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Submitted
July 16, 2004
Orthodoxy in America
Dear Fellow Orthodox,
Christ is in our midst! "Whatever city you enter,
and they receive you, eat such things as are set
before you. And heal the sick there, and say to
them, "The kingdom of God has come near to you."
But whatever city you enter, and they do not
receive you, go out into its streets and say,
"The very dust of your city which clings to us we
wipe off against you." Nevertheless know this,
that the kingdom of God has come near you."
In reading the increased number of letters,
petitions, proposals, missives, and sharing of
peoples' souls, I am deeply saddened for those of
you who are sincerely trying to live the Gospel
through the Orthodox Church and are being beaten
down at every turn. There is nothing more
disheartening than to spend years seeking the Lord
through a maze of differing teachings and
institutions to finally arrive at the clear and
simple truth of the ancient Church and to enter
the Church with zeal and find it in a state of
near death.
This moment of crisis can shake us to the core of
our being - if this truly is the Church against
which the gates of hell will not prevail, then how
can it possibly be so far away from the basic
teachings of Christ, the scriptures, and the Holy
Tradition? While there are many faithful souls
and good priests who struggle daily to be good and
faithful servants, on a whole the parishes and
administrative machine here in America is simply
not being the salt of the earth nor a light on a
hill.
To list what is not being done would be
exhaustive. To identify the missed opportunities
for strength in unity and evangelism in our
communities would fill volumes. It would be far
easier to identify the small handful of efforts
inside and outside of parishes which are small
lights of God's goodness and love. But these
efforts must fight with all their might not only
against the enemy but also against the wave of
negativity and oppression from the "church".
Some recent letters that I have seen pain me to my
soul. Good people who are seeking God's Kingdom
and its vessel here on earth are having their zeal
crushed out of them. Some wonder how they and
their people can be acculturated and become a full
_expression of the Faith. Some have clear and
rational ideas for how the Church in America can
rise up and become who She should be. There are
clergy who are considering other careers after
investing their lives into a situation in which no
one really cares. There are organizations taking
on the administration. There are charities and
missions trying to work in spite of the lack of
support. All of these people are 100% correct in
their frustrations, holy desires, and wishing for
a Church which at least resembles a slice of God's
Kingdom come.
So what to do? There are a myriad of ideas but I
only wish to focus on the big picture and bottom
line. First, any local effort which encourages
worship, fasting, fellowship, and service to those
in need must be done with all of our heart, mind,
and soul. This is our salvation. This is the
witness of our Lord. This is above all, without
which, we cannot expect our Lord's blessing and
mercy. This does not mean it has to be done
through a parish council or formalized
committee. These forums are death. One must be
in good standing and be nourished by the
Eucharist. But, there is no law to prevent the
gathering of faithful to pray, fellowship, and
serve their fellow man. Be careful to not
antagonize the leadership if they are not
supportive - let your only offense be love. Do
not encourage division lest the enemy rejoice.
Simply do what we are supposed to do with a humble
attitude and without pride. God will do the rest.
As for the leadership of the church, I know that
we must express ourselves and share our thoughts
and ideas. Sometimes it is purely cathartic.
Other times it is offered with good intentions and
well thought ideas to improve the church. If you
must write, then write. But, one must realize
that a five-page letter will never convince a
person to behave as a Christian. If a leader has
Christ as Lord and is seeking the Holy Spirit
every day in every circumstance there will be no
need for arguments to behave with foresight, love,
charity, humility, and with the betterment of the
church above all in spite of the cost. This is a
natural byproduct of devotion to Christ our Lord.
The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. These gifts come
not by argument but by humbling ourselves and by
much fasting and prayer. Pray that God raise up
leaders who seek Him above all things. Do your
part in your family and community and sin not in
the smallest of things.
In Christ,
Angelo Paul
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