We Must Stay the Course

Orthodoxy is not always easy, and there are many parishes that seem to make living our Orthodox faith far more difficult than it needs to be. The lack of joy in some quarters is not about Orthodoxy, but about the fallen people who make up the Church. This is to be expected, of course, since the Church is a hospital for the soul, and therefore home to a lot of sick people. The good news is, we are all in the right place for the needed healing to take place, and wholeness and lasting joy will come to everyone who stays the course.

We must never let a mean spirited parishioner, nor a harshly speaking priest, drive us from the Church. This is our home as well, and, just as in a dysfunctional household, a lot of growth can take place, even when the parish is not ideal. We must pray for our priest, and for the people who have made us feel uncomfortable.

We can pray to Saint John the Wonderworker of San Francisco, who was such a loving father and pastor, for help. Although a good confessor and great preacher would be preferable to the priest who never has the time for us, the Church is still our home. Our priest may deliver lousy homilies, seem harsh as a confessor, and be devoid of people skills, but the reality is the Church is still the place for us.

There is an old saying in Orthodox: “The people get the bishop they deserve”. Instead of walking away from Orthodoxy, we should look around for a parish that might be a better fit for us and our family. If language is a problem for our children, we must find a parish that uses English.

If our parish priest serves like a sorcerer, with all the correct and lengthy formulas, but seems devoid of the love of Christ, we must pray for him. Yet, if we and our children would benefit, by all means we should look into the possibility that another parish might be a better fit, and a place where we can all grow in the faith. Better to leave a dysfunctional parish, than to leave Orthodoxy.

If we have no other options, and our parish is the only Orthodox church in the region, we must make the best of it. Remember, most parishes were closed down completely during Soviet times. Priests and bishops were imprisoned, or sent off to their deaths, yet the Church lived on with the faithful making do under the harshest of times.

Ultimately, our life in the Church is all about Christ, and Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will not betray us, for He is the source of all joy and goodness. It is Christ Who is the Great Physician, the Giver of Life, and the Healer of Souls. The Church belongs to Him, and in spite of the fact we priests sometimes fail to be the Light of Christ to our people, does in no way negate the fact that the Church is still the Fountain of Life, and the place wherein we can receive healing for all that ails us.

Love in Christ,

Abbot Tryphon