OUR BEHAVIOR IN CHURCH

Today, my beloved, the Evangelist Luke describes to us an incident which took place in a certain Synagogue. The Lord went to teach and it was a Sabbath day. He found there a woman who had a bent back. She was hunched over for eighteen whole years, and it could not be completely corrected. When Jesus saw her, He said to her: “Woman, you are freed from your illness,” and He placed His hands upon her, and immediately, this woman was made straight.

And she, of course, glorified God. The leader of the synagogue, on the other hand, did not do the same, but at once became jealous. However, he covered his jealousy with alleged indignation that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day and, turning to the crowds, told them they should shun these healings and such on the Sabbath day because it was a day of rest.

Why was he envious? Oh, my beloved! Because he, as the leader of the synagogue, was in a way overshadowed by the presence of Jesus… but the Lord unmasks him. Indeed, he was envious. So the Lord says to him: “Hypocrite!” (a complete unmasking) “Don’t all of you on the Sabbath day loose your ox or your donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And shouldn’t this woman, a daughter of Abraham (not of Adam, but of Abraham), whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” And while He was saying these things, those who opposed Jesus and His work (because, it seems that quite a few of them stood behind the synagogue leader) were put to shame – but not the people; they rejoiced and gave glory to God.

At the synagogue we notice, beloved, that the people had different behaviors: The Lord teaches, heals, places the correct meaning of the Sabbath day of rest; the healed woman, in silence, was listening to the Lord’s teaching and rejoicing (and of course she in no way suspects the great benefaction which she was about to receive – to be healed, that is). The congregation also listens and rejoices – but not everyone. The synagogue leader feels envious because, as we said, his presence was overshadowed by the presence of Jesus Christ. He, however, cannot hide his envy, and with a face of supposed indignation about not keeping the Sabbath day of rest, expresses his bitterness. (So many times people hypocritically cover up a supposed transgression, as if they were religious people!) And there are also others, those who led a corrupt life. They of course agree with the stance the synagogue leader takes because they do not want to leave the corrupt lives they are leading, and they too oppose the Lord. There are also the people, the people who gather, who maintain a good disposition and rejoice for whatever happened inside the synagogue.

This image is stereotypical. Wherever the Lord went, we have a division of the crowd, the mass of people, a difference in how they are moved by Him, how they feel. They were all in the synagogue area, and they all went there, of course, to pray, because every Sabbath there was prayer – not worship – but prayer. (Worship only took place in the temple which was in Jerusalem. It is known that sacrifice was never permitted in the synagogue, and sacrifice is always worship. Therefore, we do not have worship in the synagogue, only prayer.) Seeing these varied and different behaviors, a question is posed to us: In our Christian temples, how do we move? How do we feel? How do we conduct ourselves? How do you feel about each other? How does everyone move in church?

The Apostle Paul writes, in his first letter to Timothy, the bishop of Ephesus: “I am writing these things to you so that you may know how one should behave in the house of God (in this place where we have not only prayer, but worship also – and, in fact, the mystery par-excellence – the Divine Eucharist) which is the church of the living God” (14-15). In other words, everyone must learn how to conduct themselves in church, where – I will repeat – first and foremost, not only prayer, but worship takes place, and this elevates the issue of behavior of Christians in church. Let us occupy ourselves with this topic for a while.

Really, which is our behavior? We must admit that it is not good at all, because we Christians have been deprived of liturgical training, and we need training in every area of our lives. When making a phone call, for example, shouldn’t I at least have a little training? Such as knowing to say my name first if I am calling? (Have you noticed how much time is wasted in order to find out who is calling? We have all suffered this: “Who is this?” We don’t know because he never learned to say his name first.) On the bus… because the other guy likes to smoke, he starts smoking, even though someone else is bothered. Or he wants to open the window because he is hot, or he wants to close the window because he is cold. So you understand, in every area of our lives we must have a similar behavior when we are not alone, when we are with other people.

So what we are saying today? Everyone must be trained, to learn what his conduct should be in church. If we are not careful in church, this means that we have lost the meaning of worship, and also of the awesomeness of the temple area, where the sacrament par-excellence, the Holy Eucharist, takes place.

Have you noticed how many times the priests make announcements at a wedding or at a baptism (most of all at weddings), how many times he has to say: “Please be quiet” or “Please, no laughing”, “Please this or Please that”, wanting to restore some order among the guests who are present at the wedding sacrament? Why all this every time? Because we lack the necessary training for being inside the temple of God. If Moses was commanded to take off his sandals when he saw that bush burning, which was not burning (Ex. 3:5), how much more, my beloved, should we, who are not in front of a burning bush, but are in the temple where the Mystery par-exellence takes place – the mystery of the Holy Eucharist?

And thus, because we have been deprived of liturgical training, and lack an awareness of the presence of the awesome God, we chit-chat, laugh, and criticize the person next to us, ready to criticize everyone, even in the sanctuary, and to tell our neighbor as well. We do not have a reverent attitude. We move around brashly. Many times we enter the temple with our hands in our pockets – even defiantly! (When a woman enters dressed in men’s clothing, in pants, is this not a provocation? And when they arrive at the monastery gate they say: “Do you have a skirt I can wear?” Yes, we will give you a skirt, but you are supposed to put it on before you leave your house, since you knew you were going to visit a monastery, but we will give you a skirt. Why did you wear pants? Here, take it.)

Those who march around in church show so little sensitivity by the way they conduct themselves, and thus they scandalize – they disturb everyone and everything. We get the feeling that church is a market or a sidewalk, as if we are at the store to do some shopping… All of these are characterizations a disrespectful, irreverent disposition, even though the profound awareness of the awesomeness of the place should make us reverent. Let us say to ourselves: “O Lord, I fear You. I am entering Your temple.” We will make our cross, we will venerate the icons, our garb will be proper, etc.

I will share with you now a sampling from a book called The Apostolic Constitutions1, a very old book [AD 350], where prescribed behaviors have been formulated for the Divine Liturgy of St. Clement of Rome (one of the most ancient Liturgies). In the 8^th chapter, we find:

And let the deacons walk about and watch the men and women, so that no disturbance may be made. (Bk. 8, Chp. 11)

Here, many times, my beloved, I don’t know how it happens with the air, I don’t know… as you enter through the door… “Bam!” the door slams… Do you know that any movement, disturbance or sudden noise which can startle the churchgoer offends the reverent concentration which everyone should have when they are praying? Do you know this?

And he also says:

No one should signal, whisper or slumber. (Bk. 8, Chp. 11) (The deacons are still watching, looking, from afar, with understanding, at what is happening. No whispering! No nodding off! (The one taking a nap in the chair mentioned above.) … No one should go out, nor should a door be opened (so that no disturbance is made), and this should be followed faithfully up until the Anaphora (the holy Anaphora in the Divine Liturgy). (Bk. 8, Chp. 11) … Let us be standing before the Lord with fear and trembling when we make the offering. (Bk. 8, Chp. 12) (We must be standing not only with fear, but also with trembling, which is the manifestation of fear, during the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.)

And St. Clement of Rome continues:

Let the mothers take hold of their children. (Bk. 8, Chp. 12)

Did you hear that? They are to hold on to their children, so that they are not “off the leash” (pardon the expression) inside the Church, turning here and there, disturbing, running around. No. The child will learn from a young age how to stand in the house of the Lord. We may not take a chair for the child. No. We will have stools for them, the folding kind. We will always bring it with us when we take our children to Church. We will open the stool and the child will sit in front of us. No bench, no chair; these are for the elderly.

(It should be noted that in the ancient Church, like today, the people sat down for some parts of the Divine Liturgy. This is why we also have the order: “Arise! [Ὀρθοί] Having received the divine and immaculate Mysteries of Christ…” In other words, “It’s time to stand”, because while everyone was communing the others waited, and of course they were allowed to sit. They sat down because it took a long time; everyone went back to their place and sat. Now that all are finished, “Arise!” [Ὀρθοί], that is, “Stand up! Having received…” (Some priests, however, say: “Righteous partakers…”2, and they change the meaning of the phrase.) So, they stand up. Those who participated stand, because we will continue [praying] as before in the Divine Liturgy.)

So then, mothers hold on to the children, to keep them close.

And after the bishop partakes, then the presbyters (here is a lineup of how everyone will receive communion), then the deacons, then the subdeacons, then the readers, then the chanters and the monks; then of the women, the deaconesses, then the virgins and widows (a differentiation in the order of women) then the children (the children are last) and then all the people in order, with reverence and godly fear, without tumult. (Bk. 8, Chp. 13)

St. Clement continues:

These things concerning mystical worship we appoint for you, the apostles. (Bk. 8, Chp. 15)

All of the above expresses the apostolic command, which is in line with what the Apostle Paul writes: “Let everything be done becomingly and with order” (1 Cor 14:40). Everything should be done well, not badly, but well, that is to say, in good form. Because what does “badly” mean? Not done well. “Let everything be done with order.” “For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace” writes the Apostle Paul in the 14^th chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians (14:33) – and we too must conform and move in such a way.

But our becoming reverent in church is not the only thing required of us. Our live participation in divine worship by our regular congregation is also needed. That poor little woman, the hunchback, if she had not gone that Sabbath day, would the Lord have made her well? She did go, however, without fail, every Sabbath day, and on one of those Sabbath days, the Lord honored her and made her, this hunched over woman, well.

We too must attend church regularly, not one Sunday and not the next, as a duty, according to God’s commandment (Deut. 5:12-15), and this is because the purpose of the gathering is “divine therapy”, and when we say “therapy” we mean worship, the Divine Liturgy. This is why the Apostle Paul writes: “Do not neglect to gather yourselves together, as is the practice of some” (the mistake of some, that one goes and another one doesn’t) “but encourage one another, especially now that you see that the Day is approaching” (Heb 10:25). (Which “Day”? The end of History. It is approaching; the Lord is near.) The hunched over woman, despite her physical affliction did not, as we said, neglect to attend the synagogue without fail. This is why the Lord honored her.

Moreover, our presence at a worship service should be good-hearted, full of faith and love, both for God and for the churchgoers around us. Let us not say “That person bothers me.” No, my beloved! The Apostle says to the Hebrews: “And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, strong faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience” (Heb 10:21-22) and “Let us consider how to encourage one another to love and good works” (Heb 10:24).

Something very heartfelt. Here we have the encouragement of love. Something very heartfelt. There, in divine worship (and this is the most important thing) the Lamb of God is offered. If we understand only this – only this – what It is that we partake of, what is brought to pass, we would be standing with fear and trembling in the temple of God.

“I beseech you, brethren,” says the Apostle Paul, “by the mercies of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (as if each body were placed on a rack, in order to be sacrificed; holy bodies) “holy, well-pleasing to God, your rational worship” (Rom 12:1).

When I also offer myself, at the same time Christ offers Himself for the salvation of His people, this is participation, real participation. If we learn what this means, that we really have the Body and Blood of Christ, not figuratively, not symbolically, but really, then truly we are overwhelmed. Let us thank the Holy Triune God always – always – when we understand all these things. When we commune, let us also give thanks – pay attention – to the Most Holy Theotokos, who gave her body to her Son, whose Body we commune. For this reason also, the mystery of Holy Communion is called “the mystery of Holy Thanksgiving”.

Beloved, the synagogue where the Lord was found was given a deep incision. There were those who accepted the benefaction and rejoiced in the Lord’s presence, and there were those who envied and opposed the Lord’s presence. Unfortunately, it always happens this way. The Lord’s presence creates two camps, His own people and His enemies, and many times they coexist inside the same temple. For this reason, says the Apostle Peter in his first letter: “The time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? (1 Pet 4:17)

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So – I repeat – “Let us learn” writes the Apostle Paul, “how to conduct ourselves in the house of God”. Let us learn. Do you see? Let us learn how we must behave inside the places where God is worshiped. Amen.

1. The Apostolic Constitutions can be read online here.
2. Ὀρθοί “arise”, “up” can also be understood in the sense of good moral character, “upright”.

THE END – TO GOD BE THE GLORY