Quote from Fr. John Meyendorff: The Ethics of Resurrection:
“Is it not true that our mortality serves to justify our concern for ourselves, instead of our neighbors? My neighbor can be cold and hungry next door, but I feel quite justified in preserving my own standard of living and the security of my own future, because I consider my money as having been earned by me (or given to me) with no other purpose than to prolong my own life and to make it as comfortable as I can.
Moreover, even the laws of this mortal world of ours are made in such a way that their main purpose is to preserve my rights and my property. They justify violence as a form of self-defense. And the history of human society is one of conflicts and wars in which individuals and nations struggle and kill others in the name of temporal benefits which will be destroyed by death anyway. But this is still considered as “justice.”
Such is, indeed, the inevitable logic of a world, which St. Paul describes as “the reign of death.”
On Easter Day (Pascha) however, we celebrate the end of this reign. Christ came to destroy it. "Death is swallowed up in victory, O death, where is your sting?” “Christ is Risen, and no one remains in a tomb” Therefore, as the Church sings, “let us embrace,” “let us forgive.”
This victory which our Church celebrates so brilliantly, so loudly, so triumphantly, is not simply a guarantee of “after life.” Rather, it changes the entire set of our ethical priorities, even now. There is no need for self-preservation anymore because “our life is hidden with Christ in God.” To love one’s neighbors and to give them the "last penny” is better insurance than to “store treasures upon earth.” “To lose one’s soul” is “to save it."”
I’ve been turning over this little meditation by Fr. John in my mind for the last few weeks, as I consider some follow-up thoughts to my previous piece on Eco-Martyrdom*. After reblogging another post proclaiming the need for environmental activism to counteract the devastating effects of climate change (specifically in the form of direct action and forcing governments to make changes), I felt once again that despair. I still believe in the idea that I want to witness to the truth of care for God’s creation no matter the cost, but I couldn’t help thinking that, as things get worse, it’s going to be harder and harder to summon up the will and comfort with discomfort necessary to do so. Many of us, myself included, are tempted to be overwhelmed and just try to look out for ourselves because throwing our weight behind collective action and sacrificial acts for others is often exhausting and can be dangerous.
It was at this moment that I remembered this meditation, and I thought perhaps it could be of help. What if this ecological crisis is really what will test our faith in the Resurrection and its ethical implications? Christianity has been corrupted at times by many forces outside and inside the Church. Many of us have been taught to believe a lie that “resurrection” just means that our soul keeps living in a disembodied Heaven when we die. We are encouraged not to worry about what will happen to this world, because we will be preserved with Christ far away from this sinful Earth. We will be “raptured”, or simply die and “go to Heaven.” In extreme cases, this leads to some fundamentalist groups cheering on the destruction of our planet, God’s creation, in hopes that it will artificially hasten the Second Coming of Christ to take us away. This is a fundamental misunderstanding of eschatology, and of the doctrine of the Resurrection itself. The teaching of the early Church is and remains that we are being resurrected in our *physical* bodies, here on this earth. The funeral service in the Orthodox Church talks about the *severing* of the link between body and soul, as something that was not meant to be. Death is an interruption in our integral unity, and one that will eventually be undone. Yes, the Parousia, the Second Coming will bring about a restoration on this Earth and the fulfillment of all things. But it is still a real, physical homeland, not a disembodied, separate ethereum, that we are being called to prepare for the Kingdom of God upon. In the words of Metropolitan John Zizioulas, we are called to be priests of creation, offering up all of the world in reverence to God, not destroying and tainting it for our own sinful use.
But even if we discount Rapture theology and the neo-Gnosticism that separates creation from spirituality, flesh from soul, the difference between a “pie in the sky” quietism and a grounded faith centered in the Resurrection is rather like the difference between negative nihilism and positive nihilism. The negative nihilist** says, “There is no inherent meaning. Therefore, I will pursue self-interest and destructive impulse because nothing matters.” The positive nihilist says, “There is no inherent meaning. Therefore, I will do my best to make a good life and help others to do the same, because nothing matters except that which we make matter.”
Likewise, the religious escapist says, “I’m going to be resurrected in the Kingdom, therefore, why should I care if the world burns around me,” while the Christian “nihilist” (or perhaps the Christian “existentialist***”) says, “I’m going to be resurrected in the Kingdom, therefore, I have no need to pursue self-interest. I am safe, and will use my time in this age to do whatever I can to keep other people safe.” If we lose our physical life, we know as Christians we will receive it again. Therefore, perhaps this can be a foundation for our ecological kenosis, for laying down our comfort, security, and perhaps even our lives to help others care for our ailing ecosystem.****
**There’s probably a more descriptive philosophical term, but bear with me
***See the work of Zizioulas, Nikolai Berdyaev and perhaps also Kierkegaard
****Note: Dying for one’s faith is very different from killing for one’s faith, the latter of which I as a Christian cannot condone. It’s also important to note the element of true martyrdom in this last point. The point is not to desire death, but to not let the fear of death be a deterrent to doing what’s right.
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