“Yet
at this point let us ask a few questions. Are these “symbols”
merely “symbolic”? Or is their failure perhaps to be explained
precisely by the symbolic value attached to them by Christian s
themselves, who ceased to understand their true nature? And did they
not cease to understand this nature because at one time (it would take
too long to elaborate on this here) Christians came to think that
"religion" has nothing to do with time, is in fact salvation from time?
Before we gain the right to dispose of the old "symbols" we must
understand that the real tragedy of Christianity is not is "compromise"
with the world and progressive "materialism" but on the contrary it
"spiritualization" and transformation into “religion”. And "religion"
as we know already has thus come to mean a world of pure
spirituality, a concentration of attention on matters pertaining to
the "soul".
Christians were tempted to reject time altogether and
replace it with mysticism and "spiritual" pursuits, to live as
Christians out of time an thereby escape its frustration; to insist
that time has no real meaning from the point of view of the Kingdom
which is “beyond time”. And they finally succeeded. They left
time meaningless indeed, although full of Christian "symbols", and today
they themselves do not know what to do with these symbols. For it is
impossible to “put Christ back in Christmas” if He has not
redeemed-that is, made meaningful-time itself.”
Fr.
Alexander Schmemman, For the Life of the World
pp 48-49
