The
By Volodymyr Kish
For most of my life, I have not been a particularly religious
person. I should clarify that I am not
an atheist, nor an agnostic, nor am I lacking in spiritual beliefs – it is
simply that my lifetime’s experience, and personal philosophical and
theological research has resulted in an acquired scepticism about the way most
organized religions function. One cannot
read of the history of most of the dominant religions of the world today
without coming to the conclusion that they have had more to do with politics,
power and social control than the spiritual well being of their flocks.
I grew up in a Catholic environment and from an
early age was indoctrinated with the catechism of that faith which, whether it
was intentional or not, overwhelmed you with the minutiae of rites, rituals,
sacraments, commandments, rules, observances, venial and mortal sins that
almost guaranteed that you would be saddled with guilt over your inability to
live up to the Catholic ideal. It was in
essence, faith by fear and intimidation. It was therefore not surprising that
when I reached an age of sufficient intellectual ability and maturity, I found
little true spiritual substance and depth in the faith of my adolescence.
In contrast to many of my peers who essentially
gave up on religion and continued on to lead very secular lives, I undertook to
research and learn as much as I could about the numerous religions and belief
systems that exist in this world of ours.
I have read and studied widely on this theme, and my library contains
numerous tomes on philosophy and comparative religious studies, as well as most
of the “holy books” of the various major religions including the Koran, the
Talmud, the Hindu Vedas, many versions of the Bible and many others. They have provided me with much insight into
man’s eternal struggle to make sense of his existence as well as the many names
and faces of God. Over the course of
time, I developed my own consistent set of spiritual beliefs that I suppose
could be termed a personal faith or religion.
Of course, I still went to various church
services from time to time, primarily within the Ukrainian Greek Catholic or
Orthodox communities, but it was more as an expression of loyalty and respect
for my culture, the traditions of my forebears and my love for the aesthetics
of the Byzantine Rite – the sacred music, rituals, chanting and incense, all
under the gaze of countless icons and other sacred works of art. Whether one took the words and rituals
literally or not, the Ukrainian church’s Divine Liturgy when done with
feeling can be a truly mystical and transcendental experience.
And so it has been for the past several decades –
my living comfortably within my personal set of spiritual beliefs. Over the last year or so, however, a new
factor has entered my life that has caused me to once again probe deeper into
what I believe. That factor is a
Ukrainian Orthodox priest by the name of Fr. Bohdan Hladio who took over the
From the first introduction, I recognized that
Fr. Hladio was quite unlike most Ukrainian priests I have known in my
lifetime. A primary distinguishing
characteristic was the fact that there was none of that formal divide between
priest and lay person – I found that I could talk and relate to him as a normal
human being. I also soon discovered that
he was far more interested in who I was and what I believed in than whether I
went to church every Sunday and observed all the outward formalities of the
faith. I was also more than surprised to
discover that he was well-read and well-versed on many things beyond just the
Orthodox Christian Faith. Further, he
was never afraid to discuss even the most controversial issues, not from a
dogmatic, judgmental point of view, but in a spirit of real dialogue. He is
what I like to categorize as a “renaissance” man.
Lately, I have been attending a series of weekly,
evening talks that he has been conducting on the nature and beliefs of the
Orthodox Faith. I have been much
impressed by the fact that these have not been one way sermons or the
exposition of dogma to be followed unquestioningly, but rather a serious
examination of the core beliefs of the Orthodox Faith, with a particular
emphasis on the importance of a personal relationship with God. These talks encompass not only the essential
teachings of the Faith but also their psychological, moral and practical impact
on our day-to-day lives. I have been
moved once more to devote more time to reflect on that part of my essence that
transcends the material plane. I am not
sure where exactly it will all lead to, but I am finding the experience not
only interesting but enriching.