Metropolitan Saba Esper

(اغفر لنا كما نغفر نحن)
الغفران في المزامير والصلاة الربيّة.

Guidance on Reading

By His Eminence Metropolitan Saba (Isper)

Many people do not properly understand what they read. Reading has its own principles and disciplines, and unless the reader observes them, he may lose his way in understanding the text before him.

One of the simplest of these principles is to read calmly and attentively. Hasty reading leaves little room for proper comprehension, for grasping the content, reflecting upon it, analyzing it, and arriving at the understanding intended by the author.

Likewise, neglecting punctuation marks-such as periods, commas, quotation marks, and the like-and failing to pause where necessary can lead the reader to conclusions never intended by the writer. Meanings become confused and intermixed. Such reading often produces mistaken results and may even end up contradicting what the author actually wished to say. Consequently, the reader burdens the text with meanings it does not contain and attributes to the writer thoughts that never crossed his mind-sometimes even the exact opposite of his point of view.

Avoid reading from a preconceived position, as when you prepare yourself to attack what you assume to be the author's stance because it differs from your own. In such a case, you read merely to argue and dispute, without paying attention to what the text itself is saying. You project onto it your own prior ideas and convictions, understanding the text according to your own preferences, or in a partial or distorted manner. This kind of reading is deeply flawed because it prevents you from seeking the truth.

Your prior attitude toward the author also plays a negative and often unconscious role in your understanding of the text. You reject or classify it beforehand simply because it comes from a certain person whom you dislike, disagree with, or oppose.

Such an attitude cuts you off from truly understanding the other person as he presents and defines himself. You remain enclosed within your own fortress,hurling accusations at those whom you reject personally or reject because of their ideas and positions. In this way, you harden within your intellectual shell, die in your isolation, and contribute nothing positive to society.

Sound reading is based on trying to understand the text as it truly is, without imposing upon it what you merely imagine to be there-when in reality those assumptions reside within yourself, whether because of bias, intention, or closed-mindedness. Once you understand the author's perspective, you are then free to critique, reject, discuss, respond to, or debate it.

A story is not read in the same way as poetry. Likewise, a scientific book is not read in the same manner as a religious one. Every field has its own literary style and terminology, whose meanings differ from one discipline to another. It is both useful and necessary to know the characteristics of different literary forms, and this is acquired through the practice of reading itself. The reading of any text-and especially a religious text-also requires a purified intellectual approach; that is, you approach reading with a spirit that seeks truth, not with a spirit of criticism and attack. You first read in order to understand what the text wishes to say, and only afterward may you evaluate it intellectually according to your own position and the ideology you embrace.

Do not focus only on certain paragraphs while neglecting others. Read the entire text, and mark the sentences that draw your attention so that you may preserve or remember them. Selective reading of any text leads to false and distorted understandings.

Reading is a purifying act, because it obliges you to listen to what you read or hear, to become acquainted with the views of others, and to enter their world.

Reading helps you accept the other as he is and enter an understanding of him, even though you are not required to adopt his views. It also enriches you, through engagement with the ideas of others, by allowing you to benefit from what they have attained.

Reading is an inexhaustible mine of knowledge, and the path of reading leads to continual maturity.Remember the words of the Apostle Paul to his disciple Timothy (first epistle), and you will find great benefit in them:

"Devote yourself to reading (4:13)... Avoid profane and old wives' tales (4:7)... Avoid the obsession with arguments and quarrels, from which come envy, strife, insults, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people whose minds are corrupted and who have been deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain (6:4-5)."

Joy filled St. George Orthodox Church Little Falls, NJ on Saturday, May 9, as His Eminence Metropolitan Saba elevated the church’s pastor, Fr. Nicholas Belcher, to the dignity of archimandrite. Joining them that morning were His Grace Bishop John; area clergy; Mr. Fawaz El Khoury and Mr. Salim Abboud from the Archdiocese Board of Trustees; and a capacity crowd of believers.

Archimandrite Nicholas is also chairman of the Archdiocese’s Dept. of Youth and Young Adult Ministries. His Eminence selected this day for the elevation to allow for more people to attend without having to miss divine services on a Sunday. May 9 also happens to be the feast of the translation of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari.

During the homily in the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy, Bishop John explained that the rank of archimandrite is given to priests who will oversee, supervise, guide and protect the monastics, clergy and faithful entrusted to his care by Metropolitan Saba.

To exhort him, Bishop John shared words from given to him by Metropolitan Philip: “Don't ever look back. Keep your eyes looking forward.” He also shared words given to him by Archimandrite Roman Braga: "John, trust God." His Grace reminded the new archimandrite that, according to the day's Gospel reading (John 8:31-42), freedom comes from walking in truth. It is detachment from sin. It is life in the Kingdom of Heaven. And his duty is to show his people how to have that freedom, and God will shower him with blessings, guide him and protect him.

At the end of the liturgy, His Eminence inducted or upgraded 11 members in The Order of St.Ignatius of Antioch, the philanthropic arm of the Archdiocese, thanking them for their financial support of a host of ministries.

Afterward, the parish gave a luncheon in honor of Fr. Nicholas, where many gifts of love and appreciation were presented to him, as well as beautiful speeches, the most notable given by his son, Andrew Belcher. He praised the humility and faithfulness of his father in both raising him from infancy as a widower, while continuing to serve the Church with love and devotion.

The last speech was given by His Eminence, during which he spoke warmly of Fr. Nicholas, and how he saw in him, upon meeting him three years ago, a true shepherd, the kind that we need in the Church today. His Eminence remarked that we don't need religious businessmen as our priests. We need spiritual fathers and mothers in our parishes to shelter us under their wings, just as is written many times in the Psalms.

At the end of his speech, His Eminence bestowed a pectoral cross on Fr. Nicholas that belonged to Metropolitan Philip, who is much beloved by Fr. Nicholas.

Story by Sh. Kim Whiteside. More photos from Victoria Ayoub, Michelle Handal and Dn. Sophrony Strickland at https://www.antiochian.org/regulararticle/2806.