by Fr Gabriel-Allan Boyd
Last night, August 19, for this year’s Democrat Convention, Archbishop Elpidophoros offered a benediction (essentially a prayer of blessing over the proceedings and the people). I’ve noticed that some Orthodox Christians’ response to this benediction has been problematic for a few reasons. The first problem is when we regard the blessing of an event like this as an endorsement of everything that people might believe and say there. Of course, that means, that for those who support the Democrat platform & candidates, they are elated to have what they perceive as the archbishop’s validation of their team. Conversely, those who support another political team have expressed angst and even outrage over what they perceive as an Orthodox validation of candidates whose platform advocates some ideals that are in radical conflict to Orthodox teachings, like limitless abortion on demand, euthanasia, government sponsored gender transition, gay marriage, etc. It can feel rather scandalous for some Orthodox.
Of course, when it’s time for the Republican Convention, there will likely also be some Orthodox hierarch who offers a benediction there. Generally, there have been Orthodox Christian clergy to give a benediction at each of the conventions. And likewise, some people will perceive this clergy’s prayer of blessing as an endorsement of everything that people believe and say within the Republican party. And of course, this means, that for those who support the Republican platform and candidates, they are elated to have what they perceive as a hierarch’s validation of their team. Conversely, those Orthodox who support a different political team will express angst and even outrage over what they perceive as an Orthodox validation of a candidate who is bombastically vulgar and whose platform advocates reprehensible ideals in radical conflict to Orthodox teachings, like a disregard for social services, caring for the poor, sick, orphans, widows, unemployed, the marginalized, etc., characteristics in radical conflict with Orthodox teachings.
Similarly, sometimes Orthodox Christians have been scandalized when they find out that I generally offer God’s blessing to Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons who come to my door proselytizing. These Orthodox Christians are appalled because it sounds like my asking God to bless the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons is an endorsement of what they’re doing and a wish that God will give success to them in their efforts to spread their heretical beliefs. But that’s neither my wish, nor *why* I would extend a desire for God to bless them. The problem is that many Orthodox Christians fundamentally misunderstand what a blessing is.
In fact, it’s additionally quite common for Orthodox Christians to have more of a magical misunderstanding of a blessing. For instance, when people have me bless a cross that they’ll wear on a chain around their neck, or a small medal with a saint’s image on it, they mistakenly believe that the blessing of it will bring them luck...giving them good fortune. Or if I bless someone’s car, they often believe that doing so will safeguard them from auto-accidents or mechanical breakdowns. Or if I come to bless someone’s home, they sometimes believe that the blessing will protect their house from robbers or make their children behave better, or reduce the number of conflicts in their marriage, etc. And then, when they find out from me that the blessing will offer no such magical charm, they become reluctant to get their possessions blessed. All of these misunderstandings of why we would bless something lean more in the direction of superstition than toward what blessing is actually for.
When we bless, or sanctify something, it’s for the purpose of asking God to make it holy. That word, “holy” (agios = ἅγιος, in Greek) means, “set apart.” The fundamental core meaning of “holy” means “different,” or “distinguished apart.” So, the 1st century Jewish temple was “holy” because it was distinguished apart as different from other buildings. In the New Testament, “holy’ has the technical meaning of “different from the world”...like the Lord. So, when we bless or sanctify something, we’re asking God to make it different from the world...but not merely different. There’s no virtue in merely being different. Instead, we want it to be different because it’s set apart to suit God’s will. So, Israel, as God’s people, were “holy” because they were set apart for the Lord’s purposes. To be blessed (or to have an object blessed) is to be set apart for the Lord’s purpose. We bless something to elevate it to a higher purpose. We also bless something so that we will be given new eyes to see it from the Lord’s perspective as eventually being fulfilled in Him...elevated to something utilized to accomplish His purposes. We bless something, because we want to be given the sight to see and interact with it in that way. And when we do see and interact with God’s creation in that way, it becomes imbued with power from on high. That’s why, during Theophany’s blessing of the waters (making it into “holy water”), so many of the prayers and petitions ask God to enlighten us...because we, all too often, see and interact with the world through worldly eyes instead of through eyes that see creation as what it was intended to be when it was created—intimately connected to God to fulfill His purposes. We, too often, see objects that we have blessed like a cross or a medal as something to bring us luck, or bring us good fortune, to fulfill our own selfish purposes, instead of something that we utilize to remind us of and to fulfill the Lord’s purposes.
Remember and pay attention to the fact that when the priest is sanctifying the gifts at the altar, in praise and thanksgiving (evcharistia εὐχαριστία = eucharist), he’s also calling down the Holy Spirit upon the people present, sanctifying (or blessing) them. Have all the people in attendance been sinless, interacting with the world so as to fulfill God’s good purposes? No! We all come to the Eucharist as people who have a long way to grow into Christ’s likeness. So, when the priest blesses (sanctifies) those people, is it an endorsement of everything they’ve been doing and a wish that God will give success to their selfish pursuits? Of course not! The priest blesses the people, calling the Holy Spirit down upon them, to elevate them to a higher purpose, to become people who carry the body and blood of Jesus Christ with them in their bodies into the world to fulfill the Lord’s purposes there. The laity are being elevated in those prayers as a people who have been set apart unto God (holy), to begin interacting with God’s creation as ones who cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit, to elevate creation to the higher purpose of becoming unified with God...fulfilling God’s will.
Whether the person receiving a prayer of blessing is a Democrat, or a Republican, or a Libertarian, or an Independent, or a member of the Green Party, or whatever else might be out there...as Orthodox Christians, we are to ask for God’s blessing upon any and all of them, not as an endorsement of everything they believe and say, but rather, to prayerfully ask that they be elevated to a higher purpose...to fulfill God’s will, because ultimately, politics aren’t what will save our nation, but rather, unity with God. As the psalmist, David, says, “Do not put your trust in human leaders nor in the sons of men in whom there is no salvation” (Psalms 145 [146]: 3) Rather, we are to put our trust in the Lord...the only One who can save any of us, by elevating us—to unify us with Him and with His purposes.
“For our country, for the president, and for all in public service, let us pray to the Lord. Lord have mercy.”
~ the Divine Liturgy