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Orthodox Christianity THE WEIGHT OF ETERNITY St. George’s Orthodox Church, Edenton, N.C.
cordially invites you to come and
“Catch a glimpse of the Beauty and Sacred Mystery of
I remember my dog, when he was a new puppy—the first time he saw a body of water bigger than his
water bowl. We’d came upon a lake on a day when its surface was as still as glass. Presuming to walk
across that smooth surface, in a single stride, to his great surprise, he found himself submerged up to his
ears! Such, I think, are we humans, as we step out into each moment of every day.
We move, sometimes smoothly, sometimes uneasily, through the years and the seconds. We remember a
few of the moments. But most of them seem to be of no consequence, and they soon drift into forgetfulness.
But don’t we sometimes, once in a while—maybe a few times in a life—sense that there’s something
larger afoot? That these little, mundane moments, if our vision were equal to the task, open onto unimaginable
vistas? That we’re only scratching the surface of something vast, something far beyond our
understanding? If we speak honestly, there are few—vanishingly few of us—who have never known
such a sense.
Yet the Mind of the Time would deny the truth of this sense. Nihilism—the foundation upon which
the contemporary cultural mind rests—would assert the magisterium of the individual will, and deny
the possibility (or, at least, the relevance) of any larger truth. The appeal of such a stance, of course, is
that, if there’s no final frame of reference, I can adopt any world view that suits my purpose, scoff at
anyone who would upbraid me, and indulge my passions without restraint.
But how many of us, in our moments of deepest knowing, can embrace such a vision? How many, with
integrity, can live according to Nihilism’s self-indulging code?
Of course, a rejection of Nihilism, comes at a cost—and no small cost! Indeed, to live a life of integrity
and purposeful self-restraint in the face of a hostile culture, requires more insight and backbone than
most people can marshal. Because to acknowledge the reality of a higher, of a larger vision, requires that
I undertake the labor of conforming my life to that vision, of orienting my life in the direction of its
current, toward beginning to enter into its life. Yet, having once seen with clarity the fact of the matter,
how can one shrink from the struggle?
Are the moments of my life ultimately meaningless? Is this life in which I find myself, in the last analysis,
a farce? Is the love, the pain, the horror, the beauty of this ephemeral existence through which we
pass, both individually and collectively, only an absurdity? Were absurdity the truth of things, I would
be right to reject all order and to devote myself to the consolation of forgetfulness in the passions. But,
if, indeed, these moments open onto a higher truth, onto eternity; then each moment is infused with
eternity. Each is a fulcrum upon which swings my eternal destiny. In such a life, each moment acquires
a luminosity, a portent, a power, an awareness of beauties and horrors that matter, both now
and eternally.
In the words of Alexander Schmemann:
And then, in the light of the approaching encounter with Christ, how serious and how grave becomes
the day I have to spend in the usual occupations….Every word I say, every act I perform, every thought
passing through my mind becomes important, unique, irreversible, and either each is “in line” with my
expectation of Christ or in opposition to it. Time itself, which we usually “waste” so easily, is revealed in
its true meaning as the time of either salvation or damnation. Our whole life becomes that which it was
made by Christ’s coming into this world—ascension to him, or running away from Him into darkness
and destruction.
All chapters copyright © 2016 by author Nick.
Martone.; inquiries c/o St. George’s Church,
P.O. Box 38, Edenton, NC. (252) 482-2006.
Mount Athos, Greece”
The Garden of the Most Holy Mother of God
Agion Oros - The Holy Mountain
This free slide presentation will give you a glimpse of this
sacred peninsula that is like no other place on earth
- truly “not of this world”.
Mt. Athos is home to 20 major Orthodox Christian Men’s
Monasteries - some of which are over 1000 years old.
Where: Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library
106 West Water Street, Edenton, NC
When: Saturday, July 30, 2016, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Questions? Contact St. George Orthodox Church
252-482-2006
Email: orthodoxedenton@coastalnet.com
Web: http://www.orthodoxedenton.org
8 Albemarle Tradewinds July 2016 albemarletradewinds.com