‘Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works. If you see a poor man take pity on him..’ St John Chrysostom

As Orthodox believers are called to practice what we believe. If Orthodoxy means the ‘correct belief’ than Orthopraxy means ‘correct practice.’ This correct practice involves preaching by using our hands to serve. It means clearing the stench of economic division with the air of reconciliation. It means doing more than theorizing. It means acknowledging the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church, and walking humbly – and boldly – into the thick darkness, so that we might proclaim freedom to the captives, and demand justice for the oppressed.

The thing about social justice is that it’s not “elsewhere,” it is here and it is a part of us. It is healing the wounds that we have created in the body of Christ. It is breaking every barrier that stops us being gathered together into the arms of Christ.

“How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34)

Would you do honor to Christ’s body? Neglect Him not when naked; do not while here you honor Him with silken garments, neglect Him perishing without of cold and nakedness. For He that said, “This is my body,” and by His word confirmed the fact, This same said, “You saw me an hungered, and fed me not;” and, “Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.” Matthew 25:42, 45. For this indeed needs not coverings, but a pure soul; but that requires much attention.
-St. John Chrysosotom Homily 50 on Matthew

 

In the story of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31), the rich man saw poverty and suffering around him, but he chose apathy. Maybe, he, like the priest who passed by the man in the story of the good samaritan, was on his way to church or some service. Busying himself, he forgets to act justly. He forgets he is made for justice. Maybe in serving at the table of the Lord, we have forgotten to serve the table of the poor.

“When His table indeed is full of golden cups, but He perishes with hunger? First fill Him, being an hungered, and then abundantly deck out His table also. Do you make Him a cup of gold, while you give Him not a cup of cold water? And what is the profit? Do you furnish His table with cloths bespangled with gold, while to Himself you afford not even the necessary covering? And what good comes of it? For tell me, should you see one at a loss for necessary food, and omit appeasing his hunger, while you first overlaid his table with silver; would he indeed thank you, and not rather be indignant?” -St John Chrysostom, Homily 50 Matthew

The thing about social justice is that it is forgotten. We forget that working towards social justice is what it means to celebrate the liturgy on the streets.
When seeking the kingdom of heaven, let us remember that in the parable of the pearl, the pearl was not found in the clouds but amongst the dirt, hidden under rocks and soil (Matthew 13: 45-46). It takes getting your hands dirty to get it out; hidden behind the poor, the broken, the marginalized.

Do you desire greatness this lent, and in your spiritual life?

Jesus redefined it:

“he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.” (Luke 22:26-27)

We serve a God of an upside down kingdom where the meek will inherit, where those who serve are greater than those who sit on thrones, there is strength through weakness, exaltation through humility, receiving through giving, freedom from servitude.

Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry.
Isaiah 58:6

 

O Lord Jesus,
Let your upside down kingdom come
Help us fast from injustice
Keep our eyes wide open to suffering
Help us flee from apathy

this post is dedicated to a friend in Jordan

(Photo courtesy of Ondro Miklas)

I’m reading Numbers for my quiet time at the moment (one of the best. books. ever. please dive into it if you’ve never read it before!) and as I started reading chapter 10 I prayed my usual pre-reading my bible prayer; something along the lines of “you know I’m here to meet with you. Please don’t let me leave empty-handed. PS I’m a bit stupid so you’re gonnna have to be very clear and very loud in what you’re trying to tell me”. The passage I read was Numbers 10:1-10, and it says:

The Lord said to Moses: “Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out. When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the tent of meeting. If only one is sounded, the leaders—the heads of the clans of Israel—are to assemble before you. When a trumpet blast is sounded, the tribes camping on the east are to set out. At the sounding of a second blast, the camps on the south are to set out. The blast will be the signal for setting out. To gather the assembly, blow the trumpets, but not with the signal for setting out.
“The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come. When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies. Also at your times of rejoicing—your appointed festivals and New Moon feasts—you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the Lord your God.”

I don’t know why I stopped here, but I really just couldn’t move past this tiny little passage. I kept re-reading it and browsed the web to try and find Fr. Tadros’ Malaty’s commentary it so I can begin to understand what the Holy Spirit was hinting at.. The second I read the symbolism of the trumpets, it hit me. The trumpets in this passage resemble the Lord’s voice. Reading the passage now made so much sense, and had such a deeper meaning that I’d love to share with you.

I highlighted two verses in particular because they touched me the most. God is saying that His voice is the mighty trumpets! The one that directs and says ‘stay’ or ‘go!’. Verse 6 says “the blast will be the signal for setting out”; His voice warns and prepares us to move. And that’s what Lent is all about… this holy period the church has gifted us with reminds us to listen attentively to the One with the voice of ten thousand trumpets in order to help our starving Spirits gain strength and begin to lead our entire being, instead of our bodies. The community and leaders alike, they were guided by the sound of the trumpets. Just like today our entire Church, from all ends of the earth, is united as One Body while our spirits feast for Lent and eagerly wait for the voice of God to enter our hearts, saying “let there be light” Gen. 1:3.

In this moment I think of the brave, heroic 21 martyrs of Libya. How they eagerly followed the voice of trumpets. That voice that led them straight to His arms, straight to the One whom they set their hearts on. I really do believe that as they stepped foot in Heaven their guardian angels together with multitudes of Cherubim and Seraphim escorted them to the King of Kings on His throne with singing, music and sounds of trumpets, as they received their crowns.

My favourite verse in this small passage is verse 9; it says “When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies”. God literally answered my prayer as clearly and bluntly as possible. When any of us think of those sins that continuously weigh us down, we can run back to this promise. When the enemy is oppressing you, when he’s tempting you beyond belief or trying to encircle you and make you fall into despair, sound a blast on the trumpets! Tap into God’s voice and proclaim His promises to you out loud! Satan is already defeated, he’s already lost. Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights for you and I and now we all have access to His victory. O my soul, run to the One whose voice has already defeated the enemy. Run to the the One whose voice is the voice of mighty trumpets.

May we all learn to be attentive this Lent. May we listen out for the trumpet sounds and be willing to be led by them. May we conquer the oppressor through the voice of the One who has already defeated death.