Be Prepared

The best answer to the critics of the Faith is a life that reflects the peace of Jesus Christ, not necessarily all the advanced theological sophistry of so-called "apologetics."

It’s a tired, old joke: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, Practice, Practice!

But the truth contained is worth a look.

You see, the reason the example holds is because if you are going to do anything well, it will take doing it so much that it becomes second nature to you. As a police officer, I quickly learned why we had a range master when we went to the shooting range. He was there to make sure we handled this dangerous weapon issued to us in both an effective and safe manner. He drilled us repeatedly in loading, aiming, firing, and recovering to the point that I felt like I could do it in my sleep!

I got so good at it that I was given the sharpshooter badge.

If this is true of things like playing football, playing the piano, or even learning how to shoot, then it is undoubtedly true about living a Normal Orthodox Christian life.

Being a faithful Orthodox Christian means practicing the Faith so consistently and faithfully that I am ready to face whatever the world throws at me. I understand all of my life through the clear lens of Timeless Wisdom!

St. Peter will say as much in today’s Lesson in 1 Peter 3:10-22:

BELOVED, “He that would love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile; let him turn away from evil and do right; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those that do evil.”

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is right? But even if you do suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence; and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God’s will, than for doing wrong. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

St. Peter writes to his spiritual children and teaches them about Christian anatomy: If you will “see” good days, keep your “tongue” and “lips” from evil and guile. The “eyes” of the Lord see the righteous and hear their prayer. Isn’t it cool how the Holy Spirit helps us remember that we are the Body of Christ and that the Orthodox faith integrates the physical and the spiritual? But I digress.

Notice St. Peter's teaching that we should always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who “calls you to account for the hope that is in you.”

It seems Peter assumes (rightly so) that a believer in Christ can endure suffering and persecution because of hope and not merely information!

Look at how St. Peter describes how to defend your hope. He never mentions fancy words or deep philosophy. He describes the peaceful heart of one in love with God, using words like “gentleness” and “reverence.” He says the best way to defend your hope in Christ is to keep your conscience clear, and if you do that, your abuser will be shamed by your clear conscience!

Suffice it to say that defending our faith certainly means knowing it, studying it, and not allowing ignorance to steal the treasures of our faith from us. We won’t have that unshakable peace within if we haven’t allowed the wisdom of the Faith to shape us. The brilliance of the liturgical life of the Faith means eternal words of wisdom wash over us consistently as we discipline ourselves to be in worship, to pray daily, and to see the rhythm of God’s actions in the liturgy.

Still, it can never be merely the gathering of religious information. We must allow the truth of the Faith to grant us what the Lord has always given His disciples: Peace. The internal rest and confidence, the lack of internal torment or disturbance, sets me free not to allow my outward situation to invade my heart and make me fearful. It is in embracing the rhythm of the faith (I know I say that a lot!) that creates peace within my soul. But that is precisely what defends the faith. Not fancy or brilliant arguments, but a peaceful life!

St. Isidore of Pelusim is the embodiment of this wisdom. He lived in the 5th century and was from Alexandria, Egypt. Raised by devout Christian parents, he sought the solitary life of a monk on Mount Pelusium in the desert. He dedicated himself to learning the wisdom of the Faith and how to heal the human soul and enter communion with God. St. John Chrysostom inspired him to excel in preaching and teaching, and he wrote over 3000 epistles teaching the Faith. He devoted himself to preaching “practical wisdom,” which, in his own words, is both “the foundation of the edifice and the edifice itself,” while logic is “its embellishment, and contemplation its crown.” He reposed in peace on February 4, 440.

Today, are you ready to defend your faith to anyone who calls you to account for your confidence in the Faith? Better yet, does your peaceful life display that defense to all who watch you live? Defending your Orthodox faith is never just about what you know but how you live a Normal Orthodox life!

P.S. In your wisdom you adorned the Church of Christ gloriously with your many homilies, O Venerable Isidore, you were purified by abstinence, great deeds, and divine vision, and you shone forth in the world. By your words, O Father, we are guided and initiated into a more excellent life.

Fr. Barnabas Powell is the parish priest at Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene Greek Orthodox Church in Cumming, GA. He is also the founder of Faith Encouraged Ministries and produces the Faith Encouraged Daily Devotional on Substack. Watch the Faith Encouraged YouTube Channel here - https://www.youtube.com/@FaithEncouragedTV