I Will Not Speak of Thy Mysteries
And whence comes the custom of baptizing thrice? And as to the other customs of baptism from what Scripture do we derive the renunciation of Satan and his angels? Does not this come from that unpublished and secret teaching which our fathers guarded in a silence out of the reach of curious meddling and inquisitive investigation? Well had they learnt the lesson that the awful dignity of the mysteries is best preserved by silence. What the uninitiated are not even allowed to look at was hardly likely to be publicly paraded about in written documents. What was the meaning of the mighty Moses in not making all the parts of the tabernacle open to every one? The profane he stationed without the sacred barriers; the first courts he conceded to the purer; the Levites alone he judged worthy of being servants of the Deity; sacrifices and burnt offerings and the rest of the priestly functions he allotted to the priests; one chosen out of all he admitted to the shrine, and even this one not always but on only one day in the year, and of this one day a time was fixed for his entry so that he might gaze on the Holy of Holies amazed at the strangeness and novelty of the sight. Moses was wise enough to know that contempt stretches to the trite and to the obvious, while a keen interest is naturally associated with the unusual and the unfamiliar. In the same manner the Apostles and Fathers who laid down laws for the Church from the beginning thus guarded the awful dignity of the mysteries in secrecy and silence, for what is bruited abroad random among the common folk is no mystery at all. -St. Basil, On the Holy Spirit, XXVII.66.
And then there’s always the prayer we pray (or should pray) before our participation in the Eucharist: “Of thy mystical supper, O Son of God, accept me today as a communicant. For I will not speak of thy Mysteries to thine enemies, neither like Judas will I give thee a kiss, but like the thief will I confess thee. Remember me, O Lord, in thy Kingdom.”
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Fr. Justin Frederick:
April 25th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
I have to agree with you, Fr. Basil: too much is being published. I share your concerns fully. Photo-taking during services is distracting. People now are taking pictures and publishing them without so much as a by-your-leave. I think it may be time for a bulletin line-item about pictures during services. Of course, all the photography action at big church gatherings just encourages it. What I want to know is why do so many of us feel the compulsion to take pictures of everything? Why view a service through the lense of a camera??
Jeffery:
April 26th, 2011 at 7:28 pm
Thank you for an insightful posting. I have just recently uploaded a number of pictures from Holy Saturday and felt very joyful about the ability to share what we had participated in. However, I did not once think about whether or not I should have posted them to Facebook. This posting has given me pause for thought and I think that I need to prayerfully and in counsel with my local priest consider all the points that wrote on. I am grateful for it because i do not want to be like Judas in this. I love the Holy Orthodox church and would hate to have been part of something that cheapens what I participate in each week. Thank you again for your gracious and thoughtful posting.
Blessings to you. Christ is Risen!
Fr Michael Spainhoward:
May 4th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
Christ is Risen! Thank you for expressing your concerns. I have to agree with you. Why else did the early church dismiss the catechumens? And it was not only they, but the penitents and even those who were not planning to receive the Mysteries. As a deacon I once opened the side door of the altar to let in fresh air on a particularly hot day. The bishop with whom I was serving told me to close it, and asked if I wanted the enemies to behold the Holy Mysteries? Our holy faith is in danger of being reduced enough as it is. Thank you for the posting.