Archives

A look at Orthodox prayer, part 2

In a previous post I shared some thoughts on Christian prayer and spirituality from an Orthodox point of view. Orthodox theology and spirituality is a deep lake in which one might very easily sink, simply on account of the heap of spiritual riches to be found. Also of course there is the fact that Orthodox spirituality deals with God and his people in a manner so very different to much piety in the western tradition.

Growing up in the evangelical tradition with its own rich (though very different) history of prayer and piety, there was always a great emphasis on the reality of a personal prayer life and a personal relationship with Jesus, though very often the individual prayer life seems to be understood almost completely apart from the corporate prayer life of the church. When we pray however, we are always part of the wider life of the church and the communion of saints, the body of Christ.

The last post looked the the spiritual way of the disciple of Christians, and this post looks at the three presuppositions that govern the life of a believer, particularly in regards to the universal body of Christ.

Three presuppositions

1. Being part of the communion of saints

The journey of faith is never taken alone, it is presupposed that a believer is part of the church. There can be no such thing as a private or individual faith in Christ. Life in Christ is lived in fellowship, not isolation:

"No one is saved alone. He who is saved is saved in the church, as a member of her and in union with all her other members. If anyone believes, he is in the communion of faith; if he loves, he is in the communion of love; if he prays, he is in the communion of prayer."

Aleksei Khomiakov

We are never Christians on our own, we are always part of the universal body of Christ. It is truly tragic that the church is so fragmented into so many factions and denominations, and all the more tragic that so much time and energy is devoted to tearing down and savaging other Christians with other points of view. The fact is  that like it or not, there is only one Church and all Christians of all denominations, nations and times and places in history are all part of the one body of Christ. There is no such thing as a private relationship with Jesus, because being in relationship with him automatically places us in relationship with the triune God and also all our other brothers and sisters in Christ. Here is Father Alexander Elchaninov:

"Ignorance and sin are characteristic of isolated individuals. Only in the unity of the church are these defects overcome. Man finds his true self in the Church alone, not in the helplessness of spiritual isolation but in the strength of his communion with his brothers and his Saviour."

2. Life in the sacraments

With my low-church upbringing my theology of the sacraments is rather sparse and until lately I hadn't really given them much thought. Here's a controversial statement if ever there was one:

"None can truly be a Christian without sharing in the sacraments, just as none can truly be a Christian if he treats the sacraments merely as a mechanical ritual."

The Eucharist is the most important sacrament, and extends over and throughout our whole spiritual life. Ultimately, God will be "all in all" and we will be united with God in his glorious Kingdom. So now in the present we experience the foretaste of this in the act of Communion, the firstfruits of eternity. Here's St Isaac the Syrian:

"Blessed is he that has eaten the Bread of love which is Jesus. While still in this world, he breathes the air of the resurrection in which the righteous will delight when they rise from the dead."

3. The spiritual life is evangelical

By being 'evangelical' I of course mean that faith is to be tied to scripture rather than descended from the Reformers (!). This is not the same as the Reformation 'sola scriptura', as the Bible itself is taken alongside church Tradition (for what is meant by this read this post). St Anthony of Egypt said of the Christian journey:

"Wherever you go, have God always before your eyes; in whatever you do or say, have an example from the Holy Scriptures...Keep these things, and you will live."

For Orthodoxy, as well as much of the western tradition, the Bible is "the only pure and all-sufficient source of the doctrines of the faith" although the approach to scripture is still somewhat different to what many evangelicals are used to. In Orthodoxy, the Bible is not a private book to read whichever way we please and read it simply for isolated personal insight, it is the book of the Church and is to be read and understood in communion with the rest of the Church, both the living and historic church. This is what is meant by Holy Tradition - the work, thought and wisdom of those who have walked with God before us up until now:

"The real purpose of Bible study...is to feed our love for Christ, to kindle our hearts into prayer, and to provide us with guidance in our personal life. The study of words should give place to an immediate dialogue with the living Word him."

Bishop Kallistos

"Whenever you read the Gospel, Christ himself is speaking to you. And while you read, you are praying and speaking with him."

Tikhon of Zadonsk

The idea of extended private study of the Bible and private prayer time is often seen  (in my experience at least) as being a cornerstone of developing a healthy spirituality, though I have increasing sympathy for the Orthodox emphasis on the communal reading and study of scripture as being more important than that which the individual does on his or her own. Here's Bishop Kallistos again:

"As a book uniquely inspired by God and addressedto each of the faithful personally, the Bible possesses a sacrament power, transmitting grace to the reader, bringing him to a point of decisive meeting and encounter. Critical scholarship is by no means excluded, but the true meaning of the Bible will only be apparent to those who study it with their spiritual intellect as well as their reasoning brain."

That concludes a look at the three presuppositions of being a disciple of Christ from an Orthodox perspective. Next I want to look at the 'active' and 'contemplative' parts of scripture. If you're interested in a beginner's guide to Orthodox spirituality (highly recommended) then toddle over to Amazon and pick up a copy of The Orthodox Way by Bishop Kallistos Ware.