Racism has no place in the life of a Christian
It is important to understand that genetically, all humans are of but one race. Indians, Arabs, Jews, Caucasians, Africans, and Asians, are not different races, but rather, different ethnicities of the human race. God created all humans with the same physical characteristics, with only minor variations. Furthermore, He created all humans in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27), and has invited all of us to enter into communion with Him.
A black man is just as much my brother as a fellow Scotsman like myself. In the Book of Acts we read that with the coming of the Holy Spirit, diverse expressions of languages were being spoken. And in Revelation we see a glimpse of eternity with men and women from every tongue, tribe, and nation making up the choir of eternal praise (Rev. 7:9). That the writers of Scripture took notice of ethnicity, and saw diversity as good, makes it impossible for the Christian to hold to thoughts of racial superiority, or separation of the races.
How can we hold to racist ideologies when even the Apostle John hinted at prejudice concerning Jesus, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth (John 1:46)?” How can we dare hold to racist opinions when the Lord Jesus Christ presented parables which even offended the religious leaders of His time? The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10) and the story of the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4) make it impossible for us to hold to ideas of ethnic superiority over different races. Even our Orthodox iconography intentionally reflects the full range of skin hues when painting a saint’s face in order to stress the interconnectedness and blessedness of all races of humanity.
All forms of racism, prejudice, and discrimination are affronts to the work of Christ on the cross. Jesus Christ died that all men might be saved, be they Jews, Africans, Spanish, Norwegians, Asians, or whatever. In Christ we are united as One Body, and as humans we are all of one race. Ethnicity should mean nothing for the Christian, and our parishes should demonstrate the truth of the ethnic diversity of the Kingdom of God. If we hold to racist beliefs we only demonstrate how far we have distanced ourselves from the teachings of Our Lord. Can a Christian be a racist? The answer is an emphatic NO!
So, how do we end racism in America? We do so by acknowledging the racism that resides in ourselves, and by making a concerted effort to root it out. Saint Seraphim of Sarov told us that change begins with me, and that when I acquire inner peace, thousands around me will be saved.
I am reminded of the time I was one of the speakers at a large rally in downtown Seattle, commemorating the Armenian Holocaust, the systematic mass murder and expulsion of 1.5 million ethnic Armenians carried out in Turkey and adjoining regions by the Ottoman government between 1914 and 1923. After parking my vehicle, I was walking toward Pacific Plaza for the rally when I came face to face with three young black men. Knowing they likely were thinking this old white man was wishing he was walking on the other side of the street, I proclaimed in a loud voice, “isn’t this a beautiful day?”
They all smiled broadly, and one asked what I was, as he gestured toward my black robe. “Why, I’m a Seahawks fan”, I proclaimed, at which they all burst into laughter and rushed forward to give me a hug. As I continued walking toward the rally, I had a great big smile on my face, for I felt like they were all three my grandchildren, and I felt a great deal of love for them.
Each of us are given so many opportunities to demonstrate our oneness with black people, and when we acknowledge they, as a race, are coming out of 500 years where they’ve experienced fear and racism emanating from we white people, we will know the importance of reaching out to them with love and respect. Change begins with me, and as a Christian, it is my duty, and certainly my calling, to love everyone I meet as Christ.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Wednesday June 3, 2020 / May 21, 2020
Afterfeast of the Ascension. Tone six.
Fast. Fish Allowed
Venerable Dodo of the St. David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia (596) (movable holiday on the Wednesday of Holy Ascension).
The Meeting of the “Vladimir” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (was established to commemorate the deliverance of Moscow from an invasion of Tatars led by Khan Makhmet-Girei in 1521).
Holy Equals-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine (337) and Helen, his mother (327).
St. Constantine (1205) and his children Sts. Michael and Theodore, wonderworkers of Murom.
Uncovering of the relics of Blessed Andrew of Symbiksk (1998).
Venerable Cassian the Greek, monk, of Uglich (1504).
Synaxis of Hieromartyrs of Kerel.
Synaxis of Hieromartyrs of Simbir.
Synaxis of Hieromartyrs of Ufa.
Honour list of Icon of the Mother of God “Virgin of Tenderness” from Pskov-Pechersk (1524), Zaonikievsky (1588), Krasnogorsk, or Chernogorsk (1603), Oransk (1634).
Venerable Agapitus, abbot of Markushev (Vologda) (1578).
St. Basil, bishop of Ryazan (1295).
St. Hospicius of Trier (Gaul).
New Martyr Pachomius of Patmos (Mt. Athos) (1730) (Greek).
Hieromartyr Secundus and those with him in Alexandria (356).
St. Cyril, bishop of Rostov (1262).
St. Helen of Dechani, Serbia (1350).
The Scripture Readings
Luke 1:39-49
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
The Song of Mary
46 And Mary said:
“My soul [b]magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
Luke 1:56
56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.
Acts 23:1-11
The Jerusalem Jews Plot to Kill Paul
23 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” 2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”
4 And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?”
5 Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”
6 But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”
7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. 8 For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. 9 Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees’ party arose and protested, saying, “We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.”
10 Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.
The Plot Against Paul
11 But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”
John 16:15-23
15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
Sorrow Will Turn to Joy
16 “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.”
17 Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” 18 They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.”
19 Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? 20 Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. 21 A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.
23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.
Well said Father! I like to say at times humans are just different “breeds” , like doggies 🙂 I remember growing up with adults around me who cast aspersions and more toward those of differing ethnicity, oftentimes this is how a child learns such prejudice, through nurture. Fortunately in my case I also was in a cosmopolitan environment (NYC- back in late ’50s early ’60s) , so parents had friends of many ethnic backgrounds that caused a curiosity and desire to know more about those “different” from me. Unfortunately today , with the proliferation of negative ethnic content on the internet, it has become much harder to instill an appreciation for others different from oneself, as parents have it so much harder in policing the content. I had such a problem with my youngest son, and pray his soon entry into service(Marines) and more exposure/experiences with others may break down prejudices he holds.
As far as ‘racism’ is concern in America , as long as it’s used as a political weapon , that will only fan the flames to keep it alive. It’s eradication (if that’s even possible….but with man it is,with God nothing is!) must start one heart at a time.
Blest day, Father.
Thank you for your son’s willingness to serve our country, and for your family’s service as well – I believe that the families of our military also are in service. May our Lord watch over him and keep him – and all of you – safe.
Thank you , Catherine , for your kind words and blessing. May you and yours be blessed.
Abbot Tryphon,
I have a serious question for you.
Is it racist to regard African-Americans as human beings with free will who when they make good choices should enjoy the benefits and when they make bad choices should experience the consequences?
And I must confess that I am extremely uncomfortable with the entire idea of “confronting racism within ourselves” (as though these feelings are limited to white people) and engaging in public displays of kneeling before African-Americans and repenting/begging for forgiveness. That reeks to me of Stalinist era “show trials” and Maoist “cultural revolution” practices. The history of “race” in this country is far more nuanced and complicated than the Manicheans of the moment would have you believe.
Finally, I am a native of the Deep South. My people came here from England and Ireland in the 1660s. Every single male ancestor that I have traced served in the armies of the Confederate States. The protestors have, again, targeted memorials built to Confederate soldiers, which were paid for by years of bake sales and penny drives (I know this because my grandmothers participated in them). If the price of “racial reconciliation” is the erasure of the history of “my people,” then that is a price that I simply will not pay.
In Christ
I do understand where you are coming from, John. I am personally against the removal of monuments to the Confederate States memorials. They are a part of our common history, and I agree with you that their removal smacks of the Soviet removal of anything related to the Imperial Government, or the Church. That said, I very much believe that if we all made an effort, blacks as well, to be loving and civil with each other, racism would be brought to an end. I grew up with parents who taught me, at an early age, the truth that we are all one family, however different we may be in skin tone. That said, I also have to recognize that I, as a white man, inherited a sense of privilege that my black friends did not experience. It has therefore forced me to examine the basis of my own responses, when confronted with black men walking towards me. Do I give in the stereotype fears, or do I assume, as I do with white men, that they are my fellow citizens, and worthy of receiving a smile.
Abbot Tryphon, thanks very much for the reply. I have always regarded blacks as “fellow Southerners” who share a history that is, like histories tend to be, full of equal measures of sorrow and joy (well, perhaps more sorrow than joy, but that’s part of living in a fallen world subject to the ravages of time). It’s a shame that in the current year, this is something that is forgotten, and that to suggest it will bring charges of “white supremacist thought” from the mob.
I’ve had the privilege of speaking in Mississippi, and came away with a great appreciation of the culture and warmth of the populous. In my opinion, the removal of Confederate memorials would be to deprive the whole nation of an important part of our common history. It would be like tearing down plantation mansions in order to remove the memory of the period of slavery. We should never forget what we did to black people, for it is our lack of knowledge of history that will ultimately be the cause of a repeat of the worst history. I fear the breaking down of our society as we’re witnessing, is the result of our common forgetfulness of the Soviet period in Russia, and what that meant for the people enslaved under that totalitarian period.
Father,
Please forgive me if this is not appropriate (and feel free to delete), but, as another Southerner, myself, with roots several generations back (as I understand, at least part of my family came from Scotland in the 1700’s), I think there is a very different context between the Confederate statues and the plantations.
Many of us who live in the State of Georgia have been at least once to Stone Mountain, with the great carving of President Davis, General Lee, and General Jackson. The thing many people don’t realize is that Stone Mountain was also the birthplace of the modern KKK in 1915, and they were the ones who originally funded and commissioned the carving.
Like Stone Mountain, many, if not most, of the Confederate statues were also erected several decades or more after the War, not as a remembrance of what we’d done wrong, but as a reaffirmation of white supremacy over blacks.
In the same way that the Georgia State Flag was changed to include the so-called “Confederate Flag” (the battle standard of the Army of Northern Virginia) in the 1950’s amidst many other legislative standards passed in favor of segregation and white supremacy, these statues stand in *honor* of those who fought and died to preserve the institution of slavery, and in opposition to the civil rights of the descendants of those slaves.
I agree that it is vital that we remember our history. We should remember not only the Confederacy, but the Jim Crow era, the lynchings, segregation, and all the rest that persisted through the 20th Century in the same way that we remember our sins in Confession. Our heritage includes a heck of a lot of hate, and this is something we are right to be ashamed of. The answer to our shame is not to hide it away or try to truss it up in mass-produced statues or nice-sounding myths, but to bring that shame out in the open, to expose that shame for what it is, so that Christ can heal it.
Obviously, we cannot expect those outside the Church to do this, but we can and ought, as Christians, lead by example by being willing to do this ourselves. We can and ought also oppose those things which tend to hide that shame or deny it.
There is nothing honorable about the Confederacy, that it should be celebrated with statues or anything else. It is clear from even a cursory reading of the history they left behind, such as the articles of secession passed by the legislative bodies of those States or the speeches given by their leaders, that the entire reason they seceded was in the interest of preserving the institution of slavery and spreading it to the new territories.
The history of the Confederacy will not be forgotten, certainly not in the South. This was a war that was fought in our own backyards—in some cases literally—and we are surrounded with battlefields and other scars of that terrible past. I can point to several landmarks within 10 miles of me that are marked by the War and by another century of racial hatred and division. These are appropriate memorials; the statues, however, can and must come down.
Is it racist to regard southern whites as human beings with free will who when they make good choices should enjoy the benefits and when they make bad choices should experience the consequences?
Your ancestors fought in an army dedicated to the preservation of slavery, and were willing to destroy the United States to uphold that institution. The army they served in killed more loyal American soldiers than any other army. Your grandmothers, outraged by the success of their black Christian brothers fighting for civil rights, took part in bake sales to build statues honoring the monsters who held your fellow brothers in Christ in chains.
As you said, John, when people make poor choices, they should experience the consequences of those actions. One of the consequences of the brutality southern whites have shown over the past three centuries is that decent people throughout the globe look at those who honor the Confederacy with contempt and horror. If you want to honor that disgraceful legacy, that’s fine, but realize your actions have consequences. One of the (long overdue) consequences of the actions you honor is the removal of statues to Confederate traitors.
In Christ
The errors in John Ford’s comments are so numerous it is difficult to chart them all. Confronting racism within ourselves is not limited to white people, but the feeling of white superiority toward blacks and native Americans is historically a major problem in America. We do not “kneel” before blacks, we simply recognize the fact that they are our equals and deserve equal respect. All that Stalinist and Maoist talk is utter baloney. Respecting our black brothers and sisters has nothing to do with Communism. Slavery is, was, and always will be an abomination. We do not “erase” our racist history, but we recognize it and go forward to a better day.
White guilt is one of many weapons used by Cultural Marxism to subvert our civilization. It’s essentially an atheistic “Original Sin” used to brainwash white people into hating themselves and their history. You can see this being pushed in academia with the revisionist history and browbeating of white students with this poisonous curriculum.
yes of course, and Karl Marx was a dam jew, don´t forget to say.
You have said it, not me. If my speaking the truth is anti semitic, that’s going to have folks stroking their chins.
Father,
Are all human beings not collectively around the world right now not induring a form of fear and control? Locked away, afraid of other people infecting, killing us. We look to our “leaders” to do the right thing for us in regards to a coronavirus. Which if you follow the money and watch how they are changing their story, it’s evident that we are all being used. The outcome will be a collective worldwide case of Stockholm syndrome. The color of a skin matters nothing to them.
Pain, suffering, death is experienced by all.
Looking in the current mirror for all will change things, not looking in rear view mirror.
I have raised my two “white” human being son’s to be good police officers. They answer the call and help anybody in need.
I have also been in engaged to an African American Marine. We were looked upon as a couple with more hate from other African Americans. Old civil rights leaders are claiming this is about class war more than a racial issue. Again follow the money. Rich politicians of all colors due nothing from their gated, secure homes.
As a Christian I can only believe our Lord weeps bitterly over His creation, and what we all have become.
A song I learned at camp when I was young and never forgot –
Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in His sight
Jesus love the little children of the world.
I see that it is the lack of faith and trust in God by many who want power and to dominate at times severely. This is not God’s way and until we all realize this, there will be corruption and division – and for all the wrong reasons.
We have to remember too, that in groups protesting, there are other groups within who riot and cause destruction to property. The destruction was not the point or motive for all of them and they have said so themselves and agree it will not help them move forward.
Loving our neighbor is such a simple thing – and yet we seem to have such a hard time doing it.
I personally don’t see why “anyone” would have to be beaten up AFTER they have handcuffs on or before unless they were violent to begin with, initiating the fight or provoking a fight to such a level that there is no alternative when making an arrest. Even then I have my doubts…..
Lord have mercy.
Father I would like to add another aspect to my previous comment that I had made.
In light of the current unprecedented violence that we are witnessing in our streets, the pure destruction, we should neither be shocked, nor surprised at all.
This young generation was raised on violence. Marketed to them by the Hollywood money machines in the form of video games and movies. Images full of horrific destruction sold as “entertainment”.
Their virtual babysitter. While behind the scenes at the same time, making the killing of small helpless babies that were inconvenient in the womb, painless, gotten rid of in a day, easy. Where is the outrage over that, and the people who promoted and profited from those deaths marketed to our youth?
We, the man in the mirror, have failed them all miserably.
Oh Lord, this one is difficult to comment. To be a jew is also not a easy thing in this world. Why this world is like this? Who do this to us? There is something going on. When we study history we need to aknowlegde that is a history of errors of the whole humankind. The purpose of studying history is to correct our present times from what the past did wrong. African slavery was really inhuman. We inherit history as our imaterial legacy, but is full of prejudice that if we are not aware we repeat them. And black racism is one of them. The feelings of past events are inside of us. Many of them are not easyhanding. One position toward past history is the conservative mind ” we are proud of what we did no matter what we did”. It is a way of not changing. But we need to change to a better world. And for this it is necessarily that we reconciliate with our past. The pain is that past is full of bad things. We are reaching a point in world history that is simply not possible to go living foward without correcting our relationships for a better one in the sense of mutual care and mutual love. Communist tried to force people to do this by the modern idea of imposing the self-ego will to human course of events. With correlative to atheism thesis that there is only human actor in the world. And they failed. But the communist annalys of social injustice and the need for resolve this problem is true. If we do not correct our human relationships in the direction of mutual love as is the Revelation instruct us: “Love thyfriend as thyself” the Creator will not let us pass from this time. Virus, catastrofes, world war 3 will come. Why any worth of living in a world like this? There is no future in this way the world is going. Future is Christ, but Chist is “love thyfriend as thyself”. Amen.
Confronting the racism within ourselves is certainly not limited to those of us who are white, and I have never heard that qualifier added to the statement. All of us human beings must do this! The idea of kneeling is to show solidarity with our brothers and sisters, not kneel “before” anybody or beg for anything! Again, I have never heard the act of kneeling in the current context of the movement being characterized that way. When police and protesters kneel together, it shows they are willing to work together and implies a peaceful approach as opposed to a violent one. Our brothers and sisters want to be heard. There is much pain. Please hear Abbott Tryphon’s words.
I respectfully disagree with keeping the Confederate statues. If they were built during the Civil War period or prior then I can understand their historical value. However, they were built 30-60 years after the Civil War. This would be similar to Yeltsin or Putin building memorials to Khrushchev. These statues were built during a time of historical revisionism in the South that promoted segregation. These Confederate monuments were also built in the North during that time. Some may argue that the Confederate statues were built in the spirit of reconciliation. However, I believe these statues only legitimatized social Darwinism, segregation, and racism of late 1800s. I believe that better monuments can be built to memorialize the complex legacy of the Civil War. We must repent for the atrocities that were done and continue to affect us today. Today we are rightly disgusted with states fighting for their right to own slaves and expand slavery. We just wish that our ancestors were better than that. Let’s champion true freedom, the freedom of sacrificial love .
we are in the babylon beast system. People want to share and enjoy life. But there these ultrastructure of power and control over us, forcing us to reach something “big”, but what? This is babylon. It is a market of war production. you have to hate your enemy. the soviets, the jews, the blacks, the indians, the left, the right. Hate your neighbor as you hate your own life. This is the antichrist.
Yes, so many souls are filled with self – with hate, anger, resentment, all the negatives and then just blow up anything that stands in the way. What has it come to and where are we all headed? It’s a horror – yes we can see the beauty of God around us; and understand He is teaching us a lesson and cleansing our world, but until we also give in enough to cleanse ourselves, there will always be something nasty leftover. You are right – it all comes out AntiChrist. God bless!
We believe in the Second Coming of Christ! We mantain hope in Love. The book of Revelation of John put in prophets ways of saying things that the world would pass through very hard times, but then the evil babylon system will fall and Christ will fullfill the world with love. We believe in the second coming.
Yes, we do! Just think of the many who don’t even know about the Second Coming and are lost. Pray – Lord have mercy…..
Dear Father Abbot,
Christ is ascended!
These are serious topics and times, and this has been quite a heated conversation.
On a lighter note, I just want to say that your Seahawks story is one of my favorites!
Yours in Christ,
Bless Father Tryphon,
Our Church Fathers have always told us that humility is the devils biggest enemy! So I believe that is all about ourselves and no one else!
Father Tryphon above wrote wrote that St Seraphim of Sarov said that when we acquire inner peace thousands will be saved.
So why do we worry about who racism is and isn’t limited to? Let’s struggle to rid it from our own selves!
Glory to God