When the Light of Christ is shrouded in darkness
Each time I speak publicly about Orthodoxy, I try to share about the joy and healing that is to be found within the walls of the Church, and about the transformation and restoration of the human heart that can take place within the life of this divine institution. Sometimes I’ve found that much attention has been needed to undo the terrible damage to the image of the Church done by those who have turned Her message into a mixture of political rage and self-righteousness, devoid of love, and nothing more than an institution of moral correctness.
The message of the Incarnate Son of God, Who condescended to take on our flesh and share His Divinity with our humanity, is sometimes obscured by political ideologies that are focused on what is wrong with the world, rather than what can be made whole in a humanity that is far from the place intended by our Creator. The Christ Who healed the sick, forgave the sins of the woman at the well, and sat down with tax collectors and sinners, can be shrouded in an angry, self-righteous message, devoid of love and hope, and where the Light is shrouded in darkness. Such an image obscures the notion of the Church as a hospital of the soul, where each of us, in our sinfulness and brokenness, is welcome to be made whole within the confines of this divine place of mercy and truth.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Tuesday September 1, 2015 / August 19, 2015
14th Week after Pentecost. Tone four.
Afterfeast of the Dormition.
Martyr Andrew Stratelates and 2,593 soldiers with him in Cilicia (3rd c.).
St. Nicholas priest (1933).
St. Pitirim, bishop of Perm (1455).
Martyrs Timothy, Agapius, and Thecla of Palestine (304).
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Of the Don” (1591).
Uncovering of the relics of Venerable Gennadius, abbot of Kostroma (1565).
Venerable Theophanes, new wonderworker of Macedonia (Mt. Athos) (15th c.) (Greek).
St. Credan, abbot of Evesham.
Scripture Readings
2 Corinthians 12:20-13:2
20 For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; 21 lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.
Coming with Authority
13 This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” 2 I have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent I write[b] to those who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare—
Mark 4:24-34
24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
Jesus’ Use of Parables
33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.
And what a beautiful message, your, “The Messsage”, is!!!! I am so lucky to be a part of the great and wonderful institution you speak of and I plan to be a part of it for the rest of my life.
Your thoughts are always so refreshing, but I find it tragic that all too often, even among us Orthodox, that message is not given! My own children sometimes say that Orthodox (and other) Christians are judgmental, in-grown, and excluding those who often are in desperate need of this healing place. St Maria of Ravensbruck (formally Mother Maria of Paris) says we can become so enthralled with the beauty of the church, the icons, the incense, the singing, that we don’t even notice Christ walking out through the back doors, out onto the steps to minister to the prostitutes, the beggars, the poor and the needy. We, the people of the church, must become such ministers. We ourselves are in need of the healing offered, along with the whole world out there. Thanks for your continued loving message – always!
Amen! Amen! Amen!
Never thought this