OrthoAnalyika Shownotes: 11 October 2009
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But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: “ He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. (2 Corinthians 9: 6-11)
Summer is over. We are transitioning into a beautiful Fall. This means that things get back to normal here: Church school is back in session, we have our full choir and music… and we have more developed and longer homilies. I will do what I can to make sure that this is time well spent (all glory to God), and I am sure that you will, too.
Cheerful Giving.
God wants us to be cheerful givers. But this is not in our [fallen] nature. Rather than cheerful givers, we are selfish tyrants. We want to control everything we can, and prefer to opt out of those things that we cannot control. This hoarding of our resources is our default setting. If we actually do give anything of our own free will, it is on our own terms, and only if we have agreed to the conditions; and it is only “cheerful” in the sense that we are satisfied with our own control over the situation.
But even this kind of perverted “cheerful giving” is rare. Most of the time, when we let loose of the things we treasure, it is not because we want to, but because someone else has coerced or forced us into it: we grudgingly give up a bit of our hoard of treasure because other selfish tyrants have exercised their own will on us. In this case, you get a transaction that looks like giving, but is really nothing more than extortion. This then is the dynamic of giving in our fallen world: one tries to gather and hoard all he can while others try to force things out of him.
If God loves cheerful giving, there is nothing for Him to love about any of these transactions – although I daresay that the devil rejoices in all of them. On the one hand, this is terrible: the fact that we have built our economies, our politics… even our marriages and churches on this kind of selfish extortion is a sign of our fallenness and just how much we have allowed sin to penetrate into our lives. On the other (more positive) hand, it shows just how much opportunity we have for growth and improvement!
Today I would like to develop the theme of cheerful giving when it comes to our wallets, our marriages, and within in the Church.
Selfishness, Extortion, and Cheerfulness when it Comes to Money
God loves cheerful givers – but He is not just talking about tipping the waitress or paying our Church dues without complaint. We should be ready to give everything we have for Him and in service to others. Ironically, this is actually the easiest to do with money – but that doesn’t mean we are willing to do it. I bet everyone here (myself included) can think of a hundred seemingly “good” reasons why we should not give even just ten percent of our income in the form of a tithe. Indeed, how many of us have grumbled when we write our monthly dues check to the Church? We find it so hard to part with our money cheerfully … especially when it is for things that we don’t really value. We are just like the rich young ruler [you remember: the one who “went away sad because he had many possessions”] – we have no interest in sacrificing things that we care about, even if it means walking away from Christ. But what is money compared to our relationship with God? God doesn’t want our money – but He consistently points out to us that we cannot love money and Him at the same time. How can money be more important than a healthy relationship with Him or anyone else? How can money be more important than salvation? But to us, it is more important than both.
Let me share an example from my own recent experience. Hard times. People need help. They come to this parish to “help them out”. This is what the prosphora basket is for. And we help them as best we can. But I can tell you that it really hurts that they see us only as a source of money – an opportunity to extract money. We have so much more to offer! Worse yet, they do not ask as one human to another – the transaction is not based on relationship or charity, but on some form of extortion or manipulation. We are marks, and they are trying to play us.
But if we refuse to play their petty little game, then we can change their lives. I have seen that happen here. And I don’t mean by refusing to give them money: I mean by stepping outside the rules of their silly game and GIVING FREELY. This is the closest to giving the way God gives that we may ever come.
Think about it: God gives although we have nothing to offer Him and no leverage over Him. He does not give because we have manipulated, forced, cajoled, or tricked Him. We need to follow this model not just with beggars, but with each other. If someone tries to manipulate you into doing something, then try this: step outside of the game of hoarding and extortion and give it to them freely out of love.
You may think I am being ridiculous or unrealistic, but this is the way that God has taught us to act, and we would be fools not to follow His teaching. You may think that this is too hard – after all, you need your money to pay the bills. Yes, I reckon it is hard, but I think it gets even harder for us when we move away from money into things that we honestly care about. Things like our pride, our will to control, our jealousy, and our grudges. All of these things threaten our marriages, our parishes; indeed all of our relationships [not to mention our salvation!].
Selfishness, Extortion, and Cheerful Giving in Marriage
When God teaches us about giving in marriage, it is clear that there are to be no barriers between man and wife. They are one flesh. Grudges, secrets, hoarding, and manipulation have no place in marriage. They are sins because they render the one flesh from the other. This is true not just of money, but of our time, and even our intimacy [St. Paul is sometimes considered a prude, but he is very clear on this point: read your Bibles!]! We are to deny each other in nothing. The author Jim Gray has a made a fortune describing the differences between Mars and Venus and how our attitudes and actions determine whether those differences lead to war and weariness or the kind of joyful union where each perfects the other in complimentary fashion. If you read the books, the message resonates with the Truth of the Gospel: selfless giving, service, and submission lead to joyful union. But as St. Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians, I speak not [just] of marriage, but of the even deeper mystery of the Church.
Selfishness, Extortion, and Cheerful Giving in Church Life
Our goal as a parish and as a Church is given to us: We are to become one as God is one (St. John 17). In a mysterious way, The Church is a body: one flesh! The implication of the Trinity, [and] the implication of a world founded on love is that we are perfected in relationship with one another. Not every type of relationship is useful – and some are downright harmful. Our Prayer Books describe “vices” and “commandments” and lists of sins to confess not because God has a set of rules He demands that we obey: God is not a tyrant or an extortioner. He has given us these lists because they describe the kinds of actions that destroy healthy relationships and that therefore must be avoided. Gossip? Adultery? Coveting? Lying? Stealing? Murder? Grudges? Hoarding of time, treasure & talents? How can a healthy relationship flourish or even survive where such things exist? When God accepts us, it is not because we have followed rules, but because we have perfected our relations with Him and one another through Jesus Christ. That is what we are doing here: perfecting our relationships with one another and with Christ.
Don’t ask for forgiveness from your neighbor, be faithful to your wife, confess your sins, pay your dues (or even tithe), take Communion, (etc.) because it is what you are supposed to do: to reiterate my point… GOD IS NOT AN EXTORTIONER.
Do all the things you have been taught to do because it will make you the men and women God created you to be; because it will bring joy to those around you; and because it will allow you ourself become a living beacon of warmth and radiance to all. A person who knows what a healthy relationship looks like has no need of rules: such a person follows them instinctively and as a matter of course. We need rules because we are not there yet, but don’t confuse rules for anything real or eternal (St. Paul’s letter to the Hebrews). All good laws are fulfilled in Jesus Christ – and a life in Him makes them superfluous. When we do good because we are good [in Christ], when we give all that we are without thought of reward or retaliation, then we have become cheerful givers. This is the way of salvation.
Conclusion
If we accept these Truths, then we cannot help but rearrange ourselves, our marriages, and our church life accordingly. In order for this to work, we must let go of our desire to control – we must stop being tyrants ourselves we must stop using our gifts to tyrannize our lovers, our parishioners, even our enemies… and instead offer these very same gifts cheerfully in loving service to our Lord [to our lovers, to our fellow parishioners, and even to our enemies]. Moreover, we must stop worrying about other people trying to control us – you cannot give cheerfully if you care about how other people might try to use your gift against you.
Here at St. Michael’s, we have been through a lot in our history, but [thank God!] our relationships with one another and with Christ are healing. But if we want this process to continue, then we must resist the temptation to see our parish and her services as anything but part of that healing process. We must let go of our grudges and resentments – if we try to use the blessings God has given us here – be they our Holy Sacraments, dues, membership, or anything associated with This Holy Place – for any other purpose than the spreading of God’s love, then we have given ourselves over to the greatest of tyrants: the devil. Nothing here, nothing in our marriages, and nothing in our lives is given to us so that we can control, abuse, or gain the upper hand on others. This is the devil’s way.
The devil is an extortionist who grants no mercy and offers no hope of healing or redemption. And if we cast our lot with him, then we will suffer the same eternal defeat that all evil will when Love enjoys the full fruits of its victory through Christ.
God has given us everything here, in our marriages, and in our lives so that we might learn to be free. If we want to enjoy this gift of freedom, if we want to be the men and women God created us to be, then we must always be ready to give everything we are and everything we have as an offering to love; and we must be ready to do so cheerfully and without reservation.
Cheerful giving is not about building up a bank account with God or the people around us – it is about changing the very nature of our relationship with Him and everyone else. Not so long ago, Pani and I gave up everything we knew, everything that was familiar and comfortable, and everything we loved in order to serve Christ however and wherever He would have us. This was the right thing to. But if we think we can coast on that single offering, we are gravely mistaken! If we do not continue to give everything we are and everything we have to His service, then we have failed in our calling. None of us can afford to give just once in a while [even if we give a lot] – we must give everything all the time. Nor is the goal to be cheerful every time we decide to give [no matter how often]– it’s about developing a continual habit of cheerful giving so that we actual become a Cheerful Giver (i.e. a person who is loving and self-sacrificing).
Let me leave you with three goals to work on for this week:
When someone upsets you; give up your pride and offer them your love and support without reservation
When someone asks or tries to force you to do something you don’t want to do; do it for them freely and cheerfully [as long as its nothing illegal or wicked, of course]
When the opportunity arises for you to manipulate, abuse, or get back at someone you hold a grudge against. Don’t do it. Instead, let go of your new leverage and your grudge, and use the opportunity to cheerfully and freely give them love
If we do these things, they will be the first steps on our way to full health and salvation.
[Syncronicity: this was the theme of Fr. Matthew’s excellent podcast, “A Word from the Holy Fathers” this week. He used St. Irenaeus’ exposition on the creation of Eve to make the point that we were made for this kind of relationship (selfless sacrifice/giving)].
Mail Call:
Thank you all for your encouragement and suggestions for future shows.
Local News
Autumn. Beautiful. Hiking through Purgatory. Columbus Day Parade. New Deacon. Dinner guests. Roof is finished. State mandated upgrades and “beautification” continue. Iconographers in our midst. Teaching “Way of the Ascetics” to our youth and “The Shack” to our adults. Molebans are back. Biggest news: preparing for something really special: please pray that our efforts to hold regular services in southern Rhode Island bear fruit. Last bit: two more very special ordinations coming up: Rdr. Charles to the deaconate and Fr. Dn. Siloan to the priesthood.
International News
Bad stuff in Pakistan and Afghanistan. But the Nobel Committee suggests we have the right man for the job.
Moving toward the formation of the Ecclesiastical Body called for by the Patriarchs. I still think this is a good thing (folks who who want us to do it on our own are a bit upset – it takes special humility on the part of the OCA!). This movement forward is necessary for Orthodoxy’s growth. Amazing things happen as you progress towards Unity and perfection. (of course we are already united, just as we are already experiencing salvation… but growth is ALWAYS required). I want you to contrast what is going on here with what is going on in Ukraine. The Russian Church still claims Ukraine as part of its territory: claims that “Rus’” of “Patriarch of all Russia” includes Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova… authority of Russian Patriarch extends even into China! They make the same claim for unity over other nations (a witness of Christ’s essential unity) that we make for our own independence and internal unity here. Are they implying that they are the Pope of all who were once under the imperial rule of the Romanovs? Of the Communists? Constantinople tried this with regard to its old empirical holdings. It didn’t work (so we have a Greek Church, a Bulgarian Church, etc.). What really is the best witness to Christ’s unity? The problem is that there is no single answer: the Orthodox have always sought balance between extremes in this regard: it isn’t as pretty as having a single Vicar on Earth (as the Roman Church has offered); or as logical as complete self-identification (the logic of Protestant congregationalism); but it [this balance, to be found only in the pastoral application of Divine Law] is the right way. But the pastoral answer requires more work and does not always look as clean as fundamentalists would like.
RISU.org had a really nice interview with Archimandrite Job (Getcha), a theologian and priest of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. I found his approach very balanced and loving. In response to the Moscow Patriarch’s claim about the need for administrative unity of the people of Rus’ he says this;
“the argument that autocephaly in Ukraine is impossible because Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus constitute one indivisible spiritual space is powerless if we take into account the history and modern system of the Orthodox Church. For instance, the present Greek state is divided between two church centers. Central Greece belongs to the Hellas Autocephalous Church, whereas the northern territories, Athos, Dodekanez, and Crete fall within the Ecumenical Patriarchate. In addition, if one is to use the argument of the reverend bishop, then the autocephalies of the Polish Orthodox Church, and, perhaps, even, the Orthodox Church of the Slovakian and Czech lands as former parts of the Rus Orthodox Church would be impossible!”
There may need to be intermediate steps before all the “Orthodox” groups and Churches in Ukraine are united. For instance, we may need to have two recognizable local Orthodox jurisdictions (one under Moscow and the other under Constantinople; some news stories have suggested that this is the intent of the recent Autocephalist (UAOC) letter to the Ecumenical Patriarchate) in Ukraine before moving to one.
His Eminence, Archbishop Makarii (Archdiocese of Lviv, UAOC) suggested this possibility in an interview with RISU posted on 10/13. In response to the question; “What can be the way now to enter the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate?”, he replied:
“One can think that the Ecumenical Patriarch will accept us under his umbrella and there can also be another way: the Ecumenical Patriarch can send his representative here either to Lviv or Kyiv. There is a canonical metropolitanate, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate, why cannot there be a metropolitanate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate? Suppose the UAOC or the Kyiv Patriarchate become temporarily subordinate to the Constantinople Church. That would result in two canonical metropolitanates and we would not be called schismatics any more. We will be able to serve together and partake in communion from the same Cup and look for ways to unify.”
This creation of an overlapping diocese seems like a step backwards but may not be; just as the refusal to validate the OCA’s claim for autocephaly seems like a step backwards here in the USA but may pave the way for greater progress. [FWIW, Archimandrite Job seems to believe that Ukraine’s autocephaly will be obtained through the proceedings of the All-Orthodox Council being prepared for now.].
Let’s be sure not to lose perspective on this: As long as we celebrate and focus on the Unity of Christ in the Eucharist, the secondary and tertiary details of administration will fail to distract us (and eventually work out). If one thinks that there is nothing more important than autocephaly (or continuity of historical patterns of rule), then humility is not possible. Earthly ideas and power crowd out eternal ones.
Interview?
Vol’ya (Andy Rooney) Moment
Gadgets. Man, I really enjoy my iTouch. Will the tablet be even better? Other gadgets have worked out to: our iRobot continues to clean the floor (albeit with a new battery), and the treadmill seems to be getting regular use (and no laundry hanging on it!). The netbook is good for trips, but hasn’t seen a lot of regular use around the house (when I am relaxing, I really want to relax!). This apple computer has also proven itself – I have almost completely weaned myself from Microsoft – perhaps I will move off of Office with the next upgrade. Our all-in-one inkjet keeps on ticking. Other green gadgets have also paid off: CFL’s and LED’s, the enviro/person-friendly deodorant (at least I THINK it’s working… but as a middle aged man, how would I know if it weren’t?), the reel mower (which has outlasted both our riding and walking power mowers), our battery powered yard tools, and even the worm farm keeps doing its thing the way we hoped it would. A variety of low wattage electric heating devices have also led to a serious improvement in the quality of life here (and saved either a bundle of oil or us from having to always wear a bundle of clothes). iPod ready car stereos, audio books, free e-books and podcasts, and my new jeep round out the list of big winners in the gadget arena (just don’t call it cute!).
Other gadgets have not fared so well. Our LCD TV died a few weeks ago. It was only 4 years old (on the plus side, the replacement costs less than the original). I never use my Palm Lifedrive (it was too hard to get it to do things I really wanted it to do… plus the netbook and itouch really trump it badly). My sun-oven worked, but never well enough to earn a place in the rotation.
But sometimes the best gadgets are the oldest ones. As much as I love my iTouch and my LCD TV, there is nothing better than a good book. I think I’ll go read a couple right now.
