The Russian Monk
Realizing that I haven't posted Dostoyevsky quotes in a while, I found that I was doing a diservice. Enjoy.
Fr. Zossima speaking:
"Fathers and teachers, what is the monk? In the cultivated world the word is nowadays pronounced by some people with a jeer, and by others it is used as a term of abuse, and this contempt for the monk is growing. It is true, alas, it is true, that there are many sluggards, gluttons, profligates and insolent beggars among monks...And yet how many meek and humble monks there are, yearning for solitude and fervent prayer in peace. These are less noticed, or passed over in silence.Look at the worldly and all who set themselves up above the people of God, has not God's image and His truth been distorted in them? They have science; but in science there is nothign but what is the object of sense. The spiritual world, the higher part of man's being is rejected altogether, dismissed with a sort of triumph, even with hatred. The world has proclaimed the reign of freedom, especially of late, but what do we see in this freedom of theirs? Nothing but slavery and self destruction! For the world says:
"You have desires and so satisfy them, for you have the same rights as the most rich and powerful. Don't be afraid of satisfying them and even multiplying your desires." That is the modern doctrine of the world. In that they see freedom. And what follows from this right of multiplication of desires? In the rich, isolation and spiritual suicide; in the poor, envy and murder; for they have been given rights, but have not been shown the means of satisfying their wants. They maintain that the world is getting more and more united, more and more bound together in brotherly community, as it overcomes distance and sets thoughts flying through the air.
Alas, put no faith in such a bond of union. Interpreting freedom as the multiplication and rapid satisfaction of desires, men distort their own nature, for many senseless and foolish desires and habits and ridiculous fancies are fostered in them. They live only for mutual envy, for luxury and ostentation. To have dinners, visits, carriages, rank and slaves to wait on one is looked upon as a necessity, for shich life, honour and human feeling are sacrificed, and men even commit suicide if they are unable to satisfy it. We see the same thing among those who are not rich, while the poor drown their unsatisfied need and their envy in drunkenness. But soon they will drink blood instead of wine, they are being led on to it. I ask you is such a man free?
...The monastic way is very different. Obedience, fasting and prayer ar laughed at, yet only through them lies the way to real, true freedom. I cut off my superfluous and unnecessary desires, I subdue my proud and wanton will and chastise it with obedience, and with God's help I attaint freedom of spirit and with it spiritual joy. ~~ Brothers Karamazov
Acts 20:7, and Christ's words.
Luke writes:
"Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread..."It seems the Apostolic church celebrated the Lord's Supper every Sunday. Hmm. (Some even argue that Communion was offered more than once a week.)
I find it odd that many churches only offer Holy Communion bi-monthly, monthly, quarterly, or worse yet, annually. I'd be willing to bet that many reading these words are members of a church that falls into such a category.
I'm curious. Do you feel comfortable attending a church that offers the Lord's Supper less than weekly? If you do feel comfortable, how do you justify such a practice?
In John chapter 6 Christ says:
51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." 52Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 53Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.It seems that His words, in the very least, reveal the importance of Holy Communion. If the Body and Blood of Christ is so important to salvation as Christ says, and if the Apostolic church practiced a weekly, if not more frequently, breaking of Bread, how do those churches explain prudence in a less frequent offering of the Lord's Supper?
I do not intend my words to incite angry debate. Rather my question is sincere. What are the reasons for limiting exposure to the Lord's Supper? Are the reasons satisfactory in light of biblical teaching?
I trust that there are some well intentioned and seemingly well-reasoned arguments for less-frequent Holy Communion. But are they sufficient reasons to limit the offering of Holy Communion?
God have mercy on us all.
Bit on Fasting
I was recently inquired as to the origin of the Orthodox practice of fasting three times a week-- Orthodox fast from all animal products (basically a vegan diet with some variations throughout the Christian Year) on Wednesdays and Fridays. Also, on Sunday mornings, before taking the Lord's Supper, Orthodox fast from all food and drink.
I did a little investigation on fasting, and the information I found was very interesting. For instance: the practice of fasting twice a week goes all the way back to the Ante-Nicene church (if not to the time just after Christ's death), and can be read about in the Didache.
8:1 But as for your fasts, let them not be with the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and fifth days of the week, but do ye fast on the fourth and sixth days.The Wednesday/Friday tradition had begun on account of Christ's betrayal by Judas (Wednesday Fast) and on account of Christ being Crucified on a Friday (Friday Fast). Fasting prior to the Eucharist is part of the spiritual discipline aimed at aiding the believer in humility and repentance (preparing oneself spiritually) before partaking in the true Body of Christ, which we know is not a matter to be dealt with lightly. It is a part of the Liturgy on Sunday mornings for the Deacon to make an announcement along the lines of warning: "Holy Communion is open for those who have properly prepared themselves by confession and fasting."
As with so many traditions in the Christian faith, these things go way back. The church had been fasting twice a week since at least the 4th or 5th century, yet as a Protestant I never heard anything about it. If there is something gained from the conglomerate wisdom from age to age, then at the very least the Orthodox church is a storehouse of pious rite.
Obviously I believe the Orthodox faith is much more than stored wisdom, but on what grounds really do we reject such practice as mentioned above?
Halo Friendlies Sign with Tooth and Nail Records.
Congratulations to the all-girl, up-and-coming band from O.C.: the Halo Friendlies-- the bassist is a member at Grace Presbyterian Church in Yorba Linda. They signed to Greg Bahnsen's son's record label: Tooth and Nail. I wish the Halo's the best as they quickly approach the "rock star life" that I once longed to live.
Orthodoxy...in a nutshell
Anthony Bloom, in his book Beginning to Pray, writes the following in the opening chapter. I thought his words to be a near perfect summary of the Orthodox life.
What we must start with, if we wish to pray, is the certainty that we are sinners in need of salvation, that we are cut off from God and that we cannot live without Him and that all we can offer God is our desperate longing to be made such that God will receive us, receive us in repentance, receive us with mercy and with love.Is there really more to true Christian living?
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart-- these, O God, You will not despise.God be merciful.
~~ Psalm 51:17
Orthodox Preterism
In the past, as a Reformed Protestant, I had leaned toward a preterist view of eschatology-- that is to say, I believed that most of the events described in St. John's Revelation have already been fulfilled in the Temple's destruction (and related events) A.D. 70. The Preterist view takes a very straight forward, and quite simple interpretation of Revelation. It basically takes John at his word..."these events are at arms' length"-- meaning, these prophecies are going to happen SOON.
The Preterist view does not see John as giving these prophecies to the seven churches only for them (the prophecies) to be fulfilled thousands of years later... but rather, says the Preterist, the prophecies proclaimed by John are understood and are fulfilled in the lifetime of those individuals who first received John's letter.
With that short background one will see why I was very happy to read an article by Fr. Steven Tsichilis (the head Priest at St. Paul's Orthodox Church) concerning the Orthodox view of Revelation: The Apocalypse. I was very excited to read that what I believed as a marginalized Protestant (few Protestants comparatively are Preterists) is indeed the general view of the Orthodox.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Preterist view (a view held by Protestants such as R.C. Sproul and Kenneth Gentry) One of the most poignant little tidbits of the Preterist view is the understanding that the "Beast" in Revelation was a man who already lived and died...not the Popes (as Westminster would exclaim), not Hitler (as some believed in years past), not Gorbechav (as some believed in the 80's), not even Marilyn Mansion, nor Sadam Hussein (as some believe this very day), but that the Beast was Nero Caesar in particular, and the Roman Government in general. Consider Fr. Tsichilis' own words:
For example, a ferocious beast in the apocalyptic literature of the Old Testament usually represents a major political power (as in Daniel 7). The Beast of Revelation had seven heads - which are seven mountains on which a whore called Babylon is seated (Revelation 17:9). Ancient pagan writers like Virgil called Rome the City of the Seven Hills. The Jews, after their failed revolt of 66-70AD, called Rome “Babylon” because it had destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem just as the real Babylon had done in 587 BC.As I wrote in an email to Wayne: the more I search into Orthodoxy the more I see that I didn't "give up" anything (moving from Protestantism to Orthodoxy), but rather I've gained so much. And, as we've seen here, I have even been able to hold onto many of what I considered to be just "common-sensical" interpretations of Scripture.If you’re clever, John tells his contemporaries, you’ll figure out who the Beast is: “This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the Beast, for it is a man’s number” (Revelation 13:18). Both Greek and Hebrew used letters of the alphabet as numbers, so every word had a numerical value. Modern scholars have noted that the name Nero Caesar, in Hebrew, adds up to 666. Nero (reigning 54-68AD) was the first emperor to slaughter Christians, after blaming them for the great fire in Rome in 64 AD. The apostles Peter and Paul died in his short, vicious persecution. Nero kicked his pregnant wife to death, “married” a boy named Sporus, delighted in being worshipped as a god, murdered his own mother and committed suicide after the Senate pronounced him insane. Nero was the epitome of everything that was wrong with a corrupt empire.
In fact, it was Rome’s insistence on actual worship of the emperor as a god that would prove to be the flash point of conflict between empire and church. Caesar Augustus, the first Roman emperor, began his rule in 29 BC and succeeded in uniting “all the world” (Luke 2:1). Some of Rome’s subjects in the east decided that Caesar Augustus was divine, a god to be worshipped. The provincial council in the area of the seven churches established a religious center at Pergamum in 29 BC to honor Roma and Augustus. John called this regional seat of idolatry the place “where Satan’s throne is” (Revelation 2:13). Roma was the goddess personifying Rome and John casts her as a whore in Revelation 17. Augustus was even deemed the “son of a god” because his adopted father, Julius Caesar, was thought to have become divine at his death. By the time John was writing Revelation, at least 35 cities in the province had climbed on the emperor-worship bandwagon. At Ephesus, the emperor cult had expanded to the point that in 89-90 AD, the city erected a magnificent new temple to the reigning emperor, Domitian, complete with a 25 foot tall statue for worship.
The following inscription served as the ultimate pledge of allegiance that members of the empire were called upon to make: “I swear by Jupiter, the earth, the Sun, by all the gods and goddesses, and by Caesar Augustus himself that I will be loyal to Caesar Augustus and to his children and descendants all my life in word, deed and thought…”
On the emperors birthday and other empire-wide celebrations, people in all the provinces worshipped their ruler with processions, decorated houses, choral performances, prayers, incense and sacrifices. Pressure for Christians to participate would come not only from Roman officials but from friends and neighbors, as well
Christians would clearly have to choose. Was their loyalty to Christ or to the Beast? This is the choice which John puts before his readers, whether ancient or modern.
Planning a marriage ain't so bad after all
I'm getting married in December. Planning thus far hasn't exactly been a joy ride; for various reasons hurdles have presented themselves-- at some points leading my beautiful fiance to dispare.
So it was of great comfort today when I came across an old article in a National Geographic magazine that deliniates the marriage rituals of African countries. Here's what Sweetness and I could have been facing...
In Ethiopia...as a girl reaches puberty she endures the pain of scarification as razorlike cuts are incised into the skin of her abdomen. Ashes rubbed into the wounds make them heal in an elaborate raised pattern...this increases her desirability.So, with all the complicated arrangements that have to be met: photographer, flowers, DJ, Dresses, and the like, it seems an absolute blessing compared to meeting my bride on the first night, or seeing her with cow dung on her head.In Niger...Male cousins about the same age, called waldeebe, who share a special bond, sometimes also share affection for the same girl. If she marries one, the other is welcomed in their home and, with her consent, in her bed.
In Kenya...Marriages are arranged. Several days before her marriage the girl goes under a series of treatments. All her body hair below the neck is removed. She is then massaged with coconut oil and perfumed with sandalwood. An older woman, called a somo, teaches the girl how to please her husband, even, perhaps, waiting under their bed to assist in the case the couple have difficulty consummating the marriage. On the wedding day, the groom lifts the veil of his bride-- whose face he may be seeing for the first time...
South Africa...Weddings are celebrated in stages, which can take years to conclude. The begin with the bride price is paid in installments of money and livestock. A two-week seclusion of the bride-to-be marks the second stage, when other women teach her how to be a good wife....the girl is truly married only when she completes the third stage: giving birth to her first child.
Namibia...the women slather themselves with red ocher and butterfat mixed with herbs and resin. Arriving at her husband's house, the bride is instructed on the duties expected by her new family, who show their acceptance by anointing her arms, breasts, and belly with butterfat from the cows of the groom or his father.
Masai (Kenya)...wedding day may be a time of true sadness for Masai girls, who submit to arranged marriages with much older men whom they barely know. Before the girl departs her father spits milk on her head and breasts. As she leaves, family and friends warn her not to look back, in case she might turn to stone. As the bridal party nears, they are met by the groom's female relatives, who hurl insults at the bride to ward off bad luck. "You are as short and bowlegged as a Pygmy!" Then they slap handfuls of cow dung on top of her head. How she handles the abuse is believed to determine how she will face the challenges of marriage.
I'm grateful to be an American. Moreover, the Orthodox wedding sacrament is truly an awesome and holy ceremony. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Abreast
My slight sickness (stuffy nose, soar throat, etc) was aggravated by the nearly three-hour exhausting anxiety, and my own deafening exclamations of joy and dejection watching the World Champion Lakers dig deep and finding the heart of a champion! Ultimately the Lakers beat Bibby, earning the West-coast Conference Championship.
I was more than proud of Kobe and the boys; they played with heart, determination, zeal, and most of all intelligence. I really appreciated their humility after the game as well.
Next up: Jason and the Nets. Go Lakers!
On a much different note. I recently finished Victor Hugo's masterpiece The Hunchback of Notre Dame via book-on-tape. I cannot praise the work enough. Hugo's mastery of simile and metaphor make for a truly adorned and vivid story for the mind to experience. This is one you should not miss reading, even if you've seen the Disney movie-- You may be shocked to learn that Disney's version of the Hunchback is related Hugo's story by little more than a hair or two: one such "relation" being that, yes, there is a hunchback in the story...and, oh yeah, the cathedral of Notre Dame is mentioned too. You'll find Hugo's real story to be much darker, and more tragic, but all the more honest, intriguing, witty... and just plain satisfying.
Amazon has some paperbacks starting at 32 cents.
In today's L.A. Times' Health section there are a series of very interesting articles related to kids and sex. I would have linked to them, but one must be a registered member to have access. Registering if FREE, so if you're so inclinded I recommend the reading-- that is, if you can stomach it.
Mentioned in the L.A. Times article: Judith Levine has a new book out in which she advocates "kids seeking out [sexual] pleasure with consenting peers." Of course this includes peers of the same sex, and even adults. I seem to remember a time when all parents had to worry about was the Man Boy Love Association supporting such insidious notions, now such ideas are threatening to intrude the mainstream--published by the University of Minnesota Press--...God have mercy on our nation.