Friday, September 25, 2009

The Glory of "Holy Russia"

Images and text copied from the Voices from Russia blog.

Metropolitan Hilarion Kapral of New York of the ROCOR has taken the Kursk Root Icon to Russia. Look at the size of the crowd for the procession! There are THOUSANDS present! There are more people here than there are in most American Orthodox archdioceses… reflect on that and understand why all those who bloviate concerning “American Orthodoxy” are all wet. This humbles one… these people had many options… watch TV, listen to the radio, visit friends, go to work, read, go to the shopping mall, or potter at the dacha… instead, they are HERE. Make no more sarcastic and condescending comments about the Church in Russia until you can muster a crowd of THIS size. WOW!!!


Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev (1946- ) of Moscow and all the Russias, the de facto spiritual head of the Orthodox Church, at the procession. Russia is the centre of Orthodox civilisation, being the largest, strongest, and most influential Orthodox state. Therefore, it is no surprise that Vladyki Kirill is the leading hierarch of the Church throughout the world. Numbers do speak… There are more people here present than there are on the entire legitimate canonical territory of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul… ponder that… it tells us something, no?

I quoted the text above completely without editing, so that my Orthodox brethren and other Christians can see where the Russian Orthodox Church is headed.

There was another news article reporting on the return of the famous Kursk ikon to Russia. It was this article that prompted my response as a comment on Fr Milovan's blog:

Holy Russia, hmm, well, as a historian and an Orthodox Christian, I know much of what that implies. For one, a big, very big country, the biggest in fact as far as size goes, and one that had an Orthodox emperor, just like the old Byzantine state, a fatherly, semi-divine protector of the poor and innocent, and defender and promoter of the Church. For another, a land of immense plains and forests filled with a crowd of hard-working, industrious peasants of simple but immovable faith, worshipping the Lord with thousands of self-crossings and prostrations, the lighting of thousands of candles daily, crowds, crowds of the pious and God-fearing Christians…

So, the ikon of the Mother of God, the miraculous, the not-made-by-hands, returns to its homeland finally, like an exiled queen after the defeat of her enemies, and is greeted by crowds, crowds of the pious God-fearing Christians…

Where were these Christians when the ikon was still overseas in safety? Were they in hiding just as she was, waiting for the opportune and safe moment to come out? Where were these crowds when Holy Russia was being trampled under the feet of Godless criminals? Would there have been enough bullies and bandits to keep a crowd this big in check? Would there have been enough bullets to slay them all and put Holy Russia forever under the earth, just a memory in the pages of history?

As long as the crowds that greeted Jesus with hosannas on His entry into Jerusalem dissipate or, even worse, become the crowd that cried out, “Crucify him!” there will be no “kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven,” and possibly no “Holy Russia” in reality.

Let’s not be blinded by our “devotion” to the Mother of God and the saints, and following Metropolitan Hilarion’s “call on all believers to come to the Church and adore the icon” imagine that this has anything other than ceremonial significance. Yes, it is a historic moment. It does signify what they say it signifies, a kind of “peace” in the Russian Church at large, at home and abroad.

It does certainly give the Orthodox believers of whatever level of commitment and faith a feeling of solidarity. All these things can lead to real faith, if real faith is desired. They can also lead to a whole menagerie of other things, some of them not so praiseworthy or Christian. The “imperial church” has not always been a friend to believers, neither has the “imperial state.”

As glorious as the ikon of Saint George slaying the dragon appears, when you venerate the ikon, which do you kiss, the saint, or the dragon?

This comment elicited a mild rebuke from a Russian Orthodox woman, which can be read at Fr Milovan's original post, to which I also responded, trying to affirm that it was not my intention to be condescending in my comment above. As people who know me will also know where I am coming from, my comment probably needs no further explanations from me. The warning implicit in what I wrote is only this: Crowds can mean many things, and neither numbers nor a show of strength matters. What matters is faith. Let's see what this crowd, or any other, does for Christ. I hope, as always, for the best.

Da, moya shestra Vara, slava Yisusu Kristu, slava Bogu!

7 comments:

あじ said...

I understand your sentiment, and I've had feelings along those lines before. In the end, I am the unprofitable servant; I am the one with the log in my eye. I will be judged by my own standards, and I know that I do not measure up.

I want so much to be an optimist; what are faith and love without hope? Peace be with you.

Vara said...

I disagree emphatically that numbers are meaningless. The Patriarchate of Moscow and all the Russias is over half of all Orthodox Christians. Therefore, whether it is healthy or sickly is of consequence to all of us. Orthodox in the USA are less than 0.5 percent of the total, so, even if all the Orthodox in this country were to disappear (inconceivable, I am only using this as a debating point), it would hardly register in world Orthodoxy.

Quantity is never meaningless... for instance, a division shall always overwhelm a platoon, like it or not. Likewise, the fact that the MP is the largest single Orthodox body and the EP is one of the smallest (on its legitimate canonical territory of Asia Minor), is of consequence for all of us. Do remember that the EP owes its present position only due to the fact that Tsargrad was the former capital of New Rome.

I find the proposition poorly worded and insufficiently supported. Be careful... you are stepping into a minefield... there are more faithful in this procession than in Asia Minor or in many of the Orthodox archdioceses in America (with the possible exceptions of only the GOA and OCA... and the latter is not larger by much).

As someone trained in history and a former military officer, I find your thesis very weak, indeed.

In any case, do not attack the motives of those attending the event, as you have no way of ascertaining such. You would not care for it if I were to impute improper motives to Bartholomew in his concelebrations in Istanbul with Benedict...

Be careful, please!

Cheers,
Vara Drezhlo

Ρωμανός ~ Romanós said...

Vara, I am a Christian, not a Russian, and therefore have nothing to defend as you are defending.

I emphatically disagree that numbers make up for faith. True, your Russians can overwhelm us for sheer numbers; so can the Chinese overwhelm you. Christ's kingdom is not of this world, nor is the Church an earthly empire. The head of the Orthodox Church is no patriarch, not yours, not ours; it is only Christ.

The Patriarchate of Constantinople owes its present position to Russia, is that so? Well, the Russians haven't done very much for it, have they? Why haven't the Turks been returned to Central Asia where they belong? Why couldn't my son, who as an Orthodox seminarian visiting the Great Church of Hagia Sophia, why couldn't he stop and chant the "Axion estin" in that place? He wasn't even allowed in there without a Muslim escort. Asia Minor could have been a Pantoslavia (an all-Slav region) by now if Russia had been brave enough to champion the political cause of Orthodoxy and real pan-Slavism. But sorry, sister, it was not. It followed the European system of containment, and did only token service to Christ and the Truth, just as His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomaios is doing now. Don't you understand this is the world, not Christ? The true Orthodox Church is the suffering Church, not the politically powerful Church. If that is your Pravoslavnie, please take it and go your way.

Why are you warning me to be careful and not to step into a minefield! Who placed those mines there? and why?

Thank you for letting me know your credentials, "someone trained in history and a former military officer." My credentials are my life in Christ, and that will have to suffice. If my original comments and all subsequent ones on this topic are seen as an attack, a criticism, or a threat to "Holy Russia" then that Russia is not holy at all, just full of fleshly pride in its numbers and its outward religious piety. But I do not think the true Holy Russia is anything like that, but I fear for it if people like yourself abuse the concept and fuse it to worldly ambition and earthly power.

Perhaps a bear is just a bear and cannot be trained to take upon itself the yoke as a dumb ox can be trained. But I'd rather be pulling the gospel plow, yoked to Christ, than to be that bear, who produces nothing but loud growls and manure for the forest floor.

As for Benny and Bart's love affair, let them carry on. We neither heed them nor follow them, nor do we heed or follow any patriarch who abuses his office, confuses the faithful by his duplicity, or besieges the honest monks of Esphigmenou on Mount Athos.

No judgments here from me, only observations. Christ will judge us all, and with mercy, more mercifully than we judge each other. Why waste the little time we have left in dispute? Christ is risen, and He is alive and well seeking His lost sheep in this world of sin, paying no attention whatsoever to our pious pretences and churchly glory. His glory is the glory of the Cross. Isn’t that why the sign on that Cross reads, “The King of Glory”? There is no other glory and, sister, I hope this doesn’t shock you but, there is also no other holiness but Christ’s, not Russia’s, not the patriarchs’, only Christ’s. “Εἷς Ἅγιος, εἷς Κύριος, Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ Πατρός. Ἀμήν.” One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the Glory of God the Father. Amen.

Where does this leave room for anyone calling himself “His Holiness” or any country calling itself “Holy”? I will not answer this question, but I know who it is I have put my trust in, and He alone is Holy.

The Archer of the Forest said...

I, for one, have been rather impressed with these images from Russia. Granted, I am sure there are many people in this crowd who are nominal Christians, or perhaps do not even identify as Christians, but I think the mere fact that such a humongous crowd could show up to view a religious artifact is stunning.

I have been reading a biography of Father Arseny put out by St. Vladimir's press this week by chance. The recountings in that book of the horrid things done to the Orthodox church and its clergy during the Stalin repressions and purges makes the above picture special to me. Even 20 years ago, such a crowd would never have shown up for such an event. The mere fact that they now have to freedom to be Christian, lukewarm or otherwise, warms my heart a bit.

Ρωμανός ~ Romanós said...

Vara (above) left the following comment after my last one, but then she deleted it. This is what she wrote. As anyone can see from comparing our comments and our priorities, there are many kinds of "Orthodox Christians." I am only reprinting her deleted comment to demonstrate this. Orthodoxy means different things to different people. It is only monolothic from the inside. Here's Vara (unedited)…

Romanos:

The above comment is evasive and Protestant in tone. You stated that numbers did not count. When your argument was countered, you changed the grounds of discussion.

You were the one who stated that you were a trained historian… I merely stated that I received similar training, in addition to military training. In other words, you attempted to muzzle criticism by stating a credential… then, you sulked when your opponent offered a similar credential.

You are attempting to portray a Russia that does not exist, by using an image of Christ that does not exist. As Orthodox Christians, we look to the bishop as the icon of icon, for such is our theology. If you do not care for it, perhaps, why not convert to Protestantism? You obviously find it more congenial. I would condemn you for so doing, for, at least, it would be honest.

If you do not wish to be communion with His Holiness Kirill… such is your prerogative… only do not call yourself an Orthodox Christian.

Have you been to Russia? How many Russian Orthodox Christians do you know (OCA poseurs do not count)? I stand on the full tradition of the Church, not merely Scripture (for such an attitude is Protestant, therefore, incomplete and lacking Christ).

Again, as a believing Orthodox Christian, I ask you to reconsider your position, and, if you wish to maintain your present course without alteration, please, convert to a body that teaches such a stance… for Holy Orthodoxy does not.

What makes your sort tiresome is that you refuse to bow to any authority save yourself… that is not Orthodoxy, sir. If for no other reason, please, reconsider your position, for if you do not, you spit on the graves of millions of martyrs who died rather than compromise the faith.

God have mercy on you.

Cheers,
Vara

Anonymous said...

Amen 'Archer'... Amen!

Unknown said...

Agreed archer. I have read the book as well.