Transcribed from a sermon by Archbishop [Metropolitan] Chrysostomos of Etna (+2019)
What exactly is the
observant life of an Orthodox traditionalist? We might approach this question
by asking two other questions: first, “What constitutes ‘observance’ for the
Orthodox Christian?”; and second, “What is Orthodox traditionalism?”
Observance is inseparable, in
fact, from the issue of traditionalism. Following the teachings and
instructions of St. Gregory Palamas, an observant Orthodox Christian is one
who follows Holy Tradition: the laws of God, beginning with the Ten
Commandments, the commandments of love set forth by Christ Himself (that is,
to love God above all else and to love one’s neighbor as one loves himself),
and the Sacred Canons of the Church. St. Gregory, in various writings, also
tells us, in keeping with the consensus of the Fathers, that the traditions
and customs that constitute the Holy Tradition of the Church must be observed in
toto—not selectively and, as is usually the case today, with a
self-serving application of the oft-made distinction between Holy Tradition
and “traditions” with a small “t,” the latter supposedly a matter of choice
and the former binding. While the distinction between Holy Tradition and
certain ecclesiastical customs of an incidental kind, or small “t” traditions,
can be useful, it is in fact unknown to the Church Fathers in their definitive
and punctilious comments about Holy Tradition per se. Moreover, it
assuredly has no application to inspired Canons concerning matters of faith and
of revealed doctrine. Indeed, at a universal or encompassing level, St. John
Chrysostomos says of what has been handed down to us in the Church the
following: “It is tradition, ask no more.” Observance also goes beyond the law
and touches on our spiritual commitment, our loyalty to those who serve as our
spiritual guides, our fidelity to the living Body of Christ (those who are our
co-believers), and, of course, beyond that to all men and women, whatever their
religion. Indeed, if we are called to be a separate and sui generis Christian
“race,” the “New Israel,” it is for the purpose of also calling all others to
participate in that to which we are separately and peculiarly called. These
things, too, are part of the Holy Tradition which we are enjoined to observe.
As to the matter of
traditionalism itself, there are those who quite wrongly believe that it is
enough to be Orthodox: that a mere confession of Orthodoxy is the sine qua
non of παράδοσις, or of receiving that which has been passed down
from Christ, the Apostles, and the Fathers themselves, and that Orthodox
traditionalism is a conceptual redundancy. This is faulty reasoning that is
sadly meant, in most cases, to excuse one from all that follows on the
confession of correct doctrine (ὀρθοδοξία); that is, from all that is
demanded by the requisite practice and observance of the Faith, or
orthopraxy (ὀρθοπραξία). Tradition is, in fact, an active process of
direct engagement with life. It is a dynamic passing-on of the very empirical experience
of the Church. Indeed, the term “traditionalism” describes that inseparable
bond between confession and practice, which correctly captures the πληρότης
τῆς πίστεως, or the “fullness of the Faith.” Any division between faith and
works, confession and effort, and believing and living is what has, in fact,
separated those who are Orthodox in name and confession from the True Orthodox
faithful, the latter distinguished by the spirit of traditionalism underlying
their witness. In the same way that they dismiss Orthodox traditionalism as
conceptually redundant, the former also accuse True Orthodox Christians of
pleonasm and tautologism, arguing that “Orthodoxy” is by its very definition
“true.” However, only when one comes to understand that observance brings true
belief and its application in practical action together does he come to
see that there is a nominal Orthodoxy of mere confession and a True Orthodoxy of
essence that entails the implementation of the truths of the Faith in observance.
As the late Father Georges Florovsky observes, it is not enough, in
claiming Orthodoxy, to recite a correct credal formula or to adhere to a
correct theology; rather, one must attain to the φρόνημα τῶν Πατέρων, or
the “mind of the Fathers,” through the dianoetic, noetic, and practical
application of Orthodox Truth as a “theology of facts”; in short, one must make
the Faith empirical by way of experiencing and living it. One must be truly Orthodox.
It is on the basis of all
that I have said about observance and traditionalism that the Church Fathers,
in unanimity (as though with one mind—unus animus) and with adamantine
resolve, tell us that Orthodoxy is not just about how we believe, but about how
we walk, talk, dress, and conduct ourselves; and this not only in Church and in
private, but in our worldly lives, in our work, and even in the entertainment
and diversions which we allow ourselves. A correct confession of Faith without
these things—and, assuredly, without strict, sincere fasting, without prayer
(incessant inner prayer, moreover), and without adherence to the Sacred Canons
and Divine Traditions of the Church (if not by their exactitude, at least in
the desire for that perfect adherence and not in a spirit that seeks
every reason to avoid perfect observance in the service of personal pleasure
and unbridled worldliness)—is of no avail to us. We will be judged “where we
are found,” as a spiritual axiom has it, and not by our words and
pronouncements; i.e., we will be judged by our spiritual state, by our love for
Holy Tradition and observance, by our love for our fellow man, and by our
quickness to find fault in ourselves and not in others (another aspect of observance
and one of the highest forms of self-denial). If we lie, slander others,
justify ourselves at the cost of denigrating our brothers, and seek that which
serves the self, we will have by nature deviated from the spirit of observance
and will find ourselves inwardly estranged from the “Faith of our Fathers” (the
Faith as it is transmitted in spiritual succession), however “exact” our
confession and however much we may feign a certain public or “external”
commitment to traditional observance. We will be, as the Desert Fathers tell us
in a frequently-cited simile, like trees with beautiful leaves that,
nonetheless, bear no fruit.
Having said what Orthodox
observance is, and having commented on the attributes of the observant
traditionalism of True Orthodoxy, I would like to comment in greater detail on
the refined way of life that the truly observant Orthodox Christian can live,
seeking therein, in this imperfect world, perfect transformation and union, by
His Grace, with God (which constitutes salvation, as the Orthodox Church
envisions it). In so doing, I do not mean to chastise anyone (for were I to do
so, I would have to chastise myself first); nor are my critical comments
offered in the rude spirit of condemnatory judgmentalism that, sadly, too often
marks putative Orthodox traditionalism today. My purpose is to emphasize that,
in seeking higher spiritual things with sometimes woefully immature zeal, we
must constantly seek to refine ourselves, both spiritually and in our
daily interactions with the world and with others. Never should we forget the
centrality, in our observance of the Faith, of good manners; of obeisance to
our spiritual (and, indeed, social and political) superiors; of a sense of
decorum; and of the ability to rise above, first, our own pettiness and,
second, the smallness of our detractors, whether the meanness of the latter (or
our own, for that matter) be motivated by jealousy, animus, demonic energies
of one kind or another, or the tragic tactics of contemporary Church politics
and the human foibles and deficits that often mar and stain the honor of
service to the Church. If we seek refinement as a first step in our higher
spiritual pursuits, we will not only avoid the crude and fetid weaknesses to
which I have referred, but we will, in fact, find that, in the same way that
the ills of the body and soul are often interconnected (sometimes, by God’s
Providence, in a positive way, at other times, because of our sins, in a
negative way), so the external behaviors of the Christian often impede or
enhance him in his search for virtue. Refinement can be a path to
enlightenment: a first step, in the mundane realm, that can facilitate and
foster spiritual growth.
Orthodox traditionalists have,
for some curious reason, developed the perfidious idea that a genuine
commitment to the Faith somehow makes them the “guardians” of that Faith, if
not upholders and confessors of the Truth. Spouting with what is frequently
disingenuous piety the admonitions and chastisements of the great Fathers and
Confessors of Orthodoxy, but lacking the Grace and wisdom with which the Church
Fathers utter such things, these unwisely zealous individuals create an image
of crassitude and vulgarity that is wholly foreign to the refinement that
characterizes the whole of the Orthodox Patristic tradition. Lacking charity,
hospitality, and external social graces, they defile the very traditions that
they imagine themselves to be defending. Worse yet, they often appoint
themselves public procurators of the Faith, imagining that, before correcting
themselves and acknowledging their own sins, they have the right—and even
responsibility—to act as investigators and judges of the clergy, their
fellow believers, and the various “heretics” and “defilers of the Faith” upon
whom, as one Saint expresses it, they presumptuously believe that they have the
right to “rain down fire” from on high. They frequently go beyond criticism,
beyond the sharpness of words sometimes needed to correct the errant, and
become contumelious critics of everyone, using crude, insulting, and rude
language from the streets in the name of the Faith. This lack of refinement is
one of the telltale signs of spiritual immaturity, of a lack of discernment
and discretion, and of spiritual delusion. It is absolutely inconsistent with
Orthodox observance and is characteristic of crass and uncouth behavior. It
must be avoided if one wishes to pursue an observant Orthodox life.
Another divergence from
observance which has become a part of so-called traditionalism is the habit of
inquiring into the personal lives of others. Refined, civilized people are
taught from their childhood not to stare at others in public, to mind to their
own affairs, and not to be overly curious about the personal lives of others.
Even the Church Canons advise us not to be overly curious about the “personal”
failings of our Church leaders. Yet, in this age of the emergence of unrefined
and ill-bred habits, not only are such standards of comportment ignored, but
nosiness is widely accepted. Almost universally, people “Google” one another
nowadays, trying to collect, in their voyeuristic perversity, information on
others. And this is done in the Church, as well, as though some hypocritical
“need to know” or the “right of the People of God” somehow negated the Lord’s
message that such things should be of no concern to those whom He calls to
“follow Me.” Psychologists and psychiatrists, in the context of their
professional duties and in the defined arena of their offices, may have the
right to pry into the personal affairs of others. But this, aside from
entailing strict standards of confidentiality which, when violated, can lead to
the suspension by state medical boards of one’s license to practice, is for the
purpose of helping others and of curing their ills, and has nothing to do with
prurient interest in the weaknesses and sins of one’s fellow man. The Christian
is called to a different kind of therapy: that of covering the sins of others
and of attending first and foremost to his own affairs, avoiding, as the
Fathers advise us, the deadly sin of being overly curious about “our brother’s
sins.” A sign of refined people is that they keep their private affairs to
themselves and that they respect as sacred the privacy of others. This is also
one of the marks of an observant traditionalist, despite the contrary behaviors
that prevail among so-called traditionalists.
At a more mundane level, this
forgoing refinement in behavior is accompanied by traits which observant
Orthodox should pursue and cultivate, since they both support and reflect
proper demeanor. An observant Orthodox Christian should constantly strive to
live an enriching and elevated life, reading good literature, listening to
uplifting music, enjoying good art, and pursuing intelligent conversation. This
applies not only to spiritual reading, Church psalmody, Iconography, and
spiritual discourse, but also to the secular realm. Though a crude kind of
anti-intellectualism has surfaced—and wholly improperly and inappropriately—in
the Church under the guise of Orthodox observance and traditionalism, it
behooves us to refine the mind and the intellect (the dianoetic faculty) with
the same care with which we seek to develop our noetic or spiritual faculties.
There is, of course, nothing demonic or “worldly” about good literature,
classical music, traditional folk music, uplifting and inspiring art (including
even some of the more tasteful traditions of modern art), or dressing and
grooming oneself in a style which, while avoiding the caprice of changing
modes, excessive hair cutting and styling, and gaudy ornamentation, is
attractive, dignified, classical, traditional, and modest (in terms of avoiding
the accentuation of the body in a cheap and vulgar way). Quite to the contrary,
these things can help develop one’s spiritual sensitivities. If there is
anything demonic to be said about them, it is that demonic blindness can lead one
to imagine that they are somehow evil or inappropriate, since their
contribution to the refinement of the soul is so direct and indisputable, both
from the psychological and spiritual standpoint. To be sure, attendance at
concerts and dignified, sober entertainment are not evil; they can be
beneficial to the soul. This is also true of other social activities, such as
preparing and enjoying good meals, setting a proper table where they can be
enjoyed, and engaging in social conversation in settings that are elevating and
formal. These things are not invitations to gluttony and worldliness, but are,
in fact, means by which these sins can be checked and monitored. An observant
life in the Orthodox tradition calls us to raise ourselves up and to become
noble, not only in spirit, but in our daily comportment and activities.
Aside from these general
traits that the observant Orthodox traditionalist should cultivate, there is a
very specific activity which all Orthodox—if not the heterodox population, as
well—should avoid as destructive to a refined way of life. It behooves even a marginally
civilized individual to avoid the “public life” of the Internet, a
wonderful contemporary tool for intellectual resources, if rightly used, but
an increasingly obscene and depraved public platform for discussion that is
destroying minds and souls. On the Internet, one sees letters of condemnation,
open attacks, references to matters that even two decades ago would have never
have been mentioned—let alone discussed—in polite circles or in public, but
which are now approached as though they were matters of perfectly upright
concern. One encounters opinions expressed by persons who, were they under peer
review or scrutiny, would, much to the benefit of society, never be heard.
Individuals with no intellectual gifts whatsoever, no spiritual learning, and
mediocre educational credentials, puffed up in their fantasies, put forth ideas
that mislead their readers, introducing into the supposed body of knowledge,
unfortunately, nonsense, inane speculation, and idiosyncratic personal views
seldom worthy of a second thought, often while challenging sober spiritual
voices or trained and competent scholars. Yet other contributors to the sewer
of Internet gossip are beset by lascivious interests in the lives and affairs
of others (Internet voyeurs and gossips); the mentally ill, sociopaths,
borderline personalities seeking an identity in the relative anonymity of
online “life,” and bored misfits, who can assail others with impunity in the
fantasy world of cyberspace, hold court in various forums and lists, violating
the protocols of civilized behavior and returning anyone who indulges or shares
their mental and social deficits to the primitivism of what Darwinians would
call pre-social simianity. One cannot imagine the possibility of being an
observant Orthodox traditionalist and participating in such things. Those who
do, whether out of pathological interests or proclivities, or because they are
addicted to the religious pornography of the Internet, are slowly destroying
their Orthodox consciences and confirming arguments for the social devolution
of man.
At the level of
confession, the deontic dimensions of living a life of observant traditionalism
within Orthodoxy—both with regard to what one “should” and “should not” do—must
center on religious tolerance within the context of preserving the integrity of
our Faith and seeing, as the Sacred Canons dictate, that we do not compromise
it in any way with an admixture of extraneous beliefs. We must develop the
ability to stand firmly for the Faith, unmoved and unaffected by sophomoric
babble about “official” Orthodoxy (a product of the religious syncretism and
the hokey, superficial, and worldly spirit of the ecumenical movement),
unafraid to diagnose heresy for what it is, but, at the same time, ready to
call those infected by heresy to correct belief, though without calling them
heretics and without insulting them. We should treat unbelievers respectfully,
enlightening them by our love and our proper behavior. Above all, we must at
all times avoid inflammatory fundamentalistic language, condemning people to
Hell, and dismissing the worth of those who believe differently than we. These
are things foreign to the ethos of our Faith. In addition, we must be careful
not to appear parochial and to preach provincial and reactive tribalism
(passing as “triumphant ethnicity”) and exalt local ecclesiastical prerogatives
borne of human pride (and, subconsciously, human inferiorities), thinking
somehow that the weakness of our human affinities, which God allows to us by
condescension, are of greater import than the catholicity of the Church.
Finally, we should never express our opinions about True Orthodoxy and
observance in a contentious manner; rather, in following the Apostles Paul’s
advice to St. Timothy, we must with inexorable patience “not strive, but be
gentle unto all men.”
The refined life of
Orthodox observance is not for those who are angry and aggressive, because we
traditionalists must admit our weaknesses; it is not for those who would seek
in the guise of traditionalism some path to importance or “special status”; and
it is certainly not for those who feel that, in admitting, in their spiritual
struggles, to being marred by uncleanliness and imperfection, flawed by sin,
and burdened with heavy consciences, they have lost, rather than gained (as
they have). It is a life for those who wish to begin the divine ascent without
prerogatives, pretensions, and presuppositions; for those who wish to prosper
in spiritual pursuits by refining, first, their minds, bodies, thoughts, and
personal desires; and for those who, by becoming good and decent people, have
stepped up on the first rung of the ladder of Divine ascent towards transformation
or θέωσις, held above the ground of sin and ego by humble submission to
Church law, to Holy Tradition, and to the guidance of those who, however
imperfect they themselves may be, call others to upright, moral, lofty, and
observant external lives, that they might, by God’s Grace, ascend the ladder of
the heart to the essence of existence, which lies in the inner life of the
spirit. In response to those who spurn, dismiss, ridicule, or even despise
this observant life, let us respond with the very refinement by which we are
called to True Orthodoxy: with silence in the face of slander and personal
attacks, commitment in reaction to condemnation, and firm but gentle confession
in answering the prattle and deceitful words of any who would justify
innovation and the abandonment of all that has, for two millennia, produced
holiness and transformation in God.
Source: Orthodox
Tradition, Volume XXIV (2007), No. 1, pp. 21-27.
