Helping the sick and the poor is a liturgical act, but there should be no imbalances.
In the Orthodox Church, great emphasis is placed on mysticism, on spirituality. A person’s relationship with God is built when he prays, comes to church, takes communion, confesses. On the one hand, this is really the most important thing.
On the other hand, it is impossible to dissect, separate a person’s life from his prayer, from his behavior in the church. Because it is obvious that if you believe, this belief must be proved by deeds.
Now it sometimes seems that in church life we are working not for the Lord God, not for our own salvation, but for some departments – for the department of social service, the department of prison wards, and so on. It is clear that in any structure there must be some kind of divisions and responsibilities. But when we call helping our neighbors social work and separating it from the ordinary life of the Church and spiritual life, it seems to me that we are not doing quite the right thing.
After all, this is also a certain liturgical action, when a person renders help to someone, goes, for example, as a volunteer to hospitals …
This is all the same work that leads a person to salvation, that which bears great fruits in the spiritual life.
In search of strength
But, again, a developed liturgical life, voluminous, extended in time, focuses on itself all the attention and we, priests, already have little attention and strength left for large-scale social work.
If services in the temple are almost every day, you serve two hours in the morning and another two hours in the evening. Between services – services, you are still trying to somehow come to your senses, have lunch.
Much has been said about the need for priests to have helpers. And social work as well. But not every parish can afford this helper to pay a salary. Basically, the priest, saving finances, takes care of all this and, of course, cannot cope with all the responsibilities in full.
Sometimes all the work turns out to be formal, in the form of reports. We drank tea, sat, organized some kind of conversation, went to some of the parishioners, helped the sick person, brought food. And – reported. That’s all social work.
For regular social work, a material base is needed, and many parishes simply do not have it.
If social activity will greatly distract from the liturgical life, then we will completely and completely turn into social security. There should be no distortions in one direction or the other. As usual, the truth is somewhere in between.
Of course, social work is very important. Yes, any priest is engaged in it. Any priest provides material assistance to people who come and ask for help in some difficult life situations. Many parishes now have distribution points for things and clothes. Here, among other things, they bring clothes, we put them in order, wash them, see what condition they are, and give them out to those in need. In many parishes, people in need are fed free of charge.
Justification before the state
Sometimes social work looks like a kind of justification for the existence of the Church in front of the state. That is, the state sometimes does not understand why this Church is needed, what is the use of it. Here the hierarchs are trying to explain: “Well, of course, we are engaged in social work, we have almshouses, shelters and so on.”
The main thing is not that a person can do many things at once. It is important that a person can do better than all other people. And this needs to be developed. And the Church is the same. The Church is engaged in social work, it is in her nature. However, whatever one may say, the state is most effectively engaged in this, because it collects taxes from its citizens for this social work: helping the poor, sick and so on.
The church is also involved in education. Well, again, globally, education should still be dealt with by the school. And the Church can do what neither the state nor the school can do. That is, to take upon oneself precisely spiritual activity: preaching the Gospel, teaching people the commandments of Christ, worship. And, of course, it should still be the main thing. Although, I repeat, it is difficult to imagine the Church without social activity.
Iconostasis or helping others
When we go to a temple in a big city or a manastir, we are surprised to see the gilded iconostases, salaries – he knows how much everything costs.
No, of course, the decoration of the temple is necessary. But sometimes we spend too much on it. It seems to me that more money should be spent – parish and diocesan – on charitable and social projects.
And it seems to me that there will be more benefits from this. And it is pleasing to God, and as a sermon it is effective.
Many people donate something to the Church, and if all funds go only for gilding the iconostases, then, in the end, no one will want to donate. And if people see that the money is being spent on some kind of assistance, on social work, then, I think, there will be even more funds.
But, I repeat, they are engaged in social work in one way or another in any church, and it is obvious to everyone that if you only pray without helping anyone, then this will only be an outer shell …
