Sixty or Seventy years ago, some Orthodox people used to severely criticize Clergymen in their councils, and I didn’t use to hear anyone blaming himself. This phenomenon, even though it became silent, still exists because man tends to believe that dereliction in our ecclesiastic life comes from others only and that the improvement of the ecclesiastic condition comes when others reform themselves. Then, some youth started to say that ‘I should try to fix myself and understand more, I should study the Orthodox dogma and teach it to others, and if people improved for Christ, they shall transfer their enthusiasm to others. These youth said: “I request things from myself, and the spiritual magnificence that descends over me will be transferred by being a model”. And if some had a great feeling for Christ, they will become priests, bishops and monks.
This is how every correct renaissance starts. However, those who you have raised might fall or become lukewarm and their enthusiasm might be turned off by the worries of life and therefore they won’t stay active disciples for Jesus Christ. Therefore, you have to continue the road and give the lukewarm the enthusiasm that he lost and transmit in the lazy a new energy.
Renewal or revival in Church is a continuous process, and you cannot secure that those who you called with eagerness and warmth would still have the same eagerness and warmth. Some of them might become a priest or have a higher position and become lukewarm or carless and impatient towards struggle or become impure through the temptation of money or other things. None of us is secured until the end of his life; and no human group could stay coherent forever through the beauties that were revealed to it. One might leave, the other might stay and the necklace falls apart. Therefore, the writer of the Psalms said: “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save”.
You might have put hope in a friend of yours and then you noticed that he retreated or fell and didn’t carry anymore the first flame. You cannot put all your hope in any man. You can be ready for a fall that might happen to a person that struggled with you in Church and was a great giver. You can cry and sigh by you cannot become desperate because the success of the Gospel is neither based on one person in this world nor related to a group of friends that became soldiers together and then a person of them went away.
Your loyalty is for Christ and for every person that is not dependant on a group of people. Therefore, you should consider that the Church is based on you only and that Jesus puts his hope in you even if everyone was dispersed.
“On this rock I will build my Church”. These words are directed to you. You, who has a full faith in Jesus and who is completely submitted to his word became the rock of the whole Church. However, you will not remain a rock unless you studied the Gospel sufficiently, and unless you read a lot about Christianity, you worshiped in Churches, loved, became purified, forgave, and spread the message around you daily.
Then, the lukewarm will boil and the fallen will rise and you will be gathered again in Jesus’ love and your vertexes will be crowned after being relaxed. Renaissance is a permanent project. It might be cracked sometimes. But you, the person that wasn’t away from God’s word, have to renew the construction.
Sixty or Seventy years ago, some Orthodox people used to severely criticize Clergymen in their councils, and I didn’t use to hear anyone blaming himself. This phenomenon, even though it became silent, still exists because man tends to believe that dereliction in our ecclesiastic life comes from others only and that the improvement of the ecclesiastic condition comes when others reform themselves. Then, some youth started to say that ‘I should try to fix myself and understand more, I should study the Orthodox dogma and teach it to others, and if people improved for Christ, they shall transfer their enthusiasm to others. These youth said: “I request things from myself, and the spiritual magnificence that descends over me will be transferred by being a model”. And if some had a great feeling for Christ, they will become priests, bishops and monks.
This is how every correct renaissance starts. However, those who you have raised might fall or become lukewarm and their enthusiasm might be turned off by the worries of life and therefore they won’t stay active disciples for Jesus Christ. Therefore, you have to continue the road and give the lukewarm the enthusiasm that he lost and transmit in the lazy a new energy.
Renewal or revival in Church is a continuous process, and you cannot secure that those who you called with eagerness and warmth would still have the same eagerness and warmth. Some of them might become a priest or have a higher position and become lukewarm or carless and impatient towards struggle or become impure through the temptation of money or other things. None of us is secured until the end of his life; and no human group could stay coherent forever through the beauties that were revealed to it. One might leave, the other might stay and the necklace falls apart. Therefore, the writer of the Psalms said: “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save”.
You might have put hope in a friend of yours and then you noticed that he retreated or fell and didn’t carry anymore the first flame. You cannot put all your hope in any man. You can be ready for a fall that might happen to a person that struggled with you in Church and was a great giver. You can cry and sigh by you cannot become desperate because the success of the Gospel is neither based on one person in this world nor related to a group of friends that became soldiers together and then a person of them went away.
Your loyalty is for Christ and for every person that is not dependant on a group of people. Therefore, you should consider that the Church is based on you only and that Jesus puts his hope in you even if everyone was dispersed.
“On this rock I will build my Church”. These words are directed to you. You, who has a full faith in Jesus and who is completely submitted to his word became the rock of the whole Church. However, you will not remain a rock unless you studied the Gospel sufficiently, and unless you read a lot about Christianity, you worshiped in Churches, loved, became purified, forgave, and spread the message around you daily.
Then, the lukewarm will boil and the fallen will rise and you will be gathered again in Jesus’ love and your vertexes will be crowned after being relaxed. Renaissance is a permanent project. It might be cracked sometimes. But you, the person that wasn’t away from God’s word, have to renew the construction.
Translated by Mark Najjar
Original Text: “المسيحي الملتزم” –Raiati 20- 14.05.2006
