"Guard the doors!" If you have attended an Orthodox Divine Liturgy you have heard these words. It is spoken at a time when, historically, the non-Orthodox, including catechumens, were excused from the nave of the church and the doors were shut and guarded. It kept the uninitiated from learning the mysteries of the church so that a) they would not misuse them and hinder their own spiritual growth or b) they could not be abused or defiled.
For many of us, guarding the doors, has become more of a symbolic expression, but there was a time when it was a very pragmatic one. Standing in Hagia Sophia I was reminded anew of this expression. The massive doors of that church were swung shut many times over the years, both to guard the faith and the faithful.
This protective understanding is expressed in a larger sense in the New Testament. In his Second Letter to Timothy, St. Paul wrote: "Take as a model of sound teaching what you have heard me say, in faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the rich deposit of faith with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us". He goes on to say to Timothy, "You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also".
I am glad to report that this sense of guarding the faith is alive and well in Palestine. To have a church, or a monastery, or a holy site, is to have a place that must be walled, gated, or at least watched. Beyond the obvious dangers, there is the need to protect these places from the tourist. I am amazed to stand in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during a Divine Liturgy and see tourists ambling in, dressed immodestly, snapping pictures and talking, oblivious to what is going on. (Imagine how that would go over in your place of worship!) Not all people are allowed to visit all sites. To visit a site does not mean that you will be given free access to all the spiritual treasures that are contained therein. If one is known, or if one acts appropriately and/or piously one is allowed greater access.
This concept is probably troublesome to most people in my country. We are happy to throw the doors open. Discrimination has become a bad word. Sometimes the swine do trample the pearls. We, especially in the church, would be wise to learn from the lessons of history, and to emulate the traditional stance of the Orthodox Church in matters of faith and practice. Guard the doors!
