St. Kassia's Scribe
St. Kassia's Scribe
Becoming People of Love, Sacrifice, and Humility
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Becoming People of Love, Sacrifice, and Humility

An Interview with Michelle Moujaes, Founder and Executive Director of Faithtree Resources

Thank you so much to the incredible Michelle Moujaes of Faithtree Resources for speaking with me today. Faithtree Resources’ “The Encounter” app has been a huge blessing in my life as a mother of young children. Having the option to listen to the morning and evening prayers for each day, as well as the Scripture readings, allows me to work Bible reading and prayer into my day, even in a season when it’s not always possible to have a conventional, longer prayer rule. Prayer is the habit we need most, so anything that draws my attention to God and helps me to pray is a gift. So it was a privilege to ask Michelle to share her thoughts on how we can grow in holiness as women, and to share what she has learned through her experience leading Faithtree Resources.

This conversation was a beautiful reminder to me that love, sacrifice and humility become achievable ideals when we are united to, and drawing near to, the Body of Christ, the Church and especially our local parish.

Rather than transcribing the entire interview as I’ve done previously, I’ve selected some of my favorite moments from our talk to write down. But if you have the chance, do listen to the whole interview—you will be edified and encouraged!

The closer we grow to Christ and each other, the better our lives and the whole world will be. As Orthodox Christians, we understand that growing close to Christ includes growing close to His Church. Growing closer to His Church also means pursuing learning about His Church and growing in His ways. While there's so much to learn about the Orthodox Christian faith, the type of learning that draws us closer to Him and to each other is not primarily intellectual. It's not really head knowledge that helps us grow in holiness—it's relational knowledge.


Growing closer to Christ and His Church requires a formation that is borne out of consistency and habitual, regular behavior. It's a way of life which is based on complete faith and confidence in the Church, and the understanding that Orthodox Christians share, that the Church has preserved the Apostolic Tradition, and that we will continue to faithfully preserve it.


In the words of Jeannie Constantinou, “Reliance on oneself in spiritual matters is the beginning of one's fall.” When we're looking to receive God's love and return God's love and share God's love, it is incumbent upon each of us to do that in community. There's no “checking things off a list” as we pursue holiness. It's really this handing down of the faith. We're next in line. We're going to do it together.


One of the most important things that I wish young Orthodox women understood, and something many of us have not been taught clearly on, is that equal roles are not the same thing as equal worth. There is a lie out there that young women are bombarded with, which is that our worth is measured by what we do or by the roles that we are assigned. The unshakeable truth is that our worth is grounded in being children of God, who are made in His image, who are loved fully and equally by Him. We are called to holiness, to communion, to become just like Christ. That's the highest calling that anybody could receive.


I'm a woman who has been in church ministry in the Orthodox Church for over 35 years now. I have never once felt limited because I'm a woman, never. Not to say there haven't been hard times where people stick it to you, because that has happened. Especially as a woman who doesn't have a theological degree, there are certainly some considerations we navigate very carefully to make sure that we’re always within bounds. But, in my experience, if there was ever a need or an opportunity to serve, or if I felt like God was calling me to step in somewhere, I just did it. That's just what we did—we didn't spend time wondering if it was someone else's job or asking, “am I allowed to do this?” You ask permission, usually from a priest or whoever the leadership is, and say, “is this somewhere you'd want me to lead?” I've never been told, “no, don't go serve in that way”—never. I might have been told, “you know, we could really use you over here,” but the beauty of the Church is that there's so much room for service and so many ways to pour yourself out in love for others. And it doesn't have to look the same.


I'm not doing any ministry with a collar on—I don't need to. Why? That's not my end game. My end game is that I become like Christ. My brother who is a priest, serves God mightily as a priest. But it doesn’t lessen my offering, or compete with it in any way. We're both called to serve, just differently. So don't focus on who gets to do this or that, or what doors are opening, and never worry about who gets the credit or who gets to be in charge. If we can alleviate ourselves of that burden, and instead just prayerfully offer our best—our time, our gifts, our whole selves—to God and each other, the rest will work itself out.


As Orthodox Christians, what are we about? We are about becoming people of love, and sacrifice, and humility. That's what the path of theosis is. If we can live into that, we will have freedom and joy and purpose.


People are hungry for good news and for real community, which can only be found in the Church. We're hungry for something deeper than what the world is offering. When you present the Gospel clearly and beautifully, rooted in the richness of our tradition, people show up, because they're starving for it.


The Church is not just ancient and beautiful, it is also brilliantly practical. If you actually press into studying the teachings and doing the inner work that it takes to apply them, you start to see that the Church has given us tools to solve just about everything—if we're open to it. I'm convinced there's no better answer to any struggle. It just means that we have to show up fully. That's the kicker—you've got to do the work. The Church isn't a drive-thru. She's a feast, which means you have to come in, sit down and stay a while. The answers are there.


There are seasons where isolation is strong, especially for moms when you have young children. That’s where leaning into the Church is extraordinary. Doing that in community, as the Body of Christ, in relationship, is one of the most beautiful steps on the path toward theosis. Draw close to the local parish. Build relationships there. Don't let yourself lean into the online, “Ortho-famous.” Make sure you’re getting into real community with people who know you and are praying alongside you at the Liturgy.


We are doing a podcast for Orthodox Christian parents, called Orthodox Christian Parenting! That will launch in just a few months. We also have some pretty interesting content coming out on The Encounter app. We have a whole video series on the lives of the Saints. So whatever saints are commemorated on a day, we’re going to tell you about them in that “cookies on the bottom shelf” way. We're also doing that with the daily lectionary of Scripture. We have an adult Sunday School coming for parents, so we can walk together and figure out how we hand down the faith just as it was handed down to us, but in a way that our kids can actually work on in their own journeys and not just borrow the faith of their parents.

Thank you so much, Michelle, for this interview and for all the work that you do at Faithtree Resources! It was an honor to speak with you!

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