Below is an essay by our priest, Father John Moses,
from Kairos, his parish newsletter.
Taking the Cure
We often talk about how the Church is a spiritual hospital where we come to get well. In Orthodox terms, what does it mean to "get well?" Metropolitan Hierotheos, in his book The Illness and Cure of the Soul in the Orthodox Tradition, states "When we say that the Saints are those who have been cured, we mean that they have been united to God." This union is experienced by them as "an unceasing memory of God through noetic prayer."
So this is what being well looks like - union with God, experienced as unceasing memory of God through prayer. Ok, it sounds wonderful, but how do we get there? How do we ever attain to such a state?
Again, Metropolitan Hierotheos gives us a road map of how we take the cure.
First, Orthodox faith is absolutely necessary because Orthodoxy preserves the cure. If the Faith is changed, the cure is altered. This is why the Fathers fought so hard and long against the heresies of Arius and others.
Second, we must be aware of the seriousness of the illness. Not every physical illness causes me to go to the doctor. Sometimes, its amazing how long I can be ill before I call the doctor. And if I don't have a keen sense of the seriousness of my spiritual illness, I will not seek the cure either. This is one reason why, during the liturgy, we say "Lord have mercy" so many times. At some point, we might become convinced that maybe there really is something wrong. This realization might compel us to get serious about taking the cure.
Third, we need an Orthodox therapist-priest. Celebrating the Mysteries of the Church is central to his work as therapist. But also, the priest must strive through his own personal asceticism to attain theosis or wellness. Met. Hierotheos feels that the effectiveness of the spiritual therapy of a priest is parallel to the stage of purification that he attains. Therefore, a priest is not a psychologist, but one who through purification, speaks with an illuminated mind, a mind illuminated by the light of Christ.
Finally, we must adopt a life of Orthodox asceticism. We need to take the cure by practicing our spiritual therapies diligently. It would do us little good to go to a doctor, hear his words of wisdom, take his prescription for a cure, and then go home and watch TV, drink beer, and eat pizza until our next visit to the doctor's office.
What are the spiritual therapies of the Church? They are: attending all of the liturgies, participating in the mysteries of the Eucharist and confession, prayer, fasting, reading the Scriptures, etc. Also, we must strive to keep the Commandments and to avoid evil.
Whether we take the cure or not, God's love for us does not change. Even so, if we do not take the cure, we are sick unto death even though He loves us. He has given us everything needed for life and well-being, but it is up to us to chose life or sickness and death.
Chose life—take the cure!
Fr. John