True Orthodoxy

by ARCHBISHOP AVERKY (+)
of Syracuse and Holy Trinity Monastery

Few people today know that the Orthodox Church is nothing less than that Church which has preserved untainted the genuine teachings of Jesus Christ, the very teachings delivered to every subsequent generation of believers. These teachings came down the centuries. from the Holy Apostles, explicated and carefully interpreted by their legitimate successors (their disciples and the holy Fathers), traditioned and conserved unaltered by our Eastern Church which is alone able to prove her right to be called "the Orthodox Church."

The divine Founder of the Church, our Lord Jesus Christ, said clearly, "I will build my Church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against Her" (St. Matt xvi, 18). To the Church, He sent the Holy Spirit. The Spirit descended upon the Apostles, the Spirit of Truth (St. John xv, 16f) Who "manifests all things" to Her and guides Her (St. John xvi, 13), protecting Her from error. Indeed, it was to declare this Truth to men that the Lord came into the cosmos, according to His own words (St. John xviii, 31). And Saint Paul confirms this fact in his letter to his pupil, the bishop Timothy, saying that, "the Church of the living God is the ground and pillar of the Truth" (I Tim iii, 15).

Because She is "the ground and pillar of the Truth," "the gates of Hell cannot prevail against Her." It follows, then, that the true Christian Church—palpably unique since Christ established but one Church—has always existed on earth and will exist to the end of time. She has received the promise of Christ, "I will be with you even unto the end of the age." Can there be the slightest doubt that the Lord refers here to the Church? Any honest and sane judgment, any act of good conscience, anyone familiar with the history of the Christian Church, the pure and unaltered moral and theological teachings of the Christian religion, must confess that there was but one true Church founded by our Lord, Jesus Christ, and that She has preserved His Truth holy and unchanged. History reveals, moreover, a traceable link of grace from the holy Apostles to their successors and to the holy Fathers. In contrast to what others have done, the Orthodox Church has never introduced novelties into Her teachings in order to "keep up with the times", to be "progressive", "not to be left at the side of the road," or to accommodate current exigencies and fashions which are always suffused with evil. The Church never conforms to the world.

Indeed not, for the Lord has said to his disciples at the Last Supper, "You are not of this world." We must hold to these words if we are to remain faithful to true Christianity—the true Church of Christ has always been, is and will always be a stranger to this world. Separated from it, she is able to transmit the divine teachings of the Lord unchanged, because that separation has kept Her unchanged, that is, like the immutable God Himself. That which the learned call "conservativism" is a principal and, perhaps, most characteristic index of the true Church.

Since the TRUTH is given to us once and for all, our task is to assimilate rather than to discover it. We are commanded to confirm ourselves and others in the Truth and thereby bring everyone to the true Faith, Orthodoxy.

Unfortunately, there have appeared in the very bosom of the Church, even among the hierarchy, opinions expressed by well-known individuals which are detrimental to Her. The desire to "march with the times" makes them fear that they will not be recognized as "cultured", "liberal" and "progressive." These modern apostates to Orthodoxy are "ashamed" to confess that our Orthodox church is precisely the Church which was founded by our Lord Jesus Christ, the Church to which appertains the great promise that "the gates of Hell will not prevail against Her," and to which He confided the plenum of divine Truth. By their deceit and false humility, by their blasphemy against the Lord, these false shepherds and those with them have been estranged from the true Church. They have given tacit expression to the idea that "the gates of Hell" have "prevailed" against the Church. In other words, these apostates say that our holy Orthodox Church is equally "at fault" for the "division of the churches" and ought now to "repent" her sins and enter into union with other "Christian churches" by means of certain concessions to them, the result being a new, indivisible church of Christ.

This is the ideology of the religious movement which has become so fashionable in our times: "The ecumenical movement" among whose number one may count Orthodox, even our clergy. For a long time, we have heard that they belong to this movement in order "to witness to the peoples of other confessions the truth of holy Orthodoxy," but it is difficult for us to believe that this statement is anything more than "throwing powder in our eyes." Their frequent theological declarations in the international press can lead us to no other conclusion than that they are traitors to the holy Truth.

As a matter of historical fact, the "ecumenical movement"—of which the WCC is the supreme organ—is an organization. of purely Protestant origin. Nearly all the Orthodox Churches have joined, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia being the most notable exception. Even those churches behind the "iron curtain" have joined. For some time the Russian Patriarchate resisted, flattering herself with the purity of her Orthodoxy and quite naturally viewing this movement as hostile to Orthodoxy. She has since become a member.

The Russian Synod almost stands alone in her opposition to the "ecumenical movement." How can we explain her isolation from the rest of "global Orthodoxy"? We must understand the situation in terms of the words that "this Must take place" (St. Luke xxi, 9), that is, the "great apostasy" clearly predicted by the Lord (Sol ii, 3-12). "it is permitted by God," as [St.] Ignatius Brianchaninoff said almost a century ago. (Another spiritual father, Theophan the Recluse, announced with grief that the horrendous apostasy would begin within Russia.) [St.] Ignatius wrote: "We are helpless to arrest this apostasy. Impotent hands will have no power against it and nothing more will be required than the attempt to withold it. The spirit of the age will reveal the apostasy. Study it, if you wish to avoid it, if you wish to escape this age and the temptation of its spirits. One can suppose, too, that the institution of the Church which has been tottering for so long will fall terribly and suddenly. Indeed, no one is able to stop or prevent it. The present means to sustain the institutional Church are borrowed from the elements of the world, things inimical to the Church, and the consequence will be only to accelerate its fall. Nevertheless, the Lord protects the elect and their limited number will be filled."

The Enemy of humanity makes every effort and uses all means to confound it. Aid comes to him through the total co-operation of all the secret and invisible heterodox, especially those priests and bishops who betray their high calling and oath, the true faith and the true Church.

Repudiation of and preservation from the apostasy which has made such enormous progress demands that we stand apart from the spirit of the age (which bears the seeds of its own destruction). If we expect to withstand the world, it is first necessary to understand it and keep sensitively in mind that in this present age all that which carries the most holy and dear name of Orthodoxy is not in fact Orthodox. Rather, it is often "A fraudulent and usurped Orthodoxy" which we must fear and eschew as if it were fire. Unlike this spurious faith, true Orthodoxy was given and must be received without novelty and nothing must be accepted as a teaching or practice of the Church which is contrary to the Holy Scriptures and the dogma of the Universal Church. True Orthodoxy thinks only to serve god and to save souls and is not preoccupied with the secular and ephemeral welfare of men. True Orthodoxy is spiritual and not physical or psychological or earthly. In order to protect ourselves from "the spirit of the age" and preserve our fidelity to the true Orthodoxy, we ought firstly and with all our strength live blamelessly: A total and rigorous commitment to Christ, without deviation from the commandments of God or the laws of His holy Church. At the same time, we must have no common prayer or spiritual liaison with the modern apostasy or with anything which "soils" our holy Faith, even those dissidents who call themselves "Orthodox." They will go their way and we will go ours. We must be honorable and tenacious, following the right way, never deviating in order to please men or from fear that we might lose some personal advantage.

The sure path to perdition is indifference and the lack of principles which is euphemistically called "the larger view." In opposition to this "larger view" we put the "rigor of ideas" which, in modernity, it is fashionable to label "narrow" and "fanatical." To be sure, if one adopts the "modern mentality," one must consider the holy martyrs—whose blood is "the cement of the Church"—and the Church Fathers—who struggled all their lives against heretics—as nothing less than "narrow" and "fanatical." In truth, there is little difference between "the broad way" against which the Lord warned and the modem "larger view." He condemned the "broad way" as the way to "gehenna."

Of course, the idea of "gehenna" holds no fear for those "liberals" and avant-garde theologians. They may smugly "theologize" about it, but in rashly and wantonly discussing "the new ways of Orthodox theology" and acquiring a number of disciples, they give evidence that they no longer believe in the existence of Hell. This new breed of "Orthodox" are really no more than modem "scholastics."

In other words, the way of these "progressivists" is not our way. Their way is deceptive, and it is unfortunate that it is not evident to everyone. The "broader" or "larger view" alienates us from the Lord and His true Church. It is the road away from Orthodoxy. This view is sinister, maliciously invented by the Devil in order to deny us salvation. For us, however, we accept no innovations, but choose the ancient, proven way, the way in which true Christians have chosen to serve God for 2,000 years.

We choose the way of fidelity to the true Faith and not the "modern way." We choose faithfulness to the true Church with all Her canons and dogmas which have been received and confirmed by the local and universal Councils. We choose the holy customs and traditions, the spiritual riches of that faith transmitted complete and entire to us from the Holy Apostles, the Holy Fathers of the Church, and the Christian heritage of our venerable ancestors. This alone is the faith of the true Orthodox, distinct from the counterfeit "orthodoxy" invented by the Adversary. We receive only the Apostolic Faith, the Faith of the Fathers, the Orthodox Faith.

*Reprinted from Orthodox Christian Witness, wherein it appeared translated from the French in La Foi Transmise (Nov. 1968), pp. 19-22.

3. Children in Church

by Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky

Every Christian mother considers it one of her primary obligations to teach her child prayer as soon as his consciousness begins to awaken prayer that is simple and easy for him to understand. His soul must be accustomed to the warm and fervent experience of prayer at home, by his cradle, for his neighbors, his family. The child's evening prayer calms and softens his soul, he experiences the sweetness of prayer with his little heart and catches the first scent of sacred feelings.

It is harder for a child to take in the atmosphere which prevails in church. At first he just observes. He sees people concentrating and rites he does not as yet understand and hears incomprehensible words. However, the very solemnity and festivity of the church have an uplifting effect on him. When a two year-old child wants to take part in church, to sing, speak or make prostrations—in this we can see his uplifted state of soul, with which he is involuntarily infected. We say this from simple observation.

But there is also something higher than our sense perceptions. Christ is invisibly present in church and He sees the child, blesses him, and receives him into the atmosphere of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Grace envelopes him as a warm wind wafts over a blade of grass in a field, helping it to grow up slowly and gradually, to put down roots and develop. And so the mother hastens to bring her child to Christ, to His grace, regardless even of whether he has any understanding at all of this contact with the gift of grace. This especially concerns the Eucharist, the very closest union with Christ. The mother brings her infant to this mystery while he is still a baby lying in her arms. Is the mother right?

"Suffer the little children to come unto Me, for of such is the kingdom of God." Can you really say with certainty that there and then in the fields of Palestine these children had already understood Christ's teaching, had been sitting at the Teacher's feet and listening to His preaching? Do not say this, for the Evangelist himself remarks that "they brought unto Him also infants, that He would touch them: but when His disciples saw it, they rebuked them". In bringing their little ones, the mothers' purpose was simply that His hands should touch the children, and not that He should teach them divine knowledge.

Allowing children to have contact with spiritual grace is one of the first, basic concerns of a Christian who thinks about his children, and the task of Christian society, which is concerned about its youth. Here is the door to a correct Orthodox Christian upbringing. Enlightenment, compunction and joy, as they awaken in the infant's growing consciousness are an external indicator of the fact that the little Christian is feeling warmth from the divine source in himself. And even if he does not feel it, the invisible action of God's grace does not stop; only we do not see it, just as we do not see the effect of the sun on our own health instantly and at once. In Russian literature we have such apt examples of the disposition of children's souls during preparation for confession and communion, after confession and after communion of the Holy Mysteries.

Nevertheless, how often it is forgotten that herein lies the key to organizing religious education. How often, on seeing the inadequacy of religious education, we pick up the programs and re-work them, lay the blame on the textbooks and the teachers—and forget about the importance of the church and the influence of the services; certainly we do not always ask ourselves the question: "But did the children go to church?"

As the child grows tip, he should enter more deeply into the life, of the Church. The child's mind, the youth's mind must be enlightened by the church services, learn from them, become immersed in them; the church should give him knowledge of God.

This matter is more complex. The task of religious 'education will be fulfilled only when we teach our children to love church.

When we, the adults, organize church services, make arrangements for them, shorten or lengthen the order of service and so on, we are accommodating ourselves to our own concepts and needs, or simply convenience, understood in adult terms. But in so far as the concepts, needs and spiritual strivings of children are not taken into account, the surroundings are often not conducive towards making children love church. This is nevertheless one of the most important means of religious education: let the children come to love the church, so that they may always attend church with a pleasant feeling and receive spiritual nourishment from it. And since parents often cannot help here, if only because not, infrequently they are irreligious themselves, we are often compelled, when we think about our Orthodox children, to place this work into the hands of the community, the hands of the school, the hands of the Church.

Just as we are not afraid of destroying a devotion to learning and books, or love for our national literature and history by making our children come running to class at the sound of a bell and sit at desks, and by immersing them in an atmosphere of strict discipline and compulsion; so also, one might think, we would have no reason to be afraid of using a certain amount of compulsion in the matter of attending church, whether it be part of school regime or an expression of self-discipline on the part of youth organizations—both those that are connected with school and those that are not. But certainly, if this remains just compulsion, and to such an extent that it creates a psychological repulsion in the young people—this will show that the aim has not been attained, that the method has proved to be inadequate and the compulsion in vain. Let the child brought by our will express a desire to remain there through his own will. Then you will have justified your action.

And again we say: it is not only natural, psychological effects that take place in children's souls in church, but the action of grace. Our whole concern should be that the soul of the baby, child or youth should not be closed to holy impressions, but should be freely opened: and then it will no longer need effort, force or any other form of self-compulsion; it will be nourished freely and easily and joyfully.

There is one thing that must not be forgotten: human nature requires at least a minimal degree of active participation. In church this can take the form either of reading, or of singing, or of decorating and cleaning the church, or of some other activity, even if it is only indirectly connected with the services.

The indisputable importance of the church and of communal church services for the religious upbringing of children constitutes one of the arguments in favour of the Orthodox understanding of the mystery of baptism: that is to say, an argument in favor of baptizing children at a very young age, as we do in the Orthodox Church. Baptism is the door through which one enters the Church of Christ. One who is not baptized—which means he is not a member of Christ's family—has no right to participate in the life of this family, in its spiritual gatherings and in its table—the Lord's table. Thus our children would be deprived of the right to be with us in church, to receive the blessing in the name of the Holy Trinity, to communicate the Body and Blood of Christ. And however we may influence them in our family at home, however much we might teach them the Gospel, we would be depriving them of the direct action of heavenly grace, and at best we would arouse a thirst for faith in them—but we would still be keeping them far from the heavenly light and warmth, which comes down, regardless of our human efforts, in the mysteries, in all the services, in holy prayers. How grossly mistaken are those religions which recognize only adult baptism!

The holy maidens Faith, Hope and Charity, and the holy young bride Perpetua, who became martyrs, are witnesses to the fact that adolescence is an age prepared even for the highest active participation in Christ's Church. The baby in his mother's arms in church who cried out, "Ambrose for bishop!", and by his exclamation determined the choice of the renowned Ambrose of Milan for the episcopal cathedra—this baby is a defender of children's rights to an active participation in Christ's Church.

And so let us take some trouble over our children: first let us give them the chance to take more part in church—and in a wider and more elevated form than just giving the censer to the priest; and secondly, let us adapt ourselves somewhat to our children when praying together with them.

Let the children be conscious that they are members of Christ's family.

Let the children come to love church!

4. Rendering Unto the Lord in the new Israel
by METROPOLITAN MOSES (+)
of Seattle

The purpose of this tract is to help Christians, the New Israel, understand what is required in rendering one's gift unto the Lord. The Old Testament guideline for giving was a tithe, a voluntary, systematic contribution of one tenth of one's total income. Another name for this practice is proportional giving. There are many examples of this sacred tradition in scripture.

When Jacob departed from his father, Isaac, after he saw the vision of the ladder descending from heaven, he vowed, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee. And of all that you give me I will surely give one tenth to you. (Genesis 28:20-22)

In the days of the Prophet Moses it was commanded by God, All tithes from the land, whether the seed from the ground or the fruit from the tree, are the Lord's; they are holy to the Lord. (Leviticus 27:30)

The tithe served two purposes. One was to provide for the expenses of the Temple and the support of the priests, etc., and the other was to remind the believer that all of his material blessings ultimately came from God. The God of Israel admonished His people thus:

Beware lest you say in your heart, My power and the might of my hand has given me this wealth. You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)

The Prophet King David understood that God was the source of all his blessings and prayed:

But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly For all things come from Thee, and of Thy own have we given Thee Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building Thee a house for Thy holy name comes from Thy hand and is all Thine own. (Chronicles 29:14-16)

Later in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit speaking through the Prophet Malachi chastised some of the children of Israel for withholding their offerings saying, Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, How are we robbing Thee? In your tithes and offerings? Bring the full tithe into the storehouse. (Malachi 3:8-10)

Some erroneously say that tithing was an Old Testament requirement, but is not required in the New Testament.

Yet in His parable of the men who were each given talents according to their ability, our Savior admonished them to trade until His return. Furthermore, the man who hid his talent in the earth was rebuked. (Matt 25:27)

Elsewhere our Lord said, He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust you with that which is true? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another's, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided Him. And He said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. (St Luke 16:10-15)

Here our Savior Himself illustrates a spiritual truth. If we are faithful to God and recognize that abundance is a gift from Him of which we are called upon to make a small return, then we serve God. If we do not recognize this spiritual truth and are overly attached to things material, we serve Mammon. It is an either/or proposition. Some personal money management advisors agree with this principle and suggest that one is not really in control of one's money if one cannot give a portion of it to charity. The maxim here is that it is not how much one makes, it is how one manages it.

Our Savior told the Jews of His day to remember the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith and not leave the tithe undone. (Matt 23:23). The early Christians were fervent and did not limit themselves to the tithe. It is written in the Acts of the Apostles that the dwellers in Jerusalem held all things in common. This is not possible in the Church today, except in Coenobitic monasticism, but we all can remember the words of Saint Paul, But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver. (2Co 9:6-7)

Saint Paul requested a systematic contribution of the Christians of his day, saying, On the first day of every week [the Lord's Day], each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn. (1Corinthians 16:2) And Saint Peter admonished all, As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10)

Parents struggle to form their children in Christ. How can a parent tell if their labors are bearing fruit in their children? One way to assess your child's commitment to Christ is to encourage him to tithe. It is easy to profess with the lips, but a child who tithes is actively pursuing the life in Christ.

Tithing symbolizes and helps express your commitment to Christ and His Church. Not everyone can find it within himself to begin with a ten percent tithe. To these believers we suggest beginning with a lesser percentage and prayerfully making an effort to gradually arrive at the scripturally prescribed level of giving. It is easier to reach one's goals if one's gift to the Church is treated as an expense and part of the monthly budget.

A regular plan for giving can help enrich your spiritual life. Through giving we offer ourselves in service and devotion to God. We become stronger in faith and more aware of others needs and we experience the joy of sharing with others in Christ. Furthermore, it can help accomplish the Church's mission. Reliable funding allows the church to plan for expenses, carry out programs, maintain outreach activities and help those in need.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of change. (James 1:17)

A regular plan for giving can help enrich your spiritual life. Through giving we offer ourselves in service and devotion to God. We become stronger in faith and more aware of others' needs and we experience the joy of sharing with others in Christ. Furthermore, it can help accomplish the Church's mission. Reliable funding allows the church to plan for expenses, carry out programs, maintain outreach activities and help those in need. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of change." (James 1:17)

The good gifts are all that relate to our material well being, the perfect gift is membership in the Body of Christ and participation in Divine Grace, especially the Holy Mysteries. Our God is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, of all things. In this life He gives us the opportunity to give something back. Do not miss the opportunity to make a small return for His love and beneficence.

EASTER DATE REPONSE

Letters to the Editor

(Orthodox Observer, June 2002)*

Editor,

            In response to your many letters re­garding our Paschal traditions, I would like to offer another perspective, particu­larly in regards to our family having "two Easters."

       I am cradle Greek Orthodox, one of three children, and the only one who continues to be Orthodox. One brother does not practice any faith, and the other has become part of a Protestant nonde­nominational "big-box" church.

          My husband was raised Roman Catholic, but was Chrismated on Palm Sunday. We live in an area that is over­flowing with Protestant churches and Mormons trying to "include" our children in their activity nights; the pressures on our children are constant. Our family members are celebrating Easter at a dif­ferent time and a different way than we do as Orthodox. Bill and I consider this a unique blessing of our faith, because it offers our children the opportunity to see the stark differences in our Orthodox worship and practice, and those of other faiths.

            For example, several years ago, my "born-again" sister-in-law invited us to at­tend Easter services at their church. Their service was half musical production and half Jerry Springer.

            To this day, my children recall some of what they heard and saw that day with amazement that that is how some people think Pascha is to he practiced and ob­served. I personally will never forget, after one woman's recounting of how Christ was in her life, having my then­ nine-year old son turn and ask me what "incest" meant.

            We are able to attend Bill's non-prac­ticing parents' annual Easter egg hunt, when the children get their Easter bas­kets from the Easter Bunny, and our chil­dren understand that is a fun tradition at grandma and granddad's house. This is commercial Easter, not really Easter to my children.

            My sons' spiritual investment is in Lent and Pascha. These they approach with reverence, and awe. They under­stand that Lent in its observance and les­sons is a gift given to us to become the best people we can be. They look for­ward to Holy Week. My eight-year old son softly and lovingly sings, "...and Joseph took his body, and he laid it in the tomb." This is Orthodoxy; my children know they are Orthodox.

            They actually know what happened to Christ in his last week and that he was crucified ─ something my sister-in-law hides from her children, because it is too violent. (She also can't imagine that com­munion is the precious Blood and Body of our Lord.)       

            Knowing and being aware of the contrast in our reverence for our Lord, how he died and rose on the third day are essential to my children continuing their Orthodox faith, because they know other Christian faiths don't practice Christianity the way we do.

            Two Easters "ridiculous?" Not an advantage at my house.

            "Idiosyncratic?" No, faithful. Our reckoning for Pascha is a testimony of our preservation of that which the Apostles taught us. Our continuity is a treasure.

            Confusing? Not for my children. We love to have the opportunity to answer questions and share our faith in with community that has no idea what Orthodoxy is. I am proud to walk into my school office and tell them that my children will be out of school at certain times because we are Orthodox, and it is our Holy Week.

            I don't envy my Christian brothers and sisters united in their observance of Easter, because they have lost the truth and fullness of faith, and the separation of the dates is witness to that fact. Our faith has withstood many tests in 2000 years, let's not change now ─ our family (mine and all of yours) has too much to lose.

Margaret Mueller

Roseville, California

Editor's Note: Margaret, you should be put in charge of the Greek Archdiocese.