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BREATHING WITH BOTH LUNGS: WHAT THE EASTERN & WESTERN CHURCHES CAN LEARN FROM FATHER ALEXANDER SCHMEMANN ABOUT HEALING THE CHURCH THROUGH KENOSIS & THEOSIS

In his Journals of Father Alexander Schmemann, The (available at SVS Press & Bookstore), Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann frequently argued that the institutional arrogance, division, and secularism plaguing the Church could only be healed by recovering the twin pillars of kenosis (self-emptying) and theosis (deification or union with God).

Schmemann diagnosed the "besetting sin" of institutional Christianity as a form of self-idolatry characterized by pride, clericalism, and an obsession with "rights" and "authority." He believed that theosis, or humanity's ultimate calling to participate in the divine life, is the true purpose of the Church and its sacraments. However, he insisted this deification is impossible without first imitating Christ's kenosis—his radical self-emptying and voluntary shedding of power.

Through this lens, Father Schmemann provided an uncompromising critique of church conflicts (1)The Problem of Ego: In his journals, he pointed out that Christians are often the first to live with pride and self-affirmation, refusing to yield in arguments because "we" are always right (2)The Kenotic Cure: He noted that Christ's coming into the world as a child reveals a God who needs no glory, power, or authority. Healing ecclesial conflicts requires church bodies and individual believers to voluntarily empty themselves of pride, tribalism, and institutional self-preservation. (3)The Eucharistic Center: Father Schmemann maintained that without the Eucharist acting as the unitive, self-emptying center of parish life, the Church degenerates into a mere "religious phenomenon" full of human passion and division.

Photo: Father Alexander (center) with Matushka Juliana (left) and Alexander Solzhenitsyn (right), winner of a Nobel Prize for Literature.

Sources: Father Ted, Fraternized/WordPress, John Jillions, The Wheel Journal & SVS Press

[orthodoxlibrary]

Marriage: An Orthodox Perspective

John Meyendorff

The author writes: 'It is impossible to understand either the New Testament doctrine on marriage, or the very consistent practice of the Orthodox Church without seeing Christian marriage in the context of the Eucharist... The very notion of marriage as a sacrament presupposed that a man is not only a being with physiological, psychological, and social functions, but that he is a citizen of God's Kingdom, i.e., that his entire life'and especially its most decisive moments'involve eternal values and God Himself.' This excellent study on Christian marriage is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand the Orthodox perspective on marriage. In it John Meyendorff examines marriage in the Church from the contexts of Judaism and the New Testament, the early Church and Roman law, sacramental life, and contemporary society. Specific issues discussed include: second marriages, 'mixed' marriages, divorce, abortion, family planning and responsible parenthood, married clergy, celibacy, and the monastic life. Essential reading for all pastors, it is also useful for parents, newlyweds and those preparing or the sacrament of marriage.

[orthodoxlibrary]

A Commentary on the Divine Liturgy

Nicholas Cabasilas

This is a remarkable product of Byzantium's last great flowering of theology. For the author, man's redemption in Jesus Christ is not just a matter of history. It is a saving event in which man is called to participate here and now, in body and spirit as well as intellect, through the sacramental life of the Church. The vitality of worship, and not just its form, therefore is the focus of Cabasilas' thought. The work has long been essential reading for specialists in the fields of comparative liturgy and history of liturgy, since Cabasilas comments in detail on the Byzantine rite of his day and is able to draw comparisons with the Roman liturgy as well. The work is also invaluable for all those who wish to understand more about the theory and practice of worship in the Orthodox Church. In this edition the text of the Commentary, translated by J. M. Hussey and P. A. McNulty, has been supplemented by a brief foreword which places Cabasilas' work in its historical context. A helpful introduction by R.M. French describes the celebration of the liturgy in the Orthodox Church.

[orthodoxlibrary]

The Historical Road of Eastern Orthodoxy

Alexander Schmemann

A stimulating interpretation of the history of Eastern Christianity, this book serves as a general introduction to the Orthodox Church and is widely read by Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike. As Schmemann himself said This book is not a scholarly investigation into the history of the Orthodox Church nor a mere manual. It is a reflection on the long historical pilgrimage of Orthodoxy, an attempt to discern in our past that which is essential and permanent and that which is secondary, mere past. It is my sincere hope that in reading this book Western Christians may realize that our past is also their past, or rather, our common past, that essential 'term of reference' without which no mutual understanding is possible. As the Eastern isolation of Orthodoxy is coming to an end, as it becomes more and more implanted in the West, it becomes urgent that its history be known and understood.