The Orthodox experience has given way to “magic” worship, α superficial contact with God, usually for sociological reasons and ‘they lived happily ever after’. Take out of the Orthodox faith the personal relationship with the Face of Christ and you’ve just made a very nice pagan religion. Transaction, formality… and okay we got the blessing in our pocket.
We see many times that we have a pagan religiosity that we have reduced to a god. That is, we do some religious external things so we are okay. Now something goes wrong, we’re going to take on God. I remember a lady saying to a girl who had cancer: “But how come you have cancer, you were very much of the Church?! How did this happen to you? Why would God do that to you”
Quite simply, we want to be saved effortlessly, magically. Of course that’s not possible. There is no such salvation. We want to take communion unconfessed and receive the same blessing as the one who fasted for 40 days and tried to apply gospel truths to his life. It is terrible when we priests talk about this Sacrament to see the world go crazy. When you say the word Confession, the other person reacts as if they are plugging their hand in. The demon howls because he knows that through this Sacrament he will be out of the heart of man.
On the other hand, in the Sacrament of Holy Confession the following is observed: 5% is confession. The other 95% is chit-chat, gossip, questioning, does the priest know someone the priest knows to put my child in public, etc. The relationship with Christ stumbles into some outward acts just to get along with him and keep us from harm. Most people ask for prayer mainly for physical health and less often for repentance. I wonder why? Did God come into history simply to give us a biological extension and nothing more?
Let us reflect. . .
Of course, the truth is that in recent years there has been some slight improvement among the younger people, because through books and talks they have been informed about what Holy Confession means.
But with regard to Holy Communion, we notice that there is the following attitude: “Easy, Father! Am I a sucker to fast? I’ll keep a little Holy Week and take communion by saying two little words to an icon and cleansing myself. God doesn’t want much.”
Such is the Orthodox mindset in our days…. You button Christ up to your own specifications, make up a personal worldview of error and sleep peacefully at night. And in conversation at dinner tables with the family you play the great theologian.
We think that because we ate a little fruit tonight and tomorrow we’ll take communion fasting we’ll go to heaven or that we’ll start seeing angels or that we won’t get sick. If that’s the case, there’s no need for synaxis, no need for the penances of the saints, no need for confessions, no need for martyrdom.
On Good Wednesday, people come who never step foot in church all year round just to get some oil for a blessing, don’t get sick, God bless us. Of course we will also take oil delivery to our husband who is in the cafe drinking tsipouro because he couldn’t (that is, didn’t want to) come to church. (We are not talking about sick people who cannot come). We received a blessing, so we are cleansed. We only want a God to have us well in health from there on out we consider the Kingdom of Heaven stuff to be hyperbole.
If salvation were a mobile app, we’d be up all night beating the tracks to get into heaven. A little prayer and fasting seems like a mountain to us. We want to be loved when we don’t want to fight for love. That’s why marriages are decreasing. We want our peace and quiet, our quiet without effort, without exercise.
Application in spiritual life does not exist. Spiritual healing is not done from the couch. You have to sink to the bottom of your heart with the Light of Christ so that beautiful discoveries and revelations can begin.
Exercise and spiritual life in general, is a battle with me, a war with demons and a weakness that I struggle to become strength to love the One who made me so that I can be healed. There is no other solution.
One hundred liters of holy water to drink, two hundred liters of Holy Communion oil to anoint, as many epitaphs as we decorate, even if we go to Holy Communion at Easter, if we do not have the desire for Christ and repentance with the purpose of salvation, we labor in vain.
Every day in Holy Week “In the same play, spectators”… Thank goodness there are souls like the penitent thief and the days are fragrant with a little bit of heaven. These little souls are like flowers scenting the desert.
Just….these days are experienced by those with a contrite heart…. For the rest it will just be some dates and nothing more.
The phrase: “Where will you spend Easter?” is translated as “Where and with whom will you eat Easter.” There all our personal wants, meanings and desires are exhausted. Not that there is anything wrong with feasting and eating but not to have them in the first place and Christ in the last place. We think we celebrate because our bellies will be full.
Let us reflect a little fruitfully in the days ahead. The above is a result of pastoral discernment only to see where we are and where we need to go always in love and discernment. We are not saying all this to scold anyone. We are simply expressing an anxiety to set our spiritual compass in proper reflection.
Please don’t blame everything on the Church and the priests. We all have responsibility, of course, but let us not forget personal responsibility.
Here comes the Bridegroom……..
Do we have wedding clothes?
Good repentance to all of us.
p. Spyridon Skoutis
