obedience – The Tao of Holy Orthodoxy

March 15, 2018April 27, 2018

52. Divine Medicine: The Holy Mysteries

Life medicines

As a catechumen, you have been engaged in a period of intensive training to prepare you for entrance into the Holy Orthodox Church, the Hospital established by Christ, our Physician. Only when you are admitted to the Hospital under the care of the Bishop and Priests will you receive the full treatment to cure your soul.

When you have been received into the Church, the Divine Medicines will be open to you. We call these various Medicines the Holy Mysteries. They are also called the Holy Sacraments. We list these seven Mysteries, but we do not limit their number:

Holy Baptism
Holy Chrismation
Holy Communion
Holy Confession
Holy Marriage (Matrimony)
Holy Unction (Anointing of the Sick)
Holy Ordination

Through the Holy Mysteries, your body and soul will encounter the Divine Grace, that is, the Life-Giving Presence of God. Each of the Holy Mysteries works effectively, not because it contains an active ingredient derived from the creation, but because God works through the Mystery to heal us. See in the Holy Mysteries how the Uncreated One works through His human creatures and simple components of His creation, like water and oil, to touch us, change us, and unite us with Himself.

You can only really know the Holy Mysteries with the heart by experiencing them. Medicines are meant to be taken by the sick. They are not objects of curiosity. Yet, your rational mind can learn about the meaning and use of the Holy Mysteries by reading Holy Scripture and the history of the early Church. Since the Mysteries are inseparable from our prayer and worship, the liturgical services and prayers can likewise help you reach a basic understanding of those Divine Mysteries beyond comprehension.

Most importantly, continue to repent and prepare yourself for receiving the Life-Giving Medicines. May God give you good strength!

January 3, 2018March 15, 2018

47. In Good Order: Servants & Leaders

Christ_washes_apostles'_feet_(Monreale)

A good father and mother love their children more than themselves and provide all the necessary nurturing care necessary for their children to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. Good children love and obey their parents. A proper order exists. The parents are not obedient to their children, but the other way around. Everyone loves one another. This is a healthy hierarchy, an order not based on power over others, but a balanced family relationship rooted in self-giving love. Within the Church, some have received greater authority and higher positions than others. The Church is a well-ordered, hierarchical family.

Within a marriage, the husband is the head, that is, the head servant responsible for loving his wife, living for his wife’s benefit, and, if necessary, dying for his wife’s sake. If you are in authority over others, you must be a servant, too. This is what being the chief means: Working as the chief servant. Our Master, Jesus Christ, taught the nature of spiritual leadership when He washed His own Disciples’ feet and dried them with a towel. For this reason, a simple towel serves as a powerful symbol of family hierarchy, humble leadership, and obedient servanthood within the Church. A leader in the Church is one who serves, being an icon of humility and an example of obedience.

A Bishop, even one holding the high office of Patriarch, must be humbly obedient to the decisions of His brother Bishops who together form the Synod. Everyone over whom the Bishop is a spiritual Shepherd is called to be obedient to the Bishop and to the Priests, who are given authority to serve as spiritual fathers, pastors, and ministers. Again, this is not a hierarchy of power, but a balanced family structure rooted in love.

Consider the Deacon with regard to proper, reverent obedience. The Deacon does not put on his vestments until the Priest blesses him to do so. Before he leads the people in a prayerful litany, the Deacon receives the blessing of the Priest. Before he census with the censor, the Deacon asks the Priest to bless the incense. The Deacon does not presume to lift up the Gospel Book from the Holy Altar, but instead receives it from the hand of the Priest as he kisses the Priest’s hand. Before he reads the Holy Gospel, the Deacon asks the Priest to bless him. The Deacons is an icon of humility and obedience.

When the Bishop visits an Orthodox community, much of what the Priest usually does is performed by the Bishop, who is superior in office and authority to the Priest. The Priest does not bless the Deacon, the people, or the incense when the Bishop is there because the Bishop offers the blessings. The Priest does not presume to put on his vestments when the Bishop is visiting until he receives a blessing from the Bishop. When he offers prayers during the services, the Priest and Deacon often bow to the Bishop in reverence and recognition of His authority.

The spiritual life flourishes in the community characterized by good order, loyal obedience, and mutual love. Love and respect those who have been set in authority over you for the benefit of your salvation and endeavor to love and serve others. Strive to be a leader within the Church by being a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. If you live this Way, you will contribute to the harmony within your spiritual family and also nurture peace and harmony within yourself. Remember, this is part of your spiritual therapy for the healing of your soul and the fulfillment of your potential and purpose.

Read: Matthew 20:20-28; Matthew 25.14-30; John 13:1-17; 21.1-25; Acts 6.1-8; 20.28; 2 Corinthians 11.22-33; Ephesians 5.1-33; Hebrews 13.7, 17; 1 Peter 5.1-4

November 13, 2017November 13, 2017

35. Be Like a Healthy Fruit Tree

peach tree

As an Orthodox Christian, your inner faith must be expressed in outer action. How you live your life daily reveals the true condition of your heart. A good, healthy fruit tree produces good, healthful fruit in its branches. A fruit tree that does not produce good fruit is neither healthy nor fulfilling its purpose. Purify your heart through prayer and repentance in order to produce good fruit.

Love God first, above all else, and love Him entirely, with your whole being. This is the greatest commandment of the Way. The next greatest commandment is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. (Who is your neighbor? Whoever needs your love, compassion and kind help.)

Our Lord and Master said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Therefore, if we love Christ, we must follow His teachings, which keep us on the Way of salvation and in the stream of Life. As an Orthodox Christian, dedicate yourself to behaving the Way that Christ and His Apostles have taught us to behave daily.

Many people in Western society treat the inner life and outer action as though they are two completely separate parts of life. This is especially true with regard to the use of the body. In reality, how you use your body affects your soul. You cannot, for example, live the Way in your soul while using your body for immoral purposes. Learn the virtuous path and be obedient to Christ. Do not, rather, give obedience to the demons or allow the ravenous passion of lust, which is connected to the pleasure of the body, to control your thoughts and actions.

Following the commandments of Christ require humility and obedience. The necessity of these two, humility and obedience, cannot be underestimated. Without them you cannot walk the Way to healing and transformation nor reach your potential and purpose. Humility and obedience, which Christ Himself taught us though both His words and His example, are essential for your progress. Keep these virtues in your heart, in your mind, and in your daily work in the world.

Read: Luke 6.43-49; John 14.15, 23-24; James 2.14-26; Philippians 2.1-16

October 30, 2017

26. You are in Good Company

geese-flying-in-v-formation-at-ferry-bluff-wisconsin

The Holy Orthodox Church is a Mystery, whole, pure, and perfect. She is the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, and the living Temple of God on Earth, indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Individual members of the Church, however, are only personally whole, pure, and perfect to the extent that they have immersed themselves into the Mystery of the Church, the Fountain of Divine Grace, and have been healed and perfected, becoming like Christ.

The Orthodox Church is a Hospital whose patients demonstrate various degrees of sickness and health. Some have achieved tremendous improvement as model patients and others progress slowly in the Intensive Care Unit.

The disease of death in our hearts affects our rational minds and behaviors. Members of the Church are not only patients in the Hospital, but we are all psychiatric patients. (The root of the word psychiatric actually refers to the soul.) Pride makes us delusional, causing us to think we are better than other people. We do not see others as our neighbors. Even though we know that that our lives should be oriented entirely toward God at every moment, we are often irrationally distracted by the passions and temporary things in the world. We know what we should do, but we do the opposite of what is right, good, and nurturing for the soul.

Since the Orthodox Church is the Hospital, do not be surprised to find its floors full of sick people. Where else should sick people go? Although we are affected by death, too, we may be tempted to judge others as unspiritual hypocrites. If someone does suffer from hypocrisy, the Church is where he should be! Perhaps in the past, this person possessed far worse symptoms, but, through the therapeutic life of the Church, he has made tremendous progress. If he is aware of his sickness, he may be improving. If he is not yet aware, be patient with him and pray for him.

A cancer patient in a hospital should not complain that the hospital is full of cancer patients, nor judge others for being sick and week. Since we all suffer from the effects of death, we are in good company among other sick people. Be understanding, compassionate, and lenient with other people. Regarding yourself, be attentive to carefully follow the physician’s instructions. Even though the Physician and Hospital are perfect and lacking nothing, you will not heal if you refuse treatment or fail to follow the therapy prescribed for you. Keep your eyes on your own sins and symptoms and let other patients worry about their own personal failings. You have enough problems of your own to keep you occupied. Keep in mind how much patience and love God has for you so that you remember to extend the same to others.

The Mystery of the Church is where we find spiritual sanity and a clear spiritual vision of the world. It is also where we find the Way to attain sanity and clarity. Attend to your healing so that you may be in good company with the Saints, the members of the Church who have already been healed and perfected. As you work toward your salvation, they offer their help by the examples they showed us while living on Earth and by their present prayers beyond the earthly life near the throne of God.