Imparting the faith as a missionary people
Two Byzantine brothers, Saints Cyril and Methodius, brought Orthodox Christianity to the Slavs in the ninth century, and the brilliance of their missionary outreach, as opposed to that of the Latin Church, was in the very use of the vernacular. These great saints who became known as the Apostles to the Slavs, left the Slavs with a liturgical language that was understandable to them. The services were not imparted in the Greek language, as though it alone was sacred enough to be used in Divine Worship, but in a language they understood.
The first missionary monks to North American came to a land where Christianity had never been. They encountered the native people with respect, and not as pagans whose experience of God was nonexistent. They did not greet their new neighbors as pagans, but as people whose knowledge of God was limited, yet nevertheless holding to beliefs that were true, yet not complete. In sharing with these indigenous people the Orthodox monks came to know that the native Alaskans did not worship totem poles, but used them as tools for passing on family and tribal history. The Orthodox monks honored the indigenous people, and befriended them. But more important, the Russian monks greeted them as fellow children of God.
Orthodox Christians, to this day, are duty bound to share the faith with others, for Christ is for everyone, and His Church is meant to be the hospital for all. Thus the missionary mind of the Orthodox Church must be rekindled in our time, and we must reach out to our neighbors with the warmth of friendship, and open their hearts to the Orthodox faith, just as our ancestors spread the Faith by their love and openness. Visitors to our temples must be greeted with open arms and hearts, and made to feel welcome.
A Roman Catholic friar once told me he’d gone to an Orthodox church to attend his first Divine Liturgy. As the first service had concluded, and the clergy were walking down the steps, they looked right through him, as though he were invisible, even though he was wearing his Franciscan habit. He’d felt so unwelcome, he turned and left, and was deprived of what would have been his first experience of Orthodox worship. What kind of witness was this? Had these clergy reduced Orthodoxy to the status of a private club? Did they see the Church only in ethnic terms? What if Saints Cyril and Methodius had treated the Slavs in such a manner? What if the Jewish Christians of the first century had treated their gentile neighbors in such a manner?
We Orthodox clergy must remember that we are the first line of witness for the Faith, and if we hold ourselves aloof while wearing our cassocks and crosses in public, we are in essence slamming the door in the faces of potential converts to our faith. And, as priests belonging to different jurisdictions, we must cooperate in the foundation of new missions, so we don’t undermine the ability of any one mission to support a full time priest, and raise the necessary funds to construct a permanent church.
Having numerous little mission parishes without proper facilities and full time priests, is counterproductive to the overall goal of a mission, because the witness it gives to the community at large is one of disunity, and promotes the view we Orthodox are multiple denominations.
When we ignore those among us who are not ethnically like us, a part of our social network, or fall short of our standard of piety, we can hardly call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ. Our Orthodox faith is not about exclusivity, but of being a united family of believers. If we as parishioners make our church family ingrown, and closed off to “outsiders”, we will not be numbered among the parishes that are outward focused and growing. Parishes that are inward focused are dying, and sadly enough, much of Orthodoxy, including hierarchs, priests and laity, is inward focused, but not in a Palamite manner.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Wednesday October 5, 2016 / September 22, 2016
16th Week after Pentecost. Tone six.
Fast. By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)
Prophet Jonah (9th c. B.C.).
Hieromartyr Phocas, bishop of Sinope (117).
Venerable Jonah the Presbyter (9th c.), father of St. Theophanes the Hymnographer and St. Theodore Graptus.
Blessed Parasceve od Diveevo (1915).
New Martyr Benjamin bishop of Romanovsk (1930).
Venerable Jonah, abbot of Yash Lake (1589).
Venerable Macarius, abbot of Zhabyn (1623).
Synaxis of All Saints of Tula.
Martyr Phocas the Gardener of Sinope (320).
St. Peter the Tax-collector of Constantinople (6th c.).
Hieromartyr Theodosius of Brazsk (1694) (Romania).
The 26 Martyrs of Zographou Monastery, Mt. Athos, martyred by the Latins (1284) (Greek).
Martyrs Isaac and Martin.
Venerable Theophanes the Silent, recluse of the Kiev Caves.
Venerable Cosmas, desert-dweller of Zographou, Mt. Athos (1323) (Greek).
Hieromartyr Emmeram, bishop in Gaul, martyred at Regensburg (690) (Bavaria)..
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “She Who is Quick to Hear” (14th C).
Scripture Readings
Galatians 6:2-10
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load.
Be Generous and Do Good
6 Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Luke 4:1-15
Satan Tempts Jesus
4 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”
5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan![e] For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,’
11 and,
‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry
14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
Right on the dot. The love, respect and honor I have for the Orthodox Church and the reason I became Eastern Catholic, having been raised Roman Catholic all my life, is in part due to the love and acceptance I received from the late Archimandrite John Lewis of Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Florida. He was the first orthodox I met (1981) and suffered immensely from the hands of Hierarchs and laity who never understood why he was so welcoming with “non Orthodox” friends.
This is a real problem. I’ve met a lot of cradle Orthodox who made it clear that they did not want me in their parishes because I was not part of their national group.
Could you explain what is meant by “in a Palamite manner?”
I’m referring to the teachings of Saint Gregory Palamas.
your Morning offering today about how the Roman Catholic friar feeling somewhat ‘shunned’ reminds me of the other side of that when I attended a Orthodox service at a temporary facility in Las Vegas whilst the parish was waiting for their new church to be built. As the priest delivered his sermon, he paused for a moment after that, and looked out into the pews, and spotting me, as well as some others, said out loudly: We have some visitors here today….do you mind introducing yourself I got up, introduced myself, and told the priest and congregation what church I attended in the S F Bay area, and that I was bringing greetings from all there to the people in that Las Vegas church.
And several other people after me said similar things.
I did not feel invisible at that liturgy, and had a nice chat with the regular parishioners upon exiting. Extra ‘ public relations’ in Orthodox churches won’t hurt…..too bad the Catholic friar didn’t have a similar experience…………
Our Lord Jesus Christ never ignores nor excludes anyone. And if we profess to be His Faithful Disciples, surely we, too, should welcome and assist all those who wish to Live in Christ by doing everything possible to Enlighten and Guide them – whether they are visitors or converts. Sadly, however, converts are often untaught, unguided and made to feel like outsiders rather than being Beloved Brethren in Christ. Thus, as fast as they are being Baptised into our Orthodox Faith, they are apostatizing! I have been Called to teach Orthodoxy, so, until I draw my last breath, I am available to those who genuinely desire to become Orthodox Disciples of Christ. With Love in Christ, mp
I always liked the Anglican tradition of the priest standing outside the church after the service greeting each person as he leaves. One of my favourite priests used to offer cuddles on a feast day. Many of the reserved English people scurried past him!
I would never have become Orthodox if the Liturgy was not in English. And the priest was a warm ,fatherly man .