“Centuries of secularism have failed to transform eating into something strictly utilitarian. Food is still treated with reverence…To eat is still something more than to maintain bodily functions. People may not understand what that ‘something more’ is, but they nonetheless desire to celebrate it. They are still hungry and thirsty for sacramental life.” – Fr. Alexander Schmemann
13 December 2013:
Today we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the repose of Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann. This short meditation will not be about his life. It will not try to expound on the man’s legacy or attempt to contextualize his importance within the Orthodox Church. Fr. Alexander is perhaps best known as a liturgist encouraging frequent communion and a deeper understanding of the Divine Liturgy. In honor of this, let us instead speak about Liturgy and ruminate on the Eucharist; as the center of Christian life and the center of the Church we can do no better honor to his memory…
“The liturgy of the Eucharist is best understood as a journey or procession. It is the journey of the Church into the dimension of the Kingdom… [Our] entrance into the presence of Christ is an entrance into a fourth dimension which allows us to see the ultimate reality of life. It is not an escape from the world, rather it is the arrival at a vantage point from which we can see more deeply into the reality of the world.”
– See the full article here:
30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE REPOSE OF FR. ALEXANDER SCHMEMANN :: MONKROCK