We Are Joining Christ Outside the Camp
There is a growing number of voices sharing faithful reactions to our plight in these days of the CoronaVirus. Fr. John Parsells shared this beautiful image of joining Christ's sufferings "outside the camp", as St. Paul relates in the epistle to the Hebrews: "Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore" (13:13).
Fr. John connects this idea of joining in Christ's separation, intentionally sharing in his sufferings, with our current separation from the Holy Mysteries. Yes, it is a suffering, but we reap no spiritual benefit from it if we rebel against it. Last week, our hierarchs delivered us a hard word: we will not be able to celebrate Great and Holy Pascha at church. In this situation, we remain in isolation, out of obedience to our hierarchs and in love to our brothers and sisters, as Fr. John states:
"By instructing us through our hierarchs to temporarily and selflessly stay outside the church for the benefit of others, so that not one may perish, He gives us a unique opportunity, an otherwise impossible chance, to sacrifice our normal church life, and the best of it in Great Lent and Pascha. We are challenged to once again go 'outside the camp', to experience even for a short time 'isolation' from God Himself, and to do so in obedience, even unto death, the death of our own will.
St. John of the Ladder tells us that 'Obedience is the tomb of the will and the resurrection of humility.'"
Reading Fr. John Parsells article would be incredibly beneficial to all of us. And it is a perfect follow up to Bishop Alexis's reflection on our response to quarantine.
Fr. John connects this idea of joining in Christ's separation, intentionally sharing in his sufferings, with our current separation from the Holy Mysteries. Yes, it is a suffering, but we reap no spiritual benefit from it if we rebel against it. Last week, our hierarchs delivered us a hard word: we will not be able to celebrate Great and Holy Pascha at church. In this situation, we remain in isolation, out of obedience to our hierarchs and in love to our brothers and sisters, as Fr. John states:
"By instructing us through our hierarchs to temporarily and selflessly stay outside the church for the benefit of others, so that not one may perish, He gives us a unique opportunity, an otherwise impossible chance, to sacrifice our normal church life, and the best of it in Great Lent and Pascha. We are challenged to once again go 'outside the camp', to experience even for a short time 'isolation' from God Himself, and to do so in obedience, even unto death, the death of our own will.
St. John of the Ladder tells us that 'Obedience is the tomb of the will and the resurrection of humility.'"
Reading Fr. John Parsells article would be incredibly beneficial to all of us. And it is a perfect follow up to Bishop Alexis's reflection on our response to quarantine.
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