The "Unholy Trinity" of Comfort, Entertainment, and Convenience"
Fr. Paul speaks of the comforts of modernity as "an active persecution of faith within the heart."
"This new way of life, which is abnormal to human life and nature, to be constantly inundated... with all the screens and technology we have at our fingertips, we ought not see this all as passive. It is demonically inspired... This is an active persecution of faith in the heart."
The full effects of technology and comfort on human society will take time to determine, but we can certainly say, preliminarily at least, that they are not good.
But Fr. Paul is no luddite, nor is he advocating a strict break with technology:
"This is not to say that good things cannot come from some of these things. But the reality is that without us noticing it, they are injuring us... So, what do we do with this?... We need to fight back against these things. Christians need to be very daring and very courageous in how we fight against constant comfort, entertainment, and convenience. We must be cautious about what we allow before our eyes, in our ears, we must be bold in our faith."
Fr. Paul notes how many read the lives of the saints (to these we could add the canons) and are discouraged with the distance between themselves and the saints. He reminds us not to fret, but to struggle within our means. In this, he echoes St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, whose advice is so prescient for the Church in our times.
"There was a prophecy of the Desert Fathers that in the end times those who merely maintained the faith would be counted among the ranks of the martyrs of ancient times... And today it is a courageous act simply to consistently live the faith."
"[This] means keeping the fast, praying every morning and evening, being consistent with our prayer ropes; it means confessing often, attending services, and - even if it makes us socially unpopular - boldly defending and confessing our faith... Today it takes great courage."
Watch the full video here.
Fr. Paul Truebenbach is the rector of Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Salt Lake City, UT. A Parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
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