I’ve been thinking on the issue of Rod Dreher’s entry into the Orthodox Church, and people’s reaction to that decision. I think these quotes are apropos to all who consider the questioning of a person’s journey to God, and their selection of the way to Theosis, to be their duty:

An old man was asked, ‘How can I find God?’ He said, ‘In fasting, in watching, in labours, in devotion, and, above all, in discernment. I tell you, many have injured their bodies without discernment and have gone away from us having achieved nothing. Our mouths smell bad through fasting, we know the Scriptures by heart, we recite all the Psalms of David, but we have not that which God seeks: charity and humility.’

…and…

An old man said, “Every time a thought of superiority or vanity moves you, examine your conscience to see if you have kept all the commandments, if you love your enemies and are grieved at their sins, if you consider yourself as an unprofitable servant and the greatest sinner of all. Even then, do not pretend to great ideas as though you were perfectly right, for this thought destroys everything.”

Both from the Apophthegmata Patrum (the Sayings of the Fathers of the Desert)

In Orthodoxy and me (which looks like it has been taken down) at Mr. Dreher’s blog, Crunchy Con he stated:

A few weeks back, I mentioned to Julie on the way to St. Seraphim’s one morning, “I’m now part of a small church that nobody’s heard of, with zero cultural influence in America, and in a tiny parish that’s materially poor. I think that’s just where I need to be.”

Exactly – a family’s search for personal and communal holiness.

That search may follow one line in one person’s life or may traverse a winding mountain road in another’s. Regardless, who are we to criticize, and criticism of him and his family has been scathing and deeply uncharitable considering that it largely comes from allegedly devout Roman Catholics. All we can do is witness, and Mr. Dreher has that one down.