St. John Chrysostom ~ beggar and the chalice

If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the church door, you will not find Him in the chalice.


~ St. John Chrysostom

God and Gender ~ Clark Carlton

God and Gender

   Few issues are as explosive in our society as those involving gender and religion. The Orthodox Christian addresses these issues within the framework of the Church's self-understanding as the Bride of Christ. Whether the issue at hand is "inclusive language," the role of women in the Church, or homosexual desire, the answer lies in the great mystery: Christ and the Church.
   
   The peoples of the ancient world worshiped female deities, accepted priestesses, and thought nothing of homosexual behavior. Israel, however, stood alone in rejecting all of these practices. The reason for this lies in God's revelation of Himself as being radically distinct from creation.
   
   We have said that the world was created ex nihilo. Between the being of God and the being of the world there is an irreducible gulf. The world is not God, has never been God, and will never be God. The fact that God has united creation to Himself in the Incarnation in no way destroys the distinction between the Uncreated and the created. In Christ we participate in the uncreated grace of God, becoming by that grace what He is by nature, yet we never cease being creatures; our created nature is never transformed into the divine nature.
   
   This difference between God and the world is expressed iconically by the disexuality of human nature. In the Divine Scriptures, God is always represented by the male and creation by the female. God is the Bridegroom, and the world--- or more precisely, the Church, which is the world recreated in Christ--- is the Bride.
   
   God, of course, is neither male nor female; He is beyond all such created concepts. Nevertheless, He has given us certain images and concepts whereby we have come to know Him. Though these concepts can never fully describe or define the indescribable God, we are nonetheless bound by them.
   
   It is true that the Scriptures occasionally use female imagery in regard to God. For example, Christ said of Jerusalem: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not (Matthew 23:37). This is,  however, a simile. Christ called God "Father," not "Mother." Christ is the "Son" of God, not the "Daughter" of God.
   
   The use if "inclusive" or even gender-neutral language about God is an egregious violation of the integrity of the Scriptures and of the Liturgy. To call God "Mother" is nothing less than to introduce a different god. Inclusive language blurs the distinction between the Creator and creation, elevating the creation (that is, the female) to the place of God, and thereby returning us once again to the Original Sin.
   
   From this it should be evident why it is impossible for the Church to have priestesses. The male, because he is a creature, can represent God only iconically. The female, however, is creation. The Church is essentially female. If, therefore, the priest--- who is the image of Christ the Bridegroom--- is female, then what happens to the male principle? Once again, the distinction between Creator and creation is destroyed, and a new religion is born. Actually, it is an old religion that is reborn--- the religion of pantheism, which Israel and the Church rejected.
   
   The inherent disexuality of human nature and its iconic relationship to Christ and the Church also explains the Church's attitude toward homosexual desire. Notice the context in which St. Paul addresses this issue:

      Who changed the Truth of God into the lie, and worshipped
      and served the creature more than the Creator, Who is
      blessed for ever. For this cause God gave them up
      unto vile affections: for even their women did change
      the natural use into that which is against nature: And
      likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the
      women, burned in their lust one toward another; men
      with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving
      in themselves that recompense of their error which was
      meet (Romans 1:25-27).

   For St. Paul, homosexual desire is not only a result of the Fall, it is actually paradigmatic of the Fall, much in the same way that marriage is paradigmatic of Christ's saving relationship to the Church. It is clear, therefore, that the Church cannot bless homosexual activity. Human sexuality can be rightly expressed only in Holy Matrimony or in celibacy.
 

The Faith: Understanding Orthodox Christianity, An Orthodox Catechism, Clark Carlton, Regina Orthodox Press, 1997 pp. 235-237.

Judge Not, Part 1 – Making Excuses

Perhaps one of the things we all hate the most is being judged by someone else.  It gets under our skin, makes our blood boil, and hurts us deeply, especially if it is someone whom we trusted.  When we feel that someone is judging us, even for something we can admit was wrong, a multitude of thoughts will flood the mind, “You’re not being fair,” or “If you only knew all of the facts then you wouldn’t judge me,” or “The Bible says not to judge others.”
Yet all of us are guilty of this sin, whether or not we realize it.  While we are walking through the city, driving down the road, or in church on Sunday, we are probably forming all sorts of “little” judgments about other people.  Such judgments usually stay in our heads, so we think they have little or no consequence.  However, Abba Dorotheos of Gaza warns us, I am always telling you that bad habits are formed in the soul by these very small things…” [1]
I am exceedingly guilty of judging others, and I hesitated to even begin posting this series.  Who am I to teach others about avoiding a sin I have so often fallen into?  May the Lord help me to present these things as one student would to another, as a student who has flunked many times and therefore can begin to learn from his mistakes and show others how to avoid the same pitfalls.
St. Paisios of Mt. Athos taught that we should utilize our creative energy to make excuses for other people.  If someone cuts us off in traffic, instead of thinking “What a jerk!” we can think “How many times have I made mistakes while driving?  He probably didn’t see me or misjudged my distance.”  If someone is rude to us, instead of thinking “What a shrew!” we can think, “She’s probably having a bad day, perhaps even has a huge battle going on inside of her.  I’ll do what I can to not add to the heaviness she probably already feels in her soul.”
After all, A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)  A gentle answer can also be a healing balm that a person’s wounded soul needs.  Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24)  Such kindness is healing to both ourselves and to the person whom we have encountered.
Developing a thought pattern – in which we try to make excuses for everyone instead of passing little judgments on people – can take a bit of time, but it is rewarding in the end.  Doing so will bring us to a place of peace, humility, and genuine love for others.
Somebody once approached Abba Sisoes to discuss unceasing remembrance of God, which is one of the most highly sought virtues, especially among monastics.  The old man’s reply surprised me.  He said, “That is no great thing, my son, but it is a great thing to regard yourself as inferior to everyone else. This leads to the acquisition of humility.” [2]
When we judge others, it is impossible to acquire humility and the grace of God.  However, when we make excuses for others and refuse to pass judgment, then we are beginning to tread the beautiful steps of divine lowliness, which causes grace to be attracted to the soul like bees to flowers.
I will continue this series, God willing, with several more reflections, mostly taken from the teachings of Abba Dorotheos of Gaza and other desert fathers.

thanks to:

https://www.orthodoxroad.com/judge-not-part-1-making-excuses/
 

Judge Not, Part 2 – Coming to the Center (Thoughts from Abba Dorotheos)

Judge Not, Part 2 – Coming to the Center

I have never met a person who thinks of judgment as a virtue.  Even the most critical people, who seem to thrive on criticizing others, will often become defensive when they are on the receiving end of a stinging remark.
Obviously, judgement is prohibited, but why?  How does it harm us?  It all has to do with oneness, which is one of the final prayers our Lord had for His disciples (and us) while on this earth (John 17).
To explain, I will provide an illustration that I’ve adapted from Abba Dorotheos of Gaza, a 6^th century saint and desert father of our church:
Imagine something that is much like a wheel with numerous incomplete spokes that can grow and move from the perimeter to the center.  In the center is Christ, who beckons all of us to move toward him.  The only path to this center is love.  One spoke symbolizes our lives, the other spokes represent our neighbors.  As all of the spokes move closer to the center, they also move closer to one another.  It is impossible to move toward the center without simultaneously coming together with the other spokes.
Abba Dorotheos reminds us,

If we were to love God more, we should be closer to God, and through love of him we should be more united in love to our neighbor; and the more we are united to our neighbor the more we are united to God.

We were created to be in union with God and one another.  In heaven, perfect unity abides as all creatures find their oneness with one another through Christ.  What we call hell, on the other hand, is a terrifying state of isolation.
Even in this life, unity with God and others creates love, joy, and peace inside of us.  We catch a glimpse of this whenever we bond closely with other people.  One of the greatest steps toward unity is to refrain from judging others.
Perhaps it could also be likened to a river.  God is the source, and unlike most rivers that flow away from their source, this one flows toward it, drawing all that wish to enter deeply into itself.  Entering into the God of love requires oneness, because we must all share in this same river.  Judging others shatters this oneness and pushes us to the banks of the river where we enter into a self-imposed spiritual isolation.
May Christ our God draw us into unity with one another, that we may be one as He and the Father are one, helping us move ever closer to the Divine Center where He abides.


thanks to source:

https://www.orthodoxroad.com/judge-not-part-2-coming-to-the-center/

Judge Not, Part 5 – Stories from the Desert (Abba Dorotheus )

Judge Not, Part 5 – Stories from the Desert


For the last blog of this series, I wanted to share a few stories from the Orthodox monastic fathers that illustrate the importance of not judging one another.

EXAMPLE 1

One day, Abba Isaac the Theban saw a brother committing a sin.  Abba Isaac judged and condemned the man in his heart.  Shortly thereafter, an angel stood before the Abba with the departed soul of the brother who sinned.  The angel asked, “Here is the person you have judged.  Where shall I send this man’s soul, to Hades or to Paradise?”  Abba Isaac fell to the ground, horrified, stating, “I have sinned, forgive me.”  The holy old man, frightened beyond measure, spent the rest of his life praying with sighs and tears and continuous hard work to be forgiven this sin even though the angel had told him he was forgiven.  Still, Abba Isaac carried the guilt of this sin with him until his dying day. [1]
In this story, we see a rare glimpse into the life of a holy man who realized the horror of judging another human soul.  Abba Isaac knew that there is room for only one judge of human souls, and when we judge another person, we are competing with Satan for usurping God from His throne.

EXAMPLE 2

There is another story of a monk who lacked discipline.  He was not a bad person, but quite lazy and not at all reliable.  The other monks were frequently annoyed with him.  While this lazy monk was on his death bed, the other brothers came to visit him.  They were surprised to see him in such good spirits.  “Are you not concerned,” they asked him, “that God’s judgment will come upon you harshly for living such a lax life as a monk?”
He smiled and did not deny that he was far from exemplary, but he had one key defense, “Our Lord said, ‘Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned.’ I have never judged a man for anything he has done.  Rather I have looked upon all with simplicity and love.”  The brothers were speechless at his response and realized that though they had good works, they had neglected this crucial aspect of the spiritual life. The simple monk died in peace and went to Paradise, and all of the brothers were edified.  [2]

EXAMPLE 3

But what about when someone’s faults are so glaringly obvious?  Is it a sin to notice that others have faults?  The answer is no.  The saints saw the sins of others.  However, Abba Dorotheus says, they simply would not let their eyes dwell on sins.  Who hated sin more than the saints?  But they did not hate the sinners all the same time, nor condemn them, no turn away from them, but they suffered with them, admonished them, comforted them, gave them remedies as sickly members, and did all they could to heal them.
Take a fisherman: when he casts his hook into the sea and a large fish takes the bait, he perceives first that the fish struggles violently and is full of fight, so he does not try pull it in immediately by main force for the line would break and the catch would be lost in the end. 
No!  He plays out the line and, as he says, allows the fish to run freely, but when he feels the line slacken and the first struggles have calmed down, he takes up the slack line and begins, little by little, to draw him in.  So the holy fathers, by patience and love, draw the brother and do not spurn him nor show themselves unfriendly towards him, but as a mother who has an unruly son does not hate him or turn away from him but rules him with sweetness and sometimes does things to please him, so they always protect him and keep him in order and they gain a hold on him so that with time they correct the erring brother and do not allow him to harm anyone else, and in doing so they greatly advance toward the love of Christ. [3]

Giving Sacred Space

When we act in the way the holy man describes above, we are creating room for our brother or sister who has fallen into sin and offering them a sacred space to heal.  Rather than preaching at them, we, in some sense, stoop down to where they are.  He illustrates this point in a story:
At one time, one of the monks in Abba Ammon’s care had a woman visiting him and sleeping with him, which of course is not appropriate for a monk.  The other monks in the coenobium figured out what was going on and rushed to Abba Ammon who in turn went to the brother’s cell and found him with the woman.  There was a large barrel in the cell and Abba Ammon told the woman to hide in the barrel, which he then sat upon.  The other monks in the monastery came rushing in and began looking for the woman.  None of them could find her, and out of respect for the abbot, none of them dared to ask Ammon to move.  He then warned them to be careful about judging others and sent them away.  Additionally, when they were alone, he warned the brother who had fallen into sin to flee it.
It is important that we keep in mind the words of the Apostle Paul, who said, Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. (Gal. 6:1)  If ever a rebuke is necessary, it should be done with utmost gentleness, otherwise we too will be tempted.  Tempted into what?  Self-righteousness and spiritual pride, which results in an eternal downfall.
May the Lord preserve us from judging others that we may have a Christian ending to our life, painless, blameless peaceful; and a good defense before the dread Judgment Seat of Christ, let us ask….Grant this, O Lord. [4]

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thanks to source:

https://www.orthodoxroad.com/judge-not-part-5-stories-from-the-desert/