An Akathist for Jesus Christ, and my Dad

In the Eastern Orthodox tradition and practice, those mourning a departed loved one often pray the "Akathist to Jesus Christ for a Loved One Who has Fallen Asleep."

A long title, and a long prayer, too, begun on the day of death and continued through 40 days. It is intended as comfort for the departed, but it is also that for those mourning, as I am learning.

And, it is beautiful; its imagery poetic, its words both emotionally and spiritually direct as its intentions are simple. It embraces the bitter and the sweet with arms of compassion, and hope.
Being Orthodox for less than two years, this is all new to me. But I'm trying to fulfill this for my father, who passed away on Thursday last . . . and for myself, at 65 still an infant in this ancient, predenominational Christian faith.

There are many phrases, petitions and praises within the Akathist that are moving and beautiful. But this following portion continues to stand out as I say it, watching candles flicker and incense drift past the crucifix on my wall and out a window:

"When earthly sojourning is ended, how graceful is the passing to the world of the Spirit; what contemplation of new things, unknown to the earthly world, and of heavenly beauties. The soul returns to its fatherland, where the bright sun, the righteousness of God, enlightens those who sing: Alleluia!"

Certainly, there are many such prayers for the dead in our various faiths. Years ago, I joined in the Mourner's Kaddish in support of a Jewish friend who had lost her father. And as a reporter many years ago, I participated in a Ute sweat lodge ceremony in which a native friend blessed his ancestors.

People in every culture seem to have the innate desire to seek comfort from a compassionate, loving realm of the holy.

It is not for me to judge the effectiveness of anyone's acts of faith, nor need I accept, even if I respect, the cosmos-view behind them. I have, and firmly hold my own; I trust in God's love and compassion to judge me, and them, by what Truth we have and honor.

Love, and our common humanity, should mean something precious to all of us -- no matter how convinced we are of our particular path.

The rest of it is a mystery, and if we say we believe in God, then that should come with the humility of admitting we do not know it all when it comes to such things as eternity, infinity, and immortality -- not even a crumb of it.

The true arena of faith, then, is in our hearts. We each struggle with our own shortcomings and pray/strive to improve and grow, or we surrender and excuse our flaws in self-delusion.
So, if faith rules within, it is expressed without.

My Dad showed me much, by example, in how to do that -- without judging the recipients of God's grace and ours, and in trying to love without conditions.

Now that he has passed, it seems little enough to pray for him. How it plays out "there," I don't know.

But at the very least, I am comforted that the ancient words of an ancient faith we shared are another way to say again, "I love you. I miss you. I will see you again."

Choices in entertainment: Moral equivalent of garbage in, garbage out?

OK, just in case you forgot, let's quickly review the Ten Commandments:

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make idols.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet.
    

There. Now we have context.

My wife and I have a few favorite television shows we regularly watch. The NCIS family of shows are at the top of the list, along with "Blue Bloods,"  “Person of Interest,” “The Black List,” “Forever,” and “Elementary.”

We trimmed the list of situation comedies, which increasingly seem thinly-veiled means to propagandize particular political, social and cultural causes. 

If you made a steady diet of such shows, you'd likely come to think there's not a single functional family existing that is made up of a happily married mother and father; respectful, focused children; and certainly not one with a meaningful (i.e., reflected in actions) faith in God – unless the latter is portrayed as something to scorn or dismiss as delusional at best, or bigotry worth a trip to re-education camps at worst.

But before we congratulate ourselves on that revelation, I've come to wonder what is, afterall, truly consistent for our Christian beliefs within the worldview of an increasingly radicalized secular society.

I'm talking about the one that ignores the erosion of moral standard;, expanding, greed- and corruption-driven gaps between rich and poor; and growth of violence fed by an epidemic lack of accepting personal responsibility for our actions. Screw up, and it's someone else's, or society's fault.

So, do our choices in entertainment, in form of 42 minutes (plus ads) of dramatic storytelling, underscore the value of moral standards – or work to relegate them to mere situational ethics and self-serving relativism?

The same can be said of our choices in music, reading material, etc. But let's stick with the TV, or universal escape from reality.

One recent episode of one our remaining favorites portrayed people violating eight of those Ten Commandments listed above. Another one, nine – leaving only the fourth, keeping the Sabbath holy, unsullied.

So, there's that. But one could argue that scorecard is, after all, an accurate reflection of what our society has become.

And, to be fair, most of those shows we watch do have some moral components, with the protagonists seeking to protect the innocent, fight evil schemes, sustain friendships, making sacrifices, etc.

TV dramas, like human beings, can reflect a battlefield of the soul. That can be instructive. It may even indicate that despite all the degradation, hopelessness, violence, corruption around us, there still is that flicker of desire for “good” that transcends the individual and reaches the Other.

But it is, too often, merely a flicker. 

That's hopeful, certainly, but still not the kind of raging, love-driven inferno we need to turn things around.

Yet.

Human history is replete with eras of reform, revival and restored hope, usually driven by the purer facets of faith.

Oh, how we need that.

Christ is risen -- then, and now

He is risen.

Faith tells me it was true more than 2,000 years ago. 

The joy that fills me at my deepest, undefinable being,

that place where intellect and spirit merge

 in a secret place of innocence and peace,

 convinces me it is true today.

Happy Easter.

Christmas: The best gift is generosity of spirit -- and a hug

Merry Christmas, everyone. 
Take time to disengage from the commercial nightmare this holiday (i.e. holy day) has become. 
Take time to hold your loved ones close, to be generous of spirit, to "see" your friends and family by taking memory snapshots of the smiles, and to say "I love you." 
Life is fragile and joy fleeting . . . but every moment spent with love is a deposit in Eternity.

Angels in NYPD blue

Love this. An act of kindness, without expectation of recognition, and from a law enforcement officer -- someone you might expect to become cynical, dealing with the worst of us every day.

"Jennifer Foster of Florence, AZ was visiting Times Square with her husband Nov. 14 when they saw a shoeless man asking for change. She writes, “Right when I was about to approach, one of your officers came up behind him. The officer said, ‘

I have these size 12 boots for you, they are all-weather. Let’s put them on and take care of you.’ The officer squatted down on the ground and proceeded to put socks and the new boots on this man. The officer expected NOTHING in return and did not know I was watching*. I have been in law enforcement for 17 years. I was never so impressed in my life. I did not get the officer’s name. It is important, I think, for all of us to remember the real reason we are in this line of work. The reminder this officer gave to our profession in his presentation of human kindness has not been lost on myself or any of the Arizona law enforcement officials with whom this story has been shared.”
Our thanks to the Fosters for their attention and appreciation, and especially to this officer, who remains anonymous."

My hair: Lost in translation. Literally.

If you live in a multi-cultural neighborhood, it is really a good idea to pick up at least an effective smattering of the lingua franca...  in this case, Spanish. And you really should know when that sweet-faced young Latina smiles and says "Short, Si?" While pointing at what turns out to be the No. 1 setting on her clippers...  holding up your index finger and thumb one and a half inch apart means nothing, if you also gallantly answer, "Er, Si! Porforvor. "
After the initial buzzzzz, all is lost. Really. You just opted for a "high-and-tight" haircut, mi amigo.
And chagrined, as well as decidedly chilly from the ears up, you still pay the $10, and dutifully add a nice tip.
Those brown eyes, raven hair and the trilling "Gracias," make you forget your hairless plunge... until you see yourself in the glass exit door's reflection.
Then just croak, "Ohhhh, Lord!" And pull down your cap and slink home.
Hair grows back. Right?
RIGHT?!?