Christian
Friendships
The
necessity of Christian friendships
In
this age where secularism is on the rise, and materialism has become a major
distraction from spiritual pursuits, Christian friendship has never been more
important. The pursuit of personal fulfillment, entertainment, worldly
pleasure, and the acquisition of material goods, has become the dominant theme
of our age. Families that once placed the life of the Church as the center of
their week, have drifted away from God. Having made idols of worldly pleasures
and pursuits, their family life has become focused on transitory goals, leaving
them in a state of spiritual bankruptcy. Parents who once brought their
children to the temple, having lost their own way, watch those children stray
far from faith.
Centered
on worldly pursuits, we've allowed our spiritual life to be displaced by things
that are transitory in nature, no longer thinking on the things of God. Our
spiritual illness has infected our youth like a virus, leaving them with little
to sustain them, when times get tough. The economic, political, and social
instability of our age demands that we be spiritually fit, yet we give our
youth virtually nothing that will help them through the hardships ahead. The
terrible storms that have destroyed whole towns in the Midwest, appear to be
just the beginning of what many scientists see as our future, yet we continue
on a path that remains focused on material gain, and personal fulfillment.
Hardly the elements that can sustain the human heart during disasters, or
terrible personal loss.
The
life of a Christian has never been easy, but in an age that is proving to be
hostile towards the things of God, Christian friendship is all the more
important. We need each other. We need the encouragement that Christian
friendship can give us, as we face a world that has rejected Christ. The unity
we have when we receive the Body and Blood of the Saviour, during each and
every celebration of the Divine Liturgy, gives us strength to withstand
whatever may be coming. When all else has failed, and our culture, economy, and
material world has fallen into ruin, only faith will have the power to sustain
us.
It
is only our faith, supported and strengthened by our fellowship in Christ, that
will have the lasting power to keep us from falling into despair, as our world
enters into a darkness that will seem unconquerable. Hiding from the reality of
a world that has lost it's way, will in no wise make the future brighter.
Lifting each other up, as we share our faith in the Christ Who came to make all
things new, is the only hope we have. Let us not waste this life God has given
us, but let us move forward in faith, together, knowing that ultimately, the
gates of hell will not prevail against those who love God.
With
love in Christ,
Abbot
Tryphon
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