I know that I had said I would finish talking about some pro-life issues today, but life was a little busier yesterday than I expected. So, meantime, enjoy the above cartoon from Pithless Thoughts.
Sadly, I have some people in the mission I am building up that have the same attitude as the curmudgeon above. Rather than being happy about the members who are rejoicing in the Lord’s Resurrection, they are caught up in the details of whether people are saying it or doing it “exactly right.” Needless to say, this is simply another form of Phariseeism. But, it hides in the Church in the same way that it hid in first-century Israel, as a purported desire to be spiritual and to honor Holy Tradition.
And, we also have the other extreme, the people who seem to consider that they cannot be bound by any rules. They often have all sorts of reasons for why they do not have to fast, or do not need to go to any service but Sunday morning, etc. These folks often also claim to be preserving the true Orthodoxy, a spiritual Orthodoxy. Nevertheless, I am often surprised by how these people can suddenly go postal-Pharisee if one of their particular cherished traditions is “violated.”
Here is what is sadly interesting. Both sides in this “debate” do not wish to listen to our hierarchs or their decisions. Rather, each one seems oddly convinced that they have the “divine right” to not listen and to try to enforce their opinions on their parish, and if possible on the entire jurisdiction!
I personally like the call and response written in Tolkein Elvish-Quenyan (Language of the elves in J.R. Tolkien’s writings): Ortanne Laivino! Anwa ortanne Laivino!
So–Ortanne Laivino! (Altogether now)
ANWA ORTANNE LAIVINO!!