Tithing Mint

I am often asked by catechumens questions of basic liturgical etiquette, such as how to enter the church, how to venerate an icon, and when to make the sign of the cross.  I am always happy to explain and (if in church) to demonstrate, since these are things that Orthodox people should know and do instinctively.  They are part of forming an Orthodox mind and approach to life and worship.  But there is a danger in answering such questions without first placing them in a wider context, because answering them without context might give the erroneous impression that Orthodoxy is all about rules.

       We certainly have enough rules—rules about how and when to make the sign of the cross, when and how to fast, how to venerate icons, etc. etc. etc.  And etc.  But the beating heart of our faith is not there.  Orthodoxy does not primarily consist of obeying the rules because Orthodoxy is not primarily about conforming to God’s Law.  Orthodoxy is primarily about the Good News of Christ.

       It might be helpful to answer the questions about church etiquette rules now and get them out of the way.  Let’s start.

       One makes the sign of the cross by joining thumb and two fingers together and with them touching the head, breast, and shoulders, right to left (thus The Faith: An Orthodox Catechism, by Clark Carlton).  One signs oneself when first stepping into a church.  One then may, if one wishes, take a candle, and proceed to the central icon in the nave. One then signs oneself and then bows, does this again, signs oneself again and kisses the icon, and then signs and bows a third time.  One then places one’s candle in the candle stand nearby to adorn the icon.

       Then one proceeds to venerate as many icons as one wishes, repeating the signing and bowing ritual as before.  Venerating the central icons of Christ and the Theotokos is customary, though of course one can venerate other icons as well.  Then one takes one spot in church and refrains from unnecessary talk while in church.

       One also crosses oneself when the Trinity is mentioned in the prayers (e.g. “…to You we ascribe glory: to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…”).  One also discerns a Trinitarian reference whenever something is mentioned three times (e.g. “Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia”).  Many cross themselves during the Creed whenever one of the three Persons are mentioned (e.g. “I believe in one God, the Father…and in one Lord Jesus Christ…and in the Holy Spirit”).  Some also cross themselves at the mention of the Church and the resurrection of the dead in the Creed.

       One approaches the Chalice with one’s arms crossed in a posture of humility and does not sign oneself with the cross after receiving lest the movement cause the Chalice to be accidently spilled.

       Finally, one signs oneself with the cross before leaving the church at the end of the service.  There are other rules (naturally) but these are the basics. 

       Such things are of minor importance.  Note:  not “of no importance”, but “of minor importance”.  They are like tithing mint, dill, and cumin.   

In our Lord’s denunciation of the Pharisees, He commended them for some things and condemned them for other things.  The Torah commanded one to pay a tithe of one’s produce, herd, and flock to God’s Tabernacle (Leviticus 27:30-32).  The Pharisees were so zealous and anxious to fulfill the Law that they tithed not only from their crops, herd, and flock, but also such tiny things as mint, dill, and cumin, the little garden herbs that the Torah does not mention. 

Concerning this tithing of garden herbs, Christ said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”

       Note that our Lord did not condemn the keeping of lighter matters such as the tithing of mint, dill, and cumin, but only the failure to obey the weightier matters.  He did not object to them straining out a gnat from their diet, but to them swallowing a camel.  This failure to recognize that tithing garden herbs was a light matter and making it the center of the Law so that they ignored the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness—that was their problem.

       In the same way it is crucial for us to recognize that how one makes the sign of the cross and when to make the sign of the cross is one of the lighter matters.  One should do it, but the heart of the faith—the weightier matters of Orthodoxy—does not consist of keeping such rules.  What are the weightier matters of our faith?—a reverent and penitent encounter with Christ.

       Orthodoxy proclaims that God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  Christ died and rose for us and now lives among us in His Body the Church.  Union with Him in His Church with all the transformation that this implies and provides is the center of our faith.  In His Church we encounter the living Christ who teaches and transforms us, restoring the divine image that our sin had darkened.  We walk humbly with Him as our Lord and Saviour and King, striving to obey Him and bringing His saving light and love to all the world.

       Everything in the Church is oriented toward this life and this truth.  Seeking Christ and worshipping Him in humility is how we make progress in our spiritual life.  All the rules and regulations, all the customs and traditions (some of which vary from place to place) are intended to serve this goal.  We err grievously if we lose track of this larger context and make the keeping of the rules an end in itself. 

Let us therefore continue to tithe our mint and dill and cumin; let us keep the rules and value our customs.  But let us also not neglect the weightier matters of our faith.  Let us realize that these things—and in fact everything in the Church—are meant to help us increase our love for God and our love for our neighbour.  The rules concern externals; God looks not only at externals, but also at the heart, for that is where love abides.