Following the Star: what will they find?

Honest seekers will always end up at Christ.  His presence, indeed the reality of the entire Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), are so foundational that they cannot help but infiltrate every system of philosophy, every religion; and pull on every human heart. 

Example 1:
Even a religion whose founder designed his scripture to undermine faith in the Trinity, the Incarnation, and salvation through Christ, could not help but have that very same scripture point towards these very same things.  Many of the verses Mohammad came up with to support his own position as prophet and warlord attack Christianity, attack the Trinity, attack Jesus Christ, and attack His role in our salvation.  But the Truth is still visible through the clouds of blasphemy: Muslims are taught to place their trust in the pre-eternal Word, the Word that God gifted mankind to bring them to true wisdom and understanding.  They are deceived in believing that the pre-eternal Word is incarnate in the classical Arabic Koran rather than in Jesus Christ; but the guidepost is there for those who wish to follow it beyond the bounds of Islam and into the fullness of the truth.

Example 2:
The same was true two thousand years ago for the wise men.  They were astrologers.  Like Islam, astrology is a flawed religion, something unbefitting and harmful for Godfearing people.  It can lead either to a strong sense of fatalism (as when one believes that the relative position of the stars and planets determine events) or occultism (as when people attempt to see things or alter outcomes using such knowledge).  But it was God Himself who placed the stars and planets in the heavens, and honest study of them – as of all His handiwork – will point people to Him.  Moreover, the Lord – through His angels and our god-like consciences – is always trying to move us towards Him and a deeper understanding of the Truth.  As we learned on Wednesday, St. John Chrysostom taught that the very star that led the wise men was an angel, perhaps even the Archangel Gabriel, who had worked his way into the visions of the wise men in order to lead them to the ultimate source of Truth and salvation: Jesus Christ.

Example 3 (and segue):
On a personal note, it was this same search for Truth that led me here.  This time, the Lord did not have to work through the delusion of astronomy.  I already knew Him as the Christ.  I knew of His love for all of us and His plan for our salvation.  But seeking for a fuller and deeper understanding of these things led me here.  I am not the first, nor will I be the last to make this same journey.  There are so many people who are seeking the Truth.  They will eventually follow that star to Orthodoxy.  But what will they find?

What will they find?: 
The wise men and shepherds saw the Light of Divinity shining from the Incarnate Christ child.  They bowed in adoration and offered the best of their’s and themselves to Him in result.  But what will this generation find when they follow that star here?  Will they see the Light of Divinity shining through the Incarnation of Christ in us and in our Church? 

One of our Communion prayers (the second of St. John Chrysostom captures my concern when it says;

1. Lord my God, I know that I am not sufficiently worthy that You should come under the roof of the house of my soul, for it is entirely desolate and fallen in ruin and You cannot find, in me, a worthy place for Your head.  but, as you humbled Yourself from on high for our sake, humble Yourself now to the measure of my lowliness.  As You took it upon Yourself in the cave to lie in the manger for dumb animals, so take it upon Yourself now to enter into the manger of my ignorant soul and into my defiled body.
                                                                   (page 48, UOC-USA Prayer Book)
   

2.  
   

The wise men saw the divinity of Christ despite his meager surroundings, so it is possible that people will see beyond our obvious shortcomings and see Him in us and in what we do.  [By the way, it is to cover my obvious shortcomings that the Church puts me in such fine vestments, as if even pure gold and brightest diamonds could ever manage such a thing!]  But seekers who are not as diligent as the wise men may not be so charitable.  It is heartbreaking how many honest seekers fall away from Christianity and from Orthodoxy.  Why is this?  Trust me, it is not the theology; nor is it the worship.  It is me.  It is us.  We have turned them away.  We have posted guards at the entrance to the cave with our hard-heartedness and sloth.  And as a result they seek Him elsewhere.

Can you imagine a greater tragedy that someone leaving Orthodoxy to find true spirituality, or to find true charity, or to find true love?  It is tragic because Orthodoxy is the fountain of true spirituality, of true charity, and of true love!  It is tragic because the imitations and shadows of these things found elsewhere will not satisfy as well as does the primal version that springs from Christ.

People should not feel the need to leave Orthodoxy to find spirituality, or charity, love.  These things are at the center of Orthodoxy, at the very center of who God calls us to be.  They do not need to go any further east to find mystical union: it is here.  It is here in our ascetic practices, in our prayers, and in our worship.  They should not need to go to a Salvation Army soup kitchen or a government welfare office to find and offer charity: it is here in our prayers and in our missions.  They do not need to turn to pornography, hook-ups, or secular societies to find love and fellowship: the greatest love and fellowship is found here, where we are united in one another and with Christ in a single, healthy, and joyous body. 

People should not feel the need to look elsewhere for such things, but if we do not share these treasures with them, then they will.

There is a warning in today’s Gospel reading and it is echoed in our own experience.  In the Gospel, the Christ could not stay in His home of Israel.  He could not continue to bless the meager cave with His presence.  So He left and went to Egypt.  There was a time in Ukraine when Christ was persecuted, when Christians feared that the faith – and the faithful – would be exterminated in the Communist “slaughter of the innocents”.  So the founders of this parish and of our diocese fled their homeland for a new home.  Here there is no real persecution, but we can still follow Herod’s example and drive Him out.  We can still leave Him with no “worthy place to lay [His] head”.  We could still end up with an empty manger.  And an empty manger is, at best, a historical artifact, incapable of sustaining adoration and faith. 

[An anecdote: I am reminded of a story another priest told me.  He wanted to start a Ukrainian Orthodox mission in the South.  He thought he had found gold when he found a small Ukrainian Orthodox parish that continued to meet without a priest.  He thought that they would welcome him and assist him in his efforts to spread the Good News.  But they rejected him, preferring to gather once a week to listen to recordings of the liturgy rather than actively worshiping with a living priest.]

I can’t tell you how many people have told me how much joy they see and feel here at St. Michael’s.  They recognize the life and the vitality.  Many of you have noticed and remarked on the “new spirit” here.  Let me tell you what it is you see and feel: you see and feel the love and hope of the Christ child.  You feel the reality of His love and the possibility of salvation through your relationship with Him.  As long as we embrace this; as long as we bow down in adoration before Him; as long as we continue to order our lives around this Truth; [as long as we exhibit true Orthodox spirituality, charity, and love] the star will continue to shine over Woonsocket; people will come to worship the King; and they will find Him here in us.