Test – a slightly new direction

Just test post – I decided to let the blog lapse months ago, since it wasn’t time to share such things. I used Facebook instead to simply keep up with things I wanted to remember that I was learning, and resources. A blog seemed out of place, since it was really just for me. But Facebook has proven unreliable for the task, so I’m back again considering using the blog. Test post – it’s been so long, I’m not sure if everything is still in place. 🙂

 

Lord have mercy …

Salvation – inside and outside the Orthodox Church

Does someone have to belong to the Orthodox Church to be saved?

I’ve been asked this question lately, seen other people asked it an answer, and been involved with discussions in various places online. I was starting to see strong statements by some that one MUST belong to the Orthodox Church, and no salvation could be possible otherwise. This is not in alignment with what I have been taught as a catechumen – which more specifically would be to say that the Orthodox do not pass judgment on those outside of the Orthodox Church – and for that matter, they do not judge the salvation of individuals inside the Church either. Salvation belongs to God and is His singular right to decide. We trust to His mercy.

I saw a nice collection of quotes that helps to solidify this position, and want to share them here. Thank you to xariskai on OrthodoxChristianity.net for collecting these!

A common explanation is that we know where the Church is, but not where it is not.”As to those people who are good and kind but are not believers, we cannot and must not judge them. The ways of the Lord are inscrutable; let us leave these good people entirely to His judgment and to the grace of His Providence. He alone knows how and why He has built the argosy of humanity, and the small boat of each one of us, such as it is.” -St. Macarius of Optina In fewer words: “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?” (1 Cor 5:12). Metropolitan Philaret Voznesensky of New York (Russian Orthodox Church Abroad) on the Faith of Non-Orthodox Christians: “It is self evident, however, that sincere Christians who are Roman Catholics, or Lutherans, or members, of other non-Orthodox confessions, cannot be termed renegades or heretics—i.e. those who knowingly pervert the truth… They have been born and raised and are living according to the creed which they have inherited, just as do the majority of you who are Orthodox; in their lives there has not been a moment of personal and conscious renunciation of Orthodoxy. The Lord, “Who will have all men to be saved” (I Tim. 2:4) and “Who enlightens every man born into the world” (Jn 1:43), undoubtedly is leading them also towards salvation in His own way.” ‘Inasmuch as the earthly and visible Church is not the fullness and completeness of the whole Church which the Lord has appointed to appear at the final judgment of all creation, she acts and knows only within her own limits; and … does not judge the rest of mankind, and only looks upon those as excluded, that is to say, not belonging to her, who exclude themselves. The rest of mankind, whether alien from the Church, or united to her by ties which God has not willed to reveal to her, she leaves to the judgment of the great day’ (“The Church is One”) -Saint Philaret, Khomiakov “We are not to imagine that because Orthodoxy possesses the fullness of Holy Tradition, the other Christian bodies possess nothing at all. Far from it; I have never been convinced by the rigorist claim that sacramental life and the grace of the Holy Spirit can exist only within the visible limits of the Orthodox Church… Faithful to its vocation to assist the salvation of all, the Church of Christ values every ‘spark of life,’ however small, in the dissident communities. In this way it bears witness to the fact that, despite the separation, they still retain a certain link with the unique and life-giving center, a link that is -so far as we are concerned- ‘invisible and beyond our understanding.’ There is only one true Church, the sole bestower of sacramental grace; but there are several ways of being separated from that one true Church, and varying degrees of diminishing ecclesial reality outside its visible limits.” Lossky, introductory note to the article of Patriarch Sergius of Moscow, “L’Eglishe du Christ et les communautes dissidentes,” quoted in Bp. Kallistos Ware, The Inner Kingdom, pp. 8-9.

 

Cultivating virtues

I just read a post in an online forum that really struck me. The question was about how faith is developed, and the person’s answer was that it was through virtues. There was some discussion about how virtues are developed, how God does this, and how man cooperates. But then there was something that had never even really crossed my mind. Planning to cultivate virtues …

Quote from: Justin Kissel on June 14, 2014, 08:33:35 AM In many Fathers that I have read it is through the virtues that this happens, and in general the virtues are tied to spiritual knowledge (spiritual epistemology, gnosiology). However this will be different for each person, depending on the various factors involved (life situation, personality, spiritual direction available,  etc.) Usually more than one virtue is involved, and to varying degrees, but there is probably one in particular that is key for most people. For some it might be love, for others a deep sense of repentance or the awareness of their shortcomings and sins (even if they don’t yet think there is a God). I would expect that a common foundation virtue on this path for many atheists, as well as for moderns in general, is humility. Orthodox Christianity–or at least the parts I am most aware of–teach that the virtues usually don’t happen by accident or simply from wandering through life; and if there would be some growth in such cases, then you can only expect minimal and haphazard results from a minimal and haphazard approach.Rather we are to not only make a conscious effort to cultivate particular virtues, but we should even make plans. That is, the actual growth is from grace and is out of our hands, but God asks us to cooperate with him. So we measure our fields, we think about how to best go about planting, what the proper times to do maintenance are, we decide whether we need fences, choose who to buy supplies from, etc. It is the same things with the virtues: we plan things as best we can, how to cultivate this or that one, when we should do it, etc. We think of concrete and practical (and often seemingly mundane) ways of doing so, and then follow through as best we can. None of this is to take away from God, who gives all good things, nor does it mean that we expect that everything will go exactly as planned. The point is simply to prepare and be ready for the opportunities and grace when they come to us. This is best done within the Church context, with the services, the prayers, etc. However, not everyone (eg, many atheists) would or could jump right into that. God can still work with such people to bring them to where He wants them, and where they can best be. The important thing at the beginning is just a willingness to try, and then follow through as best they can in walking the path before them. And perhaps much of the way they will be saying, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!” Maybe for others this is old news, but it came as a complete surprise to me. I can understand that the fasting of Orthodoxy leads to denial of the flesh and self control, the prayer rule trains one to keep attention on prayer and to be faithful, and there is so much more. Being under the guidance of a spiritual father lends to some humility, and of course so much more for monastics. But the concept of an adult actually planning for the development of virtues is a new idea to me, and seems very worthwhile to consider …

 

On Speaking with Heterodox

As much as I have been looking forward to posting here, I frequently get pulled away, and probably by something other converts can identify with, to varying degrees. This past week, a very dear friend of mine who I have been to church with many times, but who has taken a different path than I have, has been questioning me in great detail about the Orthodox Church and its practices and beliefs.

He has finally backed off a little, but I have literally spent about 30 hours in the past week defending myself to this person. Really, looking back, not such a good approach and not one I’d recommend. But after so many hours, he finally has decided to put it on the back burner. He is sure that either the Church will change, or else God will move me out of it. But at the same time, he has found a few things about Orthodoxy that he actually sees value in.

As I said, my approach could have been better, and I could have saved myself a lot of stress over this. My mind keeps going back to the words of St. Silouan about this. While I did not condemn my friend’s religious beliefs and practices, I still think there is wisdom for me in the Saint’s words.

I remember a conversation he had with a certain Archimandrite who was engaged in missionary work. This Archimandrite thought highly of the Staretz and many a time went to see him during his visits to the Holy Mountain. The Staretz asked him what sort of sermons he preached to people.
The Archimandrite, who was still young and inexperienced, gesticulated with his hands and swayed his whole body, and replied excitedly, “I tell them, ‘Your faith is all wrong, perverted. There is nothing right, and if you don’t repent, there will be no salvation for you.’”
The Staretz heard him out, then asked, “But please tell me, holy archmandrite, do they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ – that He is the true God?”
“Yes, they do believe that.”
“And do they honour the Holy Mother?”
“They honour Her, but they teach erroneous things about Her.”
“And what about the saints – do they acknowledge their existence?”
“Yes, they do, but ever since they have severed themselves from the Church, what kind of saints could they have?”
“Do they perform services in Churches? Do they read the word of God?”
“Yes, and they also have temples and services, but if you could only see how inferior their services are to ours – how cold, how soul-less they are!”
“Holy archmandrite, their souls obviously feel that they are acting correctly in believing in Christ, in honouring the Holy Mother and the saints – whom they invoke in their prayers. That is why, when you tell them that their faith is illegitimate, they will not listen to you… But if you told the people that they are right in believing in God, that they are right in honouring the Holy Mother and the saints, and in going to church for services and praying at home, that they are right in reading the Word of God and all the rest, except that here and there they have a few incorrect theories which should be corrected, then everything will be just fine and pleasing to God, and by the Grace of God, everyone will be saved…. “God is Love”, and that is why a sermon needs to always spring from love. Only then will the preacher and the listener both benefit. But if you censure them, then the souls of the people will not listen to you and no benefit will be achieved.”
— passage from Saint Silouan the Athonite

The documentation begins

I have wanted to start a blog about all that has been going on, but to be honest, I’ve been too busy reading books, discussing in online forums, going to Church, and living life. I do have a lot of collected “good stuff” about my own questions, and struggles, and especially the wonderful answers others have given me along the way, and I may add them in.

 

I’m still a catechumen, and have been one “officially” for only a few weeks now, but Father decided to include my “inquirer” phase and we’re actually going to talk about dates for Chrismation in a couple more months.

 

And I’ve wanted to do this blog for a while, but it’s not like I feel I have great insights into Orthodoxy to add. There are lots of wonderful sites out there for that! (And  a few not to wonderful – be careful!) I’ll link to some of the good ones as I can get them added. I need a place to gather resources for myself anyway. But lest I appear as a “hyperdox Herman” I want to be sure to say that I don’t have great insights to add. I only wish to document for my own self, and will probably keep this as a diary of sorts, and include some of the incredibly helpful things others have been kind enough to share with me.

 

If you don’t know what “Hyperdox Herman” is, visit OrthodoxChristianity.net for some amusing – and sometimes not so amusing – results!