The Future of the Church
Will the Church thrive into the twenty-first century?
For Orthodoxy to thrive into the next century, we must
see a return to the very roots of our faith, where the Church proclaims the
Good News of Christ in all its purity, and centers herself in the mystical and
sacramental core of her very being. She must offer the transformational healing
that comes only with God's grace, and through the life of His Church,
fulfilling her Gospel vocation.
If we Orthodox look closely at the amazing
resurrection of our Church, following the fall of communism, with the thousands
of new churches being reopened, new ones built, and monasteries growing at a
phenomenal rate, we can see that the twenty first century could well be the Age
of Orthodoxy.
If this is to take place, we must put off everything
that has brought down Western Christianity. Accountability must be foremost in
how we operate as religious institutions. Bishops and priests must be
accountable to one another, transgressions against the Body of Christ must be
rooted out, and the clergy (including our bishops) must be the humble servants
the Gospel has called us to be.
Pompous, medieval behavior must be put aside, and the
humble, co-suffering Saviour must be seen in how we serve. The transformative
power of the Good News of Christ must be allowed to change the world, and the
view of an "institutional" Church, ripped from our mindset, replaced
with the Gospel vision of the Church as Hospital of the Soul.
The Holy Orthodox Church will thrive in the
twenty-first century, only if we do not hinder her life and ministry by
allowing our own love of power and authority, to hinder our true vocation, as
ministers of Christ's mercy and love.
Love
in Christ,
Abbot
Tryphon
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