Selfish for Salvation

We like to think of ourselves as a people who compassionately care for the needs of others.  We're comforted when our donations to the Red Cross are found helping victims of storms.  We feel good about giving to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.  We no doubt from time to time hand cash to that beggar on the corner.  In all of this we "feel" like we're being selfless, "Doing the Lord's work," so to speak.  Doing works such as these is a wonderful thing.  It is in fact following our Lord's commandment to care for "the least of His brethren." (Mat 25:40)

However, it doesn't take a lot of thought to come up with ways in which selfishness rears its ugly head in our day-to-day lives.  There's the evidence found on any given black Friday when people push and shove others out of the way to get one of the first 50 tv's on sale for half off.  There's the recent memory of hoarding of toilet paper as the pandemic struck.  There are the people who know that a highway is necking down from two lanes to one but choose to take the "me first" lane and cut in front of those who have the discipline to follow the rules.

And so we understand that selfishness still abounds around us.  But we often remind those who are part of our worshipping community that there IS a time and a purpose where selfishness is a virtue rather than a vice.  When?  

Being selfish for my salvation!

Finding the path to salvation (Theosis) is a path of finding peace in our lives.  St. Seraphim of Sarov famously said, "Acquire a peaceful spirit and thousands around you will be saved."  And so seeking salvation, while able to be couched as a selfish act, carries with it the corollary that those with such a spirit will be found to help those "least of His brethren" who will be exposed to his or her peaceful spirit.  

Consider the thieves crucified with our Lord.  The one on the left uttered a "prayer" that said this:  "If You are the Christ, save Yourself - and us!"  It's a very contemporary kind of prayer.  It basically says, "Give me what I want, and give it to me NOW!"

The wise thief on the right prayed with greater wisdom.  "Remember me, O Lord, when You come into Your kingdom!" (Luke 23:39-42)  The prayer asks for nothing immediate.  It pleads for a promise of blessings to come.  It is 'selfishly' humble.  

Had our Lord granted the prayer of the left thief, the act would have impacted three souls, and it would have extended this life only, providing noting eternal.  Granting the prayer of the right thief, salvation becomes available to any human soul that believes in the Lord, and it saves not this perishable life, but provides entrance to life eternal.

And so each of us must live our lives working out our own salvation.  "Therefore, my beloved, ...  work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."  (Phil 2:12-13)  We are called to do this by using the talents given us by God.  “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)

If we can do these things, perhaps we will find that peace in our lives, the peace that can be seen by others so that they, too, with the help of the Holy Spirit, might through their own prayers and inspired use of talents, find their own path to salvation.

Note From a Pilgrim at Vatopedi Monastery

He was a short man, dressed in a monastic cassock that provided him with anonymity towards his brethren. White beard. A slight forward bend to his stance, I imagined from years spent quietly and obediently serving his Lord. Whether he was monk or hieromonk or otherwise, there was no way to tell. In monasticism there are no military battle insignia, no ribbons on display at the chest to indicate battles won, theaters conquered. There is only the silent image of a humble man serving as directed those who, like this unworthy pilgrim, come in faith to witness the treasure that he guards.

The treasure itself is small. From a distance the treasure calls no attention to itself. One gains an appreciation of the treasure's importance based not on observing the relic directly, but by observing the line of people standing and waiting to venerate it, to prostrate themselves before him, to silently receive his blessing.

"He" is Saint Andrew, the first-called of the Apostles. When reality catches up with this pilgrim, it brings tears of reverence and joy because St. Andrew is the patron of the church in which this pilgrim was baptized, in which he offered his first confession, in which he first served inside an altar as an acolyte, in which his parents were wed, as well as his brother, in which many of his family reposed, from which they were buried. The presence, the physical presence of this patron floods the pilgrim with memories of all of these things - blessings granted by the saint's (and the pilgrim's) Master without need to ask for them, blessings founded in the saint's patronage and the Lord's knowledge of our needs even before we know them. Blessings that came from that small community church which made it "the cradle" that nurtured and set on the path this one cradle Orthodox Christian. Now all of these memories flood to the surface with the urgent need for thanksgiving.

The guardian monk motions the pilgrim to draw near. It's your time. Come. See. Touch.

I make my prostrations. Fearful of the holiness of what is present before me, I kiss the silver cover over the relic, a cover with an opening exposing the head of the blessed saint. I place my pectoral cross into the open hand of the guardian monk, who lovingly takes it, makes the sign of the cross over the saint with it, touches the cross to Saint Andrew's head, then turns and places it back into my trembling hand.

As he does so, he takes notice of that right hand. He grasps the wedding ring thereon. I don't think he spoke English. This pilgrim speaks no Greek. But by the grace of God we together understood one another. He showed recognition that the pilgrim is a married priest. At this, he took that ring covered finger and touched the pilgrim's ring and hand to the head of the saint. The pilgrim became an instrument conforming to the guardian monk's guidance. The monk then indicated that I should venerate the relic itself. Simultaneously with both great fear and great peace, the pilgrim conformed to the instructions of the monk. I kissed the head of Saint Andrew! My lips have touched one who walked with, spoke with, and touched my Lord and my God; one who was an apostle of the Forerunner and who took St. John's encouragement to follow Christ; one who was witness to the Master's ministry, His miracles, His love for mankind. He was there at the raising of Lazarus. He had his feet washed by the Lord. He was called 'friend' by the Lord. He was in the room when the resurrected Lord entered through closed doors. He witnessed the Ascension. He carried the Gospel throughout the world on his missionary journeys. He was martyred in his love for Christ.

With head still spinning from all these recognitions and pondering them, I turned to walk away, but was called back. The monk held out his hand and placed a vial of holy oil into my own hand - a blessing to share with the flock I've been called to serve.

The pilgrim tried to resume the pilgrimage. But as he prayerfully walked away, he recognized that those last 5 or 10 minutes of his life changed him - forever.

Now he gives thanks to his Lord. He gives thanks to Saint Andrew. And he gives thanks to the nameless humble monk who served as the instrument permitting this grace-filled moment to occur. He prays that he too may find repentance and humility in the time the Lord blesses him to remain in this life.

Being Conceived

 When does life begin?  It is a question that plagues our society.  There are those who have an agenda to permit removal of an embryo before it is “viable.” Others claim that life begins when a heartbeat is first noted.  There are still others who would contend (the Church being one) that life begins at the moment of conception.

Why this topic today?  Because if the “birthday” of St. Herman’s was on January 23rd 2005 (the day upon which we held our first service as a Diocesan Parish), then our “conception” was on this day, the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women, which occurred in that year on May 11, 2003. 

A conception. The word conjures images of life that require nurturing, loving, protection by a loving parent and family.  Truth be told, it seems to be an appropriate image for us.  On that day now nearly twenty-three years ago, there was the love of a Metropolitan who chose to permit this life to enter the realm of being conceived.  There was a core group of faithful from our mother parish who saw the benefit in supporting this new life.  And there was a gathering of faithful, the “cells” of the new Body being formed in this place, in this time.

With new life comes new responsibility.  There were plans to be made. There were needs to secure a place to worship, to gather enough financial resources to enable the group to begin operating.  Services had to be planned.  Letters and advertisements had to be placed.  Tell the world—this new life is taking root.  Being loved and nurtured from the beginning, we prayed that with the Lord’s blessing it would grow into something wonderful, beautiful.  And by the Grace of God, it would come to serve the needs of those who would find it and come to it in faith and love, to share in its life.

Now, these many years later, we look back on that Sunday and we find a sense of astonishment.  How did this all come to be?  How is it possible that we even exist?

Life itself is so very fragile.  It is not promised.  It is a gift that, once given, must be cherished.  And within that gift, there comes a responsibility to conform that life into the image for which God created it, the image for which it was permitted to be conceived.

What image does our Lord want for us?  If we answer honestly, we must say that we, as faithful disciples, haven’t seen that vision yet. 

In a previous visit for St. Thomas Sunday, His Eminence, in his homily after Liturgy, encouraged all who were present to “believe and embrace the hope”.  We hope for answers to our prayers, that our Lord will give to us that which is beneficial for our salvation.  We “want” things for our own purposes, often without considering if our “wants” conform to God’s plan for us.  We want growth.  We know this would be good.  His Eminence’s urging is for us to expect that God will answer this good request.  We want a firm faith.  We know this also to be good.  We must expect that God will honor such prayers, those directed toward seeking His holy will for all of us.

We want so very many things.  But only one thing is needful, and that is to love the Lord, and to love our neighbor.  When we live in this way, we expect that He has and will give us all that is truly needful!

Christ is Risen!

Indeed, He is Risen!!!