Let Us Shrug Off A Dead Religiosity
According to Professor Mark Silk of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., “The real dirty little secret of religiosity in America is that there are so many people for whom spiritual interest, thinking about ultimate questions, is minimal,”
Increasing numbers of people are concerned only with new cars, mortgages, entertainment, or their favorite rock band or football team. They are totally unconcerned about spiritual matters. Even those who were raised in a church, and who regularly participated in the life of their church, shrug off their obligations to God, preferring as they do to sleeping in on Sundays, or spending their leisure time in the pursuit of social engagements, or sporting events. Such people even begin to question their faith, having withdrawn themselves from the abounding grace that had previously sustained them. They begin to question if the Church is relevant to them, or even if God really exists.
Having become their own gods, these people have surrendered to a secular world view, where self-fulfillment is everything and where pride rules supreme. Saint John Climacus even tells us that such pride has “already pitched its tent; because a fall is an indication of pride.”
Become minimalists in the area of religion, such people slowly sink in the quagmire of secularism, and the ultimate atheism that follows. Surrendered to the hazardous behavior of absenting from the grace filled Mysteries of Christ’s Church, they sink into the mud of a life devoid of meaning, surrendering themselves to material pursuits. Ultimately they find that life hasn’t been very fulfilling, and they wonder why.
In the ongoing pursuit of material and carnal pleasures, they spend countless hours in health clubs, toning their bodies in an attempt to stave off the aging process, while seeing no need to prioritizing the very pursuits that have eternal value. Finding themselves asking the question, “is that all there is”, is it any wonder shrugging off religion has led to an empty feeling within, an inner nothingness?
When I was a young man I was a long distance runner, and a weight lifter. As an old man, after arthritis had set in, I decided to resume weight lifting and hiking. I was surprised at how quickly my muscle tone returned, and remembered the truism that muscles have memory.
The soul is like that. Just as muscles rebuild themselves when we make the effort to exercise, so too the soul is quickly restored to health when we avail ourselves to the healing grace that abounds within the Church.
Given all this, why not make a resolution to commit ourselves to a reformation of our life? Let us commit ourselves to regular church attendance, to keeping the fast periods, and reading spiritually uplifting works of holy elders. Let us commit to praying more.
We should not worry that we’ve not been attentive to our spiritual life in the past year, but with zeal and commitment bring about a spiritual revival within our hearts. Let us make this year one of spiritual empowerment, knowing that with God’s help, and the support of our Christian friends and family, this will be the best year yet. Let us shrug off a dead religiosity that has given us nothing, and embrace Christ, Who will give us everything.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Saturday January 15, 2022 / January 2, 2022
30th Week after Pentecost. Tone four.
Fast-free
Saturday before the Theophany.
Forefeast of the Theophany.
St. Sylvester, pope of Rome (335).
Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo (1604).
Repose (1833), the second finding of relics (1991) of Venerable Seraphim, wonderworker of Sarov.
New Martyr Basil (1942).
Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Caves (12th c.).
Hieromartyr Theogenes, bishop of Parium on the Hellespont (320).
St. Gerasimus, patriarch of Alexandria.
Venerable Theopemptos.
St. Theodota, mother of the first Sts. Cosmas and Damian (3rd c.).
Venerable Mark the Deaf.
Martyr Sergius of Caesarea in Cappadocia (301).
Martyrs Theopistos.
St. Cosmas, archbishop of Constantinople (1081).
Venerable Ammon of Tabennisi, monk (5th c.).
New Martyr George (Zorzes) the Georgian (1770) (Greek).
The Scripture Readings
Matthew 11:27-30
27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:27-30
27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 3:1-11
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
3 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”
4 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.