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St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church
Richmond Hill, ON
Nov. 10 - 12
Fr Anthony Michael
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“Be mindful, O Lord, of our Archbishop Metropolitan Philip, His Grace Bishop Alexander, and of every Bishop of the Orthodox; the Priests and Deacons and all the clergy of thy Church, which thou hast established to feed the flock of thy Word; and by their prayers have mercy upon me and save me, a sinner.”
It is through the clergy that the Lord feeds His flock, and in mid-November, the flock at St George received spiritual nourishment from Fr Anthony Michael. He arrived for Vespers service on Friday evening, the day commemorating the Great Martyr Menas. Following Vespers, Fr Anthony graciously and intelligently answered a plethora of questions from St George parishioners. After celebrating Divine Liturgy with Fr. Iskander on the following Saturday morning, Fr Anthony spoke on the topic – Finding God in Our Daily Life. Despite the title, Fr Anthony immediately pointed out that we only find God because He first finds us. It therefore follows that our whole life is a dramatic return to the Source. Why do we speak of return? Because the essential purpose of the spiritual life is turning around, or perhaps to speak more accurately, it is to re-orient oneself. Like children, we are made to run with open arms into the hands of Limitless Love. In this re-orientation process, where is God to be found? Fr Anthony provided three infallible locales. First, we find God outside of us (i.e. in nature). Drawing on the initial chapter of St Paul’s epistle to the Romans, Fr Anthony demonstrates that we find God in nature. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.” Second, we find God within us. That is, through our conscience we discern the presence of God. Third, we find God with us, present in our neighbours. As C.S. Lewis notes, “Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat – the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden.” As such, the beginning of the spiritual life is right in front of us. It is found in our family, our friends and our colleagues. Certainly this is why Fr Anthony subtitled his lecture – Kindling the Divine Spark Within You. We have that Divine Spark within because we are created in His image. However, because we live with a condition of false loves (cf. Romans 6), the Spark within us requires vivification. Such an awakening can only occur through the church. Hence we have the necessity of honest confession, unceasing prayer, fasting and the reception of Holy Eucharist. In the latter itself, we partake of the medicine of immortality, and find our true selves by finding Him. This Advent, we will do well to remember the teaching of Fr Anthony. In the midst of our fasting, his words will nourish us far greater than any material sustenance, and help to remind us that we can only be truly fed with God – the God outside of us, inside of us, and around us. “This Advent season, prepare a place in the manger of your heart for the birth of Christ.” |
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