When the Homily is about Immunology

"Know Thyself"

It is reported that at the entrance of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi was inscribed the phrase "Know Thyself" (γνῶθι σεαυτόν). I think it rather appropriate that this should be inscribed at the ENTRANCE of a temple, for while I cannot speak to its implications for the Greeks, in my mind it truly is only the beginning of the religious journey.

Illumination, as you will hear us Orthodox say, precedes purification. A big part of illumination, I would think, is to come to know thyself. Our world today sees coming to know thyself as a sort of birthing into freedom and it ends with the embracing of oneself, whereas traditional Christianity would say that real freedom comes from knowing thyself and additionally changing thyself (purification?).

I've spent a good portion of my life as a Christian asking God to change me. Remember singing/praying : "change my heart O God, make it ever true..."? How many tearful bedside prayers like this remained "unanswered" in your life?

How many bed time promises have you made to yourself that tomorrow would be THE beginning of a new day for you? That you'd truly be a new person, a different person? Did your resolution last longer than my ten minutes? Five minutes on a particularly difficult day?

Well, change takes work...that's what I rationalize from it all. Let the self-proclaimed theologians argue about God's providence vs. man's freewill and work vs. Precious few are blessed with a miraculous and sudden change of heart. Do you suspect - as I do - that our Lord's fasting for 40 days and THEN successfully facing His temptations might contain a lesson for us?

I certainly don't have any solutions to offer, and really, I don't think there are any, except this that I learned from a twelve step program: no matter what, keep coming back! Despite their apparent futility, keep making those promises and commitments to yourself. Keep fighting. Keep struggling. Do not ever give up. Have faith in the fact that change does happen, even if slowly. No miracles to be had, just another day in the midst of the fast, let's keep it together...even if we fail and buy that hamburger from time to time. Keep coming back!