[amberamuletuk]

Dear Effie,

along similar lines as your post above, I was talking to my sister yesterday, and somehow the conversation turned to talking about our saints. (My sister is protestant). I had just read about St John of Kronstadt, and what struck me was the discription of his eyes. Because it was those beautiful eyes that stopped me everytime I walked past his icon in our church. I could not read his name, I asked one of our older women, and she did not know who it was, and finally, got a chance to ask our priest, earlier this week, and he told me who it was. So, as soon as I got home, I read about him, and I was thrilled. Even through his icon, he can look at me, like he looked at people when he was walking on earth.

When I described his eyes to my sister, and the effect his look had on people, she exclaimed: "That sounds like the eyes of Jesus!" And I thought: YES! That's exactly it! That's why we love our saints. When they look at us miserable struggling weaklings, we are fully known and fully loved and there's no greater comfort than that.

BUT - in my protestant days, there were no such eyes to look at me and comfort me and bring me healing. It was only in my imagination, I never thought I"d meet such eyes on earth. Now I discover a whole new world, in Orthodoxy, where Christ's Eyes still look at us, through his saints. And it does change us... whether we 'know' the gospel or not, whether we can articulate our faith or not...

I"ve been watching 'cradle' orthodox and there's one thing that stands out to me... humility. I think, cradle orthodox are generally more humble than all other christians in the world. And it has nothing to do with their learnedness. I think it has to do with the kind of people they've been surrounded by. The kind of people, they've looked up to, and tried to emulate. My sister is in Kenya and she said of the people, that they're not as friendly as the Ethiopians. And I knew why. It's the years of being orthodox, it has affected, not just the Orthodox, but also the unbelievers around, to a certain degree. The Ethiopians are generally more loving, more accepting, more forgiving, more trusting... more humble. Oh, I've seen some intense pride in them and it makes them look quite ridiculous when they get all puffed up - but maybe the reason it looked so bad was because, in general, they are a humble people.

I've seen the same amongst the Greeks and the Russians I'm getting to know. For instance, why should anyone let me speak? I am a 'neophyte' (sounds like some kind of lizard) - and I know nothing, I should be silent and watching and learning, not exposing my ignorance. But they listen, and even find worthwhile things in what I say. I'd never listen to a new convert.

Humility... I've never seen it lived out. The Orthodox Church has. And they know what it looks like. So they can emulate it. There's the entire Gospel for you.

IN Christ,
Mary.