The greatest harm of our time is not that people do not go to church. It is that they want to go on their own terms.

Theoktistos the Cretan | August 8, 2026

 

 

The greatest harm of our time is not that people do not go to church. It is that they want to go on their own terms. They want a Christ who fits into their schedule, a Divine Liturgy tailored to suit them, and Holy Communion without effort, without waiting, without preparation. But this is not an ecclesiastical mindset; it is the worldly spirit that has entered into the spiritual life. The Church does not adapt to our convenience. We are called to adapt our lives to the rhythm of the Church.

And do you know what is saddest of all? They call parishes and monasteries and ask us: “What time does Holy Communion come out?” What kind of question is that, my child? What person who truly loves Christ can ask such a question? It is as though he were saying: “Tell me when to come so that I can miss as much of the Divine Liturgy as possible and keep only what is convenient for me.” If someone loves a person, he does not ask when the meeting will end; he asks when it begins, so that he will not miss even a single minute. But when the heart grows cold, then it always seeks the minimum. How long do I have to stay? When will it end? How long does it last? These are not questions of love. They are the questions of a heart that has not yet tasted the sweetness of the presence of God.

From “Blessed is the Kingdom” begins the entrance into Heaven. It is not a phrase that precedes the Liturgy, because it is itself the beginning of the Kingdom. Saint John Chrysostom says that during the Divine Liturgy the earth becomes heaven and the angels concelebrate together with men. Saint Nicholas Cabasilas teaches that every part of the Divine Liturgy prepares the soul for union with Christ. Who, then, dares to disregard this journey and keep only the end? The Divine Liturgy cannot be cut into pieces. We do not take only what we like. Whoever cuts the Liturgy to suit himself will gradually cut the Gospel to suit himself as well.

Let me tell you something painful. For a theatrical performance, we arrive half an hour early. For a movie, we sit patiently until even the credits have finished. For a flight, we are at the airport one or two hours beforehand. Lest we lose our place. Lest we miss the beginning. Lest we miss anything. Yet before Christ we do not have the same sensitivity. There, we are content merely to make it in time for the line for Holy Communion. This shows that the problem is not time. It is love. Where love is, there is time also.

Saint Symeon of Thessalonica writes that every action of the Divine Liturgy has theological meaning and leads man to participation in the divine Mysteries. Nothing is superfluous. No exclamation, no petition, no “Lord, have mercy.” Everything instructs the heart. Everything purifies the mind. Everything prepares man to stand before the Dread Mystery. Therefore, when we disregard the beginning, in reality we disregard the Church’s spiritual formation. And then we are in danger of becoming accustomed even to the holiest things.

Let us pay attention to this. Holy Communion is not a right that we must make it in time to receive. It is a gift of which we must be deemed worthy. And no one is deemed worthy merely because he happened to be in church at the appropriate time, but because he allowed the Divine Liturgy to work within him from the first blessing to the final “Through the prayers.” The saints did not seek the minimum. They did not ask, “How much is required?” They asked, “How can I love Christ more?” There begins the true ecclesiastical life. Everything else is a matter of convenience that consoles the conscience but does not heal the soul.

 

Greek source: https://aktines.blogspot.com/2026/08/blog-post_718.html