On the Extremes of the Left and Right, and Grace

On the Extremes of the Left and Right, and Grace

The first extreme position is a lack of responsibility for the Deposit of the Orthodox Faith and the whole Patristic Tradition that we have received, together with an absolute indifference towards the heretical confession and conduct of the Patriarch and other Ecumenist bishops. Likewise, the maintaining of false obedience to the Patriarch and to these bishops for the sake of a false peace and illusory unity within the Church. This double line of false reasoning is mainly a result of a shallow and superficial ecclesial life, as well as attachment to earthly goods, lack of deep and genuine Orthodox piety, consciousness and conscience.

The second extreme position is the claim that since the leaders of the regional Serbian Orthodox Church have deviated from the True Faith, then the whole of our Regional Church in Serbia has fallen into heresy, and therefore, every parish is heretical, every believer who worships at the temples where priests directly or indirectly commemorate Patriarch Irinej is in fact a heretic himself, and that even those believers who have never heard of Ecumenism are heretics also.

Both of these extremes lead us to deviation and the abyss. Instead, the Holy Fathers counsel us to take the Royal Middle Path, which is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, hence the difficulty of walking upon it. For this path is a stumbling block to those who cultivate only superficial ritual unity in the Church for the sake of earthly peace, and it is foolishness to those who want to cultivate zeal for the Faith based on their human logic and reason, rather than the commandments of the God-Man Jesus Christ. And, for this reason, we repeat the words of the Apostle Paul urging us that we have the mind of Christ (1. Cor 2,16).

This Royal Middle Path should be equated with the act of not commemorating Patriarch Irinej and his fellow Ecumenist bishops. Of course, we must sever all liturgical and administrative ties with them, but this is no reason for us to assert that because of a few Ecumenist bishops, the entire Serbian Orthodox Church has fallen into heresy and has thereby lost the Grace of the Holy Spirit. We should therefore not repudiate those people who continue to worship at the official temples of the Serbian Orthodox Church. These Church members may do so due to a lack of ecclesial life, or a lack of information and conscience about the corrosive danger of heresy or even because of their lack of zeal for confronting heresy. Whatever the case may be, only after ascertaining the reasons why they still go to such temples, should we then with discretion, warn them about what is actually going on, and thereby broaden their horizons on the Faith, so as to raise the level of their Orthodox conscience concerning the need to openly confront all false shepherds who dare to alter the Church’s Faith and Tradition. This must be done with solid arguments, personal pious examples, and prayers for such members of the Church. All other means are not suitable for true Orthodox fighters for the Faith, but are instead adopted by other more bitter and furious people, who use zeal for the preservation of the Faith as a pretext for giving vent to their passions of anger and wrath. Such people forget the Apostolic words that – human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires (James 1,20). 

Of course, we as clergymen cannot participate in common prayers with those members of the Serbian Orthodox Church (and other Regional Churches affected by Ecumenism) who are clergy, because to them “much has been given” and consequently, much is demanded. That is to say, on the basis of Canon XV of the First-and-Second Council of Constantinople, we expect these clergymen to sever communion (liturgical and administrative ties) with Patriarch Irinej and other Ecumenist bishops, until they all repent of their heresy.

- Chorbishop Maximus of Novo Brdo and Panonia, “A Theological Explanation Concerning the Existence and Mission of the Diocese of Raska-Prizen and Kosovo-Metohija in Exile.” 

Online: 

https://www.eparhija-prizren.org/chorbishop-maximus-of-novo-brdo-and-panonia-a-theological-explanation-concerning-the-existence-and-mission-of-the-diocese-of-raska-prizren-and-kosovo-metohija-in-exile-1/