"People have many faults and idiosyncrasies. To correct them all is impossible. So, there is no other choice, no other solution than for us to learn to forbear and put up with them all." - Father Epiphanios Theodoropoulos
A couple of other relevant quotes from the same Elder, as I recall them from the back of my head - but hopefully not far from the true quotes (I can't find them online & I'm missing the book).
"I have no virtues and good deeds to speak of. But I believe that as I accept and tolerate people as they are, so will God tolerate me."
"I am tolerant and lenient towards others up to the point that their salvation is not in danger."
Warning: words of wisdom end here. My own shenanigans to follow shortly. Proceed at your own risk. You have been warned
.
This man departed in the Lord in Athens in 1989 after serving par excellence as a confessor in a humble chapel in a bad neighbourhood of Athens city centre for ~25 years. He didn't travel extensively. Never in his life left Greece, and even within the country he knew few places - the village around Kalamata where he grew up, his flat & chapel, both in the centre of Athens, the monastery he founded out of thin air in the area of Troizina, houses of his spiritual children that he would visit whenever he got the chance... that's it. But he knew people very well - he used to hear confessions every day from 6pm till sometimes late at night, addressing problems, advising, administering forgiveness, pastorally penancing, sympathising, giving solutions...
I've been thinking lately, are *we* accepting people as they are?
Some of us have children. I am the least experienced or qualified to talk about this matter, but still... do we realise they aren't our own "property" but rather God's children really & we are merelly taking care of that which is His? Are we prepared to let them develop in their own way, so long as their salvation is not in danger? Or are we looking for "carbon copies" of ourselves & are ready to jump in and "correct" at the slightest deviation?
We all have colleagues, friends, family, social acquaintences. Some are Orthodox, some faithful Christians but not Orthodox, some secular, some others of one false religion or the other. Of course one could justifiably say that if one is a Hindu or a Muslim, then that falls within the limits of endangered salvation. But are we trying to live Life in Christ & through this let God work other people's salvation? Or are we jumping at every opportunity to deliver our inadequate preaching, in effect often repulsing people & at the same time creating this false prideful feeling in ourselves that supposedly "we did what we could" - as if there were limits in how much we should Love? Are we putting up with people's faults & letting God correct them through our humble service, rather than deceive ourselves in believing that we will correct them with our arrogant preaching?
These days many of us travel around, move abroad, live in foreign cultures. Some spend time in multicultural environments, some are strangers within unicultural but foreign environments, some deal with foreigners within their own unicultural environment. Some even feel strangers within their nominally natural cultural environment! Do we ever appreciate that so long as our neighbours abide by the laws and rules of the land (be it "our own" land, or "their own" land), then they are in no obligation at all to steer their ways towards our desires? Have we realised that our Brothers and Sisters have been created in God's Image and Likeness - not in our own image and likeness - and fortunately so!
Some of us have been brought up in the Holy Church of Christ. We have since childhood known that things in the Church happen such-and-such. Others - Glory be to God! - found & embraced the Faith that established the universe at a grown-up or young adult stage. Equally, they have been told & for a few years followed and experienced this or that way of doing things. Then suddenly we find ourselves in a different place, different tradition, different historical burdens, different people's idiosyncracies. And then the unthinkable happens. This service which should last 4 hours actually here lasts 2! That other service isn't happening at all! The language is weird! The music is lame! The people are starring at me as if I was some strange animal! The liturgical calendar is so-and-so! The priest's beard, the presvytera's hair, the colours on the icons, the coffee isn't strong enough, biscuits are too sweet, little kids don't behave... How could the Holy Spirit *ever* descend and Sanctify in such an environment??? Guess what, He does... Shouldn't this teach us something?
Many of us will hopefully manage to get up early enough to go to Church on Sunday. Some of us (hopefully as many as possible) will approach the Chalice to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord. I assume we all know that never ever in our life will we be worthy. I assume that regardless of our personal rule or habit of preparation, we all understand there is never such a thing as a Christian who has been prepared "enough". Wouldn't it be nice, however, to be able in good conscience to turn to God and say "I have no virtues & good deeds to speak of, but just as I accept, tolerate and forbear all people around me, so You too, O Son of God, in Your Mystical Supper receive me today as a communicant".
Given our wretched selves, isn't this our only hope?
A couple of other relevant quotes from the same Elder, as I recall them from the back of my head - but hopefully not far from the true quotes (I can't find them online & I'm missing the book).
"I have no virtues and good deeds to speak of. But I believe that as I accept and tolerate people as they are, so will God tolerate me."
"I am tolerant and lenient towards others up to the point that their salvation is not in danger."
Warning: words of wisdom end here. My own shenanigans to follow shortly. Proceed at your own risk. You have been warned
.This man departed in the Lord in Athens in 1989 after serving par excellence as a confessor in a humble chapel in a bad neighbourhood of Athens city centre for ~25 years. He didn't travel extensively. Never in his life left Greece, and even within the country he knew few places - the village around Kalamata where he grew up, his flat & chapel, both in the centre of Athens, the monastery he founded out of thin air in the area of Troizina, houses of his spiritual children that he would visit whenever he got the chance... that's it. But he knew people very well - he used to hear confessions every day from 6pm till sometimes late at night, addressing problems, advising, administering forgiveness, pastorally penancing, sympathising, giving solutions...
I've been thinking lately, are *we* accepting people as they are?
Some of us have children. I am the least experienced or qualified to talk about this matter, but still... do we realise they aren't our own "property" but rather God's children really & we are merelly taking care of that which is His? Are we prepared to let them develop in their own way, so long as their salvation is not in danger? Or are we looking for "carbon copies" of ourselves & are ready to jump in and "correct" at the slightest deviation?
We all have colleagues, friends, family, social acquaintences. Some are Orthodox, some faithful Christians but not Orthodox, some secular, some others of one false religion or the other. Of course one could justifiably say that if one is a Hindu or a Muslim, then that falls within the limits of endangered salvation. But are we trying to live Life in Christ & through this let God work other people's salvation? Or are we jumping at every opportunity to deliver our inadequate preaching, in effect often repulsing people & at the same time creating this false prideful feeling in ourselves that supposedly "we did what we could" - as if there were limits in how much we should Love? Are we putting up with people's faults & letting God correct them through our humble service, rather than deceive ourselves in believing that we will correct them with our arrogant preaching?
These days many of us travel around, move abroad, live in foreign cultures. Some spend time in multicultural environments, some are strangers within unicultural but foreign environments, some deal with foreigners within their own unicultural environment. Some even feel strangers within their nominally natural cultural environment! Do we ever appreciate that so long as our neighbours abide by the laws and rules of the land (be it "our own" land, or "their own" land), then they are in no obligation at all to steer their ways towards our desires? Have we realised that our Brothers and Sisters have been created in God's Image and Likeness - not in our own image and likeness - and fortunately so!
Some of us have been brought up in the Holy Church of Christ. We have since childhood known that things in the Church happen such-and-such. Others - Glory be to God! - found & embraced the Faith that established the universe at a grown-up or young adult stage. Equally, they have been told & for a few years followed and experienced this or that way of doing things. Then suddenly we find ourselves in a different place, different tradition, different historical burdens, different people's idiosyncracies. And then the unthinkable happens. This service which should last 4 hours actually here lasts 2! That other service isn't happening at all! The language is weird! The music is lame! The people are starring at me as if I was some strange animal! The liturgical calendar is so-and-so! The priest's beard, the presvytera's hair, the colours on the icons, the coffee isn't strong enough, biscuits are too sweet, little kids don't behave... How could the Holy Spirit *ever* descend and Sanctify in such an environment??? Guess what, He does... Shouldn't this teach us something?
Many of us will hopefully manage to get up early enough to go to Church on Sunday. Some of us (hopefully as many as possible) will approach the Chalice to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord. I assume we all know that never ever in our life will we be worthy. I assume that regardless of our personal rule or habit of preparation, we all understand there is never such a thing as a Christian who has been prepared "enough". Wouldn't it be nice, however, to be able in good conscience to turn to God and say "I have no virtues & good deeds to speak of, but just as I accept, tolerate and forbear all people around me, so You too, O Son of God, in Your Mystical Supper receive me today as a communicant".
Given our wretched selves, isn't this our only hope?
