Unfinished business

Having not been visited by my muse today, I thought it would be fitting, even though the "Rejection" series is officially over, to deal with some untied ends.

1. When we discussed the role of rejection in homosexual personalities, I mentioned that in some sets of identical twins, though treated equally by both parents, one twin has been known to tend to homosexuality while the other does not, evidencing that not all homosexuality can be traced by parental rejection. I failed to cite equally compelling testimony by some homosexuals—a minority, exceptions, to be sure, but found in the case studies—of male homosexuals who claimed to have always had a good relationship with their fathers, to consider their fathers close friends and role models...which even more strongly makes my point.

2. I ended the series by saying that, at bottom, feeling rejected is part and parcel of the sin of pride. Then on Monday I read the account of a godly man who prayed for rejection, though he may not have realized exactly what he was asking at the time, and received it as a blessing. It's in a book that I've cited in these entries some time back, when we were discussing logismoi, The Mountain of Silence by Kyriacos C. Markides. He recounts:

Father Maximos laughed as he remembered an episode in the life of elder* Paisios. "For a time," he said, "old Paisios lived as a hermit outside Mount Athos near his hometown in northern Greece. Every Sunday he would walk from his hermitage to the church and take communion. He would stay inside the sanctuary** and assist the priest with the liturgy. He himself could not conduct the liturgy because he was never ordained as a priest."

—"Never? How Come?"

"He just preferred to be a simple monk living the life of a hermit. He refused ordination. Not all monks are ordained priests, you know. Anyway, one Sunday while walking to church he prayed that God may humble him and 'crush' his heart. Then he stepped inside the sanctuary to assist the priest with the service and waited his turn to get holy communion. But when the priest was about to offer him communion, for no reason whatsoever, he unleased a virulent attack on poor old Paisios. He told him that he was a nuisance and that he was fed up seeing him around in the sanctuary Sunday after Sunday. Old Paisios was flabbergasted, not knowing what to make of it. Then he remembered what he had prayed for on his way to church. After the liturgy, the priest approached him full of apologies and remorse for his outburst. He bowed in front of elder Paisios, kissed his hand, and asked for the elder's forgiveness. "I just don't know what came over me,' he complained."

Elder Paisios knew.

*In the Greek church, "elder" (gerontos in Greek) refers to a holy person whose spiritual gifts and sanctification are widely recognized and revered; someone whom everyone would like praying for them. In this case, Paisios was the spiritual father of Fr. Maximos. **In their usage, "sanctuary" refers to the "front" or altar area of the church.

—Webmaster Jon Kennedy

Dumb crooks

A woman was reporting her car as stolen and mentioned that there was a car phone in it. The policeman taking the report called the phone and told the guy that answered that he had read the ad in the newspaper and wanted to buy the car. They arranged to meet, and the thief was arrested.

— Sent by Mike Harrison

Thought for today

I N S T R U C T I O N S  F O R  L I F E . . .
(second in series)

 6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
 7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to
     correct it.
 8. Spend some time alone.
 9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer or response.

—Sent by Mary Ann Losiewcz

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