Just about everyone has heard the words of our Savior: "the Truth shall set you free" (John 8:32).  And there are probably many people who are familiar with the phrase but do not know that these are the precious words of Jesus, who also said that He is the Truth (John 14:6). Whether one knows the source of these words or not, the question that often arises in relation to this phrase is: "Free from what?" That's a good and important question. 

The Orthodox Church prescribes long periods of fasting, long prayer services, insists on modesty, and the emptying of oneself for the sake of others. Her sense of decorum seems rather antiquated (from a worldy perspective) by insisting, among other things, that lying is never justified, and that pre-marital sex is wrong and that one does not need to live with a person before marrying them. Many people observe this and say "this seems much more oppressive than freeing." Indeed, from the perspective of the spirit-of-the-age, all of this does seem rather oppressive. But the Church's concern is to free us. Again, free us from what? The simple answer is: the bondage of death.

The Church's anthropology is such that the whole and healthy human being is one who is in perfect communion with her Creator. And the Creator is revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ. In Christ we see, first-and-foremost, humility. We see a man, united to Divinity, who condescends to the level of His creature. Who is born in a cave where animals are kept. Who has a simple upbringing in a family that has no socio-political stature, and who lives in a town of low repute: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Nathaniel asks Philip (John 1:46). Jesus is constantly suffering the abuses of those around Him, leading, finally, to His crucifixion and death. Three days later, however, He rises from the dead after having descended into Hades and shattered the tombs. Christ, through His death and resurrection, tramples down death by His own death and frees us from slavery to that which is antithetical to life.

The Church in her wisdom and experience knows that sin (a turning away from God, a forgetfulness of God) leads to death (cf. Rom. 6:23). And She knows what sorts of things take one away from God and what sorts of things bring one back to God. What seems to be oppressive — long prayers services, modesty, fasting, and so on — is the medicine necessary to bring us back to life.

Rather than being shackled to the things of this world, we need to be freed, to become the full and complete human beings we were created to be. And, it turns out, that the only way to get there is via the narrow path (cf. Mt. 7:13-14). This may seem rather odd, that in order to be free one must walk a path that is restricted. Allow me to offer an example.

I'm a backpacker and I know very well that if I want to get to the top of a peak I need to follow the path that has been laid out by those who have gone before me. I will often seek other's advice about the path and what to expect. The more experienced ones will tell me, for example, that five miles into the trail I will come across a narrow and difficult pass, but to stick with it, for soon after I will be on the ascent to the peak. I will know, then, that at the very place where things become especially difficult to keep at it in order to reach the goal. Compare this to a seemingly freer approach where I can see the peak off in the distance and I blindly enter into the forest heading in the direction of the peak. I'm free. No worn out trail. I can pave my own path! But not long into the forest and I begin to lose my sense of direction. I'm not sure, now, if I'm heading in the direction of the peak or in a different direction altogether. I'm also having to labor very hard to climb over downed logs and to walk through dense ground cover, since I am not on an already established trail. I suddenly find myself full of fear, and perhaps even unable to get out of the forest since I don't know where I came from.

What seems to be freeing can often lead us into a state of total despair. And if we look around us — or better yet, look honestly and deeply within ourselves — we will find people who, despite their best intentions, are lost, confused, lonely, and on the brink of despair. The only Way is Christ (Jn. 14:6). And the only path to freedom is through Him and His Holy Church.

Let us abandon our foolish ways and trust that if we submit ourselves to the narrow path —despite the struggle and the labor that goes into walking that path — we will be full of joy and peace and, finally, be the free and whole humans we are meant to be!