Mission Monthly – November 2003
“I will come into Thy house in the multitude of Thy mercy; and in Thy fear I will worship toward Thy holy temple. Lead me, O Lord, in Thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make Thy way straight before me, that with a clear mind I may glorify Thee forever, One Divine Power worshipped in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.”
The Prayer on Entering a Church
As we move closer in time to the reality of our own church facility I believe this is a good time to reflect a moment on an important point of piety that requires our attention now and especially when we are in our new building. At Edgewood College there was separation between our worship space and fellowship space. At Eagle School, as it will be in our new facility, these two spaces are essentially the same. This inevitably begs the question: “When will our h’s new building be a ‘church’ and when will it be a ‘fellowship hall’?” For the past four years we have been blessed with the opportunity to experience this good “tension”.
The Orthodox Church views the sanctification of space no differently than it does the sanctification of life or the sanctification of time. Sanctity in this context is equated to holiness, meaning to be “set apart.” Our lives are set apart in that we have been “called out” of the world to be examples to the world of God’s love and fulfilled promise. Our time has been set apart in that we are called to be stewards and priests of God’s creation for the purpose of offering our lives, “all our lives”, to the glory of God. The spaces where we live are sanctified by the blessing of homes that occur when we move into a new home and the walls are “sealed” with the oil of blessing; or each year at Theophany when we bless and rededicate this “space” to the glory of God as a “little church” and a place of heavenly refuge from the spiritual conflicts of worldly cares. It is no different, and even more powerfully so because of the heavenly worship that resides therein, that our church buildings are set apart, sanctified as the dwelling place of God.
St. Ignatius Mission was founded mainly by cradle Orthodox who have an ingrained sense of this piety, although I myself was raised in an Orthodox tradition of piety that was not as intense as other Orthodox traditions. Yet while my Byzantine background may have seemed a little more “casual” than those of a Slavic background, there is no question that my Orthodoxy instilled in me an awareness of the sacred nature of the “consecrated” space of the church building itself. I remember vividly the former Archbishop Iakovos coming to Assumption Greek Orthodox Church and the service where he ritually dedicated—consecrated—the church. I remember the washing of the altar table and the placing of the relic within it. I remember the overpowering smell of overheated beeswax that was used to seal the relic in the altar. I remember the placing of the white cloth over the altar table, like the baptismal garment of the newly illumined, and its further “vesting” with beautiful golden brocade cloth. I remember holding a candle in the joyous procession around the inside of the church as the walls were anointed with holy chrism, “sealed” with the gift of the Holy Spirit. I remember!
I believe each of us at St. Ignatius Mission has sought and continues to seek a sense and expression of piety; while at the same time doing so without sacrificing basic Christian joy which can be lost when people become legalistic about such matters. I am very thankful for this and offer these thoughts not out of urgency; rather I offer them simply to remind and challenge us, especially with the possibilities of growth that will face us once we enter our new building. The discussion of “church etiquette” is one that needs to be revisited from time to time, especially in a world where virtually all aspects of our lives are influenced more and more by “casual” attitudes. Topics such as when and when not to enter or exit the nave of the church, when to stand or sit in church, talking or visiting in church, the modesty of dress, etc., require vigilant effort on our part in order to resist any temptations to a casual or even careless attitude. The very fact that we have a prayer to pray when we enter the church building should be a strong indicator of our pious responsibilities. In that we have been using and are planning to build a “multi-purpose” facility requires us to be extra aware of our responsibility to remember the sacredness of our worship space which will also be used as a place of fellowship and education. From the ordained priest to each member of the royal priesthood this is a priority of piety which I hope will continue to guide our community.