Orthodox Reflections

Esteemed Clergy,

I’ve never been to Toronto, but the intensity and seriousness of this incident are so critical for the Greek Orthodox in all of North America and beyond, that it has prompted my conscience to speak up, so that the root causes for the growing grass-roots rift between clergy and laity can be addressed quickly and effectively.

There is a disturbing video from presumably Sunday, July 12, 2020 that has gone viral on the internet, and is swaying public opinion in favor of the people, and not the clergy…

Confession of Faith : Holy Communion

In short, this video captures the reaction of the faithful, as well as the specific unfortunate interaction that ensued between the priest and a layperson-doctor from the parish, immediately following a surprise announcement that “multiple spoons” would be used to administer Holy Communion on that day in St. George of Toronto.

This video is a turning point in the following ways:

1) The strong reaction and opposition of the faithful indicates that there is still a grass-roots “spirit of Confession” (πνευμα Ομολογιας) within the body of the Church that is aligned with what we understand to be the history and mindset of the Orthodox Church of martyrs & Confessors of the faith.

2) This strong grass-roots opposition underscores the point that the large majority of people are actually listening to the epistle readings “ιησους χριστος χθες και σημερον ο αυτος και εις τους αιωνας” (Heb. 13:8), as well as “διδαχαις ποικιλαις και ξεναις μη περιφερεσθε” (Heb. 13:9) …a.k.a. based on these scriptures there is NO need to change Holy Communion (I believe a recent clarification of the Patriarchal Synod also confirmed the same thing)…

3) Point number 2 emphasizes the fact that in the year 2020, education and access to PATRISTIC interpretation of scripture is so widespread, that if any single clergyman says anything that deviates from the tradition of the Church Fathers, the laity will NOT conform simply because the clergy are wearing vestments. In short, the laity cannot be considered dumb, but rather “logical sheep”. And in plainer terms, the Clergy need to wake up to the realization that the laity can read and understand Theology, too…

4) Point number 3 is NOT a bad thing inherently, because education, awareness, and clarity of mind are the best defense against deception…we know from scripture that even the chosen ones (even some priests as was the case of Arius) will fall into a state of deception (πλανη)
καὶ πολλοὶ ψευδοπροφῆται ἐγερθήσονται καὶ πλανήσουσιν πολλούς (Mat. 24:11)
ουτοι μετα του αρνιου πολεμησουσιν και το αρνιον νικησει αυτους οτι κυριος κυριων εστιν και βασιλευς βασιλεων και οι μετ αυτου κλητοι και εκλεκτοι και πιστοι (Rev. 17:14)

5) The unfortunate missed opportunity in this video was for the priest at St. George’s to maintain the same demeanor of speech and mindset that another colleague – priest (in this following video) maintained on July 5th in a different Church in Toronto…(I want to ask from God to forgive us, to forgive our “little faith”, to forgive our weakness…we are not worthy to keep the great blessing of the Orthodox Faith…)

Toronto Bans the Holy Communion

6) Why was this a missed opportunity? Because in the other Toronto church on July 5th, the people actually rallied behind the priest for speaking the way he did…he admitted / Confessed “little faith” in public…this COVID-19 “πειρασμος” is a FAITH issue at its core. …The φρονημα exhibited by the priest on July 5th is actually respected by the people, and his speech was well-received….Unfortunately, at St. George, the priest reacted in a passionate and confrontational way when the people became vociferous about their unwillingness to accept the “innovation / improvisation” (διδαχαις ποικιλαις και ξεναις μη περιφερεσθε – Heb. 13:9). Now, as a result of the combative nature of the interaction, this video has gone viral globally, and has unintentionally become a symbol of a new “OXI” against “little faith” or “faithlessness” in general, much like the grass-roots “OXI” that was said in 1940 by Metaxas, or even in 1821 at Μεγα Σπηλαιο by παλαιων Πατρων Γερμανος…

7) Point 6 may be an unintended consequence on behalf of the priest’s choice of words, but the incendiary repetitive comment “Δεν υπαρχει αντιλογος στην Εκκλησια” as well as the comment “Μην κοινωνησεις τοτε” and “πρεπει να εξομολογηθεις για αυτο που κανεις” are extremely problematic for the following reasons:

a. From the moment that Canons permit the laity to say Αξιος (“Axios” or “worthy”) or Αναξιος (“anaxios” or “unworthy” resulting in a “ceasing” of the tonsuring process), and from the moment that the Canons allow the laity to even bring spiritual charges against clergy when this is merited (see Pedalion), it is perfectly clear that the comment “Δεν υπαρχει αντιλογος στην Εκκλησια” is not a universally valid statement. The priest has risked losing credibility and respect quickly in this situation.

b. Given that this is a purely “Faith-based” controversy, and given that the spiritual “κερκοπορτα” of Covid-19 as a catalyst to introduce “multiple spoons” out of “fear of transmission / infection”, the question arises as to WHO really should be confessing WHICH sin? The people who were reacting and requesting a “single lavida” have grown up hearing “μετα φοβου Θεου, ΠΙΣΤΕΩΣ, και Αγαπης προσελθετε”…if they are exhibiting their faith (Πιστη) by saying “NO, we are NOT afraid of Christ, or the single lavida”, what exactly are they supposed to Confess as a sin in this situation? If the answer is “disobedience” or “dare to defy/interrupt a priest”, was defiance also a sin worthy of Confession for those who defied Arius, who also happened to be a priest? We are in the days where unfortunately, if clergy are not aligned with what the Church Fathers tell us, the laity actually have NO obligation of following what they say…sorry, but that’s what we are told by Scripture, too…The concept of Υπακοη follows the path of Αποστολικη Διαδοχη as well…the faithful can’t expect to be blindly obedient to teachings that are not consistent with the Church Fathers, sorry. St. Mark of Ephesos was categorical about this. Otherwise, we will end up with chasms similar to the dogmatic chasms between the current day Vatican, and the beliefs of Pope Leo III, who tried to fight the “filioque”…alignment to the Church Fathers is not up for compromise.

c. On the other side, neither St. John Chrysostom, nor St. Basil ever introduced a version of the Divine Liturgy that said “with the fear of Illness” or “Pandemic” (“Μετα φοβου Νοσου” or “Πανδημιας”)…this is a newly introduced “fear”, even though life expectancy in the days of St. Basil and St. John Chrysostom was much less. In those days, people didn’t know if they would see the next sunrise due to “αιφνιδιου θανατου” (sudden death), which was far more prevalent back then…so why were they not as fearful? Why did they not exhibit “πνευμα δειλιας”, or “πνευμα απιστιας” when it came to administering Holy Communion? Why are modern-day clergy chastising the laity who do NOT exhibit any spirit of cowardice and faithlessness? Do the words of Christ “…καὶ μὴ γίνου ἄπιστος ἀλλὰ πιστός..” (John 20:27) not apply to the laity? Perhaps we will all need to reconsider who really needs to confess, and WHAT needs to be confessed under the current circumstances…

8) It is time to stop looking upon the laity as “revenue generating” minions that fuel a financial engine. The laity is not stupid. They are simple…All they seek is authenticity of the Faith. All they seek is alignment with Tradition, with the Church Fathers…All they seek is proper SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP. If any clergy member does not have the spiritual fortitude of the martyrs and Confessors of our Faith now that we are in a spiritual battle, the honorable thing to do is to resign. If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen, sorry, but this is exactly where the boundary of ΑΞΙΟΣ vs ΑΝΑΞΙΟΣ resides … A situation where the laity is more faithful than the clergy will not result in a sustainable or harmonious Church. Even worse, if the faithful laity don’t feel that their simple spiritual needs are met in the Greek Orthodox Church, they will go elsewhere, and only the clergy will be to blame if that occurs.

So how do we diffuse the current tensions? It appears at the least that at a minimum an apology is owed to the parishioners as a result of last Sunday’s incident at St. George’s in Toronto. It would be the honorable thing to do, and an honest apology coupled with a commitment to our familiar Holy Communion traditions would go a long way to reverse any potential growing suspicions of a “pandemic of απιστια and δειλια” that some might feel may be permeating the clerical ranks…it is critical for these perceptions to be intercepted, halted and reversed before there is a mass exodus of faithful. It would also be beneficial if this event is studied in a way that it precipitates a change in mindset on how the clergy of the Archdioceses and the Patriarchate in general interact with the laity in the future. Mutual respect is a two-way street, but this street should never deviate from the teachings of the Church Fathers.

As a final thought, would this scene have happened if all of the clergy in the Archdiocese had “ONE UNIFIED VOICE” with the people, or as we hear in Divine Liturgy “εν ενι στοματι…”? Why are clergy and laity so misaligned on a fundamental matter of faith?

I sincerely hope that the following prophesy of St. Kosmas Aitolos is still very far away into the future (beyond our lifetime), but the video evidence of such scenes in a Church is certainly not a good sign…Nevertheless, according to St. Kosmas, the complete manifestation of the prophesy (or not) rests primarily upon the clergy, their decisions, mindset, example, leadership, and actions at this point…

«Θάρθη καιρός που δεν θα υπάρχη αυτή η αρμονία που είναι σήμερα μεταξύ λαού και κλήρου» (56 Καντ).

«Οι κληρικοί θα γίνουν οι χειρότεροι και οι ασεβέστεροι των όλων» (57 Καντ)

In the meantime, in an attempt to maintain harmony as much as possible, we will continue to do “damage control” on the laity side, by repeating the words of St. Porphyrios to anyone who may have been scandalized by the clergy:

If you kiss the hand of a pious priest, you are honoring the individual…
If you kiss the hand of an impious priest, you are honoring priesthood (ιερωσυνη) and Christ Himself…

With great concern,

Ioannis Μ. (Αναγνωστης)
USA