When the Homily is about Immunology

Holy Week Emotionalism

One usually does not find a great deal of emotionalism in Orthodox Chruches - at least as compared to my experiences in an evangelical denomination where a "good" service was usually deemed as such by the amount of tears that were shed...a skewed emphasis in my opinion.

However, emotions are not inherently bad, and we certainly had our share of them both at home and in services during Holy Week. One parishoner struggled through the reading of that wonderful text in Job (one of my favorites) in which Job repents saying: “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.Listen, please, and let me speak;You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.' I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.

And then a beloved Deacon stammered tearfully through his passion gospel reading on Thursday night as our Lord is beaten, spat upon, mocked, and rejected. In so doing, both of them brought me also to that same or at least similar emotional state...and I am thankful for it. As surely as the Homily of St. John Chrysostom and the Paschal Greeting should be proclaimed joyfully, there is certainly room for tears beforehand.

I believe it was on Holy Friday that my eldest daughter watched the trial and crucifixion scene in the film "Jesus of Nazareth" and while doing so she broke down into tears. The emotion of the moment struck her and she connected it to what was going on at the Church: God's funeral. We talked for quite sometime about what she was feeling and what it all meant. Throughout the service that afternoon she was especially clingy, but as I kept reminding her: we are looking toward Sunday. I pray she owns that emotion and that it may connect her to a deeper relationship with Christ...hopefully making God's Resurrection all the more powerful, glorious, and joyfull. She never saw the account of the Resurrection in the film, probably no need...I saw her smiling at me on Sunday morning particularly during the singing of "The Angel Cried" for as I gathered from our conversations previously that what especially broke her heart was Mary's weeping with Jesus in her arms. Now, the Angel tells her to Rejoice for her Son is Risen from His three days in the tomb!

You know, for all my complaints about my former religious tradition, I will say that in my experiences there I have walked away from many tearful events a changed person. Renewed and restored, ready to move on...BUT, and here is the catch: lacking in tools, lacking in guidance, and lacking in substance with which to more fully flourish. God help me to use the precious "tools" and traditions so wonderfully bestowed upon me now..for what have I gained in having such tools but lack emotional motivation to use them?

A bit of weeping can be good, as the psalmist said: "A sad face is good for the heart."