A reflection on my recent trip to Lebanon…

There is no greater reality check than real experience.  This thought has been on my mind ever since I began planning my trip to Lebanon for the consecration of our Bishop ANTHONY and the other two new auxiliary bishops of our Archdiocese.  Initially and admittedly this thought was a source of fear; the fear of experiencing something different, challenging what my preconceived and self-convinced notions have been telling me for many years.  As God’s Providence has allowed, it was truly my blessing to see the Mother Church of Antioch first hand.  I’m sure we all agree that it is good for us to be stretched physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally.  I guess this was my time and I am so grateful to everyone who supported my travel in one way or another.

I will not be so bold as to over-generalize and say that all Americans, and anyone affected by the spirit of western culture, are presumptuous and autonomous.  I do believe, however, that self-governance, whether collectively as a nation or as a matter of personal self-determination, leaves men dangerously subject to the temptations of individuality, isolation and self-praise.  The truth of the matter is that the very air of western culture is permeated with the “dogmas” of individuality and self-determination, and anyone raised in it or living under its influence cannot help but breathe it.

The majority of my thoughts have turned (not surprisingly) to matters of faith and the life of Orthodox Christians in the Church.  I am still sorting through my first experience, as brief as it was, of indigenous Orthodox Christianity.  The cornerstone of St. Ignatius Church, Madison, WI, reads “2004.”  The church where the consecrations took place was built in the 12th century.  Our St. Ignatius Church has yet to raise one generation of Orthodox Christians while Holy Dormition Church at the Balamand Monastery has raised dozens of generations within her walls.  This one thought alone speaks volumes to my soul and my conscience.  Hopefully it does to yours as well.

As I stood before the Patriarch of Antioch, preparing to present my friend for consecration to the Office of Bishop, I couldn’t help but think of how unprepared I was to be standing in this place, a place of deep holiness and history.  I wondered to myself how many pious and reverent priests had stood in this spot, and for the first time in my life I saw directly the order of my Church, from the headship of the Patriarch, to the Synod of Metropolitans, to the priests and deacons, to the chanters, and to the body of the laity standing in prayer, all part of a great tapestry, each important in their own way, ordered and yet equal, individual yet incomplete without the other, a father and his children yet brothers one and all.  I do not wish to romanticize this experience by imposing upon these people any expectations of perfection.  That would be unfair to those involved, and I in no way would want to allege that the Orthodox Christians of Lebanon of think they are somehow standard-bearers for the Church.  In fact I felt quite the opposite.  I felt the people of Lebanon only wanted to share with us their life in Christ, to let us know of their love for us, to feel a part of who we are, and to let us know that they are part of us.  I am certain that in my life I have never felt such a grand expression of hospitality, and I have never felt more certain of my feelings of insignificance stemming from my own life as a self-determined individualist.

I’m afraid this experience has raised more questions than answers as I ask myself, “Where do I/we go from here?”  When early on I expressed apprehension about traveling for the consecrations one of our parishioners told me, “Father, we want you to go.  Your growth from this experience will only help our parish.”  Certainly I hope this will be the case.  And it might be this one point – the American church’s lack of an ordered culture – that will command my attention for the rest of my priesthood.  Forgive me, but I did envy my brother priests in Lebanon who do not have to deal with the diversities of culture and expectation that exist here in America.  I believe there is a common understanding of structure, authority, expectation, and place that stems from the order of this beautiful culture.  While our air is permeated with  “dogmas” of individuality and self-determination, the air in Lebanon is permeated with the dogmas of a shared society and culture.  This did not diminish at all any one’s individual personality or character (in fact, I met many “characters” in Lebanon!); yet it does eliminate at least one layer of uncertainty which allows a priest greater ease in simply doing his job.

These thoughts are just a beginning.  There may be one consolation to being a self-determined individualist, however.  The isolation of an ill-defined or lost social life may very well lead one to seek a connection with the faith community of the Holy Church.

The weekend was highlighted by Sunday morning’s Hierarchical Divine Liturgy presided over by His Grace. On Saturday the St. Ignatius Parish Council hosted a brunch in honor of Saidna ANTHONY and met with him to discuss the state of the parish and the scope of our ministry as Orthodox Christians in America. Following the brunch Saidna met with the children of the Church School and then offered a 90 minute seminar to the entire parish, answering many questions regarding his life and his new ministry as bishop of the Midwest. The day was concluded with Great Vespers and preparations for Sunday’s celebrations.

On Sunday following the Divine Liturgy the parish hosted Saidna for a delicious luncheon banquet where the parish presented Saidna with a small monetary gift and the gift of new hard shell luggage for safely transporting his various delicate liturgical items, especially when traveling by air. The afternoon ended with a brief presentation by Saidna and his good friend (and our priest) Fr. Patrick Kinder as they sang a few of their old KERYGMA songs: “Coming Home,” “Best Friends,” and “The Old Black Bible.”

Thank you, Saidna ANTHONY, for your love and concern for our parish! May God grant you many years as you begin this new ministry serving our beloved Archdiocese and Midwest Diocese for many years to come!

Why the blessing of the waters? Fr. Thomas Hopko explains, “Since the Son of God has taken human flesh and has appeared in the world, manifesting Himself in His baptism in the Jordan, all flesh and all matter is sanctified. Everything which is corrupted and polluted by the sinful works of men is cleansed and purified by the gracious works of God. All death-dealing powers of the devil which poison the good world of God’s creation are destroyed. All things are again made new. Through the ‘prime element’ of water on the feast of the (Theophany) the entire creation is shown to be sanctified by God’s Word through the same Spirit of God who ‘in the beginning… was moving over the face of the waters.”

Following the prayers we returned to the house for a delicious pot-luck meal and a joyful afternoon of fellowship.

For Bishop ANTHONY the trip began in the Twin Cities on December 7 as we flew from the Minneapolis airport to Paris to Beirut.  This long night (and day) ended with our arrival in Beirut at 7pm local time where we met the rest of the United States delegation led by His Grace, Bishop JOSEPH of Los Angeles, and headed to our hotel in the ancient sea port city of Byblos on the northern coast of Lebanon.

There was much scheduled for this trip, eagerly planned by Mr. Fawaz El-Khoury, including seeing many wonderful sights: From the great Mediterranean Sea to the snow capped Mt. Lebanon with it’s great cedar trees, from the Balamand to monasteries to village churches to St. George Cathedral in downtown Beirut, a short trip to Tripoli and visits to the family villages of Bishops JOHN (Duma) and ANTHONY (Al-Hiat), and staying at the Byblos Sur Mer hotel overlooking the great Mediterranean, a hotel that is virtually built into the ruins of a 12th century crusader fortress.

Our first full day together took us to right to the Balamand to be greeted by and receive the blessing of His Beautitude, Patriarch IGNATIUS IV.  His warm and energetic welcome reminded us of our Christian unity with the Mother Church of Antioch.  His Beatitude, now 94 years old, is as vibrant as ever.  It was amazing to hear and see how he has advanced just the Balamand alone during his many years of service to Christ in the Holy Office of Patriarch of Antioch.

Of course, his warmth and enthusiasm translated itself to the main purpose of our trip and all the events relating to the consecration of our new bishops.  His Beatitude was surrounded by 12 other Metropolitans and Bishops, as well several priests (at least six sponsors for the newly elected bishops) and deacons, as chief celebrant of this blessed event.  Being at the altar with His Beatitude and all the men, and being directly involved in the liturgical service, was truly an indescribable experience.

I passed today on a trip to see the ancient Roman ruins at Baalbek in eastern Lebanon.  We’ve had an amazing experience in Lebanon but today, as we prepare for our departure for the states (a 2:05am flight out of Beirut,) I am honestly tired of sitting in a bus and hope to enjoy our last day in Byblos with a walk along the sea coast and maybe a little time spent walking the streets of this beautiful ancient city.  There certainly is much more to say about this experience but I will close by saying how deeply impressed I am with my first experience of international travel, and in particular travel to this place of such history.  My America is only 300 years old… a drop in the bucket to the stones upon which I am now standing.  I look forward to returning home, to my family, to my church, to celebrating the first Hierarchical Divine Liturgy of our new Bishop ANTHONY, next weekend (Dec. 18) in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and to the rest of the Nativity Fast and all the celebrations of Christmas & Theophany.  This has been a wonderful experience.   I am so grateful to my parish and their generous gift which supported my travel to this once-in-a-lifetime event.

In addition to a relaxing time we are also blessed with a visit from St. Nicholas who often tells stories of his past or is asked questions about his life in the service of Christ and the Church.

Prior to the start of the program the children of the parish are instructed to put their shoes in the foyer of the church where specially prepared St. Nicholas treats are placed in their shoes during the program.

As always, between the fellowship, food, and entertainment a good time was had by all. The full feast of St. Nicholas was followed the next day with an evening Vesperal Liturgy dedicated to the Great Saint!

While these meeting are generally geared for the organizations of the Diocese to meet to discuss the progress of their annual activities this year’s Fall meeting carried the excitement that soon we will not only have a new Bishop, but a Bishop whose warmth, enthusiasm, education and pastoral concern will inspire the energy and structures of the Antiochian Midwest Diocese.

Bishop-Elect Anthony spoke to the priests in attendance, the delegates, the youth and the young adults, and he delivered the homily at Sunday’s Divine Liturgy.  Among many topics he spoke about he started his talk to the priests with the duties and responsibilities of the Auxiliary Bishop; and to the entire delegation he emphasized not only the importance of our unity in Christ within our local churches but also with our Hierarchs (Bishops) and between sister churches across the entire Diocese, this face of our Church being significant in showing the world around us the Truth, wholeness and stability that God Himself has given through His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Bishop-elect Anthony speaks to the delegates

(Click Here) Exerpt from Fr. Anthony’s talk with the Priests

Another highlight of the weekend was the service project organized by Khouryia Leslie Abud for the Diocesan Teen SOYO to work at a local Soup Kitchen sponsored by Catholic Charities.   About 80 teens traveled to one of Flint’s impoverished areas to help organize a clothing give away scheduled for the following week and to help serve dinner to Soup Kitchen clients.  The Teens energetically finished their work a little early and was treated to an excellent talk on the history of poverty in the Flint area given by the Soup Kitchen coordinator.  It was an edifying afternoon which then ended with the celebration of Great Vespers back at St. George and preparations for dinner and an evening of joyful fellowship.

As a side note, Bishop-Elect Anthony and his good friend Fr. Patrick Kinder took an brief opportunity to sing a couple of their old songs from their days as KERYGMA: Best Friends, That Old Black Bible, and pretty much everyone’s old favorite, Coming Home.  Please click to hear Fr. Anthony and KERYGMA [including Fr. Michael (Alan) Shanbour] sing Coming Home: Coming Home  (For more KERYGMA songs visit http://www.conciliarpress.com and see The Best of KERYGMA available on Compact Disc.)

Thank you Fr. Joe & Leslie, and to your entire parish for hosting such a beautiful weekend.  Thank you Fr. Anthony for the great encouragement you’ve given us to embrace our lives in Christ and the greater Church more and more fully.  God be with you in your preparations for consecration to the Holy Episcopate.

     “Everyone capable of thanksgiving is capable of salvation and eternal joy. Thank you, O Lord, for having accepted this Eucharist, which is offered to the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and which filled our hearts with “the joy, peace, and righteousness in the Holy Spirit.” Thank you, O Lord, for having revealed Yourself unto us and for giving us the foretaste of Your Kingdom. Thank you, O Lord, for having united us to one another, in serving You and Your Holy Church. Thank you, O Lord, for having helped us to overcome all difficulties, tensions, passions, and temptations and for having restored peace, mutual love and joy in sharing the communion of the Holy Spirit.
      Thank you, O Lord, for the sufferings you bestowed upon us, for they are purifying us from selfishness and remind us of the “one thing needed: your eternal Kingdom.” Thank you, O Lord, for having given us this country where we are free to worship You. Thank you, O Lord, for this school, where the name of God is proclaimed. Thank you, O Lord, for our families: husbands, wives and, especially, children, who teach us how to celebrate Your holy Name in joy, movement and holy noise. Thank you, O Lord, for everyone and everything. Great are you, O Lord, and marvelous are Your deeds, and no word is sufficient to celebrate your miracles. Lord, it is good to be here! Amen.”

Favorite fall foods were offered and shared – chili, cornbread, and many dishes and desserts made with squash, pumpkin, apples, etc!  YUM! 

There was bobbing for apples, a fall art project, pumpkin pie play-dough and pumpkin carving for the children.

Our fellowship on this day was a harvest of joy and thanksgiving as we glorify God for all things.

Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

There can never be enough said to reprove the belief that whatever a man does behind closed doors, “as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else,” is his own business. This erroneous way of thinking comes from the church of rugged individualism. It cannot be emphasized enough what a flat out lie this belief is, a masked entitlement that has become an embedded deception at the very foundation of what “enlightened” men call personal freedom.

Orthodox spirituality has a completely different paradigm upon which society is built. Men are not ruggedly individual but rather they are radically interdependent. Our main model is founded in our belief in the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The relationship between the members of the Holy Trinity is ONE of mutual will, purpose, obedience and love. This is God’s nature which is the nature that was given to man when God created him “in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). Man was created with one will, purpose and love with God and with his fellow man. Prior to the fall of Adam all of creation was in harmony unlike anything man have ever seen or experienced since. It is this harmony to which all men, and especially all believers from all time, have been called to aspire to. It is a harmony which, because of sin and self, eludes men in their pride and passion.

It is with this in mind that I believe we can also refute the notion that whatever a man thinks in his head, “as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else,” is his own business. PLEASE DO NOT GET ME WRONG. I am not advocating for any kind of thought police. What I am saying is that a man must be willing to police his own thoughts and recognize how these thoughts “create harmony or disharmony in the world.” I am not speaking about some mystical karma which projects some sort of negative or positive energy through our hair follicles and finger tips. What I am speaking about is something that we all should be familiar with in one way or another. Who hasn’t or doesn’t struggle with thoughts from time to time? As a father confessor this is probably the sin I hear most frequently confessed. And while most thoughts are involuntary, called provocations, it is the voluntary thoughts which follow to further tempt a man that become problematic. Who hasn’t at one time or another gotten riled up by what someone said or did, and then allowed themselves to get even more riled up after the fact by repeatedly calling to mind what was said or done?

It is this “calling to mind” that I wish to set before us with a challenge. Involuntary provocations are one thing, (unless one complains about being unable to stop thinking about food after spending minutes in front of an open refrigerator door,) but what happens to a man once he engages his passions in this thought or that? He will be led to some degree of sin (missing the mark). And because men are radically interdependent we believe that all sin has an effect on all men and on the world itself. One can see this in the simple example of how a negative circumstance can put a man into a bad mood, and how that bad mood can affect everyone around him. But the Elder Thaddeus’ words are even more subtle than this brutish example. The fact is that whether in the subtlety of thought or the consequence of action sin never just affects the one who sinned! The good news, however, is that it works the same way with virtue, meaning that we do have the creative capacity to build rather than to destroy. What this means for us is that we must not only be watchful over our actions but also over our thoughts. Thoughts can either inspire or diminish the movement of men and the world towards virtue. Watchfulness, therefore, becomes everyone’s responsibility as an expression of love within the community and the boundaries of personal freedom. The even greater news is that with a commitment to this virtue a man will become even more aware of how his own inner life as well as the world around him can be transformed by his watchfulness. Then, eventually by grace, even our inclinations can be made harmonious in their very nature.