Orthodox Reflections

As I have been reading these posts with great interest, I would like to comment on the events of the evening of August 14^th, 2020, the Great Vesper service of the Dormition of the Theotokos, as it took place in Toronto, Canada. Video is below:

As usual, this vesper service was held at the Cathedral of the Annunciation. One of Canada’s new Auxiliary Bishops, Bishop Athenagoras, presided. Also present were seven priests, one deacon and three altar boys. At the end of the service, the Bishop announced that His Eminence Sotirios was celebrating in Montreal. Because of all the recent events, I searched for a live stream or a Youtube recording of the service over which Archbishop Sotirios presided, but there were none to be found in any of the Montreal churches that were named after the Theotokos. I also noticed that his schedule has been deleted from the Archdiocese website so no one can see where he or the new Bishops are scheduled to serve.

In the meantime, I listened to the sermon of Bishop Athenagoras with great interest because I don’t know anything about him.

His sermon, as expected, was about the Virgin Mary and the circumstances of her koimisis (death). The faithful were told that only two people were ever taken up bodily to heaven after their deaths – Jesus Christ and the Theotokos. He went on to say that because of this miraculous event, we do not have any lipsana (Holy Relics) of the Theotokos but if we did, they would be “the most precious relics we could ever have”.

I immediately thought how we do not have any relics of Jesus Christ either. If we did, would those not be the most precious relics we could ever have? But then, we do have His relics! We even consume them, His Body and His Blood, every time we take Holy Communion. I thought it was odd that this very important point was left out, especially considering all the controversy that is currently going on around Holy Communion in Toronto right now.

Bishop Athenagoras went on to say that the Theotokos was chosen to be the Mother of God because although she had many gifts, there was one gift that made her extra special, which she, herself, mentions in Luke 1:48, “For [God] has looked at the humble state of his handmaid”. In other words, the Virgin was chosen for her humility. It’s true she was very humble, but I thought she was chosen for her purity. I don’t want to nitpick with a bishop, but what he said next was interesting. He said that because of her humility, the Theotokos was never known to shout or to argue! I immediately thought of all the people who shouted on the first day the multiple spoons were introduced and how there have been many arguments since then about this issue. I also remember Jesus, himself, not only shouting, but violently overturning the money tables in the Temple of His Father during His Passion week, and how he argued many times with the Pharisees and even insulted them to their faces for their hypocrisy. He was quite a controversial figure and not very popular with the status quo.

In contrast, and according to the rest of Bishop Athenoagoras’ sermon, the Theotokos would pray quietly, and even when her Son was being crucified, she only cried quietly, even though a sword was piercing her heart – “not a small knife”, he said – “a large sword!” So, I guess his message was that this is how we Greek Orthodox Christians are expected to behave by our hierarchs – not like Christ, but like the Theotokos. When a large sword of blasphemy pierces our hearts, we are expected to pray and cry quietly about it, instead of speaking out against the blasphemy the way Christ did.

If I remember correctly, it was just six months ago, in February 2020, when a tearing icon of the Theotokos was in Toronto. That was just before the Covid-19 lockdown. I think I now understand why the Holy Theotokos was crying – because she predicted our little faith in the “relics” of her Son, His Body and Blood – the most precious Gift we could ever have.

So, what is the reaction of our hierarchs to these tears? “Oh, look how humbly she cries! Why don’t our parishioners have this saintly virtue? Instead of shouting and arguing, they should be crying too!” Indeed, we are, indeed we are crying. We are crying for our sins and the sins of our clergy and bishops. We are crying for our lack of repentance and theirs.

I think that if the Holy Theotokos was sitting in the pews on the Eve of her Dormition, listening to this sermon in the Cathedral of the Annunciation, I’m sure she would have cried again – not just because only the priests were allowed to kiss her holy icon; not just because so many people were turned away from the church and were not even allowed to pass through and venerate her; but because the bishop who spoke elevated her relics above the Body and Blood of her precious Son. I think that would have hurt her the most.

I think this is a great shame. All of heaven and earth must be crying because of how our precious Lord is being treated. I don’t know which is worse: crucifying Him or treating Him like contagion – like a leper, the One who cured lepers; but God will not put up with this forever. If we shed enough tears of repentance, maybe with the intercessions of the Theotokos, her precious Son will wash away our blasphemy and restore first our hearts and then our Church to its proper state. Let’s hope we get this type of washing and not a tsunami of God’s wrath that sweeps us all away. I think it is a terrible sin and a huge risk to tempt God so much. I hope Archbishop Sotirios and the new Auxiliary Bishops, together with all the clergy start imitating the example of the Theotokos and start praying and crying too, and making amends before it’s too late.

Helen – member of the Greek Archdiocese of Canada

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