What Worship in Spirit and Truth really means

> respected father Brian,
> When/if you get time, would you explain what worship in Spirit and Truth really means?
>
> Susan Eapen
> Thiruvananthapuram
>




Dearest Susan,


This is a good question and worthy of our attention. However, I can only give what I have been given know of this, which may be incomplete and anemic in an attempt to answer fully.

Bishop John, a bihsop of my youth to whom I asked many questions (probably to the point of annoyance), once responded to one of my questions by saying something like:

"I could answer this for you, but I am sure you will find it insuffecient for your curiousity. There may not be a full and true answer anywhere in this world. Then again your curiousity may be bigger than your willingness to understand the truth. In Holy Orthodoxy we accept that there will always be mystery since we cannot comprehend the fullness and the entirety of the Godhead. So, you may be asking something that is intended to be a mystery. Nevertheless, I will take your question with the intent that you have a God-given reason in your heart for this knowledge."

But he did not answer. Whem I asked him again, he said, "Let me pray about this some more. I will ask you to pray for the naswer as well, maybe in our lifetime God will answer the question for our understanding and spiritual development." (Yes, talked like that even if I am not quoting directly.)

So, to your request for an explanation of "worship in Spirit and in Truth" - I have prayed about it and will ask that you say a prayer at this moment (before you read further) that He will enlighten all of us in spiritual knowledge.

{May the Lord guide me to the doing of His will}

To worship is to dedicate and sanctify our human time and energy to the fullness of who and what we have been created to be. In our worship, we let go of the worldly conditions and seek to align ourselves with the spiritual conditions of eternity, that is to say eternal life. This means to purify our physical bodies, our minds and our hearts so that we can be more like that reflected image in which we were created. This requires honesty, clarifying and microscopic honesty, that engages our conscience to the release of anything that prevents us from being one with God. So to say we worship in Spirit and in Truth - is also t say that we do NOT worship in materialism and in deception - even more, that we CAN NOT worship except in Spirit and in Truth.

{Amen.}

Hope this has helped.
Forgive me anything I may have done knowingly or unknowingly.
Pray for me, a servant

Fr John Brian