Praised be Jesus Christ…now and forever!
If you’ve been watching the news, then you’re probably as depressed as I am. It just seems like everything is falling apart. When I start feeling like this, I call to mind something one of our old monks used to tell me: “Don’t be upset when there’s bad stuff in the news. At least the bad stuff is still newsworthy. Be upset when good things become newsworthy.” And he was right. Two days ago, I returned from California, which I’ve always thought of as the epicenter of weirdness for the universe. But I met some great priests out there, and I saw good people leading lives of heroic virtue. (Go off script here. Tell cholo story). And these folks, I’m glad to say, never make the news because, as far as I can tell, they are the norm.
Now, a few months ago, I started reading “The Brothers Karamozov.” And I feel obliged to admit that I hate it. Personally, if there isn’t a good explosion within the first few pages of a novel, you’ve lost me—and the closest this book has come to an explosion (I’m only 300 pages into it) is that some kid threw a rock at one of the characters. Frankly, I feel like throwing rocks at all of the characters. It’s just one interminable conversation after another.
The reason I’m still reading it is because on page 272, a priest named Zosima gives a sermon that’s given me some hope. It’s basically a diatribe about how horrible the world has become, which, I suppose, ought to make me more depressed. Except that it was written 150 years ago and it sounds like it was written yesterday—which means things actually haven’t actually gotten that much worse. So I’ve decided to plagiarize Dostoyevsky for my sermon this morning. I’ve replaced some of the words, and I’ve skipped a paragraph here and there, but what follows is it…basically:
“My friends,” says Father Zosima, “what is the priest? In the cultivated world, the word is nowadays pronounced by some people with a sneer, and by others it is used as a term of abuse, and this contempt for the priest is growing. It is true, sadly, that there are many slackers, gluttons, deviants and freeloaders among priests. Educated people point to these and say: “Priests are lazy, useless members of society; they live on the labor of others; they are shameless parasites.”
And yet how many meek and humble priests there are, who yearn for holiness and peace! These are less noticed, or we pass over them in silence. But how would theses educated people be if they were to discover that from these meek priests the salvation of the World will come!
That is my view of the priest, and is it false? Is it too proud? Look at the people we call “sophisticated.” Has not God's image and His truth been distorted in them? Sure, they have science; but in science there is nothing but what is the object of sense. They want to base justice on reason alone, and in doing so, they have already proclaimed that there is no crime, that there is no such thing as sin—which, mind you, is consistent, for if you have no God what is the meaning of sin? They reject the spiritual world altogether, dismiss it with a sort of triumph, even with hatred. They have proclaimed the reign of freedom, especially of late, but what do we see in this freedom of theirs? Nothing but slavery and self-destruction! For they say:
“You have desires—satisfy them. You have the right to be happy. Don't be afraid of satisfying your desires. In fact, you should multiply them.” That is the doctrine of the modern world. And they call it “freedom”. But what is the result of this multiplication of desires? In the rich…isolation and suicide; in the poor…envy and murder; for they have been given rights, but have not been shown how to use them. Our leaders tell us that the world is getting more and more united, more and more bound together in brotherly community, as it overcomes distance and sends thoughts flying through the air.
But instead of gaining freedom, we have sunk into slavery, and instead of serving the cause of brotherly love, we have fallen into disharmony and isolation. For what can become of a man if he is a slave to his desires? He is isolated, and has no concern for the rest of humanity. We have succeeded in accumulating a great mass of objects, but our joy in the world has grown less.
And what cruelty we show to our children! We give them machines for companions. But is that what a child's heart needs? He needs sunshine, play, and good examples all about him, and at least a little love. There must be no more of this, my friends, no more torturing of children, rise up and preach that, quickly, quickly!
Of course, I don't deny that priests sin. To be sure, the fire of corruption is spreading visibly, hourly, working from above downwards. The spirit of isolation is coming upon us all.
But God will save the world as He has saved it many times. Salvation will come from the people, from their faith and their meekness. People do still believe in righteousness. Deep down, they have faith. See in one another the image of Christ, and it will shine forth like a precious diamond to the whole world. So may it be, so may it be!
In the Name of the Father…
