A Lenten Commentary on Humor, Laughter, and Frivolity
By
Archbishop Chrysostomos of Etna
It seems
to me that now, as we begin the journey through the Great Fast towards Holy
Pascha, may be an appropriate time to comment on something about which many of
you have asked me: the delicate question of the positive nature of humor and
laughter and their negative transformation into frivolity.
Let me
begin by saying that I am very fond of humor and believe that wholesome
laughter is spiritually, psychologically, and even physically healthy. I am,
indeed, personally uncomfortable around individuals who lack a sense of humor
and who do not laugh. One might respond, with regard to my statement, that many
ascetics and holy people have argued that humor and laughter detract one from
spiritual sobriety and opine that Christ, the Archetype of the perfected man,
never laughed, there being no evidence in Scripture of His having had a sense
of humor.
Secondly,
with regard to the witness of ascetics, they constitute a class of remarkable
and special individuals, called by Christ and gifted with special Grace, who
serve to set the standard of Christian praxis and who, by virtue of the Grace
dwelling in them, take solace in Divine comforts and rise above the
weaknesses—even the more innocent weaknesses—that mark the majority of us
Christians. As well, they see Christ in a higher and more exalted way than we,
and are drawn into His Presence, as it were, in a manner that transcends our
trifling encounters with Christ. If they opine that Christ never smiled or
laughed, or that He did not have a sense of humor, this rises out of the purity
of their vision. And while I would not dispute the words of such holy personages,
their individual views do not have definitive or dogmatic authority, with
regard to Christ as He dwelled on earth; nor, in respecting their words, are we
obliged to condemn laughter and humor on this account.
Here
then, St. John the Golden-Mouthed brings us to a crucial distinction between
laughter and humor that, as we have observed, can comfort us and others and
frivolity—characterized by immoderation out of season—which he tells us to
control (“kratoumen autes”). As healthy as humor and laughter in moderation are
for us spiritually (when we use them to comfort the distressed), psychologically
(as they give respite and comfort to our souls), and physically (since health
in the soul promotes health in the body), frivolity, witless laughter,
cackling, and the indulgence of humor at the cost of spiritual sobriety are not
salutary things. When we look upon the Saints and holy men and women of our day
who had a good sense of humor and enjoyed refined comedy, the one thing that
characterizes them, above all else, is their corresponding lack of frivolity
and silliness. In keeping with St. Paul’s description of the proper Christian,
they are “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (II Corinthians 6:10).
If all
that the Divine Chrysostomos tells us about people, in his times, who exceeded
the boundaries of healthful humor and laughter seems hyperbolic, I would ask
you to attend to the nature of private and public discourse in our day. I
constantly hear telephone conversations in which every comment, whether
humorous or not, is either introduced or brought to a close with meaningless
laughter and cackling. Face-to-face conversations are likewise peppered with
completely inappropriate laughter. And even in instances where humor might
properly provoke laughter, the latter is so drawn-out and witless, with long
guffaws and cackles, that it obviates further intelligent discourse. Without
our noticing it, frivolity has become so much a part of our modem society that
people do not respond to serious matters or serious discussions in a mature
way. They have become like children on the playground who speak and act in
childish ways.
I
listened, recently, to an interview (recorded from the Public Broadcasting
System) by the “chat host” Charlie Rose with Jeff Bezos, CEO and founder of the
immensely successful company, Amazon.com. This individual is an exceedingly
gifted and bright individual, as well as a potential source of sound and
productive advice in a world facing one of the worst economic meltdowns in
history. I was dismayed that, in the style of the contemporary interlocution
that I have described, throughout this interview, even when discussing
important and interesting economic or scientific issues, Mr. Bezos would break
into almost uncontrolled laughter, to which his interviewer would respond with
equally inordinate laughter. Thus, otherwise cogent observations took on the character
of flummery and babble.
What St.
John Chrysostomos said to Christians in his own day applies, then, to our era,
when we are surrounded by the superficies of a society that cannot respond to
the greater issues or ills of human life with instructive or palliative humor.
We have placed humor, laughter, and comedy outside the realm of moderation and
circumspection, depriving ourselves of a wonderful part of human discourse by
abusing it. It behooves us, therefore, almost sixteen centuries after he
chastised our Christian forebears, to apply St. John’s chastisements to
ourselves and to take care that we do not squander the riches of our Faith on
foolishness in the name of humor, allowing giddy, imbecilic behavior to
discredit and despoil our witness to our fellow man and to the world. Following
the admonition of Scripture, too, let us be “sober, grave, temperate, sound in
faith, in charity, in patience” (St. Titus 2:2), as we appropriately “rejoice
with joy unspeakable” (I St. Peter 1:8).
Liturgical Theology of the Holy Week
These
three days, which the Church calls Great and Holy have within the liturgical
development of Holy Week a very definite purpose. They place all its
celebrations into the perspective of End; they remind us of the eschatological
meaning of Pascha.
So often
the Holy Week is considered one of the "beautiful traditions" or "customs", a
self evident "part" of our calendar. We take it for granted and enjoy it as a
cherished annual event which we have observed since our childhood. We admire
the beauty of its services, the pageantry of its rites and, last but not least,
we like the fuss about the Paschal table. Then when all this is done, we resume
our normal life. But do we understand that when the world rejected its Saviour,
when "Jesus began to be sorrowful and very heavy… and his soul was exceedingly
sorrowful even unto death," when He died on the Cross, "normal life" came to
its .
For they
were "normal" men who shouted, "Crucify Him!", who spat on Him and nailed Him
to the Cross. They hated and killed Him precisely because He was troubling
their normal life. It was indeed a perfectly "normal" world which preferred
darkness and death to light and life. By the death of Jesus, this "normal"
world, this "normal" life was irrevocably condemned, or rather, they revealed
their true and abnormal nature ie their inability to receive the – "Now is the
judgement of this world." (John 12:31). The Pascha (Passover) of Jesus
signified its end to “this world” and it has been at its end since then. This
end can last for hundreds of centuries; this does not alter the nature of time
in which we live as the "last time." The "fashion of this world passes away…"(1
Corinthians 7:31).
The Holy Week as a way to be with Christ
By Father Andrew Lemeshonok
We are on the
verge of the Resurrection of Christ. The Holy Week is an incomparable time.
There are only a few steps left to make, a few days left to get through. The world is struggling
against each of us, tries to separate us from God, to cause
misunderstanding and resentment. It attempts to tie us down with sin, make
us closed for God. This is why we should stay awake and fight for our hearts
which can hold God and in which the kingdom of Heaven could start.
Quite often we
are looking for certain signs, farsightedness or miracles and say: “Look, this
one is insightful, and that one is a wonderworker”… However, the only criteria
of the true Christianity are humbleness and love. And these things are always
inconspicuous.
The Holy Week
On the one
hand, the Lord voluntarily accepts the sufferings, which means His death. On the
other hand, His steps towards Golgotha is a feast for us. We partake of the
Holy Communion, we take His love and thus we can live. The majority of people
do not live today, but simply exist. They try to do their best to live in
comfort, they build and collect something, they try to make their life more
interesting and entertaining, to make it be more diverse. However, they just cannot
admit that all these things are unreal, that everything will end sooner or
later, and people will be separated from their loved ones. Everything falls to ruins in
this world. This is why the God’s steps, the steps of our Savior towards His
Golgotha become both grief and joy for us at the same time. This grief contains
the real life. Our nature is completely different. People lament when they are
upset. People judge and envy when there is something they do not like. All
these happen because of our own foolishness. If we face certain sorrows, then it is our
fault because we are corrupted by sin. This is why we cannot understand Christ even
as a person. It is impossible to join His sorrow because Christ, the Son of a
Man, was free from sin. Nevertheless, His steps towards Golgotha let us live.
The Holy Week
is a great opportunity to feel the real life, which can be found only in God.
We thank the Lord for this and ask Him for help to stand before Christ,
listening to His word…
April 10, 2017
St. Elisabeth Convent
How to pray using the service books without a priest, while traveling or at home…
When
Orthodox people have no opportunity to attend Orthodox divine services,
especially in non-Orthodox countries, then the Church allows and encourages
individuals and groups of Orthodox to read the service books privately, for the
preservation of their faith. Such readings have long been customary in monastic
establishments, hospitals, schools, on shipboard and, in recent times, by
Orthodox in the USSR and in the diaspora. Reading prayer books or service books
may, at least to some extent, replace church services.
1. It teaches us, even in non-Orthodox lands,
to remember and honor Orthodox feasts and saints' days.
2. It acquaints us with the order of church
services and with the profound content of our service books.
3. It safeguards us from the danger of
sectarian and heterodox influence
4. It helps parents and teachers raise their
children and young adults in the spirit of Orthodoxy.
5. It unites dispersed Orthodox people in our
faith and love for the Orthodox Church.
Orthodox Divine Services
The daily ecclesiastical office consists of a
cycle of services that covers the entire 24-hour period. Since the church day
begins with the evening, the order of daily services is: 1) Vespers, 2) Small Compline, 3) Midnight Office, 4) Matins, 5) First Hour, 6) Third and Sixth Hours, 7)
the Liturgy and 8) Ninth Hour. Orthodox laymen may read or
chant some portion of all of these, except the Divine Liturgy, which is
replaced by the Typica.
In addition, it is permissible to read canons and akathists, either separately
or as part of another service.
A canon is a collection of hymns in nine odes
that honors the Savior, the Mother of God, a saint, a holy day. or a spiritual
theme.
An akathist is a song of praise in twelve
parts that glorifies the Savior, the Mother of God, a saint.... An akathist may
be read or sung, or read with the refrains sung.
How Laymen Read Service Books
The
reading of service books should be conducted according to the following rules:
1. All
[reader's] services are to begin with the exclamation: "Through the
prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.
Amen.
2. All
the priest's prayers and exclamations are omitted.
3. In
place of the Great and Augmented Ectenias and the Ectenia of Supplication,
"Lord, have mercy" is said twelve times; in place of the Small
Ectenia, three times.
4. The Gospel is not intoned, but read in an
ordinary voice.
Note: Every Orthodox Christian is obliged to read the Gospel
privately, according to the ecclesiastical lectionary found in church
calendars.
5. All other hymns, psalms and prayers are
read or sung as when a priest serves.
6. The Typica (in place of the liturgy) may
be read as indicated in Appendix 1.
The Order of Services on Feast Days
Since laymen are often involved with work and
may not have time to read services in the ordinary week days, we shall give
directions only for the festal services.
On weekdays, the daily morning and evening
prayers could be combined with Small Compline and Midnight Office, as desired.
On feast days, it is important to devote more
time to God and to observe the feast with the appropriate reading and hymns. On
the eve of the feast one may read Vespers, Matins and the First Hour, in the
place of the All-Night Vigil. In the morning, one may read the Midnight Office,
the Third and Sixth Hours, if desired, and the Typica. The evening of the feast,
one should read the Small Compline with the proper canon or akathist of the
feast.
The order and content of the services depend
on the free time available and on the service books at hand. Here are more
detailed instructions for three kinds of feasts: 1) Sundays, 2) the Twelve
Great Feasts and other holidays of the Lord and of the Mother of God, 3)
saints' days, our name-saints or ones we especially venerate.
1)
Sundays
On Saturday evenings we read Vespers,
including the stichera and troparia according to the tone indicated in the
calendar. In the morning (or on the eve), we read Matins and the First Hour. At
Matins we may read the Resurrection canon for the appropriate tone, or, if not
available, the Canon to Our Sweetest Lord Jesus (in the prayers of preparation
for Holy Communion) may be substituted. 'Me stichera for the aposticha, the
troparia and the theotokia are according to the tone of the Sunday.
If Vespers and Matins are unavailable, then
on Saturday night one may read Small Compline with the Canon and Akathist to
our Sweetest Lord Jesus.
On Sunday morning we should read: the
Midnight Office for Sunday, with the morning prayers and the Typica (the order
for Typica is given in Appendix I).
Finally, on Sunday evening. we may read Small
Compline with a canon to the Mother of God (either to one of her wonder-working
icons or any other available).
2)
Feasts of the Lord and of the Theotokos
On these feasts, including all of the Twelve
Great Feasts, it is customary to read the proper service from the Festal
Menaion. Vespers and Matins according to the Vigil are read, while the
stichera, troparia, etc., come from the Festal Menaion. The canon of Matins is
to the Lord or to the Theotokos, depending on the feast.
If the Festal Menaion is unavailable, then
one may read Vespers (or perhaps Small Compline) with the canon or
corresponding akathist, and one may take the stichera from the General Menaion,
using the "General Service for the Feasts of the Lord" or "of
the Mother of God."
In the morning: the Third and Sixth Hours and
the Typica, with the troparia and kontakia of the feast sung in the proper
places.
In the evening: Small Compline with the Canon
of Repentance to Our Lord Jesus Christ, or the Supplicatory Canon to the Most
Holy Theotokos (Paraclesis).
3)
Saints' days
If neither the Horologion nor the Menaion is
available, then we may read Small Compline with the canon or akathist to the
saint, if available. (A church dedicated to that saint might allow us to copy
the proper canon or akathist, so that we might read it on a nameday or other
feast days.)
In the morning, we read the Midnight Office,
the Hours and the Typica, with the troparia and kontakia to the saint at the
Hours, and the kontakia of the temple, and of the saint or the day of the week,
at the Typica.
In the evening, we read the canon to the
saint; but if there is none, then the canon for Saturday to all the saints.
An article by Archpriest Sergei Shukin
Source: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/services_nopriest.aspx
Your short guide to the first 3 days of The Passion Week
In the Orthodox
Church the last week of Christ’s life is officially called Passion Week. In
popular terminology it is called Holy Week. Each day is designated in the
service books as “great and holy.” There are special services every day of the
week which are fulfilled in all churches. Earthly life ceases for the faithful
as they “go up with the Lord to Jerusalem” (Matins of Great and Holy Monday).
Each day of Holy
Week has its own particular theme.
The theme of Monday is that of the sterile fig tree which yields no fruit and is condemned. Tuesday the accent is on the vigilance of the wise virgins who, unlike their foolish sisters, were ready when the Lord came to them. Wednesday the focus is on the fallen woman who repents. Great emphasis is made in the liturgical services to compare the woman, a sinful harlot who is saved, to Judas, a chosen apostle who is lost. The one gives her wealth to Christ and kisses his feet; the other betrays Christ for money with a kiss.
The theme of Monday is that of the sterile fig tree which yields no fruit and is condemned. Tuesday the accent is on the vigilance of the wise virgins who, unlike their foolish sisters, were ready when the Lord came to them. Wednesday the focus is on the fallen woman who repents. Great emphasis is made in the liturgical services to compare the woman, a sinful harlot who is saved, to Judas, a chosen apostle who is lost. The one gives her wealth to Christ and kisses his feet; the other betrays Christ for money with a kiss.
On each of these
three days the Gospel is read at the Hours, as well as at the Vespers when the
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served. The Old Testamental readings are
from Exodus, Job, and the Prophets. The Gospel is also read at the Matins services
which are traditionally called the “Bridegroom” services because the general
theme of each of these days is the end of the world and the judgment of Christ.
It is the common practice to serve the Bridegroom services at night.
Behold, the bridegroom
comes in the middle of the night and blessed is the servant whom he shall find
watching, and unworthy the servant whom he shall find heedless. Take care then,
O my soul, and be not weighed down by sleep that you will not be given over
unto death and be excluded from the Kingdom. But rise up and call out: Holy,
Holy, Holy art Thou O God, by the Theotokos have mercy on us (Troparion of the
First Three Days).
During the first
three days of Holy Week, the Church prescribes that the entire Four Gospels be
read at the Hours up to the point in each where the passion of Christ begins.
Although this is not usually possible in parish churches, an attempt is
sometimes made to read at least one complete Gospel, privately or in common,
before Holy Thursday...
Source: https://oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-church-year/holy-week
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
About Our Blog
Welcome to the official blog of the Catalogue of St.Elisabeth Convent! The blog includes recent ministry updates of the convent, sermons, icons, personal stories and everything related to Orthodox Christianity. Join our Catalog of Good Deeds and become part of the ministry of St.Elisabeth Convent! #CatalogOfGoodDeeds
Most Popular Posts
Partners
