I graduated yesterday. It was sort of an alienating event. I sat in the midst of a group of twenty-two year old strangers, all friend with eachother. I know about seven people at the University of Minnesota, only one of whom actually walked yesterday. I was hoping to avoid the ceremony all together, but my dear mother flew out to watch. One must pay his maternal debts. At any rate, I made genial small talk with the gentleman next to me. We looked through the list of graduates and made fun of the unfortunate and impossible names. Lord, there are embarrassing names out there. A local hip hop artist gave the commencement address. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. Afterwords though, things were pleasant. Friends and family and grilled steaks. I received much bourbon and scotch as congratulatory gifts. I'm out of academia for a bit. We'll see how long it lasts.
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I wasn't in church yesterday. The graduation commencement began at 11:00. I'm told, however, that Fr. Jonathan made comments on new directives from the throne of Bishop Matthias. Coming this fall, baptismal divine liturgies are no longer to be celebrated. However, churches which celebrate them already can grandfather them in until their current priest retires or dies. Prayers which were silent and have recently been read aloud are to be read silently again. Women are not allowed to hold the communion napkin.
My gut reaction is that these are moves of a man afraid of "liberalism" and quite unsure of what to do about it. Like his message last year concerning homosexuality, which was to be read from the ambo during the divine liturgy, it strikes me as something knee-jerk and reactionary. It seems that with this barrage of new orders +Matthias hopes to counter secularism and liberalism by doing something "more traditional." Personally, the silent prayers do not bother me. As for baptismal divine liturgies, I'm extremely curious as to the reasoning behind the decision. I know that Fr. Schmemann's name is associated with their reintroduction into the Orthodox Church, especially the OCA. I don't know more than that. When it comes to women and napkins, however, it leaves a foul taste in the mouth. God forbid a woman stand that close to the communion cup for too long.
At any rate, it'll be interesting to see how this all pans out, both in my parish and in the diocese of the Midwest as a whole. Again, I've not read the precepts and I'm only reporting on what companions have told me.
Packing today for Europe.
I haden't heard those directives, yet, as we had a visiting priest yesterday. I'm actually glad at those announcements (though I would nuance the women and chalice napkin a little). There's too much in the OCA that's ad hoc, a sort of choose your own adventure based on your preferred academic and his preferred sources rather than on simply, humbly doing what one has received and which is common throughout most of the Orthodox world (and has been for centuries in both 'good' and 'bad' periods,a cross cultures, local churches and governments). While Schmemann, for instance, wrote that Vigil should be abolished, he served full Vigil every Saturday and festal eve. His disciples took his word as Gospel, therefore, and put his suggestions into action. I'm not sure what the attraction is to having Orthodoxy act like what many a Protestant or post-Vatican II RC church acts like when a certain person thinks they know better and would prefer to just do what they want. Conciliarity isn't a pact whereby we all agree to let each other do whatever we want - quite the contrary.
ReplyDeleteNot sure when baptismal liturgies went out of use, but they were out of use everywhere for a long time. Reintroducing something long out of use is little different than introducing something completely new. The priestly prayers have been said silently by clergy from around the 700s, and that across the entire Church, East to West, North to South, as well as in all the Non-Chalcedonian churches and the Nestorian church - this is a common, universal practice of the church pre-Reformation. Either we believe the Holy Spirit is guiding the church or we don't. The fact something has fallen into complete disuse (rather than into simply widespread disuse) points to it being a practice the HS no longer thinks necessary in the Church - and the practical, contingent causes and reasons involved in 'why' are only important to those who betray a lack of belief in divine guidance to begin with.
I would nuance the women holding the chalice napkin by saying that such a function is properly filled by an altar server or subdeacon. As in convents, women are allowed to fulfill a variety of roles in and around the alter because no qualified altar server/subdeacon, etc. is available; likewise, if no qualified or capable altar server/subdeacon, etc. is available in a parish, there is no problem with a woman serving in such a capacity. Of course, it wouldn't be an issue if the tradition would have been followed to begin with; it only sounds harsh when trying to rectify a situation that never should have been.
It's always difficult to what we don't want to do. That's not a sign we're right in what we want.
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ReplyDeleteSeems to be a bit of irony involved in the command concerning women and communion napkins, given the gender of those who were present when Jesus was crucified.
ReplyDeleteI hope Europe is wonderful. I look forward to hearing about Germany.
No time to get into this, sadly, as our departure is imminent. Peace and friendship to all, except for a couple of you.
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