 I have been told by my priest that Anglicanism is not so much an entity in and of itself, as we might say of the Roman Catholic church. It is instead, in the context of England, a series of phases in England's religious life. Thus one generation is raised 'evangelical' and used to low church; and so seeks a deeper experience; their children are used to high church and perhaps don't connect; they desire a low church experience (or cease coming at all.)
The best way to sum up the concern that Orthodox have (who are aware of the potential problem), converts, reverts, cradles and re-treads, is that Orthodoxy in the United States does not become 'a phase in the religious life of America.'
It is this expression alone, I think, that sums up all of the issues. We would not say that Vladimir's conversion was a reflection of a 'phase in the religious life of Russia' - nor again would we look on the conversion of Nina, Gregory (of Armenia,) Paul, Peter, Patrick, Thomas, Matthias, Columba, and so on, as reflections of a 'phase in the religious life' of their given region or ethnicity!
By this I mean one thing; does the motion towards Christendom appear to be a radical departure - whether sudden or gradual - from that people's way of life, from their character? Does it appear to be an action which disdains the world and its concerns, which are reflected in that culture's patterns of life - in general?
It comes down to this, that if we were not Orthodox, and we became Orthodox, if it does not represent a genuine departure, then it most likely represents, like the Oxford movement, simply another phase in our 'religious life' - one that in a generation will disappear.
Can most groups that call themselves Christians substantiate a claim that they are otherwise? What do you suppose is required that we take to heart - in the ancient sense of having it rest in the very center of our being - Christ's commands and the following Apostolic interpretation by John the Divine?
I mean this:
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
John the Divine, writing in his epistle about this says:
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides for ever.
We are given three warnings, and I think, three signs: The first is that a Christian cannot feel at home in the world; this is a strong disdain, about which G.K. Chesterton says:
I walked the ways and heard what all men said,
Forests of tongues, like autumn leaves unshed,
Being not unlovable but strange and light;
Old riddles and new creeds, not in despite
But softly, as men smile about the dead. (The Convert)
Warning the man who tells him that he will follow, Jesus simply tells him that if he follows, he will not feel at home in the world any longer. It is like being dead.rnrnThe second man wants to care for his family first, not that his father had died - (though we can use this image if we wish) - but I am informed that the Aramic idiom means 'let me care for my father first that I might keep the commandment, honor your father and mother.' Implying, naturally, that he should do so until his father passes away.
About this John Chrysostom has said:
And herein too we should admire the instructiveness of His teaching, that He nailed him fast to His word, and with this freed him from those endless evils, such as lamentations, and mournings, and the things that follow thereafter. For after the burial he must of necessity proceed to inquire about the will, then about the distribution of the inheritance, and all the other things that follow thereupon; and thus waves after waves coming in succession upon him, would bear him away very far from the harbor of truth. For this cause He draws him, and fastens him to Himself.
To translate to modern English as best as I can I will render it thusly:
And here also we should admire the power of His instruction, that He nailed him fast to His word, and in this way freed the man from endless troubles, such as funeral lamentations and mournings, and the other things that follow. By this I mean, the will, the inheritance, and endless other things. And you can see that waves after waves of these concerns would carry him far from the harbor of truth. Therefore, the Lord draws him in and fastens him to himself.
One concern that we have, and have too often is that of burying our dead. The warning is simple: Let the dead bury their own dead. (Temper and contrast this with the instruction given to Hermas.)
The third and final warning seems strangest (and most severe!) and this comes in the form of a man who wishes to first say good-bye to his family. (Ironically, in our own English, good-bye comes from the phrase, 'God be with ye' )
We look at this judgment as severe - but it is not so much a judgment - of the person of this man - but a warning. Imagine that you need to catch a bus. Would you say to the driver, "wait, first let me go and say good-bye to my family, and then I will get on." Unless your family is there wishing you good-bye at the bus stop, you will quite simply miss the bus.
A mere movement never has these three characteristics. Consider; Firstly, it is a reflection simply of the culture; therefore it does not look on those things as one dead, but is very concerned about them. Secondly, it wants to drag its whole family along; it has to make sure that everyone is okay with what is happening; it is a popular movement. And third, it clearly places minor worldly concerns, such as personal politics, over the concern of reaching its destination. Thus it inevitably feels as though it is 'behind the times' and is ever trying to 'catch up with them.'
Instead it should be running ahead, wherever the Lord is going, and only saying good-bye to its family if it is in shouting distance. "I'm sorry! I have to go! Please understand!" Today the Lord would have probably said to the man, 'Leave them a voice mail.'
However, we should notice that the result of these radical conversions is not a worldly thing; the man who follows Christ without concern for those three things will find that they are taken care of ('Have no anxiety for to-morrow, for instance) our concern is not that our culture is okay with what we're doing. Our concern also is not that our culture is angry, or against what we're doing. If we do not say good-bye, our family has no time to give objections or affirmations.
But knowing us, we will inevitably slip up and try to find a place to lay our heads; we will sometimes bury the dead for the dead, and will at other times miss an opportunity because we are concerned with a minor worldly care. We should be reminded of the mercy of God, who when Moses was doing this very thing while standing in his very presence does not respond with wrath, but instead mercy. When Moses, who should be going and freeing his people, instead dawdles with a question such as, "who will I tell them sent me?" God gives him what to us is his most important name, "I AM".
It is this name which is abbreviated in three letters identifying Christ in an icon in his halo. (ho on - the existing one.) As Gabriel says to Mary, 'With God, all things will be possible!'
So I'll restate my question: What does it take for us to take these things to heart?
Theotokos, pray for us sinners now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. |
