Holy Envy

I’ll be honest, I have no idea how old the church was, but for the sake of a romantic sounding post, we’re going to say it was practically ancient. The paintings were done in a Byzantine style, but lets be real - they could have been done in like 2002. Nevertheless, this little big church was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever been in. 

As I sat in the pews, pretending liked I was Greek Orthodox and like I actually belonged there, I was able to watch people worship. Men were lighting candles, and women were praying. My favorite thing I loved seeing was all sorts of people walking around the church, stopping in front of portraits of Jesus and kissing his feet or face. The way each person would stop reverently, fall on their knees, and gently kiss the Lord was just so beautiful. 

Bishop Krister Stendahl (former presiding Lutheran bishop of Sweden and formerly of Harvard Divinity School) proposes that interfaith dialogue should, “Leave room for holy envy.” I love this idea that we can see something beautiful in another religious tradition and be in no way disloyal to our own. I loved watching how the Greek Orthodox people worshiped to day and it made me ask a few questions:

Do I feel the same about Jesus as these Christians do? Has my religion sunk that deep? Do I think about Jesus often? When I see him, will I fall to my knees and kiss his feet because I love him? 

I think I have a lot to learn from the people here. I’ve already developed a little holy envy for them and their religious tradition….