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V. Rev. Fr. Nicholas Graff OCAMPR EJournal, Volume II Number 1 (March 2004)
The Church, the Body of Christ, is simultaneously the glorious, triumphant, radiant Body of the Resurrected Christ, and the betrayed, beaten, broken, hemorrhaging, and suffering Body of the Crucified Christ. His Body, the Eucharistic Community, the Faithful People of God, share in both experiences; one, in potentiality, and other in actuality. Those who are commissioned with the pastorship, discipleship, leadership, and healing ministries of the Body of Christ, must be both in awe of the sublimity of the mystical Wholeness , and ever vigilant and sensitive to the pain and suffering of the broken and fragmented. Fostering the relational heart of the Community, becomes one of the most significant challenges of contemporary ministry. After spending some time introducing some contextual thoughts on Ekklesia, this conversation will discuss the sacred challenge of Fostering the relational (broken) heart of the Community within the context of three general environs of relational healing: mutuality, fidelity, and trust. It is my prayer that we use as our standard, the One and True Healer of souls and bodies, the only One who fosters the relational heart of His Community.
Mutuality
Foundational to fostering a relational heart is to establish a context in which shared standards and language exists. His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, had proclaimed the theme of the 2002 Clergy Laity Congress in Los Angeles, Offering Orthodoxy to Contemporary America. We hold the Holy Orthodox Church, as the triumphant faith of the Apostle, the faith of the Fathers, the faith of the Ecumenical Councils, as the fullness of the revealed truth of the Triune God. Mutuality, (those things that we hold in common), has proven, and will continue to increasingly prove foundational in making this offering available to Contemporary America. Are the (antiquated) cultural topologies and forms of Orthodoxy able to find a compatible language in order to foster the relational heart with and in Contemporary America? Is it possible to offer 19th Century (late Ottoman) cultural sensibilities to 21st Century America? Can Orthodoxy meet a post modern world before resolving its relationship with the modern world?
Fidelity
Outside of a total commitment to absolute fidelity and faithfulness, any relationship is bound to failure. There are clear lines which we hold as non-negotiable in our relationships, and there are others with are in constant negotiation. These lines must be agreed upon. Unquestionably, held inviolate is our faithful commitment to the Dogma, Holy Traditions, and Canons of the Holy Church. To do otherwise would be grounds for divorce. Father Emmanuel Clapsis (Dean of Holy Cross School of Theology) is frequent to say, "The Orthodox Church, is by nature dialogical." Not only must the Church be in constant dialogue with its past, but must also be in constant dialogue with the contemporary world. We must, in order to foster the relational heart of the community, assure the broken hearted that the Church will faithfully stand with them. Which group or broken soul did Christ abandon? Issues of misogyny, sexism, racism, elitism, anti Semitism, homophobia, etc, must become a part of the dialogue if a value of faithfulness and fidelity is to be established and held with any legitimacy.
Trust
In fostering the relational (broken) heart of the Community, the greatest value necessary is trust. In order to heal, one must first trust. In order to trust, one must first be vulnerable. This formula is equally true for both the one seeking healing, and the one doing the healing. This cycle becomes a perpetual ballet in which both the healer and the one seeking healing must constantly negotiate very complex and challenging moves. Like ballet, it is most effective when seen as effortless, when, in actuality, it takes tremendous effort and courage to execute. Another contrasting yet equally effective image is that of a snail, who slowly and cautiously comes out of its shell, hyper attuned to any stimuli that might suggest danger, and who is quick to retreat to the dubious safety of its fortress. The cycle of healing/trust/vulnerability can be discussed in the paradigms of Medicine, Psychology, and Religion, and related to Christ's own healing ministry as a model, par excellence for all who minister to and foster the relational heart of Gods broken people.
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