Congratulations, You’re Orthodox! Now, What?

For an Orthodox Christian, ordinary life is filled with great blessings and realizations. But it is also cyclical, ritualistic, surrounded by daily personal struggles, confessions, and assiduity. It is a close relationship with the life of the church, its saints and God Himself. While all of this can make for an amazingly purpose-filled life, it is also not an easy way to live. It requires attention and dedication. Thus, especially for those who have not been raised with such traditions, the new rhythm can become difficult to maintain.

So, while at first the convert might be led by the fervor of having found the true faith, zeal eventually wears off. At that stage, it is important to understand that being baptized in the Orthodox Church was never the end goal. It was a gate to be opened. The real journey only begins afterward.

The mistake of trying to “do” Orthodoxy right

Prayer rules, fasting rigor, old or new calendar, jurisdiction, books, opinions, clothing, parish practices, Constantinople versus Moscow, canonical disputes, ecumenism, reception of converts, etc.— all of these can become a burden or an obsession for the newly received believer. And, while they are real questions, some of them quite important, a recent convert might spend 15 hours researching them for every 15 minutes of praying and inward focus. And this misses the point of Orthodoxy completely.

Sometimes, the newcomers to the faith might even place upon themselves burdens which are heavier than their priest recommends. And this is dangerous. Indeed, when there is a tendency toward rigorism, one’s attempts at ascetic endeavors become closer to an expression of self-will rather than spiritual ascent.