by Vladimir Bigdan, March 2009

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"Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it" - Matthew 21:43  

It only takes a quick glance around during a Saturday night Vigil for the question to eventuate. We look around and see two elderly ladies sitting down piously in the back of the church. Somewhere from amongst the clouds of candle-lit incense we hear a grand choir of three tired voices. A deep sadness enters in and brings back the terrifying words of our Lord spoken to the Pharisees. The cold realization comes to mind that those words are directed at us, some two thousand years later. They cut deep down into our souls causing a chill to run down the spine. Lord, have mercy on us!

The unquestionable fact is seen by most in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR): our youth is slowly disappearing into the mist of western society. Less and less clubs and organizations are upholding Orthodox teachings; mixed marriages enter and exit the Church at an overwhelming rate. The humble and strict nature of the Orthodox life is being overpowered by the world of comfort and success...

We must, however, ask ourselves why is this happening? To answer this question it is easiest to blame the modern times. The mass-media is slowly pouring cold venom in our hearts through everything we see and hear. Obedience is portrayed as weakness; brotherly love as homosexuality; piety as uncool, boring, and unnecessary. Picture this: a friend asks you to a party on a Saturday night, and you respond with a counter-offer of “Let’s go pray to God instead.” I think it would be safe to say that your friend will look at you like a complex mathematical formula and offer you the title of “Crazy”.

So, it would seem there is nothing that can be done. And yet, it also seems that something is missing from this foregone conclusion. Is the argument complete? Is there nothing we can do? Or is something present in our culture, in our outside-of-Russia mentality that contributes to this phenomenon? Why is it that our faith is not bearing fruit?

The response is best achieved by looking deep down into ourselves and asking ourselves most honestly: Why are we Orthodox? What motivates us to be Orthodox? What does it even mean: to be an Orthodox Christian? What do you see as your goal and vision in life?

A most astonishing revelation has come out of the above exercise: many (if not most) people state the following declaration: “To keep our faith and traditions”. To keep?! Not to acquire the Holy Spirit, not to grow the seeds of faith, but to keep! To grow in our self-love and pride that WE are the carriers of true faith and are examples of Orthodoxy. This statement acknowledges that we have already acquired absolute, perfect faith and simply need to sustain it. For us as ROCOR members, this statement articulates one of our greatest failures.

“A sower went out to sow his seed…” (Luke 8:5) In the parable of the sower, the seed symbolizes the Word of God. Realistically, this is all we have, all we are given. It is God’s Will that we take, keep, grow and bear fruit from this seed. If we take it and do nothing then we are spoken about in the following theme: “For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.” (Luke 8:18). In light of these words it becomes clear that we are NOT doing enough with our faith. If we were, then we would not have this problem in the first place.

So, how does this philosophy show through in our deeds, and more importantly, what can we do as Orthodox Christians to improve? In answer to this, I submit for consideration some thoughts which were brought forward by the youth during the recent Parish Youth Representatives Conference held in Sydney, 14-15 March, 2009.

A story was shared of a man who came to Orthodoxy from a different faith. One would think this to be wonderful; a soul had been touched by the warm flame of Orthodoxy! Yet, the truth was that all of the other parishioners provided obstacles for this person instead of support. Often criticizing publicly, not providing any support, they seemed to see him as a threat to themselves – the carriers of Orthodoxy. Thankfully, this person stayed in the Orthodox faith, almost in spite of (!) the other parishioners. Unfortunately, this story is not unique - a sad description of the ROCOR...

Another common problem outlined was the lack of communication and trust amongst the faithful. One lady spoke of the time she wanted to organise an activity to benefit the community, only to be turned down because she had to be given a key to the church hall. Surely even the most motivated person would drop their hands in despair after such an experience!

Others complained about the lack of a mentoring system. A combination of inactive priests and inactive parishioners results in a dying spiritual fire, which constantly needs to be refuelled. Still others feel they do not understand the services from a linguistic point of view, yet our faithful place all possible barriers to stop English from entering the Church. What is more important: the pipeline carrying the message, or the message itself?

A logical conclusion is that many of the above problems trace their roots back to the nature of that exclusive environment we, the members of ROCOR, have adapted in “keeping” our faith.

Let us, brothers and sisters, attempt to change this exclusive, procrastinating, apathetic mentality and ask the Lord to help us build a strong relationship with Him. To “… love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength...” (Mark 12:30), and to follow His commandment to “… love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). To build a healthy culture in church - not to judge, but to support. Let us provide a solid Orthodox environment for the upbringing of our children. Let us be intertwined like a caring family, providing for each other a safe harbour from the storms of the worldly sea. Let us give out a hand of support and provide a spark of light to those living in darkness. Let us be “as sheep in the midst of wolves… wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Lest we come to the throne of God at the end of our journey and offer Him only the talent which we had received from Him, and thoughtlessly buried for “safekeeping”.

Vladimir Bigdan, March 2009

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