Our life in apostolic witness is a full affirmation of our commitment to Baptism. In the community of the baptized that is the church, we are called not to better or more profound commitment to what is asked of us in Baptism, but instead to a visible and more deliberate witness to what the Baptismal Covenant requires of us.
Let us start with Baptism and what that means. In spite of the best of intentions to be inclusive in the church, we must understand that there is no such thing as an unbaptized Christian. To be a Christian is, by virtue of Baptism, to be admitted as a full member of the Body of Christ, being washed with water and anointed with oil in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The understanding of the sacraments as professed by the church is that the sacrament is not only a sign of, but effects the grace that it represents. Baptism is the very means by which, in the Christian understanding and in accordance with Scripture, we are cleansed from sin and given the Holy Spirit of God to dwell within us.
Without the essential element of Baptism one is not fully a member of the Body of Christ that is the church. Baptism is the means by which our membership is effected and sealed. To give the impression that this is not the case is dangerous to the individual as well as to the church itself.
In Baptism we have become the children of God through adoption. Ours is not to join the intellectual debate regarding what it means to be a child by adoption. It is for us a statement that, although all of us are God’s children, there is a special intimacy between God and those God has called into relationship with him through Baptism. Each Christian is, therefore related to all other Christians in the way sibling is to sibling, all of us living in that unique relationship to our Creator that is characterized by Jesus in calling God “Abba” or Father. God has chosen to relate to us as a parent, and we are uniquely God’s children. This is what it means to be a Christian.
It is important to note that it is not merely our particular set of rules, values, dogmatic assumptions or activities that define us as Christians, hence setting us apart from members of other faiths. It is Baptism alone which sets us apart. All of the rest of the formulae that dictate Christian life and worship are means by which we seek to discover what the implications of that Baptism are for us. They are the means by which we appropriate and live out the unique relationship to God which we have been offered in Christ Jesus.
As such, our Rule of Life is the instrument by which we, individually and in community, seek to live out what it means to be Christian. It is the means by which we, as individuals, seek to discover the implications of our unique relationship with God as defined by our Baptism; and it is the community’s formula, by which it seeks to express the significance of that relationship with God in our lives together as Christian family.
Throughout our Rule of Life in the Brotherhood, there is an emphasis on sacrifice that is characteristic of the Christian faith. When we are called fully into lives as Christian people, we are asked to make room for the bounty of God bestowed upon us, the most primary of which is the presence of the Holy Spirit. There begins an interior process of the emptying of self, a making room for that presence. As God emptied himself for us, taking on our human nature in the form of a slave “he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,” we are asked to empty ourselves for God that God might dwell fully in us and we in God. We are asked, in some sense, to make sacrifices of those things that may seem important to us. Proper stewardship of time, talent and treasure is the very means by which we make these sacrifices.
The whole of our Rule is dedicated to naming those ways in which we sacrifice our self-centered needs, our clinging to possessions, our desire for esteem and high regard. More than just a litany of obligations and requirements, it is a reflection of those ideals which we are called to embody as children of God and ambassadors of Christ. “A brother must endeavor to witness to our Redeemer’s love with quietness, patience, humility, charity, courage and prayer.” and further along, “…….service to our fellow man.” There are many things in the Rule which point to our development of values consistent with the Gospel message of love, unity, service and reconciliation.
We must take care not to fossilize the Rule by interpreting every passage to represent specific or concrete ways of living our lives in apostolic witness. The Rule is not about praxis as much as it is about perceptions. Our Rule calls us to seek understanding, it does not provide us with it. It does not give us the answers on how to serve, or ways in which to witness. Nor does it detail how our vows are to be reflected in our individual lives. We are called to make those choices within the framework established by the Rule. Therefore, our ways of life may be many and varied.
Yet, we are called to live our lives in the world — and as such, praxis must not be overlooked. The gifts bestowed upon us by God are meant to be shown forth in concrete ministries to our communities, our families and our neighborhoods. Our understanding of Christian witness is that we live in relationship with God only as well as we manifest his love in our relationships with others. We show forth this life in service to all, taking every opportunity to demonstrate the love of God, even in our limited capacity to do so. Our Founder writes: “We will only be great if we continue to grow and to be true to the ideals of our foundation. All of us as Christians will only be great if we continue to serve and love God.”
Let us look at the promises we are asked to make in Baptism and how that covenant is reflected in our community documents. We are asked to “renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness… renounce the evil powers of this world….. renounce all sinful desires that draw us from the love of God.” We are asked these questions: “Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior, do you put your whole trust in his grace and love, do you promise to follow and obey him as your Lord? Do you believe in God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit?” The Rule itself asks us to make the vow of Obedience to Jesus Christ as our only Lord and Savior. Implicit in this vow is the trust that the statements made in the Baptismal examination are true. We cannot profess Obedience to Jesus as Lord if we do not acknowledge him as Lord and Savior of all, nor can we place our trust in him if we do not understand him as our gentle master, believing in his grace to aid us in our journey. We profess the Christian faith in baptism and we reaffirm it in our Rule of Life.
“The Brotherhood shall, through the consecration of life offered through its Rule, aid in the development of the spiritual life of each of its members.” We have essentially accepted the responsibility of allowing the Baptismal Covenant to become fully integrated into our lives and our understanding of ministry and community. “Will you continue in the apostle’s teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers? Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?”
These are neither ideological statements, nor abstract ideals. The Baptismal Covenant is a plan of action, a way of living. They are concrete realities. Our community documents are centered in these realities. We continue: “Members of the brotherhood shall express and exercise in the world their particular consecration in their apostolic activity, witnessing through daily life to the love of God in Christ Jesus. The Brotherhood, through its common bond, shall encourage the growth and unity of all its members, as an example to all with whom they come in contact. Following the direction of the Holy Spirit, the brotherhood shall serve God in the work and worship of the church.” The Rule requires weekly, if not daily, participation in the Eucharist; daily prayer; examination of conscience and witness to the love of God. Even Chastity, as defined by the Rule, is the equivalent of “respect[ing] the dignity of every human being” spoken of in the Baptismal Covenant.
In our ministry and witness to the church and to the world, we are asked to show forth the calling of Baptism and to raise up the unique vocation of apostolic religious life. There are essential similarities in each and there are fundamental differences. Baptism is the beginning of the journey; profession of vows is a commitment to a specific route to that journey’s end.
Ketubah
Into this offering cup, I gather myself
To rest in these, your venerated hands.
O my daughter of the barley
Harvest, here, on this threshing
Floor, where these pearls between us
Captured are — even here will I long
For the shadows of your heart
Stretched out between us my love.
O river, O rock! O you
Mysterious face that grazes
Upon the white moon; let me kiss
Your cheek, your own soft eyelids
Deeply veiling silent confidences
— Those which echo tumbling in
The sways of wheat — in the sweet hush
Of these, our playing fields.
Into this cup, myself, I pour
Out for you — your thirsting skin,
Your eyes that kiss at my eyes — grasping.
Where you go, will I go – even here
Before this violet sky you turn
Your face against, O mother of
My people. I consider your wandering,
Delicate feet, your aching back, my
Sister of flowers. Curl up around
My shoulders that I may carry you
To a restful place my love.
O cliff-side, O river bed! O you
Gentle touching hands that rest
Upon my trouble, you who know
Where my burdens gather; can we
Cradle these our whisperings
In gentle palms, protecting? Or
Can we shelter these — our thoughts
And worries yet unformed — in your soft mouth
To keep them for another day until
Our love leaves room enough?
Look, beloved, there above
The harvest fields, where two
Foxes scampering are joyful
In their playing. There the dark
Earth that your enigmatic eyes are,
The sheaf that your shining hair is,
Those slyly leaping in the brilliant sky
That my heart with yours,
Rejoicing is my love.
O strength, O tender courage! O you
Vulnerable arms embracing even those
Stars upon stars upon stars which teach
Us dimly; crush me against
These willowing flowers which
Rain down. May I follow you
Along this path your swaying hips
Within the grass have carved? Or even
Let me clear the way of stones upon
Which your tender feet might bruise.
Where you stay, will I stay – even
Until the sky ends and all which seems
Tiring is tiring. Meet me, there,
Upon that river and I will wash
Your travel wearied face. Here
In this our garden, this sacred river
Where pomegranates down the hillside,
Crimson, tumble, a gift of trees; here
Is where your people will be
My people. I will bathe your garments
In this fertile river — for that love which pours
From my own hands — for the sake of
Bearing your soft name in the hollow
Of my own bared and aching arms; or
In this offering cup — where your God will be
My God; and where every curve
Of every living thing is clothed
In downy shades of us
My love.
© 2008 by Karekin M Yarian