I ran into an absent parishioner at Starbucks. After the pleasantries I asked, “Where have you been?” The response was quick and cavalier “What’s the purpose of Church? I don’t need to go to Church, I pray at home and I love Jesus with all my heart. Anyway, I can watch the liturgy on the internet. I’m ok, Father, I’m good with God.” As this parishioner departed I began to wonder, “What is the purpose of the Church?”
Our parish (St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Camarillo, CA) has a mission statement, and I have read other well written mission statements at parishes I visit, but what does the Archdiocese tell us is the purpose of the Church? I decided to research the Uniform Parish Regulations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
In Article 15, Section 2 it states, “The aims and purposes of the Parish are to keep, practice and proclaim the Orthodox Christian Faith pure and undefiled.” Later in Section 3 it declares, “The Parish shall express the life of the Church in the local community according to the Orthodox Christian Faith and Tradition, sanctifying the faithful through the Divine Liturgy and the Holy Sacraments.” AHA!! I couldn’t wait to call the parishioner I reconnected with at Starbucks to vindicate myself and explain that, indeed, one must attend Church! As I picked up the phone to call, eagerly awaiting to justify myself, I thought, frankly, “As the representative of the Church, maybe I’m not properly sanctifying the faithful.” I put down the phone, I have some work to do.
Parish life has its mission, as mentioned above, “to keep, practice and proclaim the Orthodox Christian Faith pure and undefiled.” Worship communicates this point best. Sunday morning provides for us faithful to witness and participate in the Divine Liturgy and be united through Christ. In Wounded by Love (page 88), Elder Prophyrios explains, “Everything is in Christ and with Christ. This is the mystery of the Church. Christ is revealed in that unity between His love and ourselves: The Church. On my own I am not the Church, but together with you, all together we are the Church. There is nothing more magnificent- to unite ourselves with our fellow men, with the joys and sorrows of each and every one, to feel that they are our own, to pray for everyone, to have care for their salvation, to forget about ourselves, to do everything for them just as Christ did for us.”
Participating in the life of the Church, the Eucharist, the weekly gathering, the Divine Liturgy, then, is not just a personal matter. It becomes our obligation to one another. The Priest cannot celebrate liturgy alone, one other must be in attendance. Consider this as we reflect upon the greatest of Christian symbols, The Cross.
Undeniably, the two beams that create The Cross each represent the two relationships of man. The vertical beam of The Cross can symbolizes our personal relationship with God. This relationship is enhanced by private prayer, reading Holy Scripture daily, and, essentially, as my Starbucks friend explained, being “good with God.” This beam is truly important because it creates the awesome connection to God. One must be focused, centered and committed to enhance the strength of this beam. The stability of The Cross depends on the security of this beam. The vertical beam provides the basis for the great commandment of Christ, “To love God with all our mind, our heart, and our soul.”
The symbol only becomes a Cross when the horizontal intersects the vertical beam. The horizontal beam represents the relationships we have with one another, principally, The Church. One can attempt to live their life outside of the community of the Church, just “pray at home” and “watch the liturgy on the internet,” but this is not an ideal representation of the relationship Christ calls us to have with one another. The connection and embrace we share with each other is accomplished through the horizontal beam. Participation in the Church, partaking of the Sacraments, active involvement completes the symbol of the Cross in our lives. The horizontal bar demonstrates our commitment to fulfilling the great commandment of Christ, “To love our neighbor as ourselves.”
Ultimately, our life as Orthodox Christians is fully realized when we find ourselves “committing ourselves to one another and our whole life to Christ our God.” This commitment is expressed through our participation in the life of the Church. Our Lord does not need us to be in Church, we need to be in Church to realize the fullness of our Faith. Going to Church is considered by some as an obligation. “It makes Grandma and Grandpa happy- so we go.” It shouldn’t be this, it is more than Christian duty, and instead it is an opportunity to renew ourselves. Church should be a place to plug in, to refresh, and to further connect with our Lord and one another.
It is time for us to leave the excuses behind and allow ourselves to realize the importance our Church attendance. We all depend on one another; we further the foundation of the vertical beam by being in Church and we enhance the beauty of our crossbar by taking on our commitment to one another. The perfect symbol for our Christian Faith is the Cross- allow your Cross to be strengthened. Go to Church.
