NATURE THEOLOGY |
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Nature Theology Within Russian Orthodox Christianity, by Christie Gibbons, page 9 Is Environmental Stewardship considered to be an implicit Sacrament within the Orthodox Church? Or, to avoid demeaning the established and recognized seven Sacraments, does environmental stewardship somehow filter throughout all of the Orthodox Sacraments? Is this filtration due to the prolific pre-Christian Russian belief that the earth is a sacred, fruitful Mother? Such questions must remain open to interpretation, as within the Russian Orthodox Church there is no tangible record of the integration of the dual faiths. Acknowledging the impact of dual faiths requires the molding of our collective conceptual framework of Christianity. We can only infer that the integration of pre-Christian legacies and modern Russian Orthodoxy is prevalent, keeping in mind the Church’s practices through the lens of the Russian people, their lifestyles, and their long-honored customs. We have already inferred about how environmental stewardship can be incorporated into the Holy Unction of the Sick, and we have also hypothesized about it being a part of the Sacrament of Penance. Let us now consider the possibility of it being part of the other Sacraments. For instance, within the Sacrament of Baptism, in which the blessing of the waters is held, could the special services of prayer for rain, that already exist within the Russian Orthodox Church, supplement this Sacrament by encouraging the consideration of rain as a sort of baptism for humankind, that rain which washes us clean and gives us life? Can environmental stewardship be a part of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist? After all, the symbols of Jesus contained within it are parts of the natural environment. For instance, the Lamb of God (slain for our sins), the Vine (the True Vine), the loaf (the Bread of Life). The bread in which is represented Jesus’ body is made from the earth’s wheat, and the wine is made from the earth’s vineyards. The many flowers at feasts, metals in Church décor, wood in icons, stone in temples of worship “all lift up ordinary and earthly materials, joining them with human skills in a priestly offering that makes them manifest communion with the living presence of God.” 87 The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is dependent upon the provisions of the natural environment, so why not also acknowledge these earthly provisions with formal reverence? Could this reverence for earth be carried into the Orthodox Sacrament of Matrimony by integrating the blessing of the fields and first fruits, which already takes place in special services of the Russian Orthodox Church, as a symbol of being wedded to the land and the fruitfulness of the womblike earth? What about the Sacrament of Ordination? The most solemn ordination is that of a bishop, as his is the highest of the Holy Orders. As the greatest he is called upon to answer before God for all his flock. Several bishops ordain the new bishop, usually three or more. Before the chosen bishop is ordained he must confess his faith before all the people and make solemn vows. Before the Liturgy takes place, all the bishops are seated on a platform in the middle of the cathedral, in front of which is spread a large carpet with the design of an eagle flying above a city. The bishop-to-be stands before the eagle and recites the Nicean Creed, then is led to the middle of the eagle’s body to read and vow to keep the doctrines of the Holy Trinity and the Incarnation of the Son of God. Lastly he is led to stand on the eagle’s head and promises to obey the Patriarch and to serve according to his conscience and in the fear of God.88 The tradition of having the new bishop stand on the eagle, a symbol of strength and honor found in the natural environment, is of utmost importance within this traditional Sacrament. According to Bulgakov, in order for tradition to be the true Church tradition, is should be a living tradition. By this he means that we should live said tradition in our daily lives. He goes on to say: Nothing is more false than the idea, prevalent in the West, of the Eastern Church as the Church of tradition, a church frozen into an immobility of ritualism and traditionalism… [T]radition must be creative; it cannot be otherwise, for the creative effort of our life revives in us all the strength and all the depth of tradition. 89 Among Christians, there is a tradition, taught by Christ, to pray that God’s kingdom come. Reverend Harakas believes God’s kingdom to be a place where God is Lord, and “we and all creation with us are in full communion with God.” 90 This is a tradition that the Russian Orthodox Church takes seriously. After all, they believe that the true Christian life is one that entails fighting against all corrupting evils. Even more so, that the true Christian life to is the endeavor to conform our ways to the ways of God in “an ascetic struggle in cooperation with the Holy Spirit in us personally, in the Church, and in and for the world. So, whatever we do, we are to do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31), manifesting more and more fully, day by day, that state of affairs where we and the creation are in communion with God in and through his divine presence and energies.” 91 Harakas goes on to tell us that the Russian Orthodox Church calls God’s reaching out to the creation, His divine energies. He asserts the Russian Orthodox Christian belief that God maintains a basic communion with all of his creation even in its fallen distorted state. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 87 Harakas, ‘The Earth Is The Lord’s’: Orthodox Theology And The Environment, 158. 88 Zvegnitzov, Our Mother Church: Her Worship and Offices, 113-114. 89 Bulgakov, The Orthodox Church, 33. 90 Harakas, ‘The Earth Is The Lord’s’: Orthodox Theology And The Environment. 91 Harakas, ‘The Earth Is The Lord’s’: Orthodox Theology And The Environment. |
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