Julie & Julia

I just came back from seeing the new movie, “Julie & Julia.”  One of the promotional posters for the film reads:  “Passion.  Ambition.  Butter.  Do you have what it takes?”  Given that I’m not a movie reviewer, I’m not going to get into how this is related to the movie.  You’ll have to go see this very sweet movie for yourself!

But it brought another question to mind.  What does it take to be a good Christian, a good Orthodox Christian?  It’s not that this priest necessarily has the answer, but I am going to take a stab at it.

To respond to this question I am, however, drawn back to the movie.  Beyond the “passion, ambition & butter” of the Julia Child and Julie Powell characters, what else did they share in common?  Devoted, loving and caring husbands.

So one of the essential ingredients in the success of Julia Child and Julie Powell were their helpmates.  Julia’s toast to her husband — repeated by Julie decades later was “You are the butter to my bread and the breath to my life.”

It has been said that “no man is an island.”  By the same token no person — certainly no Christian — can exist in isolation.  We all need people who love us, who complement us, who inspire us.

And where do we find these people?  Well, certainly one can chance upon them at a mall, in the workplace, hiking on a trail.  But when it comes to those who are the “breath” to our life spiritually our best chance of finding them is at church.

And I’m not talking simply about showing up on a few Sunday mornings.  It doesn’t work that way.  I’m talking about putting one’s back, heart, intellect, time and treasure into Christ’s Church.  For those who do this, our Lord invariably provides them with those special people — mentors, companions, friend, helpmates — that one needs to get through life.

Working for the Church is most often a thankless job.  It can be maddening and frustrated.  But ask those who’ve dedicated their life to the Church what they’ve gotten out of it and, invariably, one of the first things they’ll tell you is “special” people.  There a few better ways to know a person than working side by side at a Festival for hours with a fellow parishioner who, like you, is up to his elbows in grease or dough.  Working together with the purpose of serving Christ is the ultimate bonding experience.

The world can be a lonely place — with very few people who one can truly call friends.  In an entire lifetime it is an achievement to be able to find even one or two others who, like you, are trying to keep their heads screwed on half straight and to live an upright life.  You increase your chances of finding those like minded people if you at least start at church.

When I served in New York City in the early eighties, there was a priest named  Fr. Peter Kyriakos who hosted a radio program for the Archdiocese.  He always concluded the program with a beautiful and moving prayer, one that has always comforted and inspired me.  I would like to share it with you.

Κύριε, δος μου την δύναμη να κάμω το έργο μου όσο μπορώ καλύτερα.

Χάρισέ μου σύνεσή, φρόνηση και προσοχή στην καθημερινή μου ζωή.

Κύριε, δος μου την δύναμη να βλέπω μονάχα το καλό, το αγνό, το όμορφο.

Δώσε στην γλώσσα μου τόλμη να λέγη την αλήθεια, και στην κρίση μου δώσε εύθυκρισία.

Κύριε, κάνε την καρδια μου πλατειά για να χωρή όλους και να αγαπά όλους.

Δόσε φωτισμό στο νου μου να λογικεύεται και να ορθοφρονεί.

Κύριε, χάρισε γαλήνη στην συνείδησί μου, άντοχή στα νεύρα μου, υπομονή στις πικρές στιγμές της ζωής μου, καρτερία στις θλίψεις μου.

Και ένα φίλον να με εννοή και να μοιράζομαι σιωπηλά μαζύ του τες χαρές μου και τα δακρυά μου.

Lord, give me the strength to do my work as well as I can.

Grant prudence, common sense and caution to my everyday life.

Lord, grant me the strength to see only the good, the pure, the beautiful.

Give my tongue the courage to speak the truth, and confer honesty on my judgement.

Lord, broaden my heart so that it can encompass all and love all.

Enlighten my mind so that it may reason and think correctly.

Lord, grant peace to my conscience, steadiness to my nerves, patience in the bitter moments of my life, endurance in my afflictions . . .

. . . and one friend who will understand me and quietly share my joy and tears.

The husbands of both Julie and Julia are, for them, the friend that is referred to in the last line of the above prayer.  My prayer for all of you is that God grant each and every one of you that good friend who will know you, share your joys and sorrows — be by your side through both thick and thin.

Protection

MOTHER AND CHILD, Painting by Constance, Countess Markievicz

One of the signature hymns of the Paraklesis service — sung during the Dormition period of August — is “Prostasia ton Christianon” (Protection of Christians).  In this beautiful hymn we praise the Theotokos — the Virgin Mary — and importune her to pray for us before her son Jesus, the Christ.

A few days ago, on October 28, the Greek Orthodox Church celebrated the feastday of the Aghia Skepi — the Holy Protection — of the Theotokos.  What appropriate timing, for starting about now and in the coming weeks, darkness and cold will descend across the landscape.  Driving will become more difficult and dangerous.  Many of us will be challenged to even afford heat this winter.  We find ourselves hurtling headlong toward the shortest days of the year.

In many ways winter is a scary and lonely time.  So isn’t it appropriate that we gather under the shelter — the skepi — of our Theotokos?

When we were little, who would we run to for protection?  More than likely, our mother.  Knowing that she was there, to protect us from the vicissitudes of the world, was a comfort.  Having our mother’s protection, we knew that even the meanest bully of the world could not touch us.  And if something came up that mother couldn’t handle, we knew that she could always ask dad — big, strong dad — to intervene.  But most times, just know that mom was there for us made everything alright.

As adults, even if we are fortunate enough to have our mother with us, it is considered unseemly to run to mom for protection.  At any rate, the kinds of threats we encounter as adults are commonly too big for even mom to fix.

We need someone bigger.  Someone stronger.  We need the Theotokos.

The evangelist John tells us about a wedding feast that Jesus attended, in Cana of Galilee.  At that feast we see how Mary has sympathy for her hosts who did buy adequate wine for a wedding reception.  Knowing that she could do nothing herself — at least with such short notice — she cajoles her Son to help.  Despite His initial resistance (He was, after all, “off the clock” and there to enjoy a wedding celebration with his friends!) we see Jesus, the Son of God, perform His first miracle — because His mother made Him do it.  Isn’t this an example of why we put our faith in the ability of the Theotokos to advocate for us before her Son’s throne?

Oftentimes Protestant Christians are confused by this attitude.  They say, doesn’t God Himself love us enough to look out for us?  Why do we need an advocate, a mediator, before Him?

The answer is a very simple one.  For those of us who were lucky enough to grow up in a two-parent family, couldn’t we say the same?  Couldn’t we always go to our father, with anything, becaused he loved us enough to look out for us?  Of course we could!  But on those occasions when we crashed the car or needed special permission to extend our curfew, didn’t we frequently ask mom to intervene or intercede — to be our advocate — before him?  Like Mary at Cana, our mothers always had that ability to smooth the rough edges from any anger or gruffness dad might display — and to expedite our request.  Even if we knew that dad would be ‘okay’ with whatever request or problem we had, somehow it just always felt better to have mom’s reassuring words and gentler manner pave the way.

Life is often difficult, lonely and scary for us adults.  Especially in this confusing political and economic times in which we live, isn’t it comforting to know that we can still — at any time — run to our Mother for protection?

So let’s pause and contemplate the Theotokos — and the example of her life, her courage and her love for her Son and the world.  If we have her in our corner then we can muster the solace and courage and strength to soldier on — even during the coldest winters of our lives.

Fr. Taso