Morós and the Monk
In the city of Útopos,[1] on Ágnostos,[2] Street, Morós,[3] the
Student intercepts Charíton,[4] the Monk on his way to the Hagía
Sophía,[5] Monastery.
Morós: Well, holy monk, what do you think of the election of the new Pope? Was it not thrilling?
Monk: It does not concern me.
Morós: Oh, you are one of those fanatical fellows who lives in a
monastery that flies a black flag, and everyone sticks his head out the
window and shouts, “Orthodoxy or death!” How pretentious and arrogant!
Monk: Indeed?
Morós: Here is the election of a new Pope, a world-leader of
Christians, one of the most powerful men in the world, and you are
unconcerned. Your indifference is the result of your untenable
conviction that you have the Truth and everyone else is in error.
Everyone is wrong but you. You do not want Ecumenism because you do not
treat everyone as equals. You prefer to see mankind divided, separated,
hostile. You prefer polemic to peace, dialectic to dialogue,
logomachy6 to love.
Monk: All right.
Morós: You have nothing more to say?
Monk: To what end, Morós, my friend? You and I live in different
worlds. You have one perspective and I have another. You have, if I may
borrow some phrases, a “value-system” I do not share and a “mind-set”
I do not want.
Morós: You have nothing to say because you are a fanatic and an
obscurantist! All people like you are insecure — which leads you to
think that no one has faith but you. What makes you think God
has revealed the Truth to the Orthodox alone? Quite simply, you are
neurotic. You would evaporate without your hatred. You must have
absolutes and historical guarantees. You are terrified by anything new.
You fear creativity because you fear failure. You cannot celebrate the
joy of others, because such feelings would leave you vulnerable.
Openness to life is death to you!
Monk: If your psychoanalysis pleases you, leave it at that.
Morós: You are frustrating! Defend yourself!
Monk: For what purpose? You have made up your mind that I am a
reactionary and fanatic. Anything I say will only confirm your opinion.
Morós: You give me no guidance. A holy man is supposed to give guidance.
Monk: What shall I say? How shall I guide someone who has already
determined to despise whatever I say? What instruction may I give to
someone who is a slave to his own rhetoric and uses ideas to
intimidate and enchant.
Morós: I am waiting to hear something useful.
Monk: What do you wish to hear? I do not believe that all
religions were ordained by God, nor do they serve Him. Do you want me to
say that the Incarnation of the Lord has no more meaning than the birth
of Mohamet or Buddha? Do you want me to allow that the Church of God is
divided and that whatever is believed by the numerous sects is true,
albeit they contradict one another? Shall I say that there can be
a Church without a Bishop, or a Bishop without a Eucharist, or a
Eucharist without true doctrine? How shall I define the word “Christian”
when so many claim the title, even those who reject the Theotokos? Is
God the author of confusion? Has sinful man defeated God, for, although
the Truth may exist, it cannot be found, lost in the babble of tongues
and the dungheap of falsehoods? No! God is just! The way of salvation
has always been clear and single. It is unique and exclusive because it
is divine.
Morós: My, how you do go on once you begin to talk. You want to
know how the truth is discovered and who may discover it? I will tell
you. Firstly, throw away old ideas and begin anew. God will tell us what
to do. Secondly, look around you. See the revelation of God in social
turbulence. See the new life, the spirit of the people, their hope for
freedom and love. See how prejudice is vanishing: the liberation of
women, of minorities, of the Third World. They have lost their chains.
We have new art, new music, new lifestyles. There is a new religion, a
religion of unity, of universal brotherhood under one God. Look you, old
man; look around you at God’s Truth, at His Will. Oh, yes, there will
be some suffering and violence, cruelty and crudity, but all these are
signs of transition, the “birth-pangs” of a brave new world.
Monk: You speak of one thing and I speak of another. You love the earth and I love Heaven. You want flesh and I want spirit.
Morós: What is more heavenly and spiritual than my vision of the future?
Monk: We use the same words with different meanings.
Morós: You are a fool, old man.
Charíton the Monk smiles at Morós and walks down the cobbled
street toward the Monastery. Morós throws his hands in the air, shakes
his head and then saunters down Ágnostos Street toward the University.
(Orthodox Christian Witness, November 6⁄19, 1978)
NOTES:
1. Útopos: Whence, “utopia” — “nowhere.”
2. Ágnostos: “Unknown”; related also to “agnostic.”
3. Morós: A Greek word meaning a “babe” or “fool”. (Thus the word “sophomore,” a “wise” — “sophós” — babe or fool).
4. Charíton: derived from the Greek word charis, “grace.”
5. Hagía Sophía: “Holy Wisdom”.
6. An argument about words.
ReplyDeleteMorós said many things about Chariton – but nothing about him being an "unlettered peasant".
I think both sides have more or less accurately diagnosed each other, unfortunately. It is a good example of ecumenical dialogue, which is completely fruitless. The monk knows it, and knows that he knows it, but participtes in it anyway. Why? Because it allows him to show that he knows. Because he is a slave of vainglory: glory that is literally vain, meaning pointless and without value. He wants spirit, but he does not know the spirit that he is following, and that is for the reasons that Moros gives: he thinks he is holy, he thinks he is above it, and he doesn't think Moros can have anything of value to tell him because he knows about ecumenism and he follows the old calendar and Moros doesn't. He thinks he knows what humility is, and that he is humble, but in fact the "humility" that he thinks he has is just vainglory that he has traded out for pride. He thinks he knows what one needs to know, but he doesn't. He only knows some surface things. It is not enough.
ReplyDeleteThis ecumenical "dialogue of love," where everyone speaks things that have no meaning until they are unable to hear nothing at all has about as much love in it as a room full of blindfolded assissins who are all stabbing each other in the back at the same time as hard and as fast as they can.
Truly the way is narrow, and few find it.
Thanks for sharing TGJ. But last I heard, after you had left the
ReplyDelete> GOC and become a Mattthewite you suddenly announced one day that all
> traditional Orthodox were delusional and returned to being Roman Catholic,
> Then, not long ago you suddenly returned to the Matthewites and resumed
> posting on Ecafe again. I'm looking forward to reading about it all on Ecafe,
> should you feel the need to explain yourself, as I'm sure many others are
> interested also. Until then, at least till you show signs of stability,
> your comments aren't really welcomed here.
Interesting how the Zealot (tgj) knows what the fictional monk is thinking... maybe the judgment we have here in his comment is a case of "projection"?
ReplyDelete