Fear (Monday Morning in the Desert Series)

Since my last post, images of monks and priests praying in the middle of the unrest in Ukraine have circulated around the internet and captivated the world.  So, I've been wondering to myself: Would I have the courage to do what they have done?

I don't know if I would have had the guts to stand in front of protestors with armed police pointing guns at my back.  The only way I could stand there would be due to the result of prayer for strength, despite my fear.  This anecdote from the Desert Fathers reminds us of the power of prayer, even during times of intense fear:

"A brother asked Theodore, 'If you suddenly hear the sound of falling masonry, are you frightened, abba?' He said, 'If the heavens fell down on the earth, Theodore would not be afraid.' For he had prayed to God that fear might be taken from him."

(From p. 61 of "The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks", translated by Benedicta Ward).

A Monastic Witness for Peace in the Ukraine

A common criticism of monasticism is based on the assumption that monks want to get away from the world, and not be a witness in the world.  While this criticism might be fairly applied to some, throughout almost the entire history of Christianity, monks have been witnesses to the world around them. This week, a picture of three monks from the Ukraine reminds us of the powerful witness that monks can provide to the world around them.  

Although these events are not getting widespread coverage in American media, there is a significant amount of unrest in Ukraine right now.  During anti-government protests, several have been killed, and hundreds injured.


In the midst of the unrest, these monks made a stand for peace:

A source from Ukraine wrote about the story behind the picture:

"[Wednesday] morning, monks from the Kiev-Caves Lavra Fr. Gabriel, Fr. Melchisedek, and Fr. Ephraim stood on Grushevsky Street in Kiev with a cross and icons, between the demonstrators and the Ukrainian special police force 'Berkut', and stopped the conflict. They entered the arena as peace-makers, and not in support of one side or the other.

Although they were invited to join the 'people', the fathers only prayed and sang the Paschal troparion: 'Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life,' wrote the Ramensky deanery of Moscow on its facebook page. The conflict ceased."

From http://www.patheos.com/blogs/billykangas/2014/01/monks-from-the-kiev-caves-lavra-stand-between-police-and-demonstrators-in-kiev-orthochristian-com.html

UPDATE: Here is a link to am amazing set of pictures of priests and monks who have put their lives on the line by putting themselves in the middle of the conflict to pray: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/24/kiev-protests-priests_n_4660431.html

On Religious Hypocrisy and the Rise of the "Nones" (Monday Morning in the Desert)

Many surveys have been conducted recently about why there are increasing numbers of people who have dropped out of church, and have no religious affiliation (these people are usually referred to as "nones" in news reports about this pattern).  A common theme from the results of these surveys is that nones believe that Christians are judgmental hypocrites.

The nones are probably correct in their observation. Christians (myself included) all too often believe that the sins of other people are worse than their own. 

How have Christians responded to being called out on their hypocrisy? A couple of  possible responses do not help the situation.  One response is to double down on judgment, and claim that the hypocrites those nones are talking about must be the Christians who are "___________(fill in the blank with liberal/conservative/fundamentalist/emergent, etc.)".  An unhelpful response on the opposite end of the spectrum would be to try and avoid hypocrisy by avoiding talk about sin altogether.  

The Desert Fathers and Mothers offer an alternative - one that does not avoid talking about sin, but does not accuse others without recognizing one's own shortcomings.  A short anecdote demonstrates how they avoided hypocrisy regarding sin and judgment of others:   

"A brother sinned and the presbyter ordered him to go out of church.  But Bessarion got up with him, saying, 'I, too, am a sinner.'" (From p. 134 of  "Where God Happens: Discovering Christ in One Another" by Rowan Williams).

The attitude that the sins of others are not worse than one's own sins is enshrined in the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Church, where the faithful proclaim: " I believe, O Lord, and I confess that thou art truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, who didst come into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." 

Of course, it is all too easy to engage in a kind of false piety which makes those kinds of statements hypocritical.  However, the Desert Fathers and Mothers show us how that trap can be avoided, and that a little humility can go a long way.

St. Anthony and the Modern Christian Predicament

Today is the day the Church commemorates St. Anthony, who was a Desert Father, and generally regarded to be the founder of what became the monastic movement in Christianity. He lived from approximately 251-356 A.D., so during his long life, he experienced persecution by the Roman Empire, as well as the legalization of Christianity under Emperor Constantine.

These days, Christians spend a lot of time on social media talking about two aspects of the modern Christian predicament: (1) The growing atheist movement in the West, and in particular, the attack on faith by writers such as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, and (2) The growing persecution of Christians in the East, which I have written about on prior occasions: http://benedictinelutheran.blogspot.com/search/label/Modern%20Martyrdom).

These words from St. Anthony (which, at times, sound a lot like something Luther would write) remind us that our predicament is not new, as he wrote these words in response to the pagan philosophers who were challenging Christianity:


"We Christians, therefore, do not possess the mystery through the wisdom of Greek words but through the power of faith supplied to us by God through Jesus Christ.  And so you will know that what I am saying is true, look now: although we do not know how to write, we believe in God, recognizing through his words his universal providence.  And that our faith works, look now: we depend on our faith in Christ while you wage war with sophistries; and while your idols and delusionary practices have got you nowhere, our faith is spreading everywhere.

You people, with all your syllogisms and sophistries, are not persuading us to convert form Christianity to paganism: we, on the other hand, teaching faith in Christ, are stripping you of your superstitions, with everyone recognizing that Christ is God and the Son of God.  You, with all your fine and fancy words, do not hinder the teaching of Christ: we, on the other hand, invoking the name of Christ crucified, are putting to flight all the demons, whom you fear as Gods.  Wherever one sees the sign of the cross, magic loses its power and sorcery has no effect.....

[Y]our beliefs have never been persecuted, and yet our religion blossoms and flourishes more than yours.  What is more, your religion, celebrated and protected on all sides, is falling into ruin, whereas the faith and teaching of Christ, ridiculed by you and often persecuted by emperors, has filled the whole world!...

These signs suffice to demonstrate that faith in Christ is the only worship of God.  But if still you do not believe, seeking logical proofs through words, we will not offer proof by means of "plausible Greek wisdom", as our teacher said (1 Corinthians 2:4), but will persuade by means of the faith that is clearly outpacing your wordy fabrications."

(Quoted at pp. 60-61 of "The Desert Fathers: Saint Anthony and the Beginnings of Monasticism" by Peter H. Gorg).

St. Anthony reminds us that the mysteries of God are infinitely greater than what our human minds can grasp, and that God's glory transcends our human suffering.  So, even though we lament the modern Christian predicament, if we pay attention to the witness of the saints who have gone before us, there is hope.

Lutheran Monastery Virtual Tour - A Return to Sweden

One of these days, I'll get back to my series on how the five senses relate to Christian spirituality (http://benedictinelutheran.blogspot.com/search/label/Five%20Senses%20of%20Spirituality).  In the meantime, I'm going to revisit the virtual tour of Lutheran monasteries that I embarked upon last summer (earlier entries can be found here: http://benedictinelutheran.blogspot.com/search/label/Lutheran%20Monastery%20Virtual%20Tour).

Why am I revisiting the tour now? I just found a list of several more Lutheran monasteries in this book: "Anglican Religious Life 2014-2015" - available here: http://www.amazon.com/Anglican-Religious-Life-2014-15-communities/dp/1848254644/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389667060&sr=8-1&keywords=anglican+religious+life.  As you can guess from the title, 99% of the communities described in the book are found within the Anglican Communion, but there is a brief section in the book devoted to communities found in the Church of Sweden, which is linked to the Anglican Communion through the Porvoo Agreement. As I explained during my stop at the Ostanback Monastery in Sweden (http://benedictinelutheran.blogspot.com/2013/06/lutheran-monastery-virtual-tour-stop-3_22.html), the Church of Sweden retained more of the trappings of Catholicism when compared to most other Lutheran churches.  Therefore, the re-occurrence of several monastic communities in that country has been a natural outgrowth of their spiritual identity (or what remains of their spiritual identity, anyway).

Sisters of the Holy Spirit

The Sisters of the Holy Spirit, located in Alsike, founded their community in 1965.  They pray the daily offices found in the Rule of St. Benedict, and are working with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya to expand there.  Their convent, which includes a retreat facility, is located in an old school house next to the parish church. The community also has a group of oblates and friends known as the "Friends of St. Nicholas."

You can read more about the history of their community at their website (part of which is in English):

http://alsikekloster.org/english/english1.htm

Sisters of Saint Francis

Another community in Sweden is the Sisters of Saint Francis, who have a convent north of Goteborg.  Following an adapted version of the Catholic Rule for the Third Order of Saint Francis, the Sisters pray four of the daily offices, and mass is celebrated three times each week.

If you can read Swedish, or are adept at using the Google translator, you can find out more about their community here:

http://www.klaradalskloster.se/

Other Communities

 The "Anglican Religious Life 2014-2015" book lists several other Swedish religious communities, but does not have any information about them other than an address and phone number.  They are:

Community of the Holy Trinity, located in Rattvik, Sweden
Mary Magdalene Sisters, located in Nacka, Sweden
Mary Daughters of the Evangelical Mariavagen, located in Enkoping, Sweden
Sankt Sigfrid Sisters, located in Ingelstad, Sweden
The Risen Saviour Sisterhood, located in Stallarholmen, Sweden

If anyone reading this blog knows anything about these communities (or any Lutheran monasteries I have missed on my virtual tour), please share what you know in the comments section, or contact me.

Monday Morning in the Desert

In our age of instant gratification, the Desert Fathers and Mothers offer an alternative perspective, where problems are cured by patience, not "quick fixes":

"They said of Isidore, the priest in Scetis, that if anyone had a monk who was sick or weak or insolent and wanted to send him away, he would say, 'Bring him to me.' Then he would take him and cure him by patience."

(From p. 147 of "Where God Happens: Discovering Christ in One Another" by Rowan Williams).

Monday Morning in the Desert

The Desert Fathers teach us that fighting fire with fire is not always the best strategy when faced with harm:

"It was said of Abba John the Persian that when some evildoers came to harm
him, he took a basin and wanted to wash their feet.  But they were filled
with confusion, and began to do penance"

( From this online collection of sayings of the Desert Fathers:  http://www29.homepage.villanova.edu/christopher.haas/saying%20of%20the%20desert%20fathers.html )

Christian Beauty

Today, I read a fascinating blog post about a trend I did not know about - apparently, it has become commonplace for some evangelical pastors to frequently proclaim that their wives are "smoking hot".  The blog post can be read here: http://jaysondbradley.com/2014/01/04/dude-quit-telling-me-about-your-smoking-hot-wife/ On the one hand, there is nothing wrong with a husband appreciating the beauty of his wife.  I am sure that I am guilty of sometimes neglecting to tell my wife of over twenty years how beautiful she is.  However, for pastors to continually make those particular kinds of comments in various public venues (social media, sermons, etc.) is disturbing on many levels.

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this trend is that it reveals how shallow the concept of Christian beauty is within modern American Christianity.  A quote from Catholic theologian Hans Urs Von Balthasar reveals  what happens when the concept of beauty is limited to physical appearance: "We no longer dare to believe in beauty, and we make of it a mere appearance, in order the more easily to dispose of it."

 What is Christian beauty?   Simply put, it is love - beauty is the love that God has for us, shown to us through Jesus Christ.  We see glimpses of this beauty whenever the Holy Spirit moves one of us - the body of Christ - to do acts of love toward our neighbor.

So, if I were to create a little photo gallery of Christian beauty, it would not be full of smoking hot pastors' wives, but pictures like this:

We no longer dare to believe in beauty and we make of it a mere appearance in order the more easily to dispose of it.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/hans_urs_von_balthasar.html#CQj4S0mcoApHrXre.99

We no longer dare to believe in beauty and we make of it a mere appearance in order the more easily to dispose of it.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/hans_urs_von_balthasar.html#CQj4S0mcoApHrXre.99

(Many of you probably have seen this picture - this image of Pope Francis embracing the disfigured man went viral around the internet a few months ago).

 (Marines assisting in relief efforts after Typhoon Hayan in the Philippines).
 

(These images depicting the love of a Russian couple, married for 65 years, have recently circulated around the internet).


1 Peter 3:3-4 sums up how Christian beauty has nothing to do whatsoever with how "hot" we are, but about the beauty that resides within:  "Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God’s sight."  Thanks be to God. 

UPDATE: This article was also featured at the Living Lutheran website: http://www.elca.org/en/Living-Lutheran/Blogs/2014/01/140107-Christian-beauty