There is No Christianity Without the Church (St. Hilarion Troitsky)

Christianity or the Church?

(Original Title: There is No Christianity Without the Church)

 

By St. Hilarion (Troitsky), Holy New Martyr of Russia

 

Introduction

 

Usually, people prefer to remain silent concerning a matter which they know nothing about and do not understand. This, of course, is completely sensible. Let us imagine, for example, a person who knows nothing about chemistry but who, nevertheless, constantly insists upon interfering in the affairs of chemists. He corrects their scientific formulae which have been obtained with great difficulty, changing their order or replacing one with another. We would agree that such a person is acting with the highest degree of imprudence and that we can only have pity for him.

There is one field, however, in which too many people consider themselves to be complete masters, in fact, almost legislators; that is the area concerning the Christian faith and the Church. In this field also, clear and definite formulae have been established with a great effort of theological thought, spiritual guidance, faith, and piety. These formulae are established and must be accepted on faith. Regardless of this fact, a great many people enter into the questions of faith and the Church solely as bold and decisive reformers who want to remake everything according to their own personal desires. In cases where such people have insufficient knowledge or understanding, they are especially averse to remaining silent. To the contrary they begin not only to speak, but to shout. Such shouting on the questions of faith and the Church usually finds the columns of newspapers and the ordinary conversations of people who, in general, very seldom think of faith and the Church at all. If they do think of such things, they prefer to voice themselves exclusively in an authoritative and accusatory tone.

St. Porphyrios: The Joy of Being with Christ in His Church

 

 By Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Clapsis

Saint Porphyrios, a Greek Orthodox monk who died in 1991, was formally glorified as a saint by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in November 2013. He stands in the long tradition of charismatic spiritual guides in the Orthodox Church. His book Wounded by Love narrates his life and teachings, expressing the richness of the ascetic, mystical Orthodox tradition. His theology reflects Orthodoxy’s authentic, charismatic aspects, a fruit of prayer, ascesis, and love for God and others. St. Porphyrios, based on his ascetic and mystical experience of living with Christ in the Church, shares his understanding of how the faithful should understand their relationship with Christ in the Church and what that entails.

Homily Two for the Epistle Reading on the Eighth Sunday After Pentecost (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 Eighth Sunday After Pentecost

Homily on 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The early Church, despite its rich gifts of the Holy Spirit, was troubled by various problems. Among these problems were divisions and schisms among Christians. The Apostle Paul refers to this fact in the reading we read today.

The Christians of Corinth were divided into groups and factions. Some claimed to belong to Paul, others to Apollos, others to the Apostle Peter and there was also a portion of some people who said they belonged to Christ, as if the previous ones did not belong to Christ and were not His disciples. The Apostle Paul rebukes this mentality of divisions and schisms, and he emphasizes to them that they must be trained in the same mind and the same opinion and stand immovable in their unity with Christ, since He was crucified and rose again for men. But Christians were also baptized in the name of Christ and not in the name of the Apostles. The Apostles are Disciples and Apostles of Christ (1 Cor. 1:10-17).

Archbishop Stefan of Ochrid on Receiving Autocephaly from the Ecumenical Patriarchate

In his first interview after the removal of the Schism, Archbishop Stefan of Ochrid spoke to the Greek media To Vima (June 5, 2022) and expressed his respect for the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The interview of Archbishop Stefan was given before the concelebration of Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia with Archbishop Stefan of Ochrid (from the day the Ecumenical Patriarchate decided to restore the former schismatic Church of Skopje) in the Cathedral of Belgrade during which His Beatitude handed over to His Eminence the Tomos of Autocephaly.

From the interview of Archbishop Stefan of Ochrid to the journalist Maria Antoniadou in To Vima we read:

Homilies on the Divine Liturgy - The Ecclesiastical Government (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homilies on the Divine Liturgy

The Ecclesiastical Government

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou 

When an official visits our land, an audience usually follows, that is, the meeting, to which we report our requests, and we ask them to satisfy some of our desires that refer to the life and society in which we live. The same happens with the Divine Eucharist. After the coming of Christ on the Holy Table there follows our requests and the expression of our inner feelings. Three main things will be mentioned.

First, immediately after the change of the Holy Gifts we feel the need to say to the Father - our God - that we offer the Divine Liturgy to honor the Saints, the Prophets, the Righteous of the Old Testament, the Venerables and the Confessors and every righteous person who ended their life in Christ. Above all, we offer the Divine Liturgy to our Panagia, which is why we say "especially our all-holy, immaculate, most-blessed, glorious Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary." The Saints were united with Christ. At this time we also mention the Saint who celebrates that day, because we believe that this day they are especially among us.

Second, we remember our living and reposed brethren. We first mention those who have fallen asleep, because they are in great need of our prayers, since now they can do nothing for themselves and expect them of us. The commemoration takes place at this time - the memorial service for our brethren, our relatives. That is why at the time when the chanter chants "Axion Estin" we should mention the names of the people we love and who have left this world. Then we mention the names of the living, we pray for the world, the Church that is all over the world, for the priests and deacons, for those who struggle to live with purity and modesty and for the rulers, so that there is peace in the nation. We also pray for the city in which we live and for those who live in it in faith, for those who travel in various ways, for the sick and the demon-possessed, the captives, for those who help the Church in various ways, for those who help the poor and finally we pray for ourselves, to receive the mercy of God.

Third, we mention our Bishop, in whose name the priest performs the Divine Liturgy. "And first remember Lord our Archbishop ... to whom you have given your holy Churches peace, salvation, honor, health, length of days, correctly dividing the word of your truth."

The Metropolitans commemorate the Holy Synod to which they belong, the leaders of the Autocephalous Churches and the Patriarchs, and mention "every Diocese of the Orthodox". This utterance shows our ecclesiastical government. The Church is not an abstract faith and ideology, but a specific organization, structured in Patriarchates, Autocephalous Churches, Dioceses and Parishes. Everyone mentions their immediate superior, to whom they refer. There is no individual ecclesiasitcal life. The Hieromonk who liturgizes in the wilderness of Mount Athos mentions the Ecumenical Patriarch, to whose jurisdiction Mount Athos belongs. If this mention is omitted then the Divine Liturgy suffers from being uncanonical. And we say this because a Eucharist that takes place outside the Church is not a real Divine Eucharist, but a conventicle. And of course it is not enough to mention one's Bishop and not to have a meaningful communication with him.

The Church is one body, the Body of Christ. To this Body belong the Saints, the Angels, the dead who departed with repentance and the living who struggle to be united with the Body of Christ. One cannot live alone and independently of one's brethren. Also, one cannot live outside his Bishop, who is in "the type and place of the head of the Church, that is, of Christ." Worse still, a priest cannot perform the Divine Liturgy in the name of his Bishop, mention him, so that God may preserve him in peace, salvation, honor, health, longevity and the orthodoxy of the word of truth, and yet with his daily actions to slander him, to demonize him, to fight him in various ways.

Today we do not need an individual religiosity, but a stable ecclesiastical experience and mindset. We must live in the spiritual family called the Church and respect the Bishops God has placed in the Church organization.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

On Vain Disputations and Questionings in the Church of Christ (St. Daniel the Stylite)

In chapter 90 of the Life of Saint Daniel the Stylite, we read:

 

Through the Devil's working a tumult once arose in the most holy churches, for tares had sprung up from vain disputations and questionings, so that some of the monks, who were renowned for good living, through their simple-mindedness and through their failure to consider the matter with precision, left the most Holy Church and separated themselves from the holy fellowship and liturgy. 

 

These mischief-makers came to the holy man and tried to confound him with similar arguments, but he who kept the foundation of the holy faith unmovable and unshakable answered them saying:

 

Homily on the Dormition of the Theotokos: The Relationship of the Panagia with Orthodox Ecclesiology (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

Homily on the Dormition of the Theotokos: 

The Relationship of the Panagia with Orthodox Ecclesiology 

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Delivered in 2002)

The Church of Christ, my beloved brethren, is the Body of the God-man Christ. The Church of the Old Testament was spiritual and consisted of the righteous, who did not overcome death, but with the incarnation of Christ the Church became physical, that is, she was received by Christ and became His Body. And the Panagia cooperated in this, because she gave her body to Christ, who deified it and made it a Church. This alone shows the great value of our Panagia, and that this is the joy and the cause of our deification.

Therefore, when we say Church we mean the Bridegroom Christ, the Mother of the Bridegroom Christ and the friends of the Bridegroom Christ, the saints. In this society the deification of man and the sanctification of creation are achieved and of course all the great changes take place in society and the world.

The Orthodox: Arrival and Dialogue (Fr. John Romanides) - Part 4 of 5

...continued from part three.

VI

The transposition of the Roman Orthodox principles of ecclesiology and synodical administration to the American scene would mean the existence of a bishop in each Eucharistic Assembly, or at least in each city, town and village. The provincial synods within the Roman Empire would be equivalent to county synods presided over by the bishops of the county seats who would be called Metropolitans. These would be autonomous Churches as described above. The Roman dioceses would be somewhat equivalent to our States. The presiding bishop of that county which contained the capital city of the State would preside over his own provincial synod which would be autocephalous and at the same time he would preside over the ordination, but not the election, of the county Metropolitans within the State. The bishops of State capitals would probably be called Archbishops.

The Orthodox: Arrival and Dialogue (Fr. John Romanides) - Part 3 of 5

...continue from part two.

In the ancient Church each Eucharistic assembly was headed by a bishop. Very early these bishops organized themselves into synods whose jurisdiction was determined by the provincial divisions of the Roman Empire. The provincial synods gathered together at the ordinations of the bishops and at regular intervals at the provincial capitals. Since the bishop of the provincial capital was usually the host at the gatherings of the bishops, he was recognized as the presiding bishop of the provincial synod and became known as the Metropolitan. The bishops decided upon questions by vote in synod and not by the arbitrary rule of any one bishop. The Metropolitan was primus inter pares.

When the Roman provinces were later reorganized and grouped into dioceses, the bishops of the diocesan capitals were recognized as having a primacy of honor (primus inter pares) above that of the provincial Metropolitans. Then there was a higher scale of primacy of honor for those bishops of imperial capitals. Rome was given the first place (primus inter pares), Alexandria, the capital of the Ptolemies, was accorded second place, and Antioch, the capital of the Seleucid Empire, third place.

The Orthodox: Arrival and Dialogue (Fr. John Romanides) - Part 2 of 5

...continued from part one.

III

For several decades Protestants and Roman Catholics (particularly the latter) have emphasized the jurisdictional alignments along ethnic lines of Orthodoxy in America and elsewhere in order to point a finger at what they consider disunity and "nationalism." Limited by their own understanding of unity as involving merger (Protestant) or centralization (Roman Catholic), they fail to discern how the Orthodox themselves view unity, and to appreciate how oneness of the Orthodox in faith and worship constitutes a union which transcends such cultural diversities as exist, sometimes even within a single or ethnic group.

The Timeliness of Saint Maximus the Confessor

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Sermon Delivered in the Metropolitan Church of Ioannina 

on 21 January 2020)

First of all, I would like to warmly thank His Eminence the Metropolitan of Ioannina and beloved brother in Christ, Maximos, for the ministry of the word that he has entrusted to me, and especially today, when the great teacher of our Church celebrates, Saint Maximus the Confessor, whose name the Metropolitan and my beloved brother in Christ bears.

Your Eminence Metropolitan of Ioannina and beloved brother Maximos, revered chorus of Hierarchs, Priests of God the Most High, ministry of Christ, most honorable leaders and chosen Christians:

It is known to all of you that from the time your Metropolitan, who bears the name of Saint Maximus, came here to Ioannina, various speeches have been made about this great teacher of the Church. Saint Maximus lived in the seventh century, in a very difficult century in many ways, and he became a foremost teacher of our Church and a great theologian, a soaring eagle of theology.

"On Peace With One Another": A Timeless and Always Relevant Homily of Saint Gregory Palamas

 

This first homily of St. Gregory Palamas was delivered during a procession, which took place either in December of 1350 or in January of 1351, on the third day following his entry into Thessaloniki, when the city was liberated from the Zealots by Emperor John VI Cantacuzenos (1347-1354). Though elected Metropolitan in May of 1347, Palamas, because of the strife caused by the fierce politico-religious disputes of the day, had twice been refused entry into the city, once in 1347 and then again in 1348. With this homily, he encouraged all the Orthodox Christians of Thessaloniki to be at peace with another, and unite in their purpose in Christ.

HOMILY ONE

On Peace With one Another

By Saint Gregory Palamas

Delivered three days after his arrival in Thessalonica.

1. We are all brethren in that we have one Creator and Lord, who is Father to us all. That brotherhood we share with animals and inanimate nature. We are also brethren one to another as descendants of one earthly father, Adam, and the only creatures made in God's images. But even this is common to all nations. More especially, however, we are brethren in that we are of the same race and live in the some place; and above and else, share one mother, the Holy Church and true piety, the author and finisher of which is Christ, the rightful Son of God. Not only is He our God, but He was well-pleased to be our Brother, our Father and our Head, bringing us all together into one body and making us members of one another and of Himself.

Seven Nuggets in the Time of the Coronavirus (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

 

The coronavirus humbled us all, disorganized our society, took us out of our anxious "bliss", our self-sufficiency, our activism and the veneer of our faith. At the same time, it humbled the arrogance of some scientists and politicians.

Each of us, locked in our own monastic cell, thinks, "philosophizes", prays, fills our time creatively and plans. Others suffocate in the small spaces of their residence, contemplating the "before" and "after" of the coronavirus.

The Church as a Therapeutic Center

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

 

The subject of the therapy of the soul is extremely important for the Orthodox Church because it expresses the essence of spiritual life. Before elaborating on this crucial topic, I would like to give some introductory explanations.

First, when discussing the therapy of the soul, we do not believe in dualism, which makes a clear distinction between soul and body, as is the case in ancient Greek philosophy or some present Eastern religions. Man has two hypostases,1 since he consists of soul and body. The soul is not the whole man but just the soul of man; the body is not the whole man but just the body of man. The body is tightly connected to the soul and takes part in all its states. The body receives both the fall of the soul as well as its resurrection. Thus we speak about the death of the body, which is an outcome of the death of the soul, and about the deification of the body, which comes as a result of the deification of the soul. Saint Gregory Palamas teaches that the nous2 is man’s first physical intelligent organ and also teaches that the Grace of God is ferried through the soul to the body, which is attached to the soul.

Homily on the Dormition of the Theotokos: Celebrating Ecclesiastical Festivals in a Godly Way (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homily on the Dormition of the Theotokos: 

Celebrating Ecclesiastical Festivals in a Godly Way 

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

 

(Delivered in 2008) 

The troparia composed by the hymn writers of the Church for the Christians to celebrate the feasts, as well the feast of the Dormition of the Panagia today, are masterpieces, from the structure, the images and the cosmetic adjectives they use, as well as from their content, which answer the great existential problems of mankind, such as matters of life and death. When one reads these troparia carefully one is amazed by their wisdom and beauty.

The Canon we chanted today in the Service of Matins is included in this category and is the work of Saint Kosmas the Poet, who was the step-brother of Saint John of Damascus. This Canon has amazing troparia that analyze the content of the feast and show its importance. The acrostic of these troparia, that is, the initial letter of all the troparia, has the following phrase: "the godly-minded kept festival" (πανηγυριζέτωσαν οι θεόφρονες). I would like to make a small comment on this phrase.

Homily One for the Epistle Reading on the Ninth Sunday After Pentecost (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos

(Homily on 1 Corinthians 3:9-17)

The content, beloved brethren, of today's apostolic reading, is a continuation of the content of the apostolic reading which was read in the church last Sunday. There was talk of schisms and divisions in the Church, and in today's apostolic reading, on the one hand, there is talk of the manner of the spiritual work of pastors, and on the other hand, the consequences of bad spiritual work.

First of all, the Apostle Paul uses two images for the Church, namely the farmer and the builder. He speaks more of the image of the builder. Just as an edifice has a foundation on which it rests, so the edifice of the Church has Christ as its foundation. No one can lay another foundation stone other than Christ. Just as the edifice is made by various craftsmen, so the Apostles are craftsmen who build. And, of course, everyone must be careful "how they build". The materials used to build are different, such as gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, hay, and of course everyone's work will be seen on the day of the Second Coming of Christ, so "each man's work will become manifest”. The way one builds will have a consequence on one's own salvation. If the building endures, then he will receive a salary, otherwise he will be punished (1 Cor. 3:9-16).

Homily One for the Epistle Reading on the Eighth Sunday After Pentecost (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost 

 

Homily on 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos

The Church of Corinth, founded by the Apostle Paul, was a blessed Church, as can be seen from the two epistles that the Apostle Paul sent to it, in which the gifts of the Holy Spirit were rich and evident. Among the gifts were prophecy, wisdom, knowledge, the discernment of spirits, the gifts of healing, of powers, of tongues. Through the gifted and the gifts, the Holy Spirit, who was rich in the Church, the blessed Body of Christ, was manifested in various ways. It was a real "theological school of the early Church".

Through the Church We Inhale the Holy Spirit (St. Theophan the Recluse)

By St. Theophan the Recluse

The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles was mankind’s first inspiration of breath from the Spirit of God. Remember Ezekiel’s prophecy about the valley full of human bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14). Remember how, by his word, bone joined to bone, how the bones were then covered with sinews, flesh and skin, but how they as yet had no breath in them. And Ezekiel “prophesied unto the wind.” He prophesied, “and the breath came into them, and they lived" (Ezekiel 37:9-10). That valley full of bones is fallen mankind, which, estranged from God, did not have life in it. As the prophet said, it did not have breath in it.

Hospital and Ideology

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Professor Haralambos Roussos, who is Head of Pulmonology and Intensive Care at Evangelismos Hospital in Athens, lately dealt with the treatment of Savvas Xeros, a member of the Marxist terrorist organization 17N, and gave an interview about the hospitalization of his patient. In this interview, among other things, I made an important observation that I would like to convey and comment on.

The Professor, referring to the bed on which his patient Savvas Xeros was hospitalized on, said: "On the same bed was George Livanos, the archbishops Anastasios of Albania and Chrysostomos of Cyprus, and a victim of 17N Michael Vranopoulos. It was perhaps by chance, because this bed is convenient for quick service." The journalist who did the interview informs us that Professor Roussos was called to treat, besides the people mentioned above, Andreas Papandreou, Odysseas Elytis, the publisher Christos Lambrakis, Georgios Gennimatas, and all of these, except for Andreas Papandreou, were hospitalized in the same room and on the same bed. At another point in the interview, the Professor said: "Our minds are dominated by the fact that they are seriously ill and not if someone is righteous or a sinner, rich or poor."

Strictness and Economy with Regard to Ordinations of Those Outside the Orthodox Church

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlassiou

An important subject that recurs from time to time in our discussions is how the ‘clergy’ of schismatic and heretical groups should be received when they come into the Orthodox Church. This is, of course, connected with the Apostolic Tradition and the Apostolic Succession. However, since there are many detailed circumstances, on each occasion there is an investigation of the specific case and of the preconditions under which the clerical ‘ordinations’ took place.

In an article published under the title "Apostolic Tradition and Apostolic Succession in the Mystery of the Church," I have already touched on this serious issue, from the perspective of Orthodox theology and ecclesiology.

However, in my search for more information on this subject, I found three texts that put in perspective how the Church throughout the ages has dealt with the ordinations of schismatics and heretics, and how the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church receives such ‘members of the clergy’ who come to her.