When the Homily is about Immunology

One more book to add...

...to the list of those that have meant a lot to me. Fr. Michael's Orthodox Alaska reminded me of it.

Those who know me have no doubt heard this little story, but grin and bear it. After I left the Assemblies of God I would eventually become an Episcopalian. Attending a small parish in Snohomish I asked the rector if he could recommend a book that would help me to better understand sacramental theology. Now, in retrospect he probably should have told me - as a broad representation of ECUSA theology - that the sacraments could mean pretty much whatever I wanted them to mean. Instead, however, he placed in my hands a copy of Alexander Schmemann's book For the Life of the World.

Admittedly, I had to read very slowly, but I was no less amazed by this little (and yet heavy) book. My priest at this parish definately had a love for Orthodoxy but could not bring himself to convert - I suspect - because of the "behind the times" stance the Church "officially" takes on many contemporary issues. Needless to say, I was readily entrenched "behind the times" and thus my hopping the east-west fence was a joyously undertaken happening. Later, my former priest jokingly lamented ever giving me the book.

Anyway..Fr. Michael reminded me of Schmemann's book with these words, beginning with a quote from Pierre Pascal's "The Religion of the Russian People":

"The peasent, together with Genesis and St. Paul, believes that the whole of creation, which the earth represents, is affected by man's sin and called to renewel with him. His religion has hardly any conception of individual fall and individual salvation; it is more collective, cosmic...it is powerfully aware of a mystical communion between man and nature, both alike works of a good God. Nature is always pure.[I am sent recalling Alyosha hugging the dirt]Man, when he sins, seperates himself from it and sees no more than what can be seen from the outside. But the pure man perceives its beauty, its oneness with God and his own oneness with it...If nature puts him in contact with God, it is not through any confusion with God, but because nature is His creation."

Fr. Michael continues...

The Greek word "symbolon" means "to hold together." To the ancient Church, this meant that a symbol, while not fully encompassing the reality it "symbolizes," nevertheless participates in and communicates that reality. A symbol, in other words, does not "represent" and absent "thing" or stand in place of it, as a mere substitute or reminder. It is what is symbolizes, without totally manifesting or revealing it. It was in this sense that the ancient fathers wrote that the entire cosmos is the symbol of "God."

With this in mind...recall who the "old man/king" is being depicted in the center of the Pentecost icon. Curious, I think.