The letter below was sent to the His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios, His Grace Bishop Sevastianos, and to the His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros (Lambriniadis) of America. It was sent via email, posted to Twitter, posted to Facebook, and snail mailed to Atlanta and New York. If you would like to share your own letter to your hierarch, please email us a copy with your permission to share. The bishops need to hear from the Faithful.
Your Eminence –
Greetings from an Orthodox layman of 20 years. I converted from a Protestant sect and found a home in the historic Christian Faith. Over my journey, I have been a webmaster for multiple Orthodox ministries, served on a parish council for years, and volunteered in multiple other capacities. I reach out to you with a heavy heart in this time of national crisis.
The changes to the Divine Liturgy and the life of my parish are impossible to bear. These include no altar servers, no lighting of own candles, social distancing, no fellowship with the accompanying isolation, masks for everyone (even toddlers), no kissing of icons, and even changes in some places to how communion is received.
Your Eminence, my children and my wife look to me for guidance. They ask me how can the Orthodox Church, which is supposed to be timeless and steadfast, make such changes? How can the bishops just close the churches, and then re-open them with so many alterations to Orthodox practice? My children go to restaurants in Florida which operate at 100% capacity now with not a single mask in sight. They visit their friends in the neighborhood, and even go to amusement parks with few restrictions.
My children ask me how can it be that the faithful of the Holy Orthodox Church are more afraid of infection and death than average Americans who are just out having fun or eating dinner?
Where exactly is our faith in Christ if we live in that much fear?
What is the answer, your Eminence? I have always told everyone that the Orthodox Church has 2,000 years of history to rely on as a guide. The Orthodox Church has survived wars, famine, plagues, societal collapses, and through it all has retained the faith once delivered to the Apostles. But is that the case now? How do we look to other Americans as we keep our churches half-empty of the faithful and devoid of new catechumens, while many in the world stand shoulder-to-shoulder in massive protests? Hundreds of thousands can gather on the streets, even with one of our Archbishops, but we cannot gather a few hundred around the Throne of God?
This is especially galling as the WHO and CDC continue to release information indicating that the spread from asymptomatic cases of Covid-19 is negligible, that the virus does not live well on surfaces, and that it is much less dangerous overall than first thought. The average Americans are taking note of the new scientific information, and are acting accordingly. Why is the Orthodox Church not following suit?
My family wants to return to Divine Liturgy the way it was and the way it should be. To that end, I would like to ask, on behalf of all Orthodox Christians in the United States, what will it take to end these changes to the practice of the Orthodox Faith?
My fear, like many Americans, is that “temporary” measures taken in a crisis often long outlive that crisis. Many of your faithful look at these draconian measures, which are far out of proportion to the actual threat of this virus, and we fear the worst. As a shepherd to his flock, please tell us, what are the criteria for resuming normal Orthodox life? There must be some, or else how can we ever get back to the real normal?
Your Eminence, please understand that these changes to the practice of the faith will cause parishioners to leave. Potential catechumens will never enter the Church. Most of those who leave will never reach out to you or even to the local priest. They will simply vanish. Their souls will be tragic casualties not of the virus, but of the reaction to it. Please do not let that happen to your flock. Communicate to us, clearly and succinctly, how we get back to authenticate parish life. Give us hope, Your Eminence, as you are the only one who can.
Very well said. I hope our Hierarchs take the time to read , reflect and pray upon what has been said here. Open our churches as they were
My dear spiritual family, I can keep silent no longer. Please edify yourselves with the Love of Christ by watching this 7 minute video a beloved in the Lord sent me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxp_6jsFvlQ&fbclid=IwAR3ZolqG2O9kyy-TYVMEFJ4UPpfqK88NRrbqIGQ464Itc8iql4eUwkndzjc.
Then, please read my open letter to his Eminence Archbishop Elpidoforos. I hope that he will read it too, or that at least others will draw his attention to it. Please forgive me if I offend anyone.
Your Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros (Lambrianidis)
As you can see, your flock is expressing confusion and distress over changes in Orthodox Liturgical Worship as a result of the coronavirus. They do not wish to be disrespectful to their Church’s hierarchs, and so they question themselves, their own faith and their own trust in God. In other words, they are questioning and examining their own hearts. Except for the odd (odd as in both very occasional and very strange) statements from church officials, the Orthodox flock is even wondering at the general silence of their hierarchs. We have read and heard a great deal from lay people, theologians, priests and monks, on the matter of how the coronavirus is affecting our Orthodox worship, but indeed, very little from hierarchs such as yourself; and the little that we have heard, has been confusing and upsetting, to say the least.
Please permit me therefore, to ask you a few questions as I would like to better understand your position. Please forgive the simplicity of my questions as I am not a trained theologian.
1. According to the Greek News, https://www.greeknewsonline.com/archbishop-elpidophoros-directed-the-holy-communion-to-be-offered-with-use-of-multiple-spoons-at-the-churches-of-his-metropolis/, your Eminence, directed the parish priests of New York, Connecticut and Washington, D.C. to offer Holy Communion by using multiple metal spoons for single use during the distribution. You gave this direction in a memo dated May 18th, which was marked for priests only and which “should not under any circumstances be posted, shared or copied to email or social media.”
Can you please explain the reason for this secrecy?
Furthermore, yours, was the only Metropolis of the Archdiocese of America to direct the use of multiple spoons for the distribution of Holy Communion. In your memo, the priests of your Metropolis were directed to offer Holy Communion in this manner “as a temporary measure only…to protect our clergy and our faithful,” and “in lieu of a Communion Cloth, the parish will have disposable napkins…[that] will be burned the same day.”
Can you please clarify the reason for burning the disposable napkins? Is it to respect the remnants of the Holy Mysteries which our Church teaches do not transmit disease, or to destroy the coronavirus?
2. On May 25th, exactly one week after the circulation of your secret memo, Father Alkiviadis C. Calivas circulated “A Note on the Communion Spoon” which can be read here https://orthodoxia.info/news/a-note-on-the-common-communion-spoon/. In his “note” Father Calivas supports your implementation of multiple spoons, using several arguments. I think I am correct in assuming that you agree with his arguments because you have not disagreed, because he published his support of your intention to use multiple spoons exactly one week after you circulated your secret memo, and because silence usually implies tacit agreement. I will not attempt to scrutinize his arguments as two well-written responses have already been presented, one by Father Peter Heers at https://orthodoxethos.com/post/to-our-beloved-hierarchs-and-clergy-of-the-orthodox-churches-of-america-and-everywhere?fbclid=IwAR1adIH0VzyBGFZGSzKYIgKOdux21w5tyIs4owsIrK541AmSZMreIAcyGbY and another by Dr. Eugenia Constantinou at https://orthodoxia.info/news/more-dangerous-than-covid-19/. Both of these responders are well educated Orthodox theologians so I will not repeat their arguments.
I would, however, like to ask you a few simple questions. First, Father Calivas questions the incorruptibility of the Holy Mysteries when he says: “… Statements like, “the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ, and the medicine of immortality,” or “the Eucharist is a divine remedy, a divine medicine,” may be true…”
Is it not a dogmatic Orthodox truth that these statements are, in fact, true? If Father Calivas questions the truth about our Orthodox dogmas, does this mean that he does not really believe in them?
If you tacitly agree with him, does it mean that you do not really believe them? Please clarify your position and please ask Father Calivas to do the same.
Second, Father Calivas provides a lengthy and detailed explanation on the evolution of the various methods of distribution of Holy Communion. According to his explanation and my limited knowledge, these methods changed over time because of the changing practicality of the distribution of Holy Communion, not because of any changes in the underlying theology surrounding the nature of the Holy Gifts, and not because of any changes in our Holy Orthodox Tradition of the communal nature of their distribution. In other words, whether the Church used a common cup or a common spoon or a common priest’s hand, there was always something common that was shared by the congregation.
Is Father Calivas using the practicality of the past to justify a new and different theology of the Holy Mysteries in an attempt to make this new theology more acceptable to the Orthodox flock?
Third, Father Calivas justifies his position by quoting St. Nikodemos. I do not mean any disrespect to St. Nikodemos, but according to what I have learned, a saint is not someone who is perfect, sinless or infallible. These attributes belong only to God (and in Roman Catholocism, perhaps the Pope). In Orthodoxy, I believe a saint is someone who loves God more than anything else. Many of our saints are known to have erred on certain issues, possibly because they may not have been very well educated, but God, in His great mercy, looks at the heart and not the level of education. Nevertheless, isn’t this why our Orthodox Church does not rely solely on our saints to arrive at her Truths?
Isn’t this why our Orthodox Church relies on the Holy Spirit which reveals His Truths through the synodical system of our Holy Orthodox Church? I do not know of any Synod which accepted St. Nikodemos’ position on the distribution of Holy Communion during plagues. If there was such a synod, can you please let us know when that took place? And if it did take place, or if St. Nikodemos was correct by some other means, why were his methods not already widely adopted by the Orthodox Church in leper colonies, in TB sanitoriums, during the Spanish Flu, HIV, SARS, Ebola, Mers, and so on, all of which already existed or came about after 1809, when St. Nikodemos was around?
And finally, your Eminence, Father Calivas, with great concern for the feelings and safety of the flock, makes sweeping and unsubstantiated assumptions about our concerns with the deadliness of Covid-19 as pertains to Holy Communion. He also compares the deadliness of Covid-19 with that of past plagues and implies that our current plague is as serious or worse. He says, “As with the preceding epidemics, the highly contagious coronavirus has many people wondering and questioning the continued use of a common spoon for Communion.” He also says, “The real fears, reservations, and apprehensions of the people should not be dismissed with an air of superiority or a call to greater faith, as if the act of communing is void of human considerations and the limitations of the created order.” It seems, your Eminence, that you are in agreement with Father Calivas as you have not indicated otherwise.
Therefore, can you please clarify if there is any evidence that HIV, SARS, Ebola, Mers, Tuberculosis, Leprosy, or the Spanish Flu…and the more common Influenza and Pneumococcal Pneumonia which are always in the community, if any of these or other contagions have ever been shown to be spread through the Traditional methods of distributing Holy Communion?
This may be an unfair question because I think your answer would be no. In addition, I only personally know of one individual who stopped taking Holy Communion because of such fears. In comparison, many more heterodox have converted to Orthodoxy in spite of such alleged fears, which indicates to me that the number of people taking Holy Communion in North America has been increasing while all these plagues have been going on.
Even Father Calivas, himself, states in his note that “in [his] sixty-four years in the priesthood, [he has] consumed the chalice thousands of times after countless Divine Liturgies without fear or hesitation, as every priest does ”and he is still alive to this day and seems quite healthy as do most of our Orthodox priests. May they all continue to be so for many more yours, but this brings me to my next question:
How does father Calivas know what our “real fears, reservations and apprehensions” are? Has any hierarch conducted a survey or a poll? If we are to use the science behind coronavirus to alter the distribution of Holy Communion, should we not at least use a scientific survey to measure the real fears that your Orthodox flock may have? Otherwise, how can you assume that we are fearful? And why would you assume that we are fearful, when many of us lived through HIV, SARS (by the way, I was a front-line physician during SARS and I never stopped taking Holy Communion) and the annual Influenzas which can also be deadly, but we never stopped communing during these annual plagues?
I assure you, your Eminence, that the faith of your flock is not blind and we are no strangers to plagues. While the coronavirus may be unprecedented, plagues and death are not. We see and acknowledge the miraculous life-giving power of the Holy Mysteries in the robust health of our priests, and by his own admission, of Father Calivas, all of whom continue to thrive after consuming trillions of deadly microbes along with the chalice week after week, year after year. Although Father Calivas’ concerns for our feelings and our safety are touching, I could not help but feel that I was being categorized as a type of – forgive me for saying this – mindless sheep-shaped sponge, eager to absorb any feel-good compromises to my faith.
The fact is, if I wanted to always feel good, I would not be Orthodox, a faith which requires constant reflection, self-examination and humble repentance, among other things. Those feelings and the Orthodox way of life are hard. Also, if I wanted to feel safe, I would certainly never be Orthodox. There has never been anything more dangerous than being an Orthodox Christian in a secular world. Orthodoxy is not comfortable and that is one reason why I am Orthodox.
I was therefore, quite dismayed when Father Calivas wrote, “the real fears, reservations, and apprehensions of the people should not be dismissed with an air of superiority or a call to greater faith…” I whole heartedly agree with doing away with airs of superiority, but why do away with a call to greater faith? Is there such a thing as having too much faith? Personally, I could always use more faith especially at this time, and I think I speak for everyone.
What bothers me the most, your Eminence is “the real fears.” Neither you, nor Father Calivas know what these actually are, or if you do know, you have not addressed them. Therefore, please permit me to clarify them for you; because I think my real fears are not just my own. I think these fears are shared by many others and these are the elephants in today’s Orthodox churches – fears which our hierarchs are ignoring and fueling with their condescending “air of superiority” by keeping silent, and when they do speak by assuming they know how we feel and what we want, by supposing we are ignorant pertaining to matters of our Faith, and by sending secret memos.
3. On June 2nd, Ancient Faith Ministries published on Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy at https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/orthodoxyandheterodoxy/2020/06/02/are-the-orthodox-about-to-change-communion/, the decision of our Patriarch, His All-Holiness Bartholomew, on the issue of the distribution of Holy Communion during the coronavirus pandemic, which can be found here: https://www.ecupatria.org/2020/06/02/correspondence-of-the-ecumenical-patriarch-with-primates-of-other-local-orthodox-churches-regarding-the-way-of-distribution-of-the-eucharist/.
On May 17th, just one day prior to your secret memo, your Eminence, His All-Holiness circulated a letter to all Orthodox primates (made public on June 1st) seeking synodical agreement on his position regarding the distribution of the Holy Mysteries during this pandemic. His letter to the primates clearly and emphatically indicates “no change (to the distribution of Holy Communion), and the communal spoon will remain.”
Your Eminence, were you unaware that his All-Holiness had sent this letter the day before you sent your secret memo? Or is this the reason why your memo had to be kept secret?
Did you then recruit Father Calivas’ support by pressing him to author that dreadful “note on the communion spoon” which surprised us all, considering the good reputation of Father Calivas as a faithful and excellent theologian?
Were you banking on Father Calivas’ excellent reputation to add credibility to your “temporary” heresy?
And did you also direct that this “note” of “his” come quickly and well in advance of the Patriarch’s public statement on the issue of Holy Communion, which it did on June 1st, by a time span of one week?
Were you, your Eminence, trying to make it appear as though you had already made your ecclesiastical decision before having any knowledge of the mind or intent of his All-Holiness Bartholomew?
If you did your Eminence, what is your agenda?
At this point, your Eminence, I will make no attempt to speculate on the possible answers to my questions. I do not wish to make wrong accusations but at the same time, I would be dishonest if I did not at least imply my “real fears.” However, do you now understand what these “real fears” are?
Your flock has many unanswered questions, not from our secular leaders regarding the coronavirus and church closures, but from our own shepherds. As Orthodox Christians, we expect misunderstandings and persecution from the world but not from within our own Church. I, for one, am not as much concerned about my physical health as the spiritual health of my Church which is my Holy Sanctuary.
As I said, I will not speculate, but I will confess that your ‘good intentions’ whether real or not, have personally caused me extreme spiritual pain. As you know, your secret memo and Father Calivas’ note came out in advance of our Patriarch’s announcement. During the intervening time, I nearly had a nervous breakdown, worrying about how the distribution of Holy Communion and its theology was going to be altered in our Orthodox Churches.
During that exact same time frame, my husband, who is a front-line health care worker, as I am, became ill with and tested positive for Covid-19. Thank God, all is well now, but none of us in my family experienced nearly as much fear, worry or anxiety from his illness as we did from your actions.
Perhaps, and I sincerely hope, I am very wrong in ‘fearing’ that you have betrayed your flock, your Eminence. Perhaps you truly care about how we feel and you genuinely want to take care of us and you just made an honest mistake. If that is the case, please accept my most humble apology, but, please understand that secrecy and silence is not the way to lead us, nor is giving way to what you imagine our fears to be. We, your flock, have God-given and constitutional rights to exercise our religious freedoms and the last people we expect to take those away from us are our own Church leaders.
Whether or not we feel fearful of taking Holy Communion in the Traditional manner remains our own personal faith issue, having freely chosen to be Orthodox Christians in the first place. I, for one, greatly resent others deciding for me where my faith lies or how strong I am or am not, in my moral convictions or religious beliefs. I have at least as much capacity to make my own decisions as do you. Even if your intentions were good, your Eminence, by assuming you know my spirit or my heart, you crossed a line. Only God knows me that well. Your job is the proper stewardship of our Holy Orthodox Church and the edification of our faith, not the dismantling of her Theology and the succumbing to our ‘fears’.
Again, I apologize if I have implied wrong accusations against you, your Eminence, but, the fact remains that the use of multiple spoons is insulting and an affront not only to our Crucified Lord, but also to His faithful. I hope that you will acknowledge your error and come to regret the heretical theology you have arbitrarily condoned surrounding the Holy Mysteries, something which has caused unnecessary and great spiritual pain to me and to many of my fellow Orthodox Christians.
I will not ask you for an apology, but I am praying for your repentance and for an immediate retraction of the use of multiple spoons on this continent within our Orthodox Churches.
By the way, please be assured that we are prepared for more plagues, trials and tribulations in the future. We know these are coming because our Lord has forewarned us. Please heed the call to greater faith yourself, and support us by leading us in a truly Orthodox manner, not by compromising Orthodoxy. We need Her now, more than ever.
Very Respectfully,
Irene Polidoulis MD
My brother and family,
Your pain is real! I embrace every word you say knowing it is from a heart/soul that is searching for comfort and of course answers.
What were the two things missing from Adam and Eve’s toolbox? Humility and Obedience. Those are also the two elements missing from our culture/society/world today. Look at the mess we are in!!!
Tomorrow we celebrate All Saints. They are waiting to come to your/our rescue. Everyday you/we celebrate the Panagia especially the Theotokos Prousiotissa. Everyday You/we celebrate Christ because we are one with Him.
Humility #1 knowing that God is in charge.
Obedience #2 knowing that you/we have been blessed with 3 “saints” sent to us by God, His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios, His Grace Bishop Sevastianos and His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros who is our HOPE in being the one sent to us by God through our Patriarch to return America to being the light on top of the hill and being the bastion of Greek Orthodoxy!
Humility and Obedience will set you free my good friend!
I do not know you up close and personal but I do know that God loves you unconditionally and you and your family likewise love Him and His Hierarchs unconditionally.
Note: I struggle with all the things you mentioned. But I know I/we are in good hands.
Thank you for your kind comment. We would just say that if the bishops are in charge, the same way governors are in charge, then why wouldn’t they (as executives running the church) be able to share a vision for getting over the corona virus? We are afraid that they are potentially not taking current data about the disease into account. Here in Florida and Georgia, we can go to a bar and socialize, but we can’t have coffee with fellow Orthodox Christians. Our sons can’t serve at the altars. We can’t kiss our icons, or attend liturgy without a mask in the OCA or Greek Archdiocese down here in Florida (though we understand elsewhere the rules are different). This despite the fact that even NPR has said Antibody Tests Point To Lower Death Rate For The Coronavirus Than First Thought
So we would like to humbly draw our bishops’ attention to the new information learned over the past few months, let them know that the current environment is changing, and make them aware that we are suffering under the current situation. We don’t see a problem in petitioning the bishops to be more transparent.
On a side note, several of us worshiped at an Antiochian parish this morning. No masks, some social distancing but not oppressive, altar servers, and after the liturgy we stood around casually and talked to the priest just like normal. All of this was authorized by an Orthodox Bishop. So here we have just another outgrowth of the non-canonical situation in this country. Instead of driving to an OCA parish or a GOA parish, we simply went a different direction to an Antiochian parish and were able to worship in a practically pre-Covid fashion. Does the Antiochian bishop not love his flock the way His Eminence Alexios loves his in the GOA? God Forbid! But it is clear that these two bishops have looked at the current situation and drawn different conclusions as to what is best for their respective flocks. Which of these two men of God is correct? We think this illustrates clearly that this is not a dogmatic issue. The bishops have their respective health advisors and are taking their decisions the best they know how.
Well, we have our opinions about which bishop is most correct given the current situation, but time will tell. In a more perfect world there would be one bishop per American city and hopefully he would be close enough to actually speak to face-to-face on a regular basis. At the moment that is not the case at all.
Elpidophoros is NO LEADER, what he is, is but a pusillanimous disgrace to Orthodoxy.
We need to protest him out of America ASAP .
Imagine his narcissism, his hubris to mimic a 1960’s photo op like he’s the legendary great Archbishop Iakavos!? ANAXIOS!
Dear Father Michael:
Thank you for your good words. However, I do not know that we are in “good” hands. Jesus said that we shall know a man by his fruits. When I see the fruit of multiple spoons, the dribbling of the Holy Mysteries into the mouth with great care not to touch the Holy Spoon to the mouth, the use of paper napkins, how can I trust that I am in “good” hands when all this shows doubt and fear?
I do agree that we all need Humility and Obedience. Let us be clear, however, that these virtues must not be misplaced or abused. Humility and Obedience must be given to God and to godly hierarchs, not heretical hierarchs.
The vast majority of heresies our Holy Orthodox Church fought against came from priests and hierarchs. Imagine showing humility and obedience to Arius. Although it may have been politically incorrect, even “assault” by today’s standards, I believe he deserved the slap across the face he got from St. Nicholas. Unfortunately, it was not effective in helping him come to his senses.
Yes, let us be humble and obedient, but let us exercise these virtues with great discernment. Humility and Obedience to Christ first, and then to all those who are Christ’s.
Humility and Obedience to Christ is liberation. Humility and Obedience to heresy is slavery. Every spirit must be tested before we give it our trust, our humility or our obedience.
Did Adam and Eve not show humility and obedience to the Serpent? That is my point.
Exceptional letter and message from the good doctor. It is a disgrace how the GOA is handling this pandemic. He who has ears to hear let him hear.
Our churches should be the first places to open and welcome us. Not Lowe’s or McDonalds or the neighborhood bars and grills.
It’s time to open our churches as they were.
This is a very hard letter to respond to and I don’t know if I should even try because I am not a theologian. I am a cradle Orthodox, a mother of three in their twenties, a doctor, and a Sunday School teacher. Despite my background in science, I believe staunchly in the mysteries of our Faith and in the Life that is in the Body and Blood of our Lord.
A study of Orthodox history over the last 2000 years shows that the Orthodox Church, which is the Body of Christ, never erred as she has always been guided by the Holy Spirit, as promised by Christ, Himself. Such a study, though, will show that the Church has been adversely affected by bad politics and persecutions frequently. Take Iconoclasm which was thrust upon her by erring secular leaders and a corrupt church officials. This period lasted about 200 years during which time no schism took place because the church exercised great patience and tolerance until finally, the icons were restored. At that time, the Church picked her battles wisely and having done so, was still able to function albeit not fully.
Today, the enemy is again invisible. Iconoclasm was an invisible philosophy, while Coronavirus and our response to it, the fear, are also invisible. Satan was probably behind Iconoclasm and he is probably again behind the fear behind Covid-19, an unknown virus. There is always a fear of the unknown. Orthodoxy is not afraid of the unknown because she trusts in God’s providence, but Orthodoxy is subject to the rules and regulations of the secular world, which is afraid of many things. During the first 300 years after Christ, the world feared the birth of Christianity, resulting in bloody persecutions. During Iconoclasm, the world feared idolatry resulting in the persecution of icons which spanned 200 years. Today, the world fears spreading Covid-19 and any human behavior associated with viral spread, such as kissing, touching, eating from a common spoon.
As an Orthodox Christian, I am not afraid of Covid-19 but that does not mean that I am reckless. What I mean is, I do not live in fear of Covid-19, as, for example, living in fear of getting hit by lightning, or a stray bullet. I don’t think there is room for such fears when one believes that one’s life is in the hands of the Almighty God. As the three Holy Youths told the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)
I want to be able to say the same thing to our public authorities who, for my ‘safety’ have closed down my church: “If I catch Covid-19, the God I serve is able to save me from it, and He will rescue me from it. But even if He does not, I want you to know, that I will not stop serving my God as He, Himself has ordained He should be served.” For me, this includes, everything, including kissing icons and the priest’s hand.
Not every Orthodox Christian would agree with me, however, because there is no Orthodox dogma which teaches that germs cannot be transmitted by kissing icons or the priest’s hand; and I have no problem with that. Far be it from me to judge anyone who goes to Church and does not touch the icons even if that were allowed. Everyone’s faith is a personal matter.
There, is however, the universal Orthodox dogma in the incorruptible Body and Blood of Christ which does not transmit disease, but Life, to the righteous. Those, however, who consume it without righteousness risk illness and even death. There are several passages in the Bible that discuss this point.
Our secular leaders and public health officials do not understand any of this. They are willing to allow us our religious rights and freedoms only provided these rights and freedoms do not ‘endanger’ the safety of the general population and it is impossible to convince them that our Traditional Communion practices are safe.
In response to all the aching Orthodox hearts out there, my aching heart says this:
1. During Iconoclasm, the Orthodox Church tolerated, with what must have been great heartache, the destruction of our holy icons, those windows into paradise, many of which wept, gushed myrrh, travelled on the sea and performed many other miracles which helped lead to their eventual restoration.
2. Today, the Orthodox Church is tolerating empty churches, her congregation wearing masks and gloves, the veneration of icons with prostrations only, a minimal number of people in the altar and the psaltery and a two-meter distance between one another. No coffee hour, no luncheons, no Sunday School classes, no Memorial service gatherings and no sharing of koliva, Fanouropites, Artoclasies, or anything edible of any kind, even after it has been blessed.
3. As we tolerate these very non-Traditional changes, many of us will share the ultimate concern that our Holy Chalice and Common spoon may be next on the list of compromises we will be asked to make. Perhaps we will be required by law to use multiple spoons or multiple cups. Perhaps our Holy Communion will be banned by law, altogether. Satan is doing a very good job of using fear to attack the very Life of our Church, the only church in existence which will suffer from such a compromise. He has always targeted Orthodoxy, hasn’t he, and this time, right at the heart of it.
The Orthodox layman, who misses the Holy Traditions of the Orthodox Church as much as I do, asks his Hierarchs, “what will it take to end these changes to the practice of the Orthodox Faith,” and “please tell us, what are the criteria for resuming normal Orthodox life?”
I imagine the same desperate questions were being asked during the Iconoclastic period. In the end, Orthodox life resumed and I believe it will again. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit of Truth, has not stopped guiding His Church. Christ is still the Head of His Church, the Body of Christ. He brought His Church through 300 years of bloody persecutions, numerous heresies, 200 years of Iconoclasm, schisms, Communism and present-day persecutions in Islamic countries, just to name some huge issues. In fact, I don’t think the Orthodox Church has ever really had a ‘normal’ life. Maybe this is what it means to be Orthodox:
To persevere in faith against all odds, to trust in God no matter what, to tolerate the unacceptable while we hope for what seems impossible, to pray unceasingly for mercy for ourselves, our Church and the whole world, to fear nothing, and to stick together. What will it take? Maybe it will take being thrown into a fiery furnace. Maybe we are there now.
I don’t know. All I know is that to be a true Orthodox Christian is definitely not ‘normal,’ ever.
Beautiful thoughts, Irene.
Beautiful letter, it’s sad that the “leaders” won’t even read it or they will read it and laugh.
God bless you for witting it!
I would very much agree with these thoughts. Being a true Christian (Orthodox or otherwise) is definitely not “normal”, not “ever”. If we look at the history of our church, those who spoke the truth and had a firm faith in Christ were challenged by authorities, inside and outside of the church. Very seldom did the solutions to problems we faced come from hierarchs or authorities, but rather from the grass-roots. By families and individuals who held the faith and were staunch in the defense of it. No doubt these are difficult times and no doubt our hierarchs (may God bless them and give them wisdom and grace) have a responsibility to lead by example and to not let our faith be drowned out by secular influences and voices. And ultimately, so do we. We cannot always look to our hierarchs to defend the faith solely, but we ourselves as well must play a part. I applaud your stance regarding the Eucharist and this is a test of our faith right now to believe in God and His life-giving mysteries which He gives us. May God grant us the grace to face our fears and to approach the chalice once again (in whatever mechanism is available these days)…worthily.
There is another point that I think most people seem to be missing that perhaps I want to share even for small consideration. ” When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?” (Amos 3:6). Let me be clear, I’m not saying that the Lord caused this virus nor has He caused any evil to occur. God forbid. But as with anything else: a virus, schism, iconoclasm, persecution etc…the Lord has permitted it. If this is so, then there is a reason for our edification behind it all which, through true repentance, we will come to know Him and ourselves more clearly. What’s missing in a lot of conversations is that perhaps God Himself has prevented us from taking communion, for this short time, because we were approaching Him before unworthily. Let’s take it a step further. For many people who come to church, unfortunately, all church has become, is a cultural or social club where they get their koliva, Fanouropites, Artoclasies, or anything edible of any kind and have not been coming to worship God in spirit and in truth. Perhaps, God has given us, and me in particular, this pause to realize that we took church for granted and that if I am not approaching Him with a deep understanding of my own weakness and in humility, asking for His forgiveness and grace for a true change in my life, I am bringing about condemnation to myself. Perhaps, for the first time in a couple of generations, a more profound meaning has become attached the words “I am the chiefest of sinners”. I don’t claim at all to have the full picture here, nor am I blaming anyone for this situation other than myself. I, through my own sins, cause suffering in this world and that suffering causes people to behave in selfish and destructive ways which ultimately lead to more evils occurring. Lord have mercy. There is no doubt in my mind that the solution to how we handle the virus and how we conduct our worship is easily brought about by God and the influence of His Holy Spirit on our hierarchs and on us. But perhaps, what is missing here is for all of us first to fall down and worship God with a repentant heart because “The sacrifice that God wants is a broken spirit, because pure and contrite heart, the Lord will not despise” ( from Psalm 50). There is nothing easier for God to do than to end this, but perhaps we need to reflect and repent first and seek a solution, by seeking God. Ultimately, our words only reach people’s ears, but only God can speak to the heart.
Eating in a packed restaurant where no one covers is supremely risky. As a father I would not allow it. How much more responsibility to his flock does a priest have, and how much more still does a bishop over many churches? Please. Have some patience while we learn how to live with this new virus.
Thanks for your response. So, as a father, when would you allow it? Are you going to keep your children away from restaurants without masking, indefinitely? I would guess, no. At some point, I would assume, you are going to judge the situation “safe enough.” What would bring you to that conclusion?
Would it take a directive from the CDC? I am in a state that does not require masks, and which just announced that schools will reopen in August. I already know that my sons will be going to school in August as normal. But they will still not be allowed to serve behind the altar, go to catechism class, or go to children’s activities? Okay, so under what circumstances will they be allowed to do those things? The GOA parish I am in currently is exceeding the requirements for my state, and for the state in which the local Metropolitan is based. What are the conditions under which we can get back in-sync?
A difficult decision in deed. A test of our very faith. It seems to me, since we have not lived through a previous pandemic or war on our US soil for some time, we as Americans have become very ‘comfortable’ with our lives. So many conveniences have made our lives so easy that we have become accustomed to all the comforts they afford us. I’ve seen and heard how our Holy Tradition and teachings during times of war, famine, pandemics, etc., the clergy knew how to fight these spiritual battles and attacks by putting on the Armor of Christ and carrying His arsenal of Holy Icons, Holy Relics, prayers, petitions, songs of praise, songs of repentance, candle lighting, etc. Our clergy and hierarchy would lead the faithful church in this battle despite many fearful members who doubted its effectiveness and would rather live by the enemies unrecognizable tools of fear, confusion, pride, etc. The Orthodox Shepard’s, bishops, of our faith were ever patient with this portion of the flock to remind them about the Truth of our faith and not to succumb to the fears ‘of the world’ for God IS far greater than this. How many times have we heard in the past that communion is incorruptible, and is the very body and blood of Christ; it will not transmit disease. I have heard many priests talk about giving communion to people with leprosy, aids, tuberculosis, and more, yet have never succumbed to these illnesses. Many have accepted these truths with a childlike faith. Our earthly Shepard’s explain they can only teach what the Word and Holy Mysteries tell us but they can’t force people to accept the truth, as they all have been given free will, any more than they can make some believe in the existence of God or Satan and his many arms of evil. Are we so afraid of death that we no longer believe that there isnt a better life to come? Is this what is motivating our deepest fear? Does God not know the number of hairs on our head; does he not know the number of days we have here on this earth? Can we answer that truthfully without allowing ourselves to be deceived? Proverbs 21 2-3: Everyone’s path is straight in their own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart. Acting with righteousness and justice is more valued by the LORD than sacrifice.
Are we righteously and justly changing how we view the sanctity of those items which falls within our temple (church), and what our traditional beliefs have always been?
How many times have we heard about the miracles coming from holy icons, how they streamed myhrr and emitted beautiful fragrances. What about the Holy Relics and the healing and miracles they provided to the faithful. What has happened now with this new man made ailment we call covid. Are we all running scared? Does our past Holy traditions not apply today? Or is this the greatest test of our faith? Is our Lord uncovering all the things that have been hidden in our hearts; is he separating his sheep from the goats? So many questions to be answered.
It is written: Mark 8, 34-38: For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
So here we are, a new generation of comfortable people with all of our easier lives along with technologies and our worldly intellect, who are still called to be the faithful ‘in’ the world but not ‘of’ the world and to continue to be the true witness of The One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. We are suppose to let our light shine as an example of this true unchanging faith to others, as well as to see clearly to identify those things that are cowering in the veil of darkness hoping not to be discovered. Are we called by our Lord to teach and to do what Holy Tradition has always done? Is this the first time that we’ve allowed our churches to close and deprive many of communion? Is this the first time that we’ve allowed the Governmentt to cross over into spiritual matters that are of God’s? Many are concerned that this is the case currently. Some are saying there has been a noticeable shift in what we are currently doing to what’s been previously done.
Where is the outcry from our Orthodox Shepard’s? I’ve heard powerful outcry’s from many other denominations that are warning their parishioners of what is truly taking place. They say that they’ve heard from Christ, had dreams of revelation and sounding the alarm to their parishioners as it’s been revealed to them. I’ve been waiting to hear from our Orthodox Church here in America, but it’s been unusually silent. The exception came from many of the monks in the monasteries here and Mt Athos. There are bishops in Greece who are excommunicating Orthodox members of government for heretical practices because they’ve wanted to close churches and stop the practice of communion. Are we in a spiritual battle? Could it be that these bishops are recognizing the many disguises of the enemy whose uses his earthly players in high places to have carefully planned, created, and executed, the adversary’s true intentions? Has this caused many to succumbed to his trickery? Has the enemy not already infiltrated the institutions of our family, arts and entertainment, government, education, media, business, and now back to the final frontier, The One True Holy Catholic Apostolic Church. We’ve always had persecutions in the church but we have not wavered about the sanctity of communion and about Holy Icons and Holy Relics. I’ve seen many Orthodox laity crying out instead, and take a powerful stand and recognize who we actually are dealing with, the great deceiver himself. Then what should we be doing as defined by our holy Orthodox tradition? Is what is taking place here in the US actually a reversal in our roles? Are the laity trying to alert the Shepard’s? Why do I hear many laity,
priest-monks, bishops in Greece crying out and questioning why Shepard’s are allowing government to cross over and to dictate ‘how’ we are to deal with matters that are God’s? Are we elevating our love of our fellow man and perhaps ourselves, above God?
As I’ve read in our parish email regarding requirements for reopening the church, it is noted that we are using a ‘common spoon’ but will drop the Holy Gifts into the mouth of the faithful. Is this to alleviate the fears of all those who had ‘doubt’ in the first place about the sanctity of communion? Have we actually played into their fears by making sure we don’t even touch the mouth with the Holy gifts? Have we found a way to placate and pacify the doubters in the first place? Is Christ who is ever present saying, well done, you found a clever way to circumvent the issue of the spoon? Or, is the enemy saying ah ha, I’ve got you to change and believe differently regarding much of what was previously believed and sanctified. You have given over to me, a new precedent which I will continue to use for my advantage and your destruction!
Have we now changed our belief about Holy Communion and that which it comes into contact with? Is the priest going to drink from the chalice, or does he have to hold it above his head and drop it carefully into his mouth? If he drinks from the chalice, doesn’t he get his germs into the communion, then when he dips the spoon into the communion were all the germs are swimming, isn’t he going to transfer them to each of us? I’m sure this sounds outrageous as it does to me. Is the chalice sanctified? Is the mere fact it’s sitting Inside our consecrated church, on top of the altar along with holding the body and blood of our Lord in it, keep its sanctity? I know how I will vote, but others who doubt will see it differently. Then, is the spoon that is dipped into the Sanctified body and blood of our Lord, that sits on the holy altar, that sits inside the consecrated church, also sanctified? That you will need to answer in your heart which only God will see.
Do we believe in the sanctity of our Holy Icons and Holy Relics but now believe that theses very same sacred items are corruptible? It is written Matthew 23, 16- 19: Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?”
I hear MANY other powerful voices crying out stating much has changed. They say we don’t recognize our faith. They fear the enemy has entered the church, with his great intellectual reasoning, and is making a great a mockery and a case based on our fear using ‘reason, logic and intellect’ to ALTER the practices that have always been handed down from ages ago, and were to remain unchanged, for ages to come. It is written Corinthians 1, 3:19, “man’s wisdom is foolishness to God”.
Have we been too immersed in a comfortable life that we do not even recognize when the very essence of our faith is being tested? How are we faring? Are we passing the test? Is there a blindness and hypocrisy in the church much like existed during times of Christ when he spoke of the Pharisees? Are we being
‘given up’ unto our ways because of unorthodox practices unwittingly? As I have read the many strong outcry’s similar to what’s written above, from other concerned Orthodox, I’ve even wondered, are we the ones who are being blinded by our own pride or prejudice? Or, is what we are attempting to expose are other’s deepest fears, lack of knowledge, or inconsistencies thereby allowing many to be deceived? It is written,
2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind”. If I and others are wrong and all that is written above is not the case, I humbly ask you to pray for those of us, that we may see the unwavering truth thru the eyes of Christ, and that the Holy Spirit will bring us a Unity of mind on these issues so that we may ask His forgiveness; however, if what is being said IS the truth, that many are wavering from the very rightful practice and belief of our faith, then again, we urge you to pray for all, that we get back on tract swiftly and ask for His forgiveness.