We Must Refrain From Becoming the Super Correct
Driven by fear, there are people who leave the Church and head into schism. In Greece there are at least eighteen “Old Calendar” Orthodox churches who claim to be THE Church, not recognizing each other as canonical. In the United States there are nearly the same numbers, some Slavic and others of Greek origin.
They are all filled with prideful people, thinking of themselves as the only remnant of Christ’s Church. These people practice a form of Christianity that is filled with self righteous rigidity, totally lacking in humility. Walling themselves off from World Orthodoxy, they become extremely pharisitic, harsh, punitive, and rotten to the core. In their legalistic approach to the canons and traditions of the Church they enter into a state of constant judgment against anyone outside their arrogant, cultish religiosity.
In their rigid and narrow minded approach to the Church, they fail to trust that the Holy Spirit is guiding and protecting His Church. They don’t see the Holy Spirit operating in the life of people because they themselves are closed off to the Holy Spirit. Where is the life of the Church manifested among such people? They do nothing for the love of humanity, and their lack of love begets more schism. Schism begets schism begets schism. A never ending downward spiral into the abyss.
Their usual premise is based on the issue of the calendar change and false ecumenism. The calendar issue is more important to them than the unity of the Church, forgetting, as they do, that the early church celebrated many of the great feasts on different days.
False ecumenism is certainly an issue that the Church Universal must confront, for loving and honoring our brothers and sisters who are outside the Church, although called for by our Lord Himself, must not include moving towards union with those who refuse to renounce their heretical teachings. I am therefore grateful to be part of the Russian Patriarchate, which, under the guidance of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, continues to take a strong stand against false ecumenism, and is powerfully pushing forth the unchanging canons, traditions and faith of the ancient Church.
Orthodox Christianity has withstood two thousand years of attacks and persecution, yet the gates of hell have not prevailed against her. This was Christ’s promise to his disciples before His Holy Resurrection. To believe otherwise is to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit.
Love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
About the author
Fr. Tryphon is the Abbot of the Monastery of the All-Merciful Saviour, which was established in 1986 by Archimandrite Dimitry (Egoroff) of blessed memory. The Monastery is under the omophore of His Eminence Kyrill, Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America, of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
4 thoughts on “Curbing Division Within the Church”
So true. And there are several schismatic "Orthodoxy" churches out of Ukraine. It is so sad as it appears to me that they have the same mentality as the tens of thousands of schismatics within Protestanism. They do what is right in their own sight.
Reading the websites of others who are upset with recent unifications, particularly ROCOR returning to being under the Moscow Patriarchate, it does seem they are angry and take a rigid approach. The reason I have seen given for these feelings is they claim the MP never disavowed “Sergianism” and certain actions and statements Sergey made under the threats of the Soviets—things like (I am paraphrasing from memory) stating the Church wanted their buildings destroyed and asked the Soviets to do so, and the martyrs killed by the Soviets had it coming to them. It would be interesting to hear what the other side has to say on this.
God bless you Abbot Tryphon .
May you continue to be strengthened and protected as you courageously speak truth .
Δόξα τω Θεώ!
Glory to God .
Thank you Father! I think this is a very important issue to combat amongst ourselves, to guard ourselves against coldness of heart and purity spiraling while keeping the patristic faith and warding off the constant attacks against that faith. It's an easy temptation to fall into and it begins in the heart much before becoming a schismatic, I think.