I believe in the One... Church

Archimandrite Constantine (Zaitsev)

Source: Orthodox Life, No. 73, Issue 1, January-February 1962, pp. 6-12. (Typos corrected)

 

The ecumenical world specially prayed for church unity during the week of January 18 to 25th [1962]. “The Christian Century,” a leading “undenominational” organ of Protestant theological thought in the USA, dwells on this theme. Church unity! This is — the much-desired future! But it is not enough to desire, to work, even to pray! God alone has the strength to fulfil the desired Union. And we have to prepare ourselves to receive what God will give. The journal remembers that the observance of a week of prayer for Christian Unity was started by two Anglican priests in 1908. A year later this practice was approved by Pope Pius X. The movement of Faith and Order adopted this prayer, having in mind all non-Roman Catholic Christians. On their part, Catholics prayed for the unity of all Christians around Rome. A new note was, however, introduced by the Catholic abbé Paul Couturier: the unity of all must come “according to Christ’s will, in His way, in His time.” Disclosing its conception of unity, ‘‘The Christian Century” declares that “concepts of Christian unity,” which are expressed in terms of “return” or “restoration” will prevent rather than cultivate the unity God gives to the churches. Such concepts are loaded with offensive imputations and stained with inferences of privilege and superiority. They set the “true church” and the “true believers” over against the “schismatic” and the “apostate.” Across such a line, drawn in arrogance, there will be little communication and less traffic. The unity God gives the churches will not be the re-establishment of something old but the creation of something new, not a return but an advance.” And the journal concludes its confession with a confident acceptance of abbé Couturier’s formula: all Christians can pray that they may have unity “according to Christ’s will, in His way, in His time.”

Thus speaks an “ecumenical” Protestant organ in unison with an outstanding “ecumenical” Roman Catholic priest. They are seconded by the leading Orthodox “ecumenist,” Patriarch Athenagoras, in an interview with the “Religion Writer for the Associated Press,” George W. Cornell, as we are informed through the organ of Archbishop Iakovos, “The Orthodox Observer.” The Patriarch awaits general unity: fifteen years may be necessary, or fifty, but unity will come “by the force of destiny, by force of the spirit of the Gospel, by force of the blood of Christ.” “It is a suicide to be divided,” he told Mr. Cornell. A change must occur in the policy of the Vatican. The patriarch expresses his affection and admiration for Pope John XXIII. The Patriarch is ready to visit him on the condition that he would return the visit. Difficult is the work of unity, but it is inevitable. “This is our duty. This is our responsibility, and this is our dream.” A high mission lies on Orthodoxy: it is destined to be a bridge between Rome and Protestantism.

More discreetly expressed itself in its official publications the New Delhi Assembly, but unison is heard likewise here: “We must go together in the way of Christian unity. We need for this purpose every member of the Christian family, of Eastern and Western tradition, ancient churches and younger churches, men and women, young and old, of every race and nations. Our brethren in Christ are given to us, not chosen by us. In some things our convictions do not yet permit us to act together; but let us everywhere find out the things which we can do together now; and faithfully do them, praying and working always for that fuller unity which Christ wills for His Church.”

Let it be that here sounds a special “ecumenical” indefiniteness of terminology. The substance is the same: unity embraces all “Christians,” to whatever church they might belong, and even independently of whether they belong to anything that may be called a church. “Christians” “are given” by the fact of their “Christianity” — no choice can be made! And this unity is not created by men, but is given by the Lord Himself. God now creates His Church!

The picture is clear. “One ... Church,” of the Creed of Faith, for the ecumenical mentality does not mean the point of departure, but remains a hope, for which is characteristic of such a word, as “dream.” Working according to one’s strength in the realization of this “dream” is thus the aim of ecumenism of all faiths. But God Himself — will realize this “dream”!

Such is the spiritual “climate” in which we live. What several years ago could have been conceived as an irresponsible fantasy — became reality. And, on the contrary, the most elementary alphabet of the true churchness is now conceived by the ecumenical mentality of all faiths as something fantastic.

Forgotten is that the Church was founded by our Lord Jesus Christ through the infusion of the Holy Spirit: the gates of hell themselves shall not prevail against it. Its unity is an absolute inner unity. Everything attempting to violate this unity is forced, by the strength of the Holy Spirit, out of the Church, as being of a different nature. Absolute authority of inner unity is the basis of church consciousness. When, during the epoch of Ecumenical Councils, some ascetics came to others, asking their assistance in delivering them from doubts in the correctness of certain decisions of the Council, those avoided from all discussions about the matter. They turned to common prayer — in order to attain what? Only one thing: the strengthening of their consciousness of inner unity of the Church, in its absolute authority. Is the anathema declared against heretics — effective? They prayed. The consciousness of the wavering cleared! By that fell off the necessity of clarifying the matter. Doubts disappeared, like smoke in the face of fire.

Such is the strength of inner unity of the Church! The result is that everything at any time said and done by the Church remains unchangeable — always and everywhere. Likewise, everything is contained in any element of the Church. This is the nature of the Church. Let us take at random an example. The Little Litany is repeated at every Church service. Let us reflect on its meaning. “In peace let us pray to the Lord.” Who are these “us”? Those present? Yes. However, not only they, but also all members of the Church, since with these words everyone prays. “In peace” they pray. What means this “peace”? It is the interior peace. All within the Church are one in Christ’s peace. In another litany Christ is called ‘“King of peace.” But this “peace” turns into a “sword,” so far as it turns against anything that disturbs this peace, independent of whether the violator comes from outside or somebody inside by such a violation becomes an outsider. How is this “we,” dwelling in peace in church unity, guarded? “Protect us, save us, have mercy on us and keep us, O God, by Thy Grace!” Internal peace, pouring forth in common prayer — here is the content of Church life, and it is guarded by God’s Grace. “Peace” merges with “grace” in an inseparable union. And from here a “practical” inference: “Commemorating our most Holy, most Pure, most Blessed and glorious Lady, the Birth-giver of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us commend ourselves and each other, and all our life unto Christ, our God.” Here we have the positive realization of internal unity! In it lives all the past. Can any part of this past be rejected without violating unity? May anything arbitrarily be added from outside? The Church out of Herself gives birth to everything “new” which, being inseparable with all the past, lives in the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ, consisting of the given “faithful,”' is given – and not “Christians” in general, not remembering their origin or ready to bury it in oblivion. This unity full of grace can be rejected, by ceasing to be one of the given “faithful” and so becoming “schismatic” or “apostate.” This is — within human power. But it is not within the human power to add something from oneself or to introduce something from outside into this unity. Internal unity of the Church is something indivisible, unchangeable, and by that likewise indestructible — even for the gates of hell.

Within the Church one can remain only by the fact of “faithfulness” — absolute faithfulness. The Church is at any moment identical to Itself. It is — Heaven, descended upon earth, in order to embrace everyone guided in Christ to Heaven. The composition of the Church is not something “given,” as an aim to be realized in the future. “History,” in the plan of Eternity, is a constant “choice” from the “whole” of the everchanging mankind of those who, remaining “faithful,” can be guided by Christ into the blessed Eternity. The mankind from the beginning of the Christian era was falling away from the basic unity; be it individually or collectively. But then arose something new. Unifications began to form themselves, competing with the original true Church. And so arose a whole ladder of “antichurches” – in both meanings of the prefix “anti,” as “instead of” and as “against.” “Christians” could here remain “faithful” — but only in relation to “their own” church, and not to the one true Church. Only by giving oneself an account in this process of “Apostasy,” composing the content of New Testament history beginning with the Roman “schism,” can be explained that “new,” which now obviously has approached its culmination in New Delhi. What is contemporary “ecumenism,” if not the impetuous rush to a “Whole,” acquiring the appearance of the Church, in order to unite all remnants of this ladderlike process including even its final steps which openly reject Christ?

In this sense New Delhi reveals itself as something ill-omened. At this Assembly was revealed, that for the “ecumenical” mentality, “faithful” are not those who are faithful to the original true Church, and even not those who are “faithful” to the newly-formed “anti-church,” but all “christians” having somehow or other received baptism. For the “ecumenical” mentality the word “faithful,” even in our liturgy, means just any “Christian.” But matters stand even worse! By the acceptance of Soviet churches, ecumenism included into its orbit atheistic communism! If one may try to find traces of authentic churchness in the internal activity of a Church allowed to exist openly under the communist yoke, nothing similar is imaginable concerning a Soviet church openly acting outside: the activity of the Soviets is evident here, only cunningly dressed, on account of expediency, in church vestments. By the act of a formal acceptance into WCC of the Soviet church, into ecumenism has been factually introduced communism.

The ecumenical world accepts this act as an “ecumenical” success, even agreeing that from the political point of view, this act may conceal certain dangers. This testifies the complete dullness of ecumenical church consciousness. An enormous step ahead has really been taken — but in what direction? Towards the creation of one powerful Antichurch, uniting all those who at one time or another fell away from the true Church during the entire History of the New Testament. This is — an ecumenical mobilization, under the banner of Church unity, of all “christians” marked by the sign of Apostasy, in opposition to the “faithful.” It is an open ecumenical rejection of the axiom of Orthodox consciousness, a firm acknowledgment of which until now is a necessary premise formally testified, of each confession of a faithful Orthodox Christian. He is questioned: “Tell me, my child, dost thou believe that which hath been transmitted and is taught by the Catholic, Apostolic Church, which was planted and nurtured in the East, and hath spread from the East throughout the world, and which in the East abideth even unto this day, immovable and unchangeable? And dost thou doubt any of Her doctrines?” And only on the condition that the confessant “believes Orthodox and undoubtingly,” the Symbol of Faith is offered to him to be recited. Only then shall begin the questions. This is now no longer accepted by ecumenical mentality, let it be even Orthodox... Everything has become new — once more! and this time not in Christ. Christ remains indivisible in His Church...

This frightening unification is now in the stage of its final formation, and that in such an exhausting fullness, that even the very gates of hell are embraced. The antichrist nature of this movement becomes henceforth so obvious, that there is sufficient reason to expect a salutary reaction. From the scale of this reaction depends the fate of the world.

It is natural to expect a salutary reaction likewise in the free Orthodox church life, in the first place — in the Russian Church Abroad. But here await us peculiar psychological temptations, capable of bringing, instead of salvation for those who came to us, perdition for us.

The Russian Church Abroad has remained faithful to Itself. It is the Church. What It was, It has remained. It is the Grace of God, not our merit. There is no reason to become haughty. But the obedience is evident of remaining worthy of God’s Grace, unceasingly thanking Him for His mercy and repenting for all our faults and transgressions, offences and misdeeds. If, estranging themselves from ecumenism, our brethren turn to us — what can we offer them but our outstretched arms? And what can they expect from us but the possibility to associate themselves to the True Churchness, maintained in us — despite of all temptations? We do not possess constituent power. We cannot introduce — be it on special terms — into our community something in its nature is estranged from us. Unthinkable is the so-called “intercommunion” between us and our separated brethren if they remain what they are. Such approaches, without giving anything to anyone, bring us only the risk of losing that which we have — our faithfulness to the true Church.

It is necessary to overcome the temptation of unification as having a value in itself. There can be such a trend of thought. Life becomes more difficult, temptations increase — are we not brothers? Come — let us unite. Let us not irritate old wounds, let us not put forth painful questions, let us not establish who is right, who is wrong. We are, after all — not strangers. Let us forget our differences. Let us put an end to our separateness. No more offensive judgments about one, that he is an apostate, and about another, that he is a schismatic. Let us bury everything in oblivion. One thing is important — to be together and to manifest that in all possible forms, dictated by life...

In this trend of thought are interwoven two “lies.” On one side, the love in Christ is substituted by a surrogate of love. In the life of the Church there can be a place only for love in Christ. There is no nearness, let it be in the trend of life, let it be cultural, national or racial, which could substitute the love in Christ. Everyone entirely influenced by such feelings is renouncing Christ. On the other side, the aim of serving, by all costs, absolute Truth, is filling the life of the Church and in no way can be substituted by the “policy” of searching for lesser evil or relatively better good.

The Church is Absolute Truth. The Church is Christ. Before His Face whatever values and whatever considerations, so far as they pretend to determine the motivation of our conduct, are capable of turning into a pernicious lie, performing the destruction of that which until now has remained the authentic branch of the Church.

It does not mean that always and everywhere a formal treaty is presumed by which, black upon white, the substance of our intercourse is established. But it must be unequivocally clear that the intention of both sides is for one to remain and for the other to become “faithful,” in the fundamental meaning of this word, that is to remain or to become a “true believer” of the “true Church.”

In so far as we remain “faithful,” we possess all. Everybody outside us can make this all his own only in one way: by becoming, in connection with us, “faithful.” Any other intercourse, without having given anything to anyone, constitutes a threat — to leave us with nothing.