So, I am reading the biography of Fr. Seraphim Rose by Hieromonk Damascene. There have been very few biographies that have made me feel such connection to a person, but this one is definitely doing just that. Now, I am not a scholar of ancient Chinese culture and philosophy, Guénon, or any of the other academic fountains that led to Rose's conversion and writings, but I can relate to his search for truth and not settling for anything less.
Another observation: American Christianity, as FSR implies, seems to be missing one key ingredient - asceticism. It seems to be very focused on making people feel good about shortcomings and not making anyone too uncomfortable. Worship also tends to have an air of hedonism about it. If your church service doesn't include one "Jesus is my girlfriend" song, you may just seem a little archaic and therefore out of touch with the modern world.
That's another interesting thought - being able to "connect" with the modern man. What's so interesting about this is that I remember being warned against the Spirit of the Age. When looking at traditional religious practices of ancient cultures, we see that in order for someone to be instructed, they had to have a teacher that would properly explain the texts they were reading. Truth was safeguarded by masters that passed down their instruction to be preserved for future generations. Why is it that modern Christians think they must constantly look to the future and redefine what Christianity is, instead of calling on the wisdom of the past.
I realize that I have, in a way, just thrown together some random thoughts without too much regard for coherence. So in order to tie it together, let me end with a quote:
"To the superficial and the guilty it is more comfortable to bathe in the shallow pool of human thought than in the dangerous depths of Christ." - St. Nikolai Velimirovich
Let us search Christ and His Church with not just our heads, but primarily our hearts; constantly returning to the water from the ancient cisterns, erected by our holy fathers, supplied by Christ Himself.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.
