This article is from PRAXIS volume 13, number 1: “Science and religion”.
It’s about that time… time for New Year’s resolutions: new beginnings, new goals, and new inspiration. I’m not talking about watching the ball drop in Times Square or counting down to midnight with your friends and family. I am talking about the ecclesiastical New Year which we have just celebrated on September 1st. Even if the official date has passed, it is never too late to nourish the theme of renewal and transformation in our hearts. It is often easier to talk about the things we want to change than to act on them. Fortunately, renewal and transformation occur organically for us throughout this beautiful fall season. There is no better time than now and no better way to try to change our spiritual life than to lean on a friend, a group, or a parish community.
Why does the church celebrate the New Year in September? In Roman times, the calendar year began on September 1, and after the First Ecumenical Council, Christians also began observing September 1 as New Year’s Day. Throughout history, the end of each year has occurred with the harvest and harvest of crops. After a year of soil preparation, sowing and diligent tending, the fruit finally ripens. The crops are then harvested to prepare for the long winter ahead, during which the cycle begins again with “the sowing of seeds into the earth for the production of future crops” (Sept. 1 reading from Holy Transfiguration Monastery). The Church celebrates this day by asking God for “good weather, seasonal rains and an abundance of the fruits of the earth”.
Throughout the centuries, men and women have viewed the harvest season as a time to come together to celebrate hard work finally over. It was common to have large parties and light bonfires to celebrate that the community would have enough food to survive another winter together.
In many ways, the harvest season can be compared to our spiritual life. Father Evan Armatas declares:
Over the past year, we too have cast our spiritual seeds into the soil of our souls…as the year draws to a close, we may find that our spiritual harvest is either bountiful or meager. Whatever the outcome, the new ecclesiastical year offers us the opportunity to start again. (“The Ecclesiastical New Year”, August 30, 2011, www.stspyridons. org/ecclesiastic-new-year/)
The beauty of a new year is a clean slate and a fresh start. However, finding inspiration to change isn’t always easy. As we watch the leaves change color, breathe the crisp, clean air deep into our lungs, and as the earth closes in on summer to prepare for winter, feel the change in the air. Consider the natural world as a muse to change our hearts, and look to the people of the past as an example of how we should cling to the support of our Orthodox Christian community in the year ahead.
For most of us, January 1 is a source of inspiration to take better care of our bodies in the new year. We are often inspired to set new goals when it comes to overall health and fitness. Likewise, September 1 should serve as an inspiration and reminder to better care for our souls. Now is the time to shake yourself up! Look in the mirror and decide if you are happy with the Christian you see when you look back. Do you see someone actively seeking God in all aspects of life? Or do you see someone just going through the motions? Do you see anyone who prays morning and evening prayers and reads the Bible? Or do you see someone who is too rushed in the morning and too tired in the evening, while the Bible gathers dust on the nightstand? Saint John Climacus calls this state of mind “boredom”: “Boredom is a paralysis of the soul, a relaxation of the spirit, a neglect of religious exercises… It is an approval of the things of the world… It is laziness in the singing of the psalms, weakness in prayer” (The ladder of divine ascension, “Step 13: Overcoming Discouragement,” translated by Norman Russell and Colm Luibheid, Paulist Press, 1982). In other words, it means that our spiritual lives are seriously distorted.
Many of us struggle to lead an active spiritual life. It’s not uncommon to come home and relax on the couch watching TV instead of reading about the saint of the day. It’s easy to spend hours on social media and the internet, but for some reason it’s difficult to dedicate five to ten minutes in prayer twice a day. Father Thomas Hopko states in a talk on Ancient Faith Radio, “The Work of God’s People” (December 9, 2011), that the work of Christians – participating in the liturgy, saying our daily prayers, etc. – is hard work! This statement, although simple, should be encouraging to all Orthodox Christians who are struggling to keep up with their daily spiritual lives. The world we live in sets impossible standards for wealth, fame, fortune, and glory, and it’s easy to get carried away, forgetting why we’re actually on this earth. But this fact should not be discouraging. This should be inspiring. What a mission! We are called to a different purpose, to be in the world but not of it. When we feel isolated in our struggles, we must remember that most of our fellow Orthodox Christians are experiencing similar trials. We are not alone! We cannot forget to use the greatest tool God has given us: our Orthodox Christian community.
Father Hopko states in a lecture he gave at Wheaton College (IL) in 2012: “We are the Body of Christ…and we must be the living bread for others and give our lives as Christ has. do. Otherwise, we participate in conviction And judgement.” Mentoring, sponsoring, leaning on each other, or whatever you want to call it… it’s not something we should do, it’s something we have to do. We are meant to lean on our brothers and sisters in our journey toward salvation. As St. Paul tells us in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.” » Of course, we need the guidance of our parish priest, but it is also important to find a peer or peers who can hold us accountable to the goals we have set for ourselves on our path to sanctification. If you persevere, overcome boredom, and truly change your habits and routine, you will reap a bountiful spiritual harvest!
Like anything, your spiritual life will have its ups and downs, and some days you will feel more motivated than others. However, during this harvest season, as we reflect on the freshness of the new year and the changing environment, let us use our community to help us channel the change we wish to see in our spiritual lives. As Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the face of his friend.” » Let us strive together towards this renewal, and together we can rejoice in the beautiful harvest.
Maria McMullen is the media coordinator for the Center for Family Care of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
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