The Church is the
Body of Christ, and we are its members. The Apostle Paul teaches that
each member must fulfill his duty for the good of all. This means that if
we belong to the Church and follow Her statutes, we will continually
strengthen our spiritual ties in Christ. This will come about through
the Church's prayers, Mysteries, services and mutual fellowship.
Chief meaning in the Church is given to the Mysteries, and for this reason we will examine their effects.
The Mystery of Baptism – Through this Mystery of renewal,
the Church unites the infant to a new life in Christ. It would seem that
this Mystery has meaning only for the one being baptized, but if we
consider the godparents, we will perceive a greater meaning in this
sacrament. The godfather and godmother are drawn by the Church to
participate in the Christian upbringing of the child, and thereby enter
into new ties with the family of the baptized. After this, the Church
considers them to be spiritual relatives of the family of the baptized
and therefore forbids inter-marriage between them. Thus, with each new
baptism, the foundation of the Church, the family, is strengthened. Even
if not all godparents fully acknowledge their obligations, yet around
every baptismal font new spiritual ties spring up between members of the
Church.
The Mystery of Communion – From the very earliest times of
Christianity, this Mystery was looked upon as a means of maintaining
spiritual ties between members of the Church. The Savior said: "He who
eats My flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me and I in him" (Jn. 6:56).
The essence of this mystical unity is difficult to grasp, but leaves no
doubt that all the faithful, through Holy Communion, enter into
spiritual brotherhood through Jesus Christ. And when we say
"brother-in-Christ" or write in a letter "with love in Christ," then we
witness thereby to our spiritual kinship with other members of the
Church. Such a spiritual tie between us goes far beyond all other human
relationships, for it has an eternal, unsurpassable meaning. Therefore,
the greater the number of the faithful that receive Holy Communion in a
parish, and the more often they approach the Holy Chalice, the more the
bonds of Christian love between them will be strengthened thereby.
The Mystery of Marriage – By this Mystery the Church
creates a family, a new cell of the faithful. In essence, a sort of
spiritual miracle is performed in this Mystery: from two previously
separate persons, the Church fashions the new ties of relationship
between husband and wife. And in the Rite of Matrimony the priest prays
for them: "O Eternal God, Who hast brought into unity them that were
sundered, and hast ordained for them an indissoluble union of love, do
Thou Thyself bless these, Thy servants, guiding them unto every good
work."
Although this "union of love" includes the physical unity, its
chief sense is the spiritual union, after the model of Christ and His
Church. And that there should always be of necessity mutual spiritual
understanding between the groom and the bride in a Christian marriage,
we have a direct indication in the following passage in the epistles of
the Apostle Paul: "Have we not power to eat and drink? Hae we not power
to lead about a sister, wife, as well as other apostles and brethren of
the Lord and Cephas?" (I Cor. 9:5).
This shows us that true Christian marriage can take place only
between the faithful. In choosing for himself a partner for life, the
groom must, above all, find for himself a "sister-in-Christ," and the
bride a "brother-in-Christ," after which the Church unites them in the
bonds of marriage for their whole life. This is the reason why the
Church considers marriages with persons of different confessions
undesirable, and still more so, with unbelievers. Such marriages, as it
were, remain outside the general life of the Church and cannot be
stable. Only a common faith can be a true foundation for marriage; and
everything else will follow.
The Mystery of Confession – In this Mystery new spiritual
ties also appear between penitent and confessor. Here the confessor,
appointed by the Church, becomes a spiritual father and takes upon
himself care of his spiritual children. Thus, it is so important to have
as one's spiritual father not just any priest, but a regular guide, as
is done in monasteries. It is possible for laypeople to have such a
regular confessor in the form of an elder to whom one commits oneself
for his whole life. Thus, the Mystery of confession maintains the deep
spiritual relationships between the clergy and the laity. But the
spiritual father has a particularly great meaning for monastics, when
they completely renounce the world and commit themselves to a spiritual
father, who takes the place of their father and mother.
Such is the meaning of the Holy Mysteries in the creation of
spiritual ties within the Church, on the foundation of Christian love.
They sustain the faith of members of the Church and strengthen their
Christian life, both family and personal. In such conditions there
cannot be the type of loneliness and neglect among Christians which is
presently observed among people lacking any sort of spiritual bonds.
Such unbelieving people marry and beget children, but all this has a
casual and temporary character. Their marriages fall apart, their
children are neglected and perish, both physically and spiritually. Even
their family relationships are based not so much on love as on greedy
calculation, in order to receive help, protection or an inheritance, and
so as not to be left alone in their old age. And how many suicides are
there today, that arise chiefly because of unbelief and the loneliness
bound up with it?
From Orthodox Life, Vol. 28, No. 3 (May-June 1978), pages
20-31. Translated by the Reverend Andrei Alexiev, pastor of St.
Vladimir's Church, Houston, Texas, from: Orthodox Russia, 1976,
No. 13 (1/14 July), pp. 8-13. This article was originally a lecture
delivered by Fr. Sergei Shukin at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary.
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