After reading the comments over at Notes on Arab Orthodoxy, I don’t believe anyone feels that disrespect was intended by the non-mention of Metropolitan Ephrem’s visit to the United States. The situation is understandable, knowing that there can be a real difference between a printed schedule and what actually transpires.

It should be pointed out that when such visits are not reported at all, even in retrospect, we are given the impression that they are seen as irrelevant to an American audience. Only a handful of American Antiochians are familiar with Bishop Ephrem, true. But that in itself is the problem. More should be aware. Why? Because he is a true spiritual father, some would even say a holy man, from the Old Country.

Another example: Several months ago Father Elia Khalife, monk and Oxford scholar of Aramaic, visited the United States and gave a presentation of his efforts to preserve Antiochian Aramaic manuscripts. There was little interest on the part of those who welcomed him.

Perhaps someone assumes this visit is of no interest to Americans? An Antiochian with a expertise in Aramaic manuscripts is a jackpot, is gold, for anyone interested in real evangelism. With the recent books by Hitchens, Dawkins, Deepak Chopra, and others who attack historic Christianity, one would have to be culturally unaware to think Father Elia’s visit is not worth mentioning.  Am I mistaken? An Orthodox expert in Aramaic should be valued to a greater extent.  Or at least given a donation in order to support his work.

After nine years in the Church, I have come to feel our disinterest/neglect/avoidance, whatever you want to call it, of monastics is aberrant. Other jurisdictions are not like this.

If we really want an “Orthodox America”, we need to facilitate the growth of monasticism in the United States. Antiochian leaders need to understand that their cynicism and mistrust of a monastic presence is far outweighed by America’s need for it. Spiritually minded Americans are looking for a standard, a place they can point to as a solid example of the authentic, spiritual life of the Christian Church. We don’t need more web sites or conferences. We need holy people from the old country. Send them to us and let them tour our parishes. Let us sit at their feet and hear their wisdom.

There is the assumption that our interest in spiritual discipline will result in us going “overboard” and applying severe monastic lifestyles on our families. That is false.  Some of us actually have level heads on our shoulders. The reason we want a more accessible Orthodox monasticism is because our American culture is permissive, consumerist, and indulgent in every way, and on both sides of the political spectrum. Our children desperately need to see that true havens from the world exist.

Every so often you run into a convert with a rabid fascination with applying canon law to everyone he meets. But if interaction with monasticism patently causes converts to go overboard, then the vast majority of converts would be overboard right now, because despite the AOANA’s minimal support for a monastic presence, we’re visiting monasteries anyhow, those of the the Greek and Russian churches.

For all our branding as the “ancient church” we know that many converts leave after several years.  Softening the exotic appearance of Orthodox clergy for tender American eyes hasn’t been a solution, it seems. Something else is scaring them off, and its not aesthetics. A lot of former Antiochians end up in other jurisdictions. Why?

I feel this is the reason: It isn’t long before a convert notices that there are virtually no spiritual writings coming from the Antiochian Church. There are study aids and good devotional material and I do  not want to be negative about these things that bring benefit many of the faithful, but things of Patristic depth (along the lines of Romanian Elder Cleopa Ilie, Fr. Seraphim Rose, the Evergetinos, etc) come from the Russian, Serb, or Greek Church. We know about all the convert books, but no one tells us about Nikodemos the Hagiorite, how to read the Philokalia, or about our diocesan connection to St Silouan and Elder Sophrony. One of the best quality and spiritual publications- “Divine Ascent”- is virtually unknown among Antiochian laity. And Bishop Basil was an early sponsor of the journal! In fairness I should mention that there are good spiritual writings coming out of the Antiochian Church, but many are not translated from Arabic into English.

Our wealthiest travel to international functions and are unaware or uninterested that our working class parishioners are learning Greek and Syriac in order to defend the faith in public life.

The Orthodox in my local neighborhood spend their week interfacing with lesbians, neo-pagans, atheists, and assorted ethnicities whose only knowledge of the Church comes from the Da Vinci Code and Shelby Spong.  That’s what life is like for those of us who can’t afford to attend a resort hotel convention.

Give me one priest with beard and rasso, and I will take him to parts of America where he will attract the lost like moths to a flame.

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