher would he exhort and seek to keep the image of Christ alive and burning within the minds and hearts of his flock. For St. John, only faith in Christ could dispel, or at least weaken, those fears.

As to our fears today, the same is true for us as there is “nothing new under the sun.” What is different in our immediate present is just how these three fears have been so forcefully - if not brutally - brought to our attention with the spread of the coronavirus. This global pandemic has brought these three realities to the surface in a way that most people have probably not experienced in their lives before today. Life goes on in our homes and families, but our conversations, the news that we hear, and our very thoughts are fixated on the things we are contending with - poverty, illness and death. These fears that we can more-or-less hide from within the quotidian events of “normal life” have been thrust before our troubled and anxious gaze. Unexpected unemployment is afflicting a huge segment of our society, to the point that it is being compared to some of the great recessions of the past.  This raises the specter of poverty, even with the social programs and government assistance that are meant to alleviate the pressures of that possibility. We know further of how unemployment undermines self-confidence and self-worth leading to depression over the uncertainty of the future. Hence, the eagerness to re-establish normalcy so as to “get back to work.” As over a million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus, and as we hear some of the horrific stories of people who have been ill, we then all the more fear our own exposure so that now our “neighbor” is the very person that must be avoided and kept at a distance. We can no longer invite other persons into our “space.” And with over sixty thousand American deaths as of this writing, the reality of death is no longer a remote inevitability postponed for a far-distance future; but something brought to our attention on a daily basis. Thus, as St. John Chrysostom taught centuries ago, we are indeed facing our worst fears today.

There may exist a misplaced piety among Christians that claims that any fear in the face of any danger is somehow indicative of a lack of faith. The person who believes in Christ should be fearless, according to this approach. And there is support for such a position found in the Scriptures: “that through death he (i.e. Christ) might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage” (Heb. 2:14-15). A firm belief in Christ’s victory over death is our path to freedom for its fearful grip. And yet, in that same Epistle to the Hebrews, we hear of Christ’s agony - and fear - in the Garden of Gethsemane in deeply moving terms: “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” (Heb. 5:7). Even the Son of God agonized over his messianic ministry of passing through “the valley of the shadow of death.” There is apparently an inevitable tension between a stance of fearlessness before the reality of death; but also of a genuine fear of death while “in the flesh.” I would think that most Christians live within that tension. Christians believe that Christ has “trampled down death by death.” This is the faith that we live by and which we proclaim in our liturgical assemblies, especially when receiving the Eucharist.  But we will face our own “agony” and fear when faced with the prospect of death. Perhaps we all share that poignant cry from the Gospel:  “I believe, help my unbelief!” (Mk. 9:24). Those Christians who attempt to intimidate “weaker” Christians into “proving” that they have faith even when fearful, are clearly lacking in charity. 

St. John Chrysostom was right: we fear 1) poverty; 2) illness; and 3) death. We can call this (fallen) human nature or the human condition.  Any such terms are applicable. If our anxieties and fears have been heightened to a greater or lesser degree during this coronavirus pandemic, it need not cause us further anxiety concerning our faith, or a debilitating discouragement that we are not being faithful enough. To see our weaknesses is not meant to discourage us. In fact, it should encourage us to be honest about ourselves, so as to face and wrestle with our fears. Perhaps like the patriarch Jacob in that mysterious event when he wrestled with an angel, that is how we can overcome them. We know our weaknesses, now we need to avail ourselves of those “tools” from within the Church which, when humbly turned to, can build up our faith - prayer, the Scriptures, Repentance, Confession and the Eucharist (when available again!). Otherwise, our social isolation will only create spiritual fatigue and emptiness. We cannot afford to wait until life returns to normal to then resume our “religious lives” in church. On the contrary, St. Paul exhorts us: “Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation” (II Cor. 6:2). And elsewhere: “I can do all things in Christ Who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). I believe being brought face-to-face with our fears is a painful lesson in humility. The French Orthodox theologian, Jean-Claude Larchet says this with great insight:  “Illness is an opportunity for each person to experience his ontological fragility, his dependence, and to turn to God as the one who can help overcome it: if not physically (for there do occur, in response to prayer, miraculous healings), then at least spiritually, and give it a meaning by which one builds oneself up, and without which one only allows oneself to be destroyed.” To be humbled is not to be discouraged. To put that another way: I do not believe that God works through discouragement. But I do believe that strengthened by the grace of God, we can work through discouragement in any form that it may assail us. Realizing our dependence on Christ - “For apart from Me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5) - teaches us to be humble. We therefore cannot judge anyone else - including all of those “unbelievers” who live in our midst.

There is something to learn about ourselves, the world around us, and “life” itself, as we face a multitude of fears during this coronavirus crisis in which we are immersed. The process may be painful, but the results are positive. We are learning to care for and to love each other, to more fully appreciate the “little things” in life, to take nothing for granted - including tomorrow - and to deeply sympathize with the sufferings of others. On the pastoral level I am hoping that this includes a deeper awareness of our dependence on God. St. John Chrysostom knew our fears, but he also knew how liberating it is to believe in Christ. We may realize this today never before: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever.” (Heb. 13:8).

COVID-19, Anxiety and Prayer

Fr. Basil Zebrun

(Within this article are thoughts on prayer by Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, as well as recommended disciplines that may prove useful during these difficult times.)

Introduction:

Major, unforeseen difficulties force people inevitably to reassess priorities while making important observations about human behavior, as they witness the reactions of others – and take note of their own reactions – to various crises.  The present widespread concern, and in many cases panic, over the Coronavirus is a unique situation that brings to light human tendencies: the strengths and weaknesses of individuals, local communities and our nation as a whole.  In the long run these revelations can be quite edifying. They may in fact lead to meaningful life-changes in those who have, “eyes to see and ears to hear.”

On the one hand, fist fights at grocery stores in front of near-empty shelves, along with the hoarding of toilet paper, hand sanitizer and other supplies (at times for personal profit) remind us that despite social progress “looking out for number one” is still a basic rule of life in this world.  Fallen Man is largely driven by his appetites and fears. He has yet to acquire that perfect love “which casts out all fear” (1 John 4:18).

At the same time, we see numerous examples these days of that “greater love” spoken of by Jesus (John 15:13), demonstrated by individuals serving on the front lines of the war against COVID-19.  It is a love to which all can aspire, witnessing sacrifices by others on behalf of the neighbor.  

Perhaps one of the most significant take-aways from the present situation is a profound awareness of life’s fragility, a sense of one’s own mortality. Quarantines and social distancing have had a sobering effect on the general populace. People are anxious and maybe for the first time are having to address ultimate questions regarding life and death. Even if the Coronavirus is not a primary concern with specific groups (reportedly with a number of college students), there exist other related sources of anxiety:  the deaths of loved ones, an unsteady economy and job furloughs, as well as the closures of popular businesses, entertainment venues and parks, relied on for “personal escape.”  Such forced changes are unavoidable reminders that we are not really masters of our own universe, that life as we know it and want it, is never set in stone. 

We have all heard the countless reports about COVID-19, its effect on various countries and cities. Depending on the source it is estimated that over 170 countries have been hit by the pandemic.  The one constant seems to be that people want their lives to return to normal. The waiting and the politicizing of this issue, as well as uncertainties about the future, are unbearable for many.  In the midst of the crisis, personal faith may be weakened by doubts and fears.  People ask, “how and for what, can a person pray at times like these?”

In terms of the what, the bottom line of all prayer is, “Thy Will be done…” Believers continually appeal to God’s wisdom and providence, giving thanks, “always and for everything” (Ephesians 5:20).  Inner peace is sought, as well as clarity of mind so that the present challenges may be addressed effectively.  Family members and “the neighbor” are certainly remembered both in prayer and through charitable acts.  Medical professionals, civic leaders and Church hierarchs are foremost in everyone’s thoughts, working as they are on the front lines.  And perhaps most importantly, Christians continue to see prayer not only as a series of requests, but as the main means by which they commune with one another through Jesus Christ our Lord, sharing in His divine life.  

Thoughts by Bishop Bloom:

In terms of the how of prayer, Metropolitan Anthony Bloom in his classic, Beginning to Pray, has pertinent thoughts in a chapter entitled, Managing Time.  To paraphrase greatly a few of his points:  much of the anxiety that prevents individuals from living and praying as they should derives from living in a past that no longer exists, while projecting desires and fears into a future that has yet to arrive.  It is a future in fact, which may never arrive, at least not in ways that people envision.  His Eminence directs readers to live in the moment, to discover the how’s of “stopping time” as he puts it, so that each moment acquires intensity and purpose.  Learning this technique brings a desired focus to personal prayer.  His concern is that people often view the present as almost non-existent.  They slide from the past into the future very quickly and nervously, with “the present” experienced as an extremely thin line. He suggests ways in which this approach to life may be altered.     

The Corona Crisis is a good example of how decisive, unexpected experiences are capable of driving home the above realizations.  Metropolitan Anthony – as he describes it – had his own pivotal experience while under interrogation during WWII.  Others have learned from illnesses, accidents and various hardships through which they faced death: the value and power of each minute was made clear. Unfortunately, such lessons are often short-lived.  Man has a tendency to quickly forget important revelations.  He falls back easily into former ways of thinking and behaving.     

His Eminence offers simple techniques that may teach believers to live in the moment, thereby impacting their ability to pray and to live life more fully.  “I think,” he says, “we must do exercises in stopping time and in standing in the present, in the “now” which is my present, and which is also the intersection of eternity with time.” 

One such exercise – he explains – is to sit, only with yourself, and say, ““I am seated, I am doing nothing, I will do nothing for five minutes,” and then relax, and continually throughout this time…realize, “I am here in the presence of God, in my own presence and in the presence of all the furniture that is around me, just still, moving nowhere.”” 

Bloom emphasizes that you must also, “decide that within these two minutes, five minutes, which you have assigned to learning that the present exists, you will not be pulled out of it by the telephone, by a knock on the door, or by a sudden upsurge of energy that prompts you to do at once what you have left undone for the past ten years…” Once you learn to do this with, “lost moments of your life…then extend the few minutes to a longer time and then to a little while longer still…”

A person will eventually have to apply this technique not only during moments where, “time drags…but at moments when it rushes,” when one is busily engaged with work or other responsibilities. In all honesty, people know that they often stop whatever they are doing for brief periods, out of “sheer laziness,” or according to “how they feel.”  At these times they come to realize that, “the world does not falter and that the whole world…can wait for five minutes while (they) are not busy with it…”  Through practiced techniques the same lesson may be learned intentionally with regard to prayer and the whole of life.

Depending on the nature of personal responsibilities, His Eminence suggests the use of a pre-set alarm throughout the day, as a signal to initiate periods of stillness.  “Try not to anticipate the alarm,” he says, but work diligently until you hear it ring. Time moves neither faster nor slower while watching the clock.  With the sound of the alarm a person should stop whatever he or she is doing and, “know that for the next five minutes the world (in a sense) has come to an end and you will not move from (your) spot.  It is God’s own time and you settle back in His own time quietly, silently and peacefully…you will discover very soon that you can very well postpone (whatever you are doing) for three, five or even ten minutes and nothing happens.  And, if you are doing something that requires attention, you will discover (after a while) how much better and more quickly you can do it.”

You will also discover, he states, that, “the moment you overcome the inner tension, the inner agitation, the fidgeting and the anguish, (at that moment) time passes perfectly well.” You experience more powerfully the value of time, that, “every minute counts as much as the next minute, every hour as much as the next hour…” and so on.  With this discovery you realize that, “you can pray in every single situation in the world, that there is no situation which can prevent you from praying…”  In addition, the temptation presents itself with less frequency, to project fears into a non-existent future. All of one’s love, faith and thoughts can then be brought into the present moment of life that is given.  

Just a few thoughts from an Orthodox Christian hierarch, known for his insights.  His works on prayer are easy reads, and may prove useful, especially during these difficult times. A few of his more popular books are: Beginning to Pray, Courage to Pray, Living Prayer, and God and Man.

Great Lent

Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko

The season of Great Lent is the time of preparation for the feast of the Resurrection of Christ. It is the living symbol of man’s entire life which is to be fulfilled in his own resurrection from the dead with Christ. It is a time of renewed devotion: of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is a time of repentance, a real renewal of our minds, hearts and deeds in conformity with Christ and His teachings. It is the time, most of all, of our return to the great commandments of loving God and our neighbors.

In the Orthodox Church, Great Lent is not a season of morbidity and gloominess. On the contrary, it is a time of joyfulness and purification. We are called to “anoint our faces” and to “cleanse our bodies as we cleanse our souls.” The very first hymns of the very first service of Great Lent set the proper tone of the season:

Let us begin the lenten time with delight…let us fast from passions as we fast from food, taking pleasure in the good words of the Spirit, that we may be granted to see the Holy Passion of Christ our God and his Holy Pascha, spiritually rejoicing.

Thy grace has arisen upon us, O Lord, the illumination of our souls has shown forth; behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the time of repentance (Vespers Hymns).

It is our repentance that God desires, not our remorse. We sorrow for our sins, but we do so in the joy of God’s mercy. We mortify our flesh, but we do so in the joy of our resurrection into life everlasting. We make ready for the resurrection during Great Lent, both Christ’s Resurrection and our own.

Pre-Lenten Sundays (February 2 thru March 1):

The Paschal season of the Church is preceded by the season of Great Lent, which is itself preceded by its own liturgical preparation. The first sign of the approach of Great Lent comes five Sundays before its beginning. On this Sunday the Gospel reading is about Zacchaeus the tax-collector (this year, February 2). It tells how Christ brought salvation to the sinful man and how his life was greatly changed simply because he “sought to see who Jesus was” (Lk 19.3). The desire and effort to see Jesus begins the entire movement through lent towards Easter. It is the first movement of salvation.

The following Sunday is that of the Publican and the Pharisee (February 9). The focus here is on the two men who went to the Temple to pray—one a pharisee who was a very decent and righteous man of religion, the other a publican who was a truly sinful tax-collector who was cheating the people. The first, although genuinely righteous, boasted before God and was condemned, according to Christ. The second, although genuinely sinful, begged for mercy, received it, and was justified by God (Lk 18.9). The meditation here is that we have neither the religious piety of the pharisee nor the repentance of the publican by which alone we can be saved. We are called to see ourselves as we really are in the light of Christ’s teaching, and to beg for mercy.

The next Sunday in the preparation for Great Lent is the Sunday of the Prodigal Son (February 16). Hearing the parable of Christ about God’s loving forgiveness, we are called to “come to ourselves” as did the prodigal son, to see ourselves as being “in a far country” far from the Father’s house, and to make the movement of return to God. We are given every assurance by the Master that the Father will receive us with joy and gladness. We must only “arise and go,” confessing our self-inflicted and sinful separation from that “home” where we truly belong (Lk 15.11–24).

The next Sunday is called Meatfare Sunday since it is officially the last day before Easter for eating meat (February 23). It commemorates Christ’s parable of the Last Judgment (Mt 25.31–46). We are reminded this day that it is not enough for us to see Jesus, to see ourselves as we are, and to come home to God as his prodigal sons. We must also be his sons by following Christ, his only-begotten divine Son, and by seeing Christ in every man and by serving Christ through them. Our salvation and final judgment will depend upon our deeds, not merely on our intentions or even on the mercies of God devoid of our own personal cooperation and obedience.

…for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and in prison and you visited Me. For truly I say to you, if you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to Me (Mt 25).

We are saved not merely by prayer and fasting, not by “religious exercises” alone. We are saved by serving Christ through his people, the goal toward which all piety and prayer is ultimately directed.

Finally, on the eve of Great Lent, the day called Cheesefare Sunday and Forgiveness Sunday, we sing of Adam’s exile from paradise (March 1). We identify ourselves with Adam, lamenting our loss of the beauty, dignity and delight of our original creation, mourning our corruption in sin. We also hear on this day the Lord’s teaching about fasting and forgiveness, and we enter the season of the fast forgiving one another so that God will forgive us.

If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses (Mt 6.14–18).

(Taken from The Orthodox Faith, Volume II, Worship, published by the Department of Christian Education of the Orthodox Church in America).