Quote: Seeing the good in the world...

"He is the Savior of the world, not from the world. And he saves it by making us again that which we are. But if this is so, then the essential spiritual act - from which indeed stems the whole of "spirituality" - does not consist in identifying the world with evil, the essence of things with their deviation from and betrayal of that essence, the ultimate cause with the broken and evil effects of that cause. It consists not simply in discerning the "good" from the "evil", but precisely in discerning the essential goodness of all that exists and acts, however broken and subdued to evil is its existence... We live, to be sure, in a wicked world. There seems to be no limit to its wickedness, to suffering and cruelty, confusion and lie, sin and crime, injustice and tyranny. Despair and disgust seem to need no justification; they almost appear to be the marks of wisdom and moral decency. And yet, it is indeed the first fruit in us of restored kingship that we not only can, but spiritually speaking must, while in this wicked world, rejoice in its essential goodness and make this joy, this gratitude, this knowledge of creation's goodness the very foundation of our own life; that behind all deviations, all "brokenness," all evil we can detect the essential nature and vocation of man and of all that exists and that was given to man as his kingdom. Man misuses his vocation, and in this horrible misuse he mutilates himself and the world; but his vocation itself is good. In his dealings with the world, nature and other men, man misuses his power; but his power itself is good. The misuse of his creativity in art, in science, in the whole of life leads him to dark and demonic dead ends; but his creativity itself, his need for beauty and knowledge, for meaning and fulfillment, is good. He satisfies his spiritual thirst and hunger with poison and lies, but the thirst and hunger themselves are good. He worships idols, but his need to worship is good. He gives wrong names to things and misinterprets reality, but his gift for naming and understanding is good. His very passions, which ultimately destroy him and life itself, are but deviated, misused and misdirected gifts of power. And thus, mutilated and deformed, bleeding and enslaved, blind and deaf, man remains the abdicated king of creation, still the object of God's infinite love and respect. And to see this, to detect this, to rejoice in this while weeping about the fall, to render thanks for this, is indeed the essential act of genuine Christian spirituality, of the "new life" in us." - Alexander Schmemann from the book Of Water and The Spirit