Comments on: The Transformation of Orthodoxy

By: dinoship

dinoship — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 20:42:10 +0000

Attachment (to something other than God) and following non-truth, both lead to the same eventual disappointment indeed…

By: Michael Bauman

Michael Bauman — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 20:09:07 +0000

dionship, the attribute that has helped me through the years is that my parents instilled in me the virtue of seeking the truth, even if you didn’t like it. I forget that sometimes, and I certainly don’t make all good decisions nor am without sin (ha!). However, to me always seeking the truth is much the same as non-attachment or at least a beginning to it. It has gotten me through a lot of storms in my life.

To tie it back to Fr. Peter Gilquist: it seems he and his friends followed much the same approach.

By: PJ

PJ — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 19:56:09 +0000

Father,

Haha. I admit I walked right into that one!

By: dinoship

dinoship — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 16:16:13 +0000

Michael,
no matter how many times we are reminded of what you said, it is always useful, as we always tend to lapse as long as we live in this body, “Our longing for Jesus Christ has to be primary”.
I love these pertinent quotes:”Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;” “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the sons of men, in whom there is no help.”

By: dinoship

dinoship — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 15:22:05 +0000

The monastic virtue of total non-attachment to all men, and all things (“All men are liars” -Psalm 116-11), and total attachment to the only True One and Lord, (and only through Him to all of mankind), is key.
One is often warned not to over-admire and become attached even to holy men, as they are only humans and our soul needs attachment to the Lord. Attachment must not be offered to anyone else.
I find this virtue’s relevance constant.
The discernment that comes from it points to the only safe path. This ‘freedom’ from attachments is needed indeed to withstand the coming persecution, (we have numerous examples of martyrs who displayed formidable non-attachment to their beloved families for the sake of God), to purify our love for our neihbour, (“if you love one more and love another one less, you love none”), to ensure our faith in God remains strong when all crumbles around us…
It does take years to cultivate this with the help of God, but when the “Flood” comes, you will have built an ark – even if it has taken many years to build.

By: Michael Bauman

Michael Bauman — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 13:47:14 +0000

Erica: “…if he had been my priest when I was growing up, I never would have left” Not criticizing you Erica, I understand about finding Jesus first and him leading you either to or back to the Church and I am the last person not to value good priests and good bishops, I am highly blessed by having them. I have also experienced a bad priest which makes it really hard. However, it is up to each of us to develop enough strength to weather the capriciousness of who happens to be the priest or the bishop.

Our longing for Jesus Christ has to be primary. Our longing for communion with Him. Once that longing is established in your heart, I dobut that it will be fulfilled anywhere else. Even with all of the total dysfunction that exists in the Church Jesus is here and taking us to his heart. It is up to us to have a wedding garment.

If we are unable to withstand the dysfunction and grow in joy in the process, it is unlikely that we will be able to withstand the coming presecution. Perhaps, just perhaps, that is why the dysfunction is allowed to exist (not that it has to), as a prepration and a test of our connection to and desire for the love of our Lord.

By: dinoship

dinoship — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 10:01:29 +0000

God moves in mysterious ways and has a hidden plan for a good end to all our adventures…
We humans however, easily mistake the agent for the institution (and vice versa). Orthodoxy is the Body of Christ not to be mistaken for anything less (or any representative of it, no matter how holy)

By: Erica

Erica — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 03:31:28 +0000

dinoship, I grew up in the GOC. I left because I was seeking God and truly felt that I could not find Him there. I tried hard to make it work, but at the time, I felt as if God was dead in the GOC. I DID find Him in a Baptist church I was invited to, a place where my faith and spiritual life grew by leaps and bounds.

Ten years later, however, my husband and I are praying quite seriously about when it is that God wants us to join the OAC (for many reasons, we know it is not a question of “if”). An Orthodox priest I met told me that the Baptist church led him to Jesus, and Jesus led him to the Orthodox church. My story is only slightly different; my parents brought me to the Orthodox church, but the Baptist church led me to Jesus, and Jesus is now leading me back to the Orthodox church.

Interestingly enough, a few years ago, I visited the church that I grew up in. There was a new priest, one who I would call rather revolutionary for the GOC. He gave the most powerful homily I had ever heard in an Orthodox church. If he had been my priest when I was growing up, I would have never left.

By: handmaid leah

handmaid leah — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 01:40:51 +0000

Memory Eternal Fr. Peter!
And thanks for the photo of Ss. Sergius & Herman Chapel on Spruce Island. My husband and I along with Doug Fadel and Father Mikel Bock built that bell tower and hung those bells. That photo sure brings back wonderful, peaceful memories of our time on St Herman’s beloved Spruce Island, AK.

By: Valerie

Valerie — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 03:36:36 +0000

Becoming Orthodox was the first book I read after my husband blew my mind by taking me to the Antiochian Church he had “discovered”. It help me realize it wasn’t a cult! Thanks to Fr. Peter for providing such a great explanation of Eastern Orthodoxy to this southern girl, and to the other dedicated men who searched with him for the New Testament church all those years ago, including our own Fr. Gordon Walker. Now Orthodox for 15 years, I join the Church in prayers for Fr. Peter. Memory eternal!