Quo Vadis?
Which way Lord? The past eight months have seen a rise in internet activity regarding the role of bishops and the Archdiocese as well as the Patriarchate of Antioch. Most of what I read was anonymous, erroneous, often libelous, and scandal mongering..even out right lies. One can disagree on the polity of the church without "hitting below the belt" shadow boxing, since most do not identify themselves. Over all these
very disagreeable months of "splashy" headlines and editorials and charges and counter-charges, the emphasis has been on position, power and authority. Even from the Mother Church, over the past century, the tone and tomes have been on "who is in charge." One does not have to restate what has already been out there for all to luxuriate over. My question is, where is Christ in all of this? Not once have faith issues been raised not how do we live as Orthodox Christians in a modern society with all its complexities. At the Archdiocese Biennial Convention,
a similar observation is relevant. How the Archbishop who has served for fifty years of his life, over forty of them in North America, was subjected to such quizzing with utter disrespect, is beyond the wildest imagination of this priest......who incidentally is close behind in years of service. I was praying for someone, including the clergy to raise the important issues of the day and the response of the church. No, instead,
hidden agendas sprung forth challenging the Metropolitan, again on the "things of Martha" clamoring among the kitchen utensils with great bravado. Shame! The Word of the Lord was consigned to oblivion while clergy and laity alike caucused in silent corners fixated on the literalism of the Pharisees.
Is this the Church of St. Raphael, Archbishop Antony Bashir, Protosyngelos Ellis Khouri, Archbishops Samuel and Michael and the scores of
heroic clergy and laity, as Monsour Laham and Ernest Saykaly (Lay Vice Chairmen) and hundreds of others who sacrificed so much asking for very little in return? Quo Vadis, which way Lord.......which way to we want our church to go|? To spend countless hours debating what the word "assistant" means, or to immerse ourselves in the Transfigured Glory of Christ and hence transform our inner lives to embrace others with
a "touch of grace" as the woman who whisked the hem of Christ's garment and was healed. We need to be healed, fellow Antiochians from
within and without. The "kairos" has arrived for a renewed look at the Church as a Eucharistic gathering and not some exterior object subject
to the verbal microscope of examinations. Rome and the Protestant world view the Church as an institution:, it is the gift of Orthodoxy to view
the Church as a Pentecostal Mystery, the Parousia, the Out-pouring of the Spirit among the people of God. Is not every liturgy a simultaneous
Ascension and Descension of the faithful in the Sprit.........Is not all authority ultimately "spiritual?" That is, like James, it seems good to the Hoy Spirit and to us......The New Testament is replete with Apostolic answers to "useless chatter."
And so my friends, I leave you with the question again Quo Vadis? Which way Lord, do we Antiochians proceed in the 21th. century?
Father Bless! As we say in Lebanon: Yislam Timmak! May God bless your mouth for such words of wisdom. I know a layperson is not supposed to bless a priest in Orthodoxy, but this article ht a chord with me...
ReplyDeleteFather Bless!
Hello Alex, miss you both terribly; Holy Week wasn't the same without you. Thank you for your comment. The "junk" on the internet/web-sites did not enhance spirituality nor the church. The mostly anonymous submissions besmirched people and the body of Christ. There must be a new category of sins, called internet gossip. Haram, the image of the church was badly wounded by the incessant negative verbiage probably a few who tried to do damage. This is evil. There is no truth hidden by fingers that punch keys in cyber-space with the specific intention of rendering hurt. The father of lies is behind this blatant attempt to sabotage our Metropolitan and those who love and serve him,Isn't a paradox, that those who have been with him for many years are labeled as a "gang" and even worse, like "mafia"i...but the supporters of others are called the crusaders for righteousness....as though we have been performing some demonic rituals........the internet has become rather, I think a tool of Diabolus. The great divider. There must be repentance by all who succumbed to the "murring" of their computers to write in such a manner as to diminish the written word..........forgetting that the WORD is the source of all words.............. Thanks again, Alex
ReplyDelete