Reclaiming Our Common Heritage

 

Reclaiming Our Common Heritage

Replacing political correctness with love and respect

I have witnessed many changes in this nation during my 75 years, but the one change that has saddened me the most is that the influence of Christianity has been replaced by virtues running wild - particularly "a hungering and thirsting for righteousness",extracted out from its original Christian foundation.

These berserk, secular "virtues" are devoid of Christ, and are inspired by, and latch onto powerful political and secular divisions that have beset our nation. Those who identify as Blue have demonized the conservatives, and those who identify as Red have demonized liberals. The days of respectful dialogue of political opinions and views in a cordial manner have disappeared.

The lack of respect for differing views has polarized the nation, yet the saddest result of this division is not, in my opinion, political, but rather a new divide, demonstrated by an embracement of political alliances as a platform for pursuing "justice" and "righteousness", bringing about "good" in the world. This division has pushed aside the Lord Jesus Christ, and replaced Him with a pursuing of worldly "virtues". 

Sadly, as a nation we have largely parted ways with Christianity and many have redirected their gaze down the road of secularized religious ideals, which is leading many already wounded, fragile and damaged souls further out of orbit, and floating out into the cold, vast darkness. 

The heavenly kingdom, which is the true nation of every Christian, is not political, but eternal. Let us turn our hearts to Christ, and in penance for the sins of our nation. Our country, and her leaders, now need our prayer as never before. We need to put all anger and slander aside, and pray for the wellbeing of the nation.

We must pray to the loving God, that He, in His great mercy, will help us to rebuild the fractured, fragmented, moral context of biblical reality in which our hunger and thirst for righteousness will only truly be satisfied. Then, we will be able to begin to go back to a time where we show respect to everyone, putting all anger and resentment to rest. We must reach out as never before from this restored image to end racial injustice, religious bigotry, and warmongering, and embrace one another with love.

We need to begin this restoration on a personal, individual level first and foremost, working from the inside out, and not try to somehow make these efforts and activities as an "alternate political platform" that people only need to externally embrace and push and then expect "everything to be fine". We must change from within, and repent, and strive to shed His loving grace on all we come into contact with.

Only then will we find ourselves back on track, and respected as a nation that places civil rights and freedom of thought and religion, as our common heritage. Only when we fall down before our merciful God, will we see America a great nation, once again.

With love in Christ,

Abbot Tryphon

Photos: Three local Orthodox teenagers, together with the mother of one of them, spend most of Wednesday at the monastery, repairing our entrance road, and working in one of our large vegetable gardens. We are so very grateful for their labors, and ask God to bless them abundantly for their kindness towards His monks.