The Patriach's Passing and the Timelessness of Christ

Recently our Patriarch (ALEXEI II) of Moscow and All Russia passed away. It was probably due to heart failure of some kind, although they won't say.

That week, we were late for Church (totally our fault, although it's always a temptation to blame it on the baby) so we missed the sermon (yeah, SUPER late). I was bummed because I wanted to hear what the pastor had to say about it.

And so, in my typical hubris, I thought about what I might say. I didn't know. I mean, I don't think the Patriarch's passing rocked our parish (most of whom are not Russian anyway). It's not that we didn't care about it him, but we didn't really know him either. He was only a daily part of my life in that I prayed for him everyday. But I didn't see him and I could count on one had the number of times I've read a homily of his and I don't believe I have ever seen him speak on TV, even. I think most parishoners, apart from those who came from Russia, are in the same boat. I mean, I was more shaken up and saddened at the last Pope's passing.

But, he was still an important figure in my life. I don't know about his past under communism. I know that many have accused him of being a sellout. I'm not defending anything he may have done to sell the faith short becuase I can't imagine what it would have been like to live under that tyranny. I mean, I think about the people who had to live through Katrina. Were they themselves then? Surely they made decisions that today they are not proud of. Well, anyway, I will certainly not judge His Holiness. I liked how he stood up to Western PCism. I liked that he was in no hurry to make nice with the Pope until that actually meant something. Sure, sometimes it takes making nice to move forward. But sometimes making nice simply gives the illusion that we've moved ahead.

Anyway, I was thinking about how saddenned many of my Russian brothers and sisters must be. I thought how terrible it is to lose a leader. I mean, yes, for him it is wonderful for his hope is in Christ. But for us? And then it hit me all the more what it means that Christ is always there. That He is our Rock. That He is the constant that will never fade or change. I always knew this... but I never truly understood that. No matter what happens, as Orthodox, we can always stand firm in the faith that Christ is there. We still partook in Christ's Body and Blood, just as we have every Sunday.

A man died and went to his Creator. He is the past, and we pray for him and he prays for us... and we move on. We move on precisely because we believe in the Constant, unchanging and steady presence and existence (if that could even rightly describe it) of our God; an intensly personal God.

This is probably not a very deep post to anyone reading it (if anyone is, I truly doubt it). But, I guess it was just one of those "Aha!" moments that you had to be there to get it.

Xpy