Today in the story of the Samaritan woman, the idea of sacred spaces plays an important role in the conversation between Jesus and the woman. The well at which she met Jesus, was blessed by its association with the Patriarch Jacob, who originally dug the well. During their conversation she spoke about a mountain, where the Samaritan people worshiped the One true God. This too is a sacred place which is only made more sacred by the prayers of the people, offered there.
The woman, who is named Photini (or Svetlana in Russian) said to Jesus, “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” wanting him to say which was better. Jesus replied, “Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
In saying this, Jesus acknowledged that the temple at Jerusalem was the better place to worship, for there the worship of God was offered in its fullness, however, He also stated, the true worship of God is not linked to a place, but rather occurs “in spirit and in truth” that is, in our hearts.
And today, when a Christian visits Jerusalem, we will visit many sacred places – but they do not always visit the temple. Rather, first and foremost on our list, is the Holy Sepulcher. Here, where our Lord rose from the dead, trampling down death by death, is the most sacred place for Christians. No longer do we worship at the temple in Jerusalem, but at an empty tomb, the place where our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the worship of the temple, freed us from sin and death, and lifted us up with Himself into the presence of God.
Now, we have our own “sacred space” right here, our parish Church. Over the past couple of months or so, some have been unwillingly separated from our sacred spaced due their own ignorance and self-importance. However, for many of us, there is an increased longing to be in the Church, to come and pray here. We come to this place, our parish church, to worship God together, as family, however, there are those who worship in other churches, and others who feel that they can worship God at home or in nature, and they don’t need any particular place. It would seem that the answer of Jesus to St Photini would support this idea that we don’t really need churches, that we can worship God anywhere and that is indeed true, if, in our hearts, we commune with God, then we can, and do offer Him worship, no matter what place we might be in. Why then is it important to come here, to Church, to pray here.
The task of Orthodox Christians is to become truly Orthodox — that is, to strive toward holiness. While it is true that we can pray anywhere, the Church is a place built and designed for prayer and worship of the One True God. It is a space that is set aside for the sole purpose of worshipping God, and it is made sacred by our prayers that we offer here. A surgeon, who was properly trained and who was resourceful, could perform even a difficult surgery anywhere – at his home on the kitchen table or in the back of a truck, at the bottom of an ocean in a submarine, or at the scene of an accident. He could practice his trade anywhere, but he more often than not, chooses to do so in a hospital, in an operating theater, with all the specialized tools and personnel there to assist him. He does this, because there in the operating room, his skill is at its peak, he can work more effectively there than anywhere else.
As Orthodox Christians we can pray and worship God anywhere – out in nature, at home in our own prayer corner, at any number of other churches, even watching live-stream services on the world wide web – but our most effective prayer, the worship that we offer God, is best offered here in our Church. Here is our sacred place, the place which is dedicated to no other purpose than the worship of God.
In this place we are surrounded by the saints and they pray with us. In this place, we are gathered with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and our prayer is joined with theirs, each one of us fulfilling and complementing the prayer of his neighbor. In this Church, we are surrounded by the grace that accumulates over the years, with the prayers of generations (and for this reason we always pray not only for ourselves but also for the founders and benefactors of this holy temple). Here we have the sacraments offered to us. Here the Holy Spirit descends upon the Gifts and upon us, as those Holy Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ are received by us. Here our worship takes on a fuller and more complete form. We are not saved alone, but as a part of the one Body of Christ, united with all those who love God and worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Orthodox is stepping into reality. Faith is the way we do that. Here in the Church that unity, that reality, is made real to us, and we join ourselves not only to Christ but to the saints, and to our brothers and sisters who pray with us and together we ascend into the presence of God.
We have, therefore, this sacred place – this growing parish Church. We can and should pray anywhere and everywhere, at all times and in all places, especially pray the Jesus Prayer, but it is to this sacred place that we come to pray most effectively, most deeply, most fully in the presence of God. But this isn’t just an isolated place, for spiritually when we pray here, our worship is joined with the eternal worship of the angelic host before the throne of God, along with the prayers offered in all the Orthodox Churches throughout the world and through all of time.
Here we pray alongside the Virgin Mary and the Holy Apostles, alongside St Nicholas, and St Seraphim, alongside the Myrrhbearers, and now, St Barbara and St Olga. Alongside those who pray in Jerusalem at the Holy Sepulcher, or in Russia at the many Churches and sacred places there, and with the monks at Holy Trinity and Holy Cross.
This place is joined, in spirit and in truth, to all those other places and our prayers here, are joined to the prayers of all those who pray, in all those places, so that with one voice we offer to God our common worship. Here we truly become the one Bride of Christ, offering ourselves to our Bridegroom and worshipping Him. This is indeed our purpose, our calling, our destiny, and here, in our Church that is fulfilled every time we come here to pray.
Jesus told St Photini, as she was asking about the proper place to pray; we who worship God do so “in spirit and in truth”. To worship God in this way does not mean that we abandon our sacred places, or that we do not gather together in them to pray – but what makes our prayer real and holy, what makes the place sacred in the first place, is not simply the sacred place, but the prayers of those who gather in it without fail, over and over again, to pray together, to join themselves and the place that they are in, to the worship in heaven before the throne of God. In this sacred place we ascend into heaven and there we are joined with all the saints and the heavenly host, as we offer our prayer with one voice and one heart glorifying God. This parish Church is our “sacred place” and it is made sacred by the grace of God which flows into it and permeates it, by our prayers.
Christ is Risen!
“Do not be surprised when you fall, but when you fall, do not stay there. Get up immediately and say, ‘Lord, have mercy,’ and keep going.”
— St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent
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