|
|---|
This paper was submitted during the Spring '06 semester as a class assignment for course “104 — The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia”. In 1995, Ruth Hrebinka earned a B.A. in Foreign Languages from the Christian Science school Principia College in Elsa, IL. Later that same year, she was baptized into the Orthodox faith and became a member of St Basil the Great Orthodox Church in St Louis, MO. Today, she is an active member of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Washington, D.C. Ruth, who enjoys being a stay-at-home mother, lives with her three children, her husband Dimitry, and father-in-law Arch Priest Igor Hrebinka in Springfield, VA.
The dialog which has opened up between the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Church is an event that has caused anxiety, distrust and animosity amongst the members of both sides. In some ways this is understandable considering the ecclesiastical split that occurred in the church over eighty years ago in Russia. The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia is comfortable being the guardian of pure Orthodoxy. She is used to viewing the Russian Church as a puppet of communist masters. At the same time the Russian Church has spent eighty years trying to survive persecution, atheistic influences and has become defensive against perceived attacks by her exiled side. However, ecclesiastically the two sides must reunite now that the Soviet government has been overthrown.[1] The details of this reunification must be left to the Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate.
The job of the ecclesia, the assembly of the faithful, is multifaceted and just as important. First there must be the willingness to obediently follow the decisions of the Bishops as they are led by the Holy Spirit in this enterprise. Secondly, the laity must meet its’ Russian brothers and sisters in Christ in an atmosphere of repentance and forgiveness. This is Christian love which is a gift of the Holy Spirit.[2] Each Orthodox Christian received grace during the Sacrament of Baptism and Chrismation.[3] Now God asks each member of the Church to open their heart and love the estranged part of the Russian Church. Only then will true reunification take place.
It is a difficult task. There is distrust and animosity on both sides. There are misunderstandings and pain. The deaths of those martyred under the Communist yoke are a constant reminder of lost loved ones left behind after the Revolution of 1918. The surviving elements of the Orthodox Church in Russia during the Soviet Regime did not “openly confess Christ’s teachings and influence the spiritual life of the people.”[4] Resentment about these events is strong in the Russian diaspora. The convert community of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia also has strong feelings about this period of time. Yet, it is important to remember that persecutions have never been new to the Church or to Orthodox Christians. From the time of its inception the Church has been persecuted and the faithful have been martyred.
The writings of the Holy Fathers of the Church are filled with exhortations on forgiveness and repentance. Holy men have written on these Christian traits as well as on obedience and love throughout the centuries. Ignatius of Antioch wrote in the early second century, “ Nothing is more precious than peace…”[5] Over seventeen hundred years later Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev in his book The Meaning of Suffering and Strife and Reconciliation explains this concept of peace in depth.
If “strife is a work of the devil,” reconciliation is the work of God. Peace is one of the most precious of God’s gifts. With the arrival of reconciliation, darkness disappears from the souls of those who until then have been filled with spite; and the peace of God, the light of God, and the joy of God settle there. God’s grace descends on the reconciled…[6]
This peace can be firstly attained through the obedience of the members of the Body of Christ, the Church. They must be willing to obey the decisions of the Bishops, the exhortations of the priests and spiritual fathers. Human opinion must be set aside so that the divisions and the doubts that exist in the heart of each may heal. True discernment and wisdom are gifts from God not of worldly knowledge and education. Obedience is one path that leads to wisdom that is not of the world.
In Orthodox theology obedience does not mean blind, ignorant adherence to a person, a group, or a dogma. St. John Climacus describes it as “self-mistrust.”[7] As a lay member of the Church this self–mistrust must begin by the humble acceptance that the Bishops of both the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and her sister Church inside Russia, the Moscow Patriarchate, are led by the Holy Spirit in the decision to begin the process of reconciliation. This is difficult to do. Pride, individualism, and opinion are all formidable characteristics of man’s fallen, human nature. Gossip and lies are prevalent and easily accessible on internet websites today. Everyone makes assumptions based on their own opinion. But these tendencies must be fought and overcome in the Orthodox Christian. Voices and idle talk must be silenced.
The example of the Son of God reveals the path Christians must be willing to follow. Jesus was obedient to his death. He always fulfilled the Will of His Father. In the Garden of Gethsemene, on the eve of his crucifixion he prayed, “…nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.”[8] St. Paul advises the Romans,
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God, (emphasis added).[9]
The Apostles followed their Master. St. Paul was obedient when Christ called him to preach to the Gentiles. The history of the Orthodox Church is full of holy men and women who gave their lives in obedience to Christ. These examples are still applicable today. The path of salvation still lays in obedience to God, to the Church and to the clergy that follow Christ’s teachings.
Suppressing human will and trusting in God has always been a teaching of the Church and a struggle for mankind. Yet, the Orthodox Church has provided leaders throughout the centuries in Her clergy and in the writings of the Church Fathers and the Saints. The Church teaches that Her Bishops are the representatives of God on earth. The grace of the Holy Spirit has been passed to them in the sacrament of ordination.[10] The decision to reunify with the Russian Church is being made jointly in an atmosphere of prayer and sobriety by the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.[11] It is not the decision of the laity what is or what is not good for the Church as a whole.
Lay people, for their part, should not strive to exercise power over the clergy, striving to Exercise unregulated administration of parish life. Uncontrolled, this approach can lead to a despotic form of church democracy, a situation which makes it impossible to attain a truly Christian life.[12]
It is the place of the laity to be obedient so that all may attain salvation through Jesus Christ. The Bishop follows Christ and the laity follows the Bishop. In order for this to work properly there must be willingness to remain in one’s proper place.
St. John (Maximovich) reminds us: ‘The Church has pastors and flock: to the former it is entrusted to preach and to the latter to study (Eph.4:7-12, Cor. 12, et al.) or to undertake some other task. Each one of them, performing his assigned functions, perform the single great work of forming the Body of Christ, the Church.’[13]
St. Paul’s words to the church in Rome are equally as pertinent today as in the first century: “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”[14]
Thus, reunification begins with individual obedience. Individual opinion must be quieted. The heart must be filled with humility and prayer for the clergy as they make these difficult decisions. This may seem an impossible task. “But in fact the state that is unattainable and unfathomable for us is attained through our constantly humbling our mind and wisdom before the conciliar wisdom of the Church.”[15] The obedience of each Orthodox Christian to the Bishops will then become a beacon to the world and an example of Christian faith to the world. It happened in the first century and it can happen again today.
For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good...[16]
Humility and obedience are also fruits of a repentant state of the soul. St. Paul reminded his followers that “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”[17] Repentance in Orthodoxy is more than just being sorry for one’s sins. The Greek word for repentance is metanoia meaning a total change of mind.[18] A repentant man not only sorrows for his sins but willingly turns away from sin and towards God. In turning towards God, God meets man in mercy and forgiveness.
Let no one be disheartened. Let no one despair concerning himself if he has turned aside to the way of unrighteousness because he was overcome by passion, impelled by desire, deceived by error, or compelled by force. For it is possible for such a one to be brought back and to be set free. It is possible if he repents of his actions and makes satisfaction to God, turning to better things.[19]
All Orthodox Christians need to repent. It is the recognition of each person’s individual sinfulness that opens the heart to love and compassion for each other. Compassion and love are Christian traits. Jesus gave his followers a new commandment, “to love your enemies.”[20] Thus, it follows naturally that a Christian must love his fellow man also. The people of Russia need the love of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
Repentance is the renewal of baptism and is a contract with God for a fresh start in life. Repentance goes shopping for humility..repentance is critical awareness and a sure watch over oneself. Repentance is the daughter of hope and the refusal to despair.[21]
When each individual is aware of his own sin and of God’s great mercy in forgiving sin then the door is opened to forgive his brother. “Repentance is great wisdom,” write the fathers of the early Church.[22] This is because someone who is aware of his own failings does not judge the sins of his neighbor. In the Lord’s Prayer the Christian asks that his sins be forgiven “as we forgive every one that is indebted to us.”[23] Tertullian, an early Christian apologetic explains,
He teaches us to plead “to have our debts remitted us.” Now, a petition for pardon is a full confession. For he who begs for pardon fully admits his guilt…[24]
This is true Christian repentance. If someone asks for forgiveness it is not up to the one asked if the asker is sincere. No one can discern what is in another man’s heart. Only God knows the inner man. It is the job of the Christian to forgive and in forgiving his neighbor he, himself, finds forgiveness. This is real wisdom. It must be remembered that, “Limited, proud human wisdom emphasizes its imagined virtues: ‘I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ’ (I Cor.1:12). This is the teaching of secular philosophy, which kills everything Divine in man.”[25] Repentance is denying this human wisdom by recognizing the weakness of man’s fallen nature. It is a protection from egotism and judging others. It protects the Christian from saying, “I am not a sinner, but he is.” The Christian should be the Publican, not the Pharisee.[26]
Orthodox Christianity is also founded on Love. St. Ignatius wrote, “Be ye renewed in faith, that is the flesh of the Lord, and in love, that is the blood of Jesus Christ. Let no one of you cherish any grudge against his neighbour.”[27] This is love born of obedience and grown in a heart humbled by repentance. Jesus told his followers to love.[28] St. Paul preached on love.[29] Maximus the Confessor states,
The one who is perfect in love and has reached the summit of detachment knows no distinction between one’s own and another’s between faithful and unfaithful, between slave and freeman, or indeed between male and female. But having risen above the tyranny of the passions and looking to the one nature of men he regards all equally and is equally disposed toward all.[30]
This love draws all men to God. “The Church’s ultimate goal was and remains to embrace all of society, indeed all of humanity, to a renewing faith in Christ as savior…”[31] This embrace includes those who have suffered or apostasized under the communist persecutions. In the first few centuries of the history of the Church, She was faced with those who, facing torture, denied Christ. The Church Fathers decided then that the apostisizers must be forgiven and readmitted into the Church’s loving fold. Today the Church is making this same decision.
Loving and forgiving each other will be the door through which true unity can enter.
Clement of Alexandria wrote on love in his homily entitled, Who is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved. In this homily he reminded his listeners of Christ’s loving sacrifice for His creation.
And about to be offered up and giving Himself a ransom, He left for us a new Covenant-testament: My love I give unto you. And what and how great is it? For each of us He gave His life,- the equivalent for all. This He demands from us in return for one another. …Divinely and weightily John says, “He that loveth not his brother is a murderer,”[32]
Clement is speaking about hoarding and saving up material goods in this homily but it can be applied to hoarding up spiritual riches as well. He wrote that the man who does this is “barren” and “sterile.”[33] The faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Of Russia have a wellspring of spiritual treasures that those returning to the Church in Russia need and desire. These treasures should be shared with love and the genuine desire to bring these brothers and sisters to the Faith. No one wants their soul to be barren and sterile.
The possibility of reunification with the Moscow Patriarchate is an historical event. Provided that the true Faith is professed this reunification can only be a blessed one. The bishops of both sides have a lot of work to do to accomplish this. At the same time the laity also has important work to do. This work entails individual obedience to the clergy, repentance and love for all mankind. As each Orthodox Christian endeavors to cleanse his own soul, individual hearts will be opened with love and compassion. Empathy for those who have suffered so long in Russia under the now defunct Soviet Regime will blossom. Bishop Mark reminded those at the IV All- Diaspora Council in May of this year, “Fear, suspicion and hostility relate to the sphere of the soul, the human psyche, which, according to the Holy Fathers, is a plaything for the forces of darkness, and all reasoning based on such feelings and thoughts is not ‘from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish,’ (James 3:15).”[34] Therefore, Orthodox Christians must not allow these satanic thoughts to lodge in their souls. Trust and faith will be obtained through obedience, repentance and love. In this way each member of the Church will be instrumental in the reunification of the two sides of the Russian Church, should it be God’s will.
The human soul, united to the conciliar soul of the Church, receives the divine-human qualities of Love, Truth, Righteousness and Eternity as something of its own, it lives by them and develops by their measures.[35]
This is truly reunification and it must happen. St. Ignatius reminded his listeners that “For where there is division and wrath, God doth not dwell.”[36] Love, repentance and obedience destroy wrath and heal divisions. Thus, the job of the laity in the reconciliation process is just as important as the decisions being made by the Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
Endnotes
1. Patriarch Tikhon, Ukaz 362. (The Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago & Detroit, 7 November 1920. Accessed 1 March 2006) available from http://www.orthodoxtheologicalschool.org; Internet.
2. The Holy Bible: The Authorized King James Version. Ed., unknown, ( Cambridge: University Press), Gal. 5:22.
3. Casimir Kucharek, The Sacramental Mysteries: A Byzantine Approach. (Allendale, NJ: Alleluia Press, 1976), 139-140.
4. Commentary on the Joint Document of the commissions of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia Entitled “ On the Relationship Between Church and State” (Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, 2004. Accessed 24 February 2006.) Available from http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/01newstucture/pagesen/articles/commentary.html; Internet.
5. Roberts and James Donaldson, ed., Apostolic Fathers: Justin Martyr, Irenaeus. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1994), 55.
6. Seraphim Aleksiev, The Meaning of Suffering and Strife and Reconciliation.(Wildwood, CA: St Xenia Skete, 1994), 84.
7. St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent. (New York City, NY: Paulist Press, 1982), 92.
8. The Holy Bible: The Authorized King James Version. Ed., unknown, ( Cambridge: University Press), Mk 14:36.
9. Ibid., Rom. 12:2
10. Casimir Kucharek, The Sacramental Mysteries: A Byzantine Approach. (Allendale, NJ: Alleluia Press, 1976), 290-291.
11. Schedule of the IV All Diaspora Council. Available at www.sobor2006.com; Internet.
12.Victor Potapov, “How Are We Preparing for the All-Diaspora Council?” Available at http:// www.synod.com; Internet.
13. Ibid.
14. The Holy Bible: The Authorized King James Version. Ed., unknown, ( Cambridge: University Press), Rom. 5:19.
15. Mark of Berlin, Germany & Great Britain, The Path Towards Healing the Divisions in the Russian Church: The Pre-Conciliar Process. Available at http://www.sobor2006.com; Internet, 4.
16. The Holy Bible: The Authorized King James Version. Ed., unknown, ( Cambridge: University Press), Rom. 16:19.
17. Ibid., Rom. 3:23.
18. St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth, The Philokalia, vol. 3. Trans. G.E.H. Palmer and others. (London, England: Faber and Faber, 1984), 362.
19. Roberts and James Donaldson, ed., Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius, Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions, 2 Clement, Early Liturgies. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 7 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1994), 277.
20. The Holy Bible: The Authorized King James Version. Ed., unknown, ( Cambridge: University Press), Lk. 6:35.
21. St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent. (New York City, NY: Paulist Press, 1982), 121.
22. Roberts and James Donaldson, ed., Hermas, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus, Clement of Alexandria.. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1994), 22.
23. The Holy Bible: The Authorized King James Version. Ed., unknown, ( Cambridge: University Press), Lk. 11:4.
24. Roberts and James Donaldson, ed., Tertullian (I, II, III). Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1994), 684.
25. Mark of Berlin, Germany & Great Britain, The Path Towards Healing the Divisions in the Russian Church: The Pre-Conciliar Process. Available at http://www.sobor2006.com; Internet, 5.
26. The Holy Bible: The Authorized King James Version. Ed., unknown, ( Cambridge: University Press), Lk. 18:10-14.
27. Roberts and James Donaldson, ed., Apostolic Fathers: Justin Martyr, Irenaeus. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1994), 69.
28. Ibid., John 15:17.
29. Ibid., I Cor. 13:3.
30. Maximus Confessor: Selected Writings, trans. George Berthold, (NY: Paulist Press, 1985), 51.
31. Victor Potapov, “How Are We Preparing for the All-Diaspora Council?” Available at http:// www.synod.com; Internet.
32. Roberts and James Donaldson, ed., Hermas, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus, Clement of Alexandria.. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1994), 601.
33. Ibid., 601.
34. Mark of Berlin, Germany & Great Britain, The Path Towards Healing the Divisions in the Russian Church: The Pre-Conciliar Process. Available at http://www.sobor2006.com; Internet, 4.
35. Ibid., 4.
36. Roberts and James Donaldson, ed., Apostolic Fathers: Justin Martyr, Irenaeus. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1994), 84.
Bibliography
Aleksiev, Seraphim. The Meaning of Suffering and Strife and Reconciliation. Wildwood, CA: St. Xenia Skete, 1994.
Climacus, John. The Ladder of Divine Ascent. New York City, NY: Paulest Press, 1982.
Commentary on the Joint Document of the Commissions of the Moscow Patriarchate and The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia entitled ‘On the Relationship Between Church and State.’ ROCOR Pub., 2004. Accessed 24 February 2006. Available from http:///www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/01newstructure/pagesen/articles/commentary.html; Internet.
The Holy Bible: The Authorized King James Version. Edited by unknown. Cambridge: University Press.
Kucharek, Casimir. The Sacramental Mysteries: A Byzantine Approach. Allendale, NJ: Alleluia Press, 1976.
Mark of Berlin, Germany, and Great Britain. The Path Towards Healing the Divisions in the Russian Church; The Pre-Conciliar Process. Available from http://www.sobor2006.com; Internet.
Maximus Confessor: Selected Writings. Translated by George Berthold. NY: Paulest Press, 1985.
Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain and Makarios of Corinth. The Philokalia, vol. 3. Translated by G. E. H. Palmer and others. London, England: Faber and Faber, 1984.
Potapov, Victor. “How Are We Preparing for the All-Diaspora Council?” Availiable from http://www.synod.com; Internet.
Roberts, Alexander and James Donaldson, ed., Apostolic Fathers: Justin Martyr, Irenaeus. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1994.
Roberts, Alexander and James Donaldson, ed., Hermas, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus, Clement of Alexandria. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1994
Roberts, Alexander and James Donaldson, ed., Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius, Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions, 2 Clement, Early Liturgies. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 7. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1994
Roberts, Alexander and James Donaldson, ed., Tertullian (I, II, III). Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3 Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1994.
Schedule of the IV All Diaspora Council. Available from www.sobor2006.com; Internet
Tikhon, Patriarch of All Russia. Ukaz 362. The Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago and Detroit, 7 November 1920. Accessed 1 March 2006. Available from http://www.orthodoxtheologicalschool.org; Internet.