Within these last few days, I’ve had several moving conversations with women battling with hopelessness. One is drowning in the depths of despair; one is recovering from a recent suicide attempt; one is rejoicing that her thoughts of ending her life were answered when she reached out to her mother. All three women are baptized Orthodox Christians. However, none of the three turned to the Church in her time of need. The Orthodox Church is to each of them either uninterested in her pain or, worse, the cause.

Our Christian education is often focused on how right we are to be Orthodox Christians. After all, this is the True Church, the True Bride of Christ. But perhaps this emphasis causes us to neglect the simplicity, beauty and hope of the Good News.

When I joined the Sisterhood at Saint Markella, the children asked me many questions. Gerondissa instructed me to answer, “Why did you become a nun?” with, “Because I love Jesus.” Fourteen years later, this is still the best answer – nothing about me being right.

During Holy Friday’s funeral procession, the marchers stopped as usual at a major intersection for the Bishop Pavlos to address the crowd. He was exhausted and therefore unable to speak more than a few words. However, they were the only words necessary: “Jesus loves you.” Sometimes we need our theology reduced to this utmost simplicity.

Yet, even the most exalted theological hymns, those to the All Holy Trinity, are full of love and hope.

  • O Father and Son, together with the Holy Spirit, look upon us who, though we are clay, yet nevertheless join with the fiery ones and worship Thee with faith and glorify Thy power, O Compassionate One, for we know none other besides Thee; and unto them that praise Thee do Thou cry: I am with you, and no one can be against you. (Plagal of Second Tone)

Just as too many Orthodox Christians are unaware of the glorious hope expressed in the hymns of the Church, too many are unfamiliar with the riches of hope found in the Holy Bible. A study of the word “hope” as it is found throughout the Bible brings great encouragement. This kind of study is not difficult, especially with the online Bible resources available. Visit Bible Gateway or Bible Study Tools to search for words and topics. I would suggest doing this somewhat systematically and writing out the verses that are especially encouraging to you.

Church members and clergy may be uncompassionate. They may be so set on being right that in fact they are wrong. They may be unknowingly, or knowingly, wounding the flock. But our hope is not in the people of the Church. Our hope is in Jesus Christ, our all-merciful Lord and God and Savior.

Let us place all our hope in Him alone and we will not be disappointed. Let us make use of the gifts of the Holy Bible, the glorious hymnology of the Church, the prayers of the Saints and the Holy Sacraments to arm ourselves against the evil one in all of his guises, to drag ourselves out of the abyss of despair and to allow ourselves to be lifted up into the tender mercies of our Sweetest Jesus.

May God forgive us when we are uncompassionate, and teach us to be instruments of His mercy in the lives of others. Amen.

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