Non-commemorating
While sorting through the letters
received by Leonid Ivanovich from Bishop Athanasius, I found a message in which
Vladyka, addressing “one person”, calls on his spiritual children to start visiting
churches. Here Bishop Athanasius tells about his disagreements with Metropolitan
Sergius (Stragorodsky) . But in order
to understand what is at stake, we will have to go back to 1922, to the beginning
of Vladyka's torment.
* * *
It was then, in the 22nd, shortly
after ow. Athanasius became bishop of Kovrovsky, vicar of Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) , a dramatic
story of their relationship began, which led to a break.
Then, it is true, Metropolitan
Sergius sincerely repented of his misdeed and was again accepted into communion
by the Orthodox.
For the second time, the destinies
of Metropolitan Sergius and Bishop Athanasius intersected even more closely - it
does not happen closer. In 1927, they ended up together in a solitary cell in the
Moscow Internal Prison. Metropolitan Sergius was accused of creating a church group
in order to elect the most authoritative bishop of that time, Vladyka Kirill (Smirnov),
to the Patriarchate.
And again Bishop Sergius could
not resist. At that time, the Bolsheviks were deciding the question: how to find
a bishop who would sign the Declaration of Allegiance to Soviet Power? Vladyka Kirill
was the first to receive the offer. Upon learning that he would have to help the
atheists deal with objectionable clergy, the metropolitan replied to one of the
leaders of the OGPU: “... You are not a cannon, and I am not a bomb with which you
want to blow up the Russian Church from within . ”
But Vladyka Sergiy agreed to the
conditions of the Chekists. As a result, he - the head of the "conspiracy"
- left solitary confinement to take a high post, and his younger "accomplice",
Bishop Athanasius, received a term - 3 years in the Solovetsky camps. Ridiculous,
sad situation.
A few days before the signing of
the Declaration, a terrible earthquake occurred in Jerusalem. The Russian Cathedral,
our main temple in the Holy Land, suffered greatly. The middle dome was cut by a
deep crack. One of the small domes bent. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was damaged.
The monastery of John the Baptist on the banks of the Jordan was completely destroyed.
A major theologian, a man who wholeheartedly
supports the
Church , Metropolitan Sergius had one fundamental feature. For him, the Church as
an organization was probably higher than Christianity - its apostolic, catholic
spirit. This delusion came to us from Catholicism in the 18th century and won a
lot of minds for itself. But by the time of the revolution, we had a whole galaxy
of bishops, priests, deeply Orthodox in spirit, as if stepping towards us from the
old pre-Nikonian and pre-Petrine Rus'. Their clash with Sergius was inevitable,
and the higher he rose, the more serious the conflict became. I note that as a person,
Vladyka Sergius was loved by many, very many, and he loved many. The dispute was
about ideals.
* * *
But not signing the Declaration
was the reason for the break of Metropolitan Sergius with his old comrades.
The fact is that under pressure
from the OGPU, Bishop Sergius, as it were, usurped the place of the head of the
Russian Church. According to the will of Patriarch Tikhon, Metropolitans Agafangel
(Preobrazhensky), Kirill (Smirnov), Peter (Polyansky) had the right to primacy
. And only then, as the deputy of Vladyka Peter, could Metropolitan Sergius lead
the Church .
But when the three elders were in chains, his hour struck.
Everyone recognized the provisional
authority of Metropolitan Sergius, but then he behaved strangely. At first he refused
to give way to Metropolitan Agafangel, who was released. And then he made it clear
that Vladyka Peter, recognized by all as the First Hierarch, was not a decree for
him. Only after that did our most prominent bishops of that time, several dozen
Orthodox leaders, break off relations with the Deputy First Hierarch.
And Metropolitan Sergius at that
time believed in his energy, in his ability to lead the Church through
the Russian Catastrophe. I don't think he was power hungry. But, perhaps, he believed
that a noble end justifies dubious means. History has cruelly laughed at these illusions.
Contemporary publicist Yuri Miloslavsky
recently compared the behavior of Metropolitan Sergius with that terrible night
when the Apostle Peter denied Christ three times. The most active person, who met
the soldiers who came for the Savior with weapons in his hands, Saint Peter could
not be appeased further. He entered the courtyard of the house where Jesus was imprisoned,
planning, presumably, the Lord's escape from the bonds. And pragmatically, in the
“interests of the cause,” he recanted. And only when the rooster crowed three times
did he realize what he had done. There is reason to believe that Vladyka Sergius
had his own insight. That at the end of his life he realized what he was wrong about,
and died, marked with the seal of some mournful greatness.
On this topic, you can talk and
argue for a long time. I just want to add that we, who live today, do not have the
right to a court. Years after the death of Sergius (Stragorodsky) , Bishop Athanasius,
a man who has suffered his right to bring some kind of accusation, writes:
“And I, a sinner, sometimes condemn
others who remain not in exile. But can anyone vouch for me, can I vouch for myself,
what would I do if I were not in exile?
* * *
Today we have decided to bring
to the attention of our readers the message of Bishop Athanasius to spiritual children
about the need to reconcile with the Patriarchal Church . In recent years, the topic, which
is raised in it, has again acquired great relevance.
“There are many seductive things in our day” (from a letter
to a person who had long avoided visiting temples)
It seems to
me that you have not yet fully resolved the issue of going to temples. And I decided
this question for myself without any hesitation.
I remember
the example of Christ the Savior Himself, Who came to abolish the Old Testament
representative worship. And yet, all His life, until the last moment, He took part
in the Divine service performed by the Jewish priests, despite the fact that He
denounced the priests themselves menacingly. And the holy apostles, after the new
Christian Divine service was finally established, for a long time, apparently, until
the very destruction of the temple of Jerusalem in the year 70 A.D., continued to
go to the temple, participated in the already canceled Old Testament Divine service,
bowed their heads when the high priest or priests delivered the blessing in the
name of God.
The Church of
Christ is holy and blameless. But until the Second Coming, only one half of her
children - members of the Heavenly Church - cannot sin. The other half of it - the Church ,
militant on earth - seeking the salvation of sinners, does not drive them out of
its fence.
In the Church
on earth, Divine grace is poured out on all her children who keep communion with
her through the primates of the Church, priests and bishops, blessed in the lawfully
perfected sacrament of the priesthood.
Each individual
member of the earthly Church enters into real, mysterious, grace-filled communion
with Her and with Christ only through his or her authorized spiritual father, provided
that the latter is in communion with the First Hierarch, who is recognized as such
by all the First Hierarchs of all other autocephalous Orthodox Churches constituting
in its totality the One Universal Church . Apart from this hierarchical chain, there
is not and cannot be any other way for grace-filled union with the Church.universal and with Christ. Even
the great hermits, who spent many decades in complete solitude, always thought of
themselves as holding on to this grace-filled hierarchical chain and, at the first
opportunity, hastened to receive the Holy Mysteries, consecrated by the grace-filled
servants of the Church. But grace is poured out to the Church of Christ, and sanctification
and salvation is accomplished not by the clergy, but by the Church Itself through
the clergy.
Priests are
not creators of grace. They are only distributors of it, like channels through which
Divine grace is poured on the faithful and apart from which it is impossible to
receive Divine grace.
Both hierarchs
and clergymen come from ordinary mortal, sinful people: there are no saints on earth.
Clergymen,
even leading an obviously shameful way of life, continue to be effective distributors
of grace until the lawful ecclesiastical authority deprives them of the grace-given
authority granted them in the sacrament of the priesthood to distribute Divine grace
and lift up the prayers of the faithful to the throne of God .
For unworthy
clergy, the Lord sends His angel to perform the holy Mysteries. The sacraments performed
by unworthy clergy are for judgment and condemnation of the clergy, but for grace-filled
sanctification of those who receive them with faith.
Only one circumstance,
if a clergyman begins to openly, publicly, from the church pulpit, preach a heresy
already condemned by the Fathers at the Ecumenical Councils, not only gives the
right, but also obliges everyone - both clergy and laity, - without waiting for
a conciliar court, to break off all communication with such a preacher, no matter
what high position in the church hierarchy he occupies.
From church
history we know many cases when unworthy persons occupied high positions, when patriarchs
were heresyarchs.
But the Ecumenical
Councils, which met to judge and condemn the new heresy, until the very last moment
sent them the first, and the second, and the third time an invitation to come to
the Council, calling them “the most God-loving bishops.”
And only when
the invitees refused to appear even at the third invitation, the Council proclaims
an anathema to them, and only from that moment they are deprived of grace, and the
sacraments performed by them become graceless.
And look,
for example, at the history of the Patriarchs of Constantinople in the 17th century.
The patriarchs were appointed by the Turkish sultans and the one who made the most
contribution to the sultan's treasury was put on the patriarchate.
Some patriarchs
occupied the patriarchal see for a year, for several months, for several days. There
were secret Jesuits here, there were sympathizers with Protestantism...
The sultan
removed one patriarch because the other promised to contribute more to the sultan's
treasury. How quick and unexpected the changes of patriarchs were can be seen from
the fact that from 1598 to 1654 54 patriarchs were replaced.
What a temptation
for the believers!
And the life
of Greek Christians at that time was one continuous suffering ... but they did not
separate from their shepherds and archpastors, did not shy away from visiting temples
where the names of the patriarchs appointed by the Mohammedan sultan were exalted.
And among
the patriarchs of that time was St. Athanasius Patelarius, who three times, with
the payment of an appropriate contribution to the treasury, entered the see of Constantinople
and then in Russia, in Lubny, died and was canonized.
And what a
temptation was for the Orthodox Russian people Peter's associate, the leading member
of the Synod, Archbishop Theophan Prokopovich
, hawk, lecher. Maybe his seductive behavior pushed other zealots into a split.
But not the schismatics, but those who prayed in the churches where the name of
Theophan was raised, remained in the Orthodox Church and received grace and sanctification.
A lot of seductive
today. But, despite all sorts of temptations, we have no legal right to avoid communion
with the clergy, who are in canonical dependence on Patriarch Alexy.
The current
state of church administration is not at all like the time when Metropolitan Sergius
was in charge of the affairs of the Russian Church as a deputy of Metropolitan Peter
and on his behalf. When Metropolitan Sergius declared that his authority stemmed
from the authority of Metropolitan Peter and that he, Metropolitan Sergius, was
entirely dependent on Metropolitan Peter, we all recognized Metropolitan Sergius
as the legitimate leader of the church life of the Orthodox Russian Church, of which
Metropolitan Peter remains the First Hierarch.
which in due
time were given to him and frees the Orthodox from subordination to Metropolitan
Sergius and the Synod formed by him. I stated this frankly, in writing, to M. Sergius
upon my return from exile in December 1939. Having refused any participation in
church work under the leadership of Metropolitan Sergius, I did not shy away from
visiting churches where Divine services were performed by clergy who recognized
Metropolitan Sergius.
Sharp, abusive
reviews about the so-called Sergian churches and about the Divine services performed
there, I considered and still consider “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”.
True zeal
for faith cannot be combined with malice.
Where there
is malice, there is no Christ, there is the suggestion of dark power. Christian
zeal - with love, with sorrow, maybe with anger, but without sin (when angry - do
not sin).
And malice
is the greatest sin , the unforgivable
sin - blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love, the Spirit of goodness.
And the most zealous Vladyka Metropolitan Kirill, who, as a protest, allowed non-attendance
at Sergius churches, condemned the blasphemy of unreasonable zealots and said that
he himself, in case of mortal need, would confess and take communion with a Sergius
priest.
At present,
the state of church affairs is completely different from what it was under Metropolitan
Sergius. Metropolitan Peter, of course, is no longer alive. Apart from the First
Hierarch of the Local Russian Church, none of us – neither laity, nor priests, nor
bishops – can be in communion with the Universal Church, those who do not recognize
their First Hierarch remain outside the Church, from which the Lord deliver us.
There is no
other First Hierarch other than Patriarch Alexy in the Russian Church. He was recognized
as such by all Eastern patriarchs. He was recognized by all Russian hierarchs. I
do not dare to avoid it either.
Now there
are no commemorating and non-commemorating temples. Then it was possible, as a protest,
not to visit those churches where, along with the name of the legitimate first hierarch,
their deputy was illegally commemorated not for the first hierarchical rights, but
for the conduct of current affairs.
Now the name
of the Russian First Hierarch, Patriarch Alexy, is being raised everywhere. Perhaps
something else in the activities of Patriarch Alexy seduces, confuses, makes zealots
alert. But all this does not deprive either him or the clergy subordinate to him
of grace.
Heresy condemned
by the fathers, Patriarch Alexy and his associates do not preach, and according
to the canons of the church, this is the only case when communication should be
interrupted even with the patriarch, without waiting for the court of the church.
Patriarch
Alexy has not been condemned by any legitimate higher hierarchical authority. And
I personally could only testify against him if necessary: but I cannot and have
no right to say that he is without grace and that the sacraments performed by him
and his clergy are invalid.
Therefore,
when in the year 45, being imprisoned, and the priests who were with me, who did
not commemorate Metropolitan Sergius, learned about the election and appointment
of Patriarch Alexy, we, having discussed the situation that had arisen, agreed that
since, apart from Patriarch Alexy, recognized by all Ecumenical Patriarchs, now
there is no other legitimate First Hierarch of the Russian Local Church, then we
must lift up in our prayers the name of Patriarch Alexy as our Patriarch, which
I have been doing since that day.
All that in
the activities of the Patriarch and the Patriarchate confuses and seduces zealous
zealots, all this remains on the conscience of the Patriarch, and he will give an
account to the Lord for this. And because of the embarrassing and seductive, which
sometimes may not be quite what it seems to us - only because of this it is terrible
to deprive yourself of the grace of the Holy Mysteries.
Let us not
separate ourselves, but let us more earnestly pray to the Lord that He would make
wiser and help Patriarch Alexy and give everyone the Church the right to rule the
word of truth and that the Lord would instruct us all to do so, so as not to distort
our conscience, not to sin against the unity of the Church and the temptations of
the Church do not appease.
“The affirmation
of those who hope in Thee, establish, Lord, the Church ,
which you have acquired with Your Honorable Blood.”
I invoke God's
blessing on you. Save yourself in the Lord!
Bogomolets Vash E.A./praying for you (your) Bp. A./
St. Nicholas Day 9 (22) V – 55
Svt. Athanasius (Sakharov), confessor, Bishop of Kovrov.
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