The Anastasis Dialogue - Anastasis Mission

Housekeeping

nospam@example.com (Hieromonk Maximos) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:05:17 -0600

Sorry, we've had to shut down comments for a time due to spam attack. Yuck.

Monasticism vs. The Cult of Usefulness

nospam@example.com (Hieromonk Maximos) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:56:01 -0600

As part of our searching for a permanent solution to our location problem, we monks have been in some pretty soul-searching discussions with our nearest and dearest supporters. One of the things that keeps coming up is what exactly a monastery does and how should it relate to the wider church community. What follows is a little reflection on one aspect of this issue. Our Orthodox readers will note that this discussion reflects a very Eastern Catholic problem...but perhaps it is not entirely absent from the Orthodox experience either?

First an important caveat: Decrying the "cult of usefulness" should not be our way of excusing mismanagement. It is not an alibi for accountability. Usefulness and productivity are still important things to strive for, just not to worship. Bread is good to eat, but man does not live by it alone! Just as we repent from sin by striving to avoid the sin again, so we must repent of our other failures by new beginnings.

What is a monastery?

I'd like to begin with the definition of monasticism that you [Note: this reflection came about as part of a correspondence with a supporter] took from a Catholic dictionary:

an institutionalized religious practice or movement whose members attempt to live by a rule that requires works that go beyond those of either the laity or the ordinary spiritual leaders of their religions. Commonly celibate and universally ascetic, the monastic individual separates himself or herself from society either by living as a hermit or anchorite (religious recluse) or by joining a community (coenobium) of others who profess similar intentions. First applied to Christian groups, both Latin and Greek.

Against this I would like to contrast the statement by Pope John Paul II in Orientale Lumen, "in the Christian East monasticism is the reference point for all the baptized." Do you see the difference? One is an institutional definition. The other is a statement of vision and purpose. One of the greatest challenges to our monastery has always been that plenty of people think they know what a monastery is (the institutional definition) but very few really understand why it should be (vision and purpose). Is that because we have failed to explain it? Or is that the challenge posed by the monastic vision is such that people are resistant to it??

Let me put this another way. The late Pope said that monasticism for Eastern Christians is the standard by which their whole Christian existence is to be measured. Good. Then where are the monasteries for Eastern Catholics?

Now this is not just a slam against Eastern Catholics! The reason that monastic life is not real for them is because for several centuries they have been greatly influenced by secular notions coming to them from the West. In the West "religious life" was divided into thousands of orders and congregations, each distinguished by its particular work or charism. This division was itself immensely helped by secular notions of religion as an (at best!) useful way of delivering social services like schools, hospitals and public moral instruction in parish churches.

What was lost in this was that ancient, patristic sense that the pursuit of perfection through prayer and asceticism is not simply one vocation among many, something for an elite, but the Christian vocation pure and simple. All Christians are called to martyrdom, witnessing to all their death to self and life in Christ. All Christians are called to martyrdom, either "red" or "white", witness of blood or marytiria of asceticism.

Sorry for the history lesson. I do have a point here! And the point is that people think they know what a monastery is, but really most people have no clue. Not really. And the reason they have no clue is because many, many people--even among those who attend church services regularly--have lost sight of the reason they were called to become Christians in the first place. The real reason for the decline in monasticism is the decline in fervor for the Christian struggle. Who, in the end, really wants martrydom?

The Cult of Usefulness

Sure, monastic institutions have survived. But they do so largely by conforming in one way or other to the basic secularist mindset. Either they become very active (e.g. in Eastern Catholicism the Basilian Order) and therefore very "useful". Alternatively, they remain absolutely closed off from mainstream church life, remote and "cloistered" and therefore essentially irrelevant to that life. They form part of the "economy" of the Church mainly by their ministry of prayer, which is to say of the surviving pietistic sense that even prayer can be made "useful".

In all this, there is no way to claim with accuracy that it is monasticism that constitutes the essential reference point for all the baptized. In fact it is reversed. Church life is organized first, and monasticism, as a pietistic afterthought or interesting historical relic, is expected to find some useful place within it.

That's what we're up against. Centuries of watering down the content of the Gospel. That's what we're up against, not just in the sense that we have to change the mindset of other people, but first of all that we (I mean the monks themselves) have to change their way of thinking. It would be easier to be "useful," but first we have to repent, to fail and to recover, to die and rise again over and over, day in day out, persevering to the point of blood. It would be easier to be "useful", but first we have to be useless. First we have to be failures. In the end, if you support our monastery, you have to know you are supporting failures, sinners, incompetents. You have to know that, and you have to want that because your faith teaches you that in the end no failure, no sin, no incompetence is beyond the power of Christ's resurrection--not our failure, sin and incompetence, and not yours. That is how, in the most fundamental sense, we can be a "reference point" for the all the baptized.

That is what we're up against: the secular cult of "usefulness" with its deep roots in many Christian hearts.

Back again!

nospam@example.com (Hieromonk Maximos) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:15:41 -0600

Sorry about this long hiatus. The whole question of the move has taken more time and energy than anything else (apart from the daily monastic struggle, of course), and something had to give. Well, the location question isn't yet resolved but I think it's time to start up again anyway. I doubt we'll be managing daily posts, but weekly should be possible.

At the risk of tooting my own horn, I wonder whether you might be interested in listening to a series of radio broadcasts I did on "Recovering a Sacramental World-view" as part of Father Thomas Loya's weekly show, Light of the East. You can hear the shows at this link, or else you can receive the poscasts through i-Tunes. The relelvant shows are nos. 200, 201, 202 and 203.

We also try to provide Fr. Tom with weekly reflections, although I regret to say these have also suffered something of this blog's fate of late. God-willing we will be more regular in this aspect of our ministry as well moving into 2009!

Getting ready for the Orientale Lumen Conferences!

nospam@example.com (Hieromonk Maximos) — Mon, 05 May 2008 07:55:52 -0500

Date: January 23, 2008; Contact: Jack Figel (703) 691-8862, Chairman Orientale Lumen Conferences: For Immediate Release

Orientale Lumen XII Conference Locations and Theme Announced

Fairfax VA: The Orientale Lumen Conferences will be held in three different cities in the USA this coming year in Washington, DC, San Diego, CA and Detroit, MI. These ecumenical conferences focus on topics of the Christian East and are open to the public, for both lay persons and clergy. The well known presenters come from four main religious groups: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and Oriental Orthodox. These conferences encourage ecumenical dialogue on a specific theme through presentations and discussions. The conferences include a variety of prayer services, music and liturgy from a wide range of Church traditions. In this way, the conferences provide a learning experience and intellectual discussion, as well as a unique spiritual experience.

The theme for all three locations in 2008 will be â€œFeast Days of the Eastern Churches.â€ These special days during the calendar year were established by the Church to commemorate the events of the life of Jesus Christ, Mary the Mother of God, and other saints. On these special days, appropriate prayers, hymns and readings celebrate the occasion. They are times of reflection and joy for the entire Church and its followers.

There are twelve major feast days in the Eastern Churchâ€™s calendar year. In these conferences, the Church Feast Days will be explored in their theology, spirituality, liturgy and iconography. The distinguished speakers and guests will be coming from around the world and will represent several different Eastern Churches:

OL East Conference

Orientale Lumen XII East will be held in Washington, DC, June 16 â€“ 19, 2008, at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in northeast Washington, DC next to the campus of The Catholic University of America. The speakers will be:

â€¢ Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia, Greek Orthodox Church, Oxford, England (by pre-recorded video)

â€¢ Archimandrite Robert Taft, SJ, Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome, Italy

â€¢ Sr. Vassa Larin, Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, Munich, Germany

â€¢ Dr. Richard Schneider, Orthodox Church of America, Toronto, Canada

â€¢ Father Daniel Findikyan, Armenian Apostolic Church, New York, NY, USA

â€¢ Bishop John Michael Botean (Moderator), Romanian Greek Catholic Church, Canton, OH, USA

OL West Conference

Orientale Lumen XII West will be held in San Diego, CA June 23 â€“ 26, 2008, at the beautiful University of San Diego Campus overlooking Mission Bay. The speakers will be:

â€¢ Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia, Greek Orthodox Church, Oxford, England (by pre-recorded video)

â€¢ Archimandrite Robert Taft, SJ, Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome, Italy

â€¢ Sr. Vassa Larin, Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, Munich, Germany

â€¢ Dr. Richard Schneider, Orthodox Church of America, Toronto, Canada

â€¢ Father Maximos, Holy Resurrection Monastery Newberry Springs, CA, USA

â€¢ Bishop Nicholas Samra (Moderator), Melkite Greek-Catholic Church, Detroit, MI

OL North Conference

Orientale Lumen XII North will be held in Detroit, MI, July 7 â€“ 10, 2008, at the Retreat Center at St. John's, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Detroit. It provides a setting where people of faith can be inspired and refreshed. The speakers will be:

â€¢ Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia, Greek Orthodox Church, Oxford, England (by pre-recorded video)

â€¢ Archimandrite Robert Taft, SJ, Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome, Italy

â€¢ Sr. Vassa Larin, Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, Munich, Germany

â€¢ Dr. Richard Schneider, Orthodox Church of America, Toronto, Canada

â€¢ Father Thomas Loya, Byzantine Catholic Church, Chicago, IL, USA

â€¢ Bishop Nicholas Samra (Moderator), Melkite Greek-Catholic Church, Detroit, MI, USA

About the Conferences

Each speaker will give a plenary session followed by a panel discussion and questions from the audience. All of the papers presented will be published and provided to the attendees in a Proceedings book after the conference. A variety of liturgical services will be conducted during the conference to provide an opportunity for attendees to pray together for Church unity, including a visit to a local parish. Opening and closing remarks will also be made by various Church leaders in attendance. Church leaders, lay persons, monastics, clergy and students are all welcome and invited to participate. These conferences have been appreciated and discussed all across the world, and have been mentioned in meetings among the religious leaders in the Vatican, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Greek Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch, and many others.

The Pope's visit to Istanbul in November, 2006, as well as the official dialogue of Catholic and Orthodox Churches that was held in September, 2007, demonstrate the improved relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The Orientale Lumen conferences function in an unofficial capacity parallel to those official discussions. They are unique because of the extensive participation of lay persons, and because of the involvement of Eastern Catholics -- a small minority within the Catholic Church, and who are rarely represented at other dialogue meetings.

The Orientale Lumen Conferences have been meeting annually since 1997 in Washington, DC and other locations around the world. Primarily sponsored by the Society of Saint John Chrysostom and Eastern Christian Publications, other co-sponsors have included the Halki School of Orthodox Theology in Constantinople, the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and the University of San Diego, in San Diego, CA. Registration details are available on the website: www.olconference.com. Video recordings of plenary sessions and prayer services of past OL conferences can be seen at www.oltvweb.comand purchased in CD or DVD format.

Contact:

Jack Figel, Orientale Lumen Conferences PO Box 192 Fairfax, VA 22038-0192 (703) 691-8862 info@olconference.com

For further information:

Society of Saint John Chrysostom: www.ssjc.org

Eastern Christian Publications: www.ecpubs.com

The Catholic University of America (Washington, DC): www.cua.edu

The University of San Diego (San Diego): www.sandiego.edu

The Retreat at St. Johnâ€™s (Detroit): http://www.theretreatcenter.org/

Blessed Nativity

nospam@example.com (Hieromonk Maximos) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:03:01 -0600

I've decided to lay aside the blog for the Feasts of Nativity, Circumcision and Theophany. Good to let it lie fallow for a while. I will pick up the threads again around January 8th or so!

But, in addition to wishing all our readers many blessings on these feasts, I did want to acknowledge the passing of a great friend of our Monastery, His Eminence Archbishop Vsevolod of Scopelos. His Eminence passed over into eternal life yesterday, December 16th, from complications due to cancer. We pray that the immense longing that he displayed for the unity of the Churches during his earthly life will bear even greater fruit through his translation to a place of light, a place of green pasture, from where all pain, sorrow and sighing have fled away.

May his memory be eternal.

News snippets

nospam@example.com (Hieromonk Maximos) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 08:16:51 -0600

First, sorry for the server glitch last night. All better now.

Second, America magazine has agreed to publish a short article I wrote on the importance of spiritual ecumenism. I hope to get plenty of feedback when it appears!

Radio

nospam@example.com (Hieromonk Maximos) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 10:03:44 -0500

Some of you may have heard the brief reflections that Father Abbot and I are recording for Father Thomas Loya's radio program Light of the East. I was delighted to hear last week from Father Tom that he would like the monastery to provide more content for this program, with a view to developing a whole radio series.

(There are distant plans for even more ambitious things...can you imagine Father Moses doing a cooking program? How to keep a fasting kitchen??)

Anyway, just keep all this in prayer. Father Tom's radio program plays on all Relevant Radio stations, which is apparently the largest spread of Catholic radio stations in the country. Available as podcasts etc.

Of course, this all costs money. It looks like we're going to need to invest in some equipment to the tune of about $800. So, in addition to prayers that we say the right things, would it be too much to ask for donations as well?

Back in the Saddle

nospam@example.com (Hieromonk Maximos) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:44:46 -0500

Sorry to have dropped out for so long...since the last post I finally managed to complete my Masters thesis, went to a clergy conference in Ohio, missed my return flight, spent nearly another week in Canton gorging myself on the culinary wizardry of our Bishop's mom, arrived just in time for the annual pilgrimage for which everyone else had worked so hard, chanted about 400 hours of services over the weekend and then claimed the right to a week away from computers....

We've actually got quite alot to talk about in the world of ecumenism, both "spiritual" and "regular." I promise to get to that over the next few days!

Change of mind

nospam@example.com (Hieromonk Maximos) — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 17:24:39 -0500

I've changed my mind. Dr Miravalle's argument isn't so compelling on second thoughts. I still like the idea that truth is fertile. But that doesn't mean it has to bear fruit in new dogmas. Authentic and organic theological speculation would be perfectly adequate, especially in the context of liturgical poetry (Exhibit A: Akathist Hymn!). Oh, and how about lives transformed through the living Truth? That would be plenty fruitful, and considerably more so than dogmatic definitions. Faith is perfected in saints, not dogmas.

Dr. Carlton's argument is better. But it does still need to be nuanced. Once again, the liturgical poetry of our tradition celebrates the resurrection of reason from the death of heresy. The tragedy turns out to be of the paschal kind.

I realize my change of mind is not exactly newsworthy. But it might at least make someone's day. (Greetings to Abouna Justin!)

Dogma

nospam@example.com (Hieromonk Maximos) — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:31:31 -0500

Is dogma a tragedy?

Dr. Clark Carlton argued this in a recent Ancient Faith Radio broadcast. It is a compelling thesis. Dogmas, definitions of faith by ecclesial authority, arise out of a breakdown in the transmission and lived experience of the Gospel. They are evidence of the collapse of faith under the weight of sin and heresy. For the saints the truth of Christ should be self-evident; it should not require the coercive and constricting support that human reason provides. The cost of dogmatic theology is that the single and infinitely profound Truth is reduced to a system of smaller truths. Truth ceases to be the Beloved and becomes instead a mere object within a system of thought.

Is dogma the perfection of faith?

Dr. Mark Miravalle argued this in a recent Catholic Answers radio broadcast. It is a compelling thesis. Dogmas are not merely the Church's auto-immune response to the presence of heresy. They are themselves proof of the ultimate compatibility of human reason with the divine Logos. Truth is fertile. It is both inevitable and desirable that deep reflection on the truths of revelation should lead reason to bear fruit in dogmas. A dogmatic definition should not be seen as a limitation on faith but as its perfection. Thus the dogmatic definition of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary makes perfect sense even though it was not prompted by any real heresy. It has its own inner logic corresponding to the dynamism of the Logos.

What are we to do with two such compelling, and contradictory, points of view? Be assured these are more than mere intellectual disagreements. They represent profoundly distinct worlds of thought and faith experience. One of the most eloquent expositors of this problem in the 20th century was Vladimir Lossky. The first view corresponds to the apophatic theology Lossky insisted characterized Orthodoxy while the second represents the intellecualist kataphaticism of Catholicism. For Lossky, and for many Orthodox writers before and since, the theological mysticism of the East is fundamentally opposed to systematic theology of the West.

None of this is new. I just liked the way these two divines, entirely coincidentally, summed up the problem for me this past week.

It would be absurd for me to say I can solve this problem! I would say, however, that it goes to the heart of this spiritual ecumenismÂ the Anastasis DialogueÂ is all about. The apophatic and kataphatic tendencies manifest themselves in praxis as well as theology. The Jesus Prayer is supposed to enable one to pray without mental images and concepts. Roman Catholic prayer is far more concerned with meditation on images: Rosary, Stations of the Cross, Ignatian Exercises etc. The issue rears up in moral questions, the relationship of church and state, sacramental practice and so on. It's a tectonic rift.

But here's where I would suggest caution. It's far too simplistic to suggest that this rift runs down the divide between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, or even, more generally those mythic places, "east" and "west." No. The tension between the apophatic and the kataphatic runs right through both traditions. Both traditions expect us to approach God with all our intellectual, moral, emotional and spiritual resources. And both traditions expect that approach to end not in capturing God as an object, but by our becoming lost in his mystery.

Two examples are all I can suggest by way of justifying this argument.

One. Orthodox liturgical prayer is among the most sublime example of kataphatic prayer imaginable. Far from asking us to check our concepts at the door, Byzantine (and Armenian, Syrian, Assyrian, Coptic!!) theological poetry teems with them. It's the whole point of iconography.

Two. On the other hand, the Western tradition has its share of apophatic mystics. St. Therese of Lisieux said she wanted to suffer every torment of hell just to do the will of Jesus. This statement revolts the intellect by the measure of its absolute subjectivism, in its refusal to treat Christ as anything but the Beloved. Turning the cloying affectivity of the West back on itself by using its own ideas against it, St. Therese, like so many occidental mystics, undermines the kataphatic tradition from within.

Perhaps in the end we must stop seeing the problem as a problem, but as representing two phases in a single process. Breathing requires both inhalation and exhalation. Making love requires both a kind of attack and a form of surrender.

Is dogma a tragedy? Is dogma faith perfected? It sounds trite, but maybe the only possible answerÂ is yes and no.

But why can't you just pray like me?

nospam@example.com (Hieromonk Maximos) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 09:02:17 -0500

I took this title from an interesting note by Father Gregory Jensen on his excellent blog. Among other things he spoke of the:

all too common, and simplistically, habit among some Orthodox Christians to make Western forms of Christianity, and Western Christians, the source of all ills in the Christian world. When, for example, we talk about the "western captivity" of Orthodox theology, we make it sound as if the Jesuits came along and kidnapped us! That's not what happened--and in fact, Orthodox Christians were attracted to Western theological forms and spiritual practices because of a perceived lack in the life of the Orthodox Church.

One thing that spiritual ecumenism needs is a deep knowledge of history. Not just historical slogans, but the real thing. Too often vast untruths pass into ecclesial cultures as standard assumptions.

Like, for instance, that there is something like a divided "west" standing over against an undivided "east". ThisÂ ignores both the contemporary situation (Copts, Assyrians, Armenians etc as well as Byzantine Orthodox!) and historical realities (the Christian east of the first millenium was perhaps even more divided theologically than the west of the second).

Like, for instance, that foundation stones of much of modern western piety, such as the Augustinian distinctions betweenÂ nature and grace and sin and merit,Â was standard patristic thinking.

In the past year I have found myself listening to two groups of radio programs in particular. One is Catholic Answers. The other isÂ Ancient Faith Radio. Both are in their own way excellent presentations of particular theological and spiritual points of view. And boy are they different. Yet somehow I seem to be able to convince myself that they are both representative of the same Gospel. How? Well either I have some kind of ecclesiastical Babel Fish in my ear doing simultaneous translation, or else I'm just schizoid. Or maybe it's just that I respect both traditions and understand something of their history.

Imagine what we could do if there more of us just crazy enough to respect the other side?

Dormition

nospam@example.com (Hieromonk Maximos) — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 06:47:25 -0500

Father Abbot Nicholas made an excellent point in his homily for the feast of the Dormition yesterday. The icon for the feast is the perfect image of what spiritual ecumenism is all about. All the Church is gathered around the death-defeating body of the Mother of God. The apostles are brought from all the ends of the world, says the tradition, to join in a great hymn of praise. You can hear the whole sermon here: DormitionSermon.mp3

More on Spiritual Ecumenism

nospam@example.com (Hieromonk Maximos) — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 20:17:51 -0500

I remember a story once (I'm not sure where I heard it) of an old Athonite monk who was asked about reunion with the Catholics. He looked up to an icon of the Theotokos nearby and said, "only She can do it."

In my mind this goes with another storyÂ I once heard a Russian CatholicÂ priest tell. Father'sÂ family background is Irish Catholic, andÂ he told us of trying to explain to his "little Irish mother" all about the Russian Church and its customs, history, problems and why he found it so exciting. Finally, his mom looked at him and said, "Yes, but do they love our Lady?"

"Oh, yes mum! Perhaps more than we do!"

"Well," she said, "that's all right then."

Continue reading "More on Spiritual Ecumenism"

"Spiritual Ecumenism"

nospam@example.com (Hieromonk Maximos) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:07:06 -0500

So what exactly is "spiritual ecumenism"? We took the phrase from Cardinal Walter Kasper, currently head of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity. Just this year he published a Handbook of Spiritual Ecumenism and noted especiallyÂ that the current phase of Christian dialogue--especially between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches--requires the prayerful, patient and humble work of monks and nuns.

From left: Mr. Jack Figel, Msgr. George Dobes, Cardinal Kasper, Ukrainian Orthodox Archbishop Vsevolod, Bishop John Michael and Fr. Abbot Nicholas. This meeting was held in the Rome offices of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity in 2005. Abbot Nicholas told the Cardinal of our proposed ecumenical ministry and His Eminence was good enough to express his support!

We monastics pray. We receive guests. We give retreats and spiritual direction. We work in the world in order to support ourselves. We are constantly witnessing by our lives, our dress and our attitudes to the Gospel and its call for unity in love. All of this is, in Cardinal Kasper's phrase "spiritual ecumenism". This blog is meant to be a particular contribution by our own monastic communities to this great work.

The mission of the Anastasis Dialogue

nospam@example.com (Father Abbot Nicholas) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:02:57 -0500

Welcome to the latest ecumenical endeavour of Holy Resurrection Monastery. We have always been convinced that Eastern Catholic monastics have a special responsibility to work for the re-union of the Churches, especially those Churches with which they share their tradition of prayer, theological reflection and ascetic practices. Not only is this idea one we hold firmly, it is actually a demand made of us by our own Church, and made with special forcefulness by the late Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter, Orientale Lumen.

There are a number of monastic ventures around dedicated to building bridges between ecclesiasial communities and faiths. The Benedictine and Cistercian families in particular have institutionalized this work in such important organizations as the Dialogue Interreligieux Monastique and in the special vocation of the monastery of Chevetogne in Belgium. The monastic family of Holy Resurrection Monastery (including the sisterhood of Holy Theophany Monastery in Olympia, Washington) with the blessing of our hierarch, His Grace Bishop John Michael (Botean), and the encouragement of a number of other prelates both Catholic and Orthodox, is now beginning to embark on our own, more humble, version of these ministries.

Hence, The Anastasis Dialogue, a way to bring together Catholics and Orthodox, especially in the English-speaking world, to explore their common monastic heritage with a view to finding common ecumenical ground.

Continue reading "The mission of the Anastasis Dialogue"