Balancing Welcome and Tradition

Two very interesting Gospels were presented to us by the Church these last two days. On Bright Tuesday, the reading is from St. Luke 24, where Jesus travels with two disciples to Emmaus, only making his identity known to them “in the breaking of the bread” (Lk 24.35). On Bright Wednesday, the reading is from St. John’s Gospel, the first chapter, in which Andrew first introduces his brother, Simon (Peter), to Christ, and later in which Phillip introduces his brother, Nathanael, to Christ.

The reading from Luke 24 is a clear declaration of the centrality of the Eucharist. It is patently obvious that this story is meant to be understood in a deeper way, as a pointer to the enlightening power of the Eucharist. We “know” Christ in the Eucharist.

The reading from John’s Gospel takes us in a similar direction. Christ is encountered, understood, and “known” not through dialogue with his disciples (though that may be a necessary precursor), but through “coming” and “seeing.” The Orthodox Church frequently tells us exactly what Phillip told Nathanael: “Come and see!” We may have numerous occasions to discuss Christ with others, but the truest and most Orthodox means of enlightening them is to bring them to where they themselves can encounter Christ directly. Taken with Tuesday’s reading, this becomes an invitation to the Eucharistic assembly, the Church, which is the physical presence of Christ today.

This much is obvious to any Orthodox. What really interested me, though, was the emphasis on imitating Christ found in John 1. Jesus is the first to say, “Come and see,” and he says this to the two disciples of St. John, one of whom was Andrew (John 1.39). A mere seven verses later, Phillip repeats the same invitation to Nathanael. The similarity cannot be coincidental in this Gospel, given its profuse theological infusion.

And if Phillip is seen to be imitating Christ in his invitation to others to “come and see,” ought we not to learn also from Christ’s reception of these seekers?

This brings me to the real point I have pondered tonight. If Orthodoxy has been accused of various faults, one of them is certainly not being “seeker sensitive.” We maintain the Traditions of our Fathers; our goal of Liturgy is not to entertain visitors or to “make people feel at home,” but to give proper honor to God. All of us who have converted to Orthodoxy from other religions have passed through the initial stage of feeling somewhat “lost” during our first few liturgies (even if we also enjoyed them).

And yet, Orthodoxy has also always been an evangelistic religion (or at least is intended to be). And I think the example of Christ here shows that the two approaches must be maintained. His first statement to Nathanael is a sort of “affirmation” of Nathanael’s good intentions: “Behold, an Israelite in whom there is no guile!” But soon, he seems also to rebuke Nathanael, to call his faith into question: “Because I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe?” (as if to say, do you just come to me because I did something spectacular?….. are you simply entertained, Nathanael?).

The beauty of Orthodoxy is that it (1) calls people not to simply discuss Christ, but to “come and see” Christ in His Church, in His Eucharist, (2) welcomes them and recognizes their good intentions and good character, and yet (3) also constantly demands that all newcomers (and also all its own flock) embrace constant transformation and maturation of faith.

Perhaps the following, then, are good questions for all of us to ask ourselves:

1. Do I, along with my parish, seek to imitate Christ in all things?
2. Do we recognize that the first and best manner by which someone may know Christ is to “come and see” Him in his Church, or do we still cling to an overdependence on intellectual debate and “apologetics”?
3. When someone does “come to see,” are we quick to recognize their honesty and desire to find Christ? Do we immediately criticize their “Protestant mindset,” or do we have the humility to genuinely recognize their holiness and godly traits that led them to “come and see”?
4. Have we ever become careless in our desire to convert others (or to consider ourselves fully converted), so that we only praise them and fail to recognize the extreme repentance and transformation demanded by our forbears’ faith, Holy Orthodoxy? Have we become satisfied with a compromised replica of true Orthodoxy?

Holy Orthodoxy is a beautiful pearl of great price. For those of us who have entered into Christ’s Pascha, we cannot but have realized the peace of Christ that passes all understanding and knowledge. The joy I have felt in the past 7 week is far beyond explanation in words. It is so beautiful, in fact, that the only appropriate response is to bring others to see what we have found, viz., the beauty of “him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote” (John 1.45). And when, having come, we stand before them as ambassadors of Christ, can we continue to follow Christ’s example? Have we prayed long enough and consistently enough that we can show them genuine respect and admiration and hospitality? And have we prayed enough that in wisdom we can welcome them while not “watering down” our Holy Faith?

It is a balance I still think about frequently. Whether we are talking about “Study Bibles” or radio podcasts or any other type of “outreach,” it is clear that we must never lose a faithfulness to our Holy Tradition. Our Faith demands that we change, that we be transformed into true Christians, and God forbid that we ever become so overly preoccupied with modern ideas of evangelization that we care more about numbers and feelings than truth and quality. But, at the same time, our Lord’s example demands that we not be too quick to judge, to dissect, and to rate the quality of our neighbor’s seeking.

In the life of the Church, we will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” (John 1.51). St. Augustine, in his treatise on St. John’s Gospel, said that this speaks of “good preachers.” They are like angels “ascending” and “descending.” They can ascend into the third heaven, but they can also descend to give milk to babes. The father well skilled in speaking can shake the forum with his eloquence, but he can also return home to speak to his little one in the language of a child. “If the Lord himself ascended and descended,” said Augustine, surely we can also be both welcoming to inquirers and faithful to our Holy Tradition. May God grant us this wisdom, through the prayers of our holy Fathers!