Recently, I had
the blessing of reading Matushka Juliana Schmemann’s newest book, The Joy to
Serve. Having grown up in a family
dedicated to the service of the Church (my father as a parish priest, my mother
as a priest’s wife and choir director, my sister and myself as a chanter and
Sunday School teacher, my brother as a subdeacon), I found this book both
comforting and challenging. Comforting,
because it showed that the struggles we have faced throughout our church
service are by no means unique, and
challenging, because it showed that my
opinion about how things should be done is NOT equivalent, and in fact can often be radically opposed, to the Truth of the Gospel, which is simply love for God,
and love for neighbor. Below I share an
excerpt that particularly moved me, both when I first read it, and especially
now as I travel to join family, friends, and assembled faithful in prayer as my
uncle and godfather completes his life’s journey. May God bless us on our own journey to the
Kingdom!
“When preparing
for a journey, we try to learn as much as we can about our destination; the
climate, the history, the special attractions, etc. We buy special clothes, travel books, we explore the
internet. In other words we spend a
great deal of time in preparation for the trip with great enthusiasm and
anticipation.
Exactly
the same can be said about our life’s journey to the Kingdom. The same joy and anticipation can and should
take place as we prepare for our final banquet with the Lord, with the
Theotokos and with all the saints…
Having laid
aside all earthly cares, having detached ourselves from concrete petty thoughts
and emptied our minds in order to give enough room for the Spirit to fill, I
would like to stand with you in silence, stillness and solitude – solitude with
Christ. Then we can concentrate on our
journey, the one that is taking place as time moves inexorably forward, upward,
and, we hope, towards the gates…
But we know Christ, we partake of His Body and His Blood, we stand at the foot of His Cross, we know His Love…Love Him back! Always and forever, this is the
answer: love Him back!
The Church provides
all the tools that this journey requires…”
The Joy to Serve, pp.
85-88
Juliana Schmemann
Published by: Alexander Press
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