“Remember, Lord, this country and all those in public service whom You have allowed to govern on earth. Grant them profound and lasting peace. Speak to their hearts good things concerning your Church and all Your people, that through the faithful conduct of their duties we may live peaceful and serene lives in all piety and holiness.” –From the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great
American society has become VERY contentious in the last few years—a swirling tempest of politics, social issues, economics, and cultural friction. In such a fractious setting, it’s difficult for us to not be swept away by the waves of the passions which seek to draw our attention away from our Savior.
As Orthodox Christians, we must keep our focus upon Christ. Political turmoil must not become an occasion for inner spiritual turmoil, lest the passion-filled cries of our society pierce our nous and steal our peace.
Remember: The Lord is near! He is not far away in the heavens, watching things play out in His creation, leaving us to our own devices. Quite the opposite: Through His Incarnation, we learn that God is very much active in His creation. His Holy Spirit dwells in each one of us, working in and through us.
A contemporary Serbian elder, Thaddeus of Vitovnica, speaks about the perpetual intervention of God in the book Our Thoughts Determine our Lives. He says, “Every event and every little detail around us and in us reveals the Lord’s Divine providence and His consent. Nothing in the entire universe happens without either the will of God or His consent. Everything we see that is good and harmonious is the result of the will of God. As for anything that is in chaos, God knows why it is like that and why He has permitted it. He set the limits. What we must know is that He is present everywhere.”
In the national political scene, we must remember that God knows who the president, the senators, the representatives, and the governors will be. He works through our leaders (to varying degrees) whether they are liberal, conservative, reactionary, progressive, good, or bad. And while He hasn’t “ordained” the president, He has consented to him. Furthermore, through God “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28). So His consent to the current political leaders is also a promise: He is saying, “I will work through them and through the circumstances that arise under their leadership.”
As for our part, we must not be ruled by our passions. Why do we succumb to debating with coworkers or family, getting into arguments on social media—becoming someone we would never be, if we were face-to-face! Why do we watch the news only to become agitated, angry, frustrated, or depressed? What does it accomplish to be wrapped up in political debate and opinion? Too often we imagine that we have control over things, that our political views can somehow be exerted upon others with great effect. We expend our energy trying to convert people to our views, plying at their ears and eyes. Yet God alone can work in their hearts. If we focus our energy on prayer, we will have far greater effect upon others, including our civil authorities.
We must keep our focus on Christ so that our nous is not carried away by the passions. Our nation needs your peace, because through this noetic peace, you are able to become a vessel and lighthouse of God's grace, love, and mercy. Let us remember that we are the very soul of this nation, and that the nation needs our prayer. We must pray for our leaders, whom God “has allowed to govern on earth.”