Something's Missing!

If you don't pay attention, life can start being a series of missed opportunities and broken relationships. Learning how to discipline yourself is at the heart of a Normal Orthodox life.

Our parish ladies' group put together a recipe book as a fundraiser for their many ministries. So, one of the leaders approached me and asked, “Father, would you like to include a recipe and a message in our cookbook?” Of course, I said, “Yes.”

I love to bake, so I included a recipe for the best sour cream biscuits I ever made and a family holiday favorite of mine. But I remember the first time I baked these little tastes of heaven; I forgot to mix in the sour cream! Holy smokes, they were awful!

That’s what happens when you forget an ingredient. Forgetfulness can be caused by a lack of attention or focus, being focused on the process without following all the steps, or thinking, “I know better than the recipe.” But, in any event, the missing ingredient means you won’t get what you intended.

Look at our Lesson today in Matthew 12:38-45:

At that time, the scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest, but he finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and brings with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So shall it be also with this evil generation.”

So, what is the missing ingredient in these religious leaders that they are setting themselves up for destruction? They are missing the necessary humility to discern! Jesus confronts these religious people by reminding them of both the Prophet Jonah and King Solomon, both heroes in Jewish history. He tells these leaders that there is One among them who is greater than either of these heroes. But these religious leaders can’t see Him because they lack discernment. They lack the humility to see the moment. They lack the love for God to make all their traditions life-giving instead of being merely nostalgic and powerless. They know all the “rules,” but their missing intimacy with God meant they didn’t recognize Him when He stood right before them!

Discernment comes from focused attention on love; first, love for God and then love for those around you. Selfishness blinds us from discernment. But devotion and attention to tending my relationship with God and others make my heart sensitive and aware of God’s presence in my life moment by moment, and it allows me to quickly obey God's gentle directions in my everyday life. That way, the Evil One won't find your heart clean but empty!

There is even an actual medical condition that is a physical example of this spiritual illness. It’s called “affective disorder.” This is a mental illness that makes a person unable to be aware of events around them. They seem to be disconnected to the moment. It is interesting that even our secular world recognizes the dangers of a disconnect in seeing reality as it is.

Sts. Boris and Gleb were sons of Prince Vladimir of the Slavic people. These brothers are called “Passion-bearers” in the Church because they weren’t necessarily killed for their Faith, but their manner of dying witnessed to the power of Christ to change men. When you know their story, you’ll understand that much better. The politics of the day were in turmoil, and the succession to the throne was disputed. Boris and Gleb’s brother, Svyatopolk, didn’t want his brothers to be rivals for the throne after Prince Vladimir’s death, so he had the brothers killed! Sts. Boris and Gleb knew of their brother’s treachery but refused to “fight fire with fire” and instead obeyed the scriptural wisdom of Matthew 5:39 “Resist not evil.” These holy heroes saw the deeper eternal perspective and discerned their true life was in Christ, and their nation avoided civil war.

Today, are you able to discern God’s direction for your life? Is this attention on loving God above all others, allowing you the grace to love those around you as they should be loved? Are you focused on loving God and neighbor to the point where you can discern the needs of others and the will of God for your life? The gift of discernment is the missing ingredient that flows from a lack of love. As you are living your life today, take care to follow the “recipe” for a Normal Orthodox life step by step and make sure discernment isn’t missing in your life.

P.S. O Righteous Passion-bearers and true fulfillers of the Gospel of Christ, Chaste Boris and guileless Gleb, you did not oppose the onslaughts of your enemy, your brother, who though killing your bodies was unable to touch your souls. Let the evil lover of power mourn therefore, while you rejoice with the angelic choirs; and as you stand before the Holy Trinity, pray for the souls of them that honor your memory, that they may be pleasing to God: and by your intercessions, pray that all Orthodox people may be saved.

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.

By the way, the recipe for the biscuits is:

3 cups of flour (White Lilly self-rising is preferred)

2 sticks of butter (I like the slated, but you can use unsalted if you prefer)

1 cup of sour cream

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Melt the butter and mix the butter, sour cream, and flour together. Spray a miniature muffin pan with non-stick spray (butter-flavored is fun!) and spoon the mixture into each spot. Bake until lightly golden brown.