“Righteousness is not about what I have to be, but what I have to want.”
With these words, author Phoebe Farag Mikhail opened her discussion of Hunger for Righteousness, the title of her new book based on the words of Christ from the Beatitudes, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Sponsored by the St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and Axia Women, a total of sixty Orthodox women both in person and online gathered to hear Phoebe speak, celebrating the launch of her new book and reflecting the theme of righteousness as we prepare to begin Lent in just a few weeks.
Phoebe subtitled her book “A Lenten journey of intimacy with God and loving our neighbor,” because she believes that righteousness necessarily involves both God and those around us. In Lent, we are centered primarily around three practices: repentance, almsgiving, and forgiveness, all of which hold love for God and neighbor as their highest goal. These are the ways, Phoebe says, the Church helps us prepare for celebrating the Resurrection.
In speaking on Repentance, Phoebe referenced the practice of confession, prepared for by examining ourselves around 1 Corinthians 13.
“If we feel something is missing…maybe, just maybe it is because we don’t have love. Maybe it’s because we don’t show mercy to others. We don’t look beyond our immediate bubble to see the immense need around us.
“I’m going to urge us all during this Lenten season, as we are focused on our repentance, as we are making appointments to see our father confessor, let us also set our intention for how we are going to care for others, how we are going to love our neighbor.”
Phoebe also touched on Almsgiving, mentioning an interview she recently did with a leader of a large food pantry in New Jersey for her upcoming podcast. At the end of her podcast series she asked each person, “So what does loving our neighbor mean to you?” Consistently, the answers came down to one theme: “Kindness. Noticing. Care for the other. Human dignity.”
Which brings us to Forgiveness. As Phoebe reminds us, forgiveness requires work. It is “a decision to affirm every day with God’s help.” Phoebe reminded us that forgiveness does not mean forgetting or letting go of boundaries, but a decision to let go of the bitterness. She spoke of a church in Egypt, where villages ask the priest at the beginning of Lent, “Am I worthy to fast?” The only reason the priest would say “no” is if he knew of a feud that had not been forgiven. Then, and only then, were they told they must repair the wound before they are worthy to join their brothers and sisters in fasting.
The talk ended with a Q&A session. Participants, many of them wives of potential clergy who belong to the St. Juliana Society at St. Vladimir’s, asked questions and spent time with Phoebe one-on-one before getting her to sign a copy of her book.
As we looked around at this sea of Orthodox women’s faces, both in person and online, we thought of Phoebe’s final words to us: “Lent is about love.”
”All I have to do is to want this,” Phoebe reminds us, “and I will be filled.”
Love seems a pretty good thing to want, this Lent and always.