My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE. Ο ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΕΝ ΤΩ ΜΕΣΩ ΗΜΩΝ! ΚΑΙ ΗΝ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΑΙ.
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THE VALUE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT (Part III)
By His Eminence Metropolitan of Nafpaktos HIEROTHEOS
Hannah's Despondency
We should also look a little more closely at Hannah's despondency. Holy Scripture says that Hannah "was broken-hearted and wept and did not eat" ((1 Kings/1 Samuel 1:7).
Hannah's despondency and weeping were linked with fasting. Anyone who is sad about something does not want, and does not need, food. We could conclude from this that godly sadness is linked with fasting. One who lives in the atmosphere of repentance has no appetite to eat, and in many case keeps the fast of our Church. There has been some discussion recently about reducing fasting. We know, however, that, whenever people become aware of sin within them, the first thing they do is to love fasting. What is more, they associate fasting with prayer. This clearly shows that fasting ought to be part of the atmosphere of godly sadness, which is true repentance, and that it is inspired by God's grace.
Why was Hannah so despondent about her physical inability to bear children? There are a number of reasons. The main ones are as follows:
Some people may assert that her despondency was the result of her rivalry with Peninnah, Elkanah's other wife, who had children, and was perhaps due to the contempt that she sensed Peninnah had for her. This does not, however, seem to be true, at least in Hannah's case, as proved by the prayer that she made to God, which we shall consider later. In it she says nothing at all against Peninnah. All the same, we ought to note how awful polygamy is from this point of view as well, and to respect monogamy, which Christianity introduced, even more highly.
Her pain came from the reproach of childlessness. In those days being childless was regarded as a curse. Barrenness in particular was seen as a kind of punishment from God. The reproach of childlessness did not operate on a humanistic or moral level, but on a purely theological one. Every Israelite woman, since she read the Holy Scripture that spoke of the coming of the Messiah, wanted to contribute to this coming. If she did not have children, she regarded it as a punishment from God that she would not be included among the forebears of the Messiah. The problem, therefore, was theological rather than ethical.
Hannah's despondency was also connected with the awareness of mortality, as well as with the desire for immortality. We are familiar with the fact that Adam and Eve lost immortality through their fall. Having distanced themselves from God, they lost the true life and fell into this valley of weeping. The birth of children remained as a consolation in this state, because they saw in children the extension and development of the human race. Saint John Chrysostom says in his analysis of this viewpoint that, if childlessness is still unbearable now, that is to say, in the period of the New Covenant, in spite of the fact that we have been called to another life and are on our way to heaven and virginity is highly praised, it was considered a much greater evil then. Indeed, in those days people did everything for the present, for the things of this life, so "being barren and childless was a condemnation". Childlessness cannot be regarded nowadays as a reproach and a curse in that sense, because there is the possibility now of another life to a greater degree.
In addition, Hannah did not want a child in order to satisfy her selfishness, but to dedicate it to God. As Saint John Chrysostom again comments, Hannah did not simply long for a child, "but to offer up fruit to God". She did not even want a child to satisfy Elkanah and to attract his attention, "but so that she might display some fruit for God". It is obvious here that her purpose was holy. Her aim was the glory of God.
The conclusion from all this is that Hannah's sorrow and grief were not psychological and unhealthy but purely theological. For that reason they were blessed by God, because the intention behind what we do plays an important role and has great significance. If we weep and are distressed on account of our passions, particularly on account of pride and self-centeredness, that is not blessed by God. Not only is it not blessed, but it has terrible consequences for our psychosomatic (soul and body) constitution. Dealing in an unhealthy way with various problems that arise in our life wears out our body and deadens our soul, because when there is bitterness in us, the All-Holy Spirit cannot act. It is a fact that, when we are embittered for psychological reasons, the Holy Spirit is unable to act and consequently spiritual life cannot develop within us. (Source: The Seer. The Life of the Prophet Samuel and its Relevance Today)
(To be continued. Next: Hannah's Prayer)
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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George