By St. Theophan the Recluse
Rarely does the Rite of Orthodoxy, which is now being performed, take place without censures and reproaches on somebody’s part. And no matter how many sermons are given explaining that the Church here acts wisely for the salvation of her children — still the malcontents just keep repeating their line. Either they do not listen to the sermons, or these sermons do not strike home as regards the latters’ perplexities, or perhaps they have formed their own conception of this rite and do not want to abandon it, no matter what you tell them.
To some people our
anathemas seem inhumane, to others constricting. Such charges might be valid in
other situations, but there is no way they can apply to our Rite of Orthodoxy.
I will clarify for you briefly why the Church acts thus, and I think you
yourselves will agree with me that in so doing, the Church acts wisely.
From this simple
indication regarding how the Church is formed, you can see that as a society,
the holy Church came to be and continues to exist just like any other society.
And so regard it as you would any other, and do not deprive it of the rights
belonging to any society. Let us take, for example, a temperance society. It
has rules which every member must fulfill. And each of its members is a member
precisely because he accepts and abides by its rules. Now suppose that some
member not only refuses to abide by the rules but also holds many views
completely opposed to those of the society and even rises up against its very
goal. He not only does not himself observe temperance but even reviles
temperance itself and disseminates notions which might tempt others and deflect
them from temperance. What does the society ordinarily do with such people?
First it admonishes
them, and then it expels them. There you have an anathema! No one protests
this, no one reproaches the society for being inhuman. Everyone acknowledges
that the society is acting in a perfectly legitimate manner and that if it were
to act otherwise, it could not exist.
So what is there to
reproach the holy Church for when she acts likewise? After all, an anathema is
precisely separation from the Church, or the exclusion from her midst of those
who do not fulfill the conditions of unity with her and begin to think
differently from the way she does, differently from the way they themselves
promised to think upon joining her. Recollect how it happened! Arius appeared,
who held impious opinions concerning Christ the Savior, so that with these
notions he distorted the very act of our salvation. What was done with him?
First he was admonished, and admonished many times by every persuasive and
touching means possible.
But since he
stubbornly insisted upon his opinion, he was condemned and excommunicated from
the Church — that is, he is expelled from our society. Beware, have no communion
with him and those like him. Do not yourselves hold such opinions, and do not
listen to or receive those who do. Thus did the holy Church do with Arius; thus
has she done with all other heretics; and thus will she do now, too, if someone
appears somewhere with impious opinions. So tell me, what is blameworthy here?
What else could the holy Church do? And could she continue to exist if she did
not employ such strictness and warn her children with such solicitude about
those who might corrupt and destroy them?
Let us see — what
false teachings and what false teachers are excommunicated? Those who deny the
existence of God, the immortality of the soul, divine providence; those who do
not confess the all-holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the One God;
those who do not acknowledge the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ and our
redemption by His death on the Cross; those who reject the grace of the Holy
Spirit and the divine Mysteries which bestow it, and so forth.
Do you see what
manner of issues they touch upon? These are issues which are the very reason
the holy Church is the Church, principles upon which she is founded and without
which she could not be that which she is. Therefore those who rise up against
such truths are to the Church what those who make attempts against our lives
and our property are to us in our daily life. Robbers and thieves, after all,
are nowhere permitted to carry on freely and go unpunished!
And when they are
bound and handed over to the law and to punishment, no one considers this to be
inhumane or a violation of freedom. On the contrary, people see in this very
thing both an act of love for man and a safeguard for freedom — with regard to
all the members of society. If you judge thus here, judge thus also concerning
the society of the Church. These false teachers, just like thieves and robbers,
plunder the property of the holy Church and of God, corrupting her children and
destroying them.
Their false
teachings have already all been anathematized in advance in those points where
anathema is pronounced to those who deny the existence of God, the spirituality
and immortality of the soul, the teachings concerning the all-holy Trinity and
concerning the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you not see with what
wisdom and foresight the holy Church acts when she makes us perform the present
proclamation and listen to it?
And yet they say,
“This is outdated.” It is precisely now that it is relevant. Perhaps 100 years
ago it was not relevant. But one must say concerning our time, that if a Rite
of Orthodoxy did not as yet exist, it would be needful to introduce one, and to
perform it not only in the capital cities but in all places and in all
churches: in order to collect all the evil teachings opposed to the Word of
God, and to make them known to all, in order that all might know what they need
to beware of and what kind of teachings to avoid. Many are corrupted in mind
solely due to ignorance, whereas a public condemnation of ruinous teachings
would save them from perdition.
Thus, the Church
excommunicates, expels from her midst (when it is said, “Anathema to
so-and-so”, that means the same thing as, “So-and-so: out of here”), or
anathematizes for the same reason that any society does so. And she is obliged
to do this in self-preservation and to preserve her children from destruction.
Therefore there is nothing blameworthy or incomprehensible about this present
Rite. If anyone fears the act of anathema, let him avoid the teachings which
cause one to fall under it. If anyone fears it for others, let him restore him
to sound teaching. If you are Orthodox and yet you are not well disposed toward
this act, then you are found to be contradicting yourself.
But if you have
already abandoned sound doctrine, then what business is it of yours what is
done in the Church by those who maintain it? By the very fact that you have
conceived a different view of things than that which is maintained in the
Church, you have already separated yourself from the Church. It is not
inscription in the baptismal records which makes one a member of the Church,
but the spirit and content of one’s opinions.
Whether your
teaching and your name are pronounced as being under anathema or not, you
already fall under it when your opinions are opposed to those of the Church,
and when you persist in them. Fearful is the anathema. Leave off your evil
opinions. Amen.
CONVERSATION