SOME BACKGROUND
I’ve had a fascination or curiosity about religion and spirituality for most of my life.
Being raised by relatively agnostic parents, I never pursued the Anglican faith of my English heritage. England, and more generally, Europe has become virtually post-christian. The hub of the Reformation not only brought the “mysteries’ of Christianity to the “common” man - but, ultimately, stripped it of all that preserved the deeper realities of its meaning. In most of Europe, Christianity has lost out to science - a science that denies anything that cannot be explained by logic or measurable experience. In America, where Christianity has seemed to maintain a hold, it has become aligned with political platforms and has morphed into a personal system of belief, supported by over 30,000 “denominations” that basically pop-up based on mostly personal interpretations of the Bible. Modern American Christianity, despite good intentions has become the means of supporting unconditional conservative values, virulent nationalism (under the guise of patriotism), indiscriminate racism, and justification for the use of personal weapons for “protection.” Of course, this is a general statement, but there are very few churches or modern christian organizations that do not align with right-wing politics.
SHARING EXPERIENCE
It is my intention in this blog to share my personal experiences with my practice of Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
Technically I’ve been Orthodox since 2006 - but I’ve lapsed several times; the practice of Orthodoxy is hard and not for the faint of heart. Nevertheless I’ve never found an experience of truth that compares to it. It truly is, in my awareness, the fullness of truth.
I’m back in the faith again through confession and absolution and attend a fairly local Greek Orthodox Church.
BLESSED SERAPHIM ROSE
In coming to Orthodoxy I owe a lot to a now distant friend who exposed me to some of the teachings while I was practicing Buddhism, and to Fr. Seraphim Rose, of blessed memory, who shared a similar path to mine via influences from Alan Watts, eastern and Chinese mysticism. Fr. Seraphim modelled an uncompromising devotion to his adopted faith and shared great insight into the very mind of Orthodoxy. My first experience of Orthodox worship impressed me and placed a deep longing in my heart and mind to know more about this view of reality.
SPIRITUAL WARFARE
When I was Chrismated and formally entered the church on Palm Sunday (according to the Orthodox calendar) after a year as a catechumen is when my experiences of spiritual warfare began. Before I was Orthodox I had believed that all the talk of “demonic influence” was a bunch of fairy tales or psychotic delusions. But after my baptism in the Holy Spirit on that Palm Sunday, I began to experience an onslaught of doubting thoughts that kept growing in intensity and drove me into frequent periods of despondency. After observing this condition affecting many other converts in my parish I see now that this is a fragile time in the life of a convert or new believer. Consultation with the Parish priest or spiritual father is vital. If left unaddressed I fear it evolves into a coldness of heart toward faith, and a lax attitude to prayer. It is as if the mind turns into the enemy of the heart.
THE PRAYER OF THE HEART
Spiritual warfare doesn’t decrease. But fortunately the church teaching has “weapons”to help in combat. Chief among these is prayer, in my case I rely on the “Jesus Prayer.”
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”
I try to focus on reciting this prayer silently throughout the day, and try to fall asleep with it on my lips. It is powerful!
So, my Orthodox journey continues….won’t you come along for the ride?