Archbishop Averky of Syracuse (+1976): “Our position as defenders and confessors of the pure and unadulterated truth of Christ lays upon us a great obligation…”

Source: Современность в свете Слова Божия [Modernity in the Light of the Word of God], by Archbishop Averky (Taushev), compiled by A.D. Kaplin, Moscow, Institute of Russian Civilization, 2012. 

An exceptionally difficult time has now come: the "apostasy" spoken of by the holy Apostle Paul in his Second Epistle to the Thessalonians is developing at a rapid pace; literally almost every day brings us something new, sometimes outright sensational, which not long ago would have seemed unthinkable, impossible. It is no wonder that our flock is now also very difficult, very resistant to Christian instruction and admonition, self-willed, presumptuous, often hopelessly ignorant in all that concerns our holy faith and Church. But this does not relieve us of responsibility for it, since we have taken upon ourselves the burden of pastoral service. We are called not to destroy, but to build up, as the holy Apostle Paul clearly teaches in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians 10:8. The Lord will strictly demand from us an account for every lost sheep, if we were directly or indirectly guilty of its destruction. Our indifference, negligence, our personal weaknesses and vices, our way of life that is a stumbling block for the flock—all of this may become the cause, may serve as the occasion of the destruction of the rational sheep entrusted to us, entrusted to us by the Chief Shepherd—Christ.

But the greatest danger in our time, both for the modern pastor and for his flock, threatens from the side of the almost already triumphant satanism in the world, which very cunningly clothes itself in garments of light under the deceitful appearances of “humanism,” or among us—“Tolstoyism,” service to the good of humanity, universal unity, “peace,” and even “Christian love.”

Alas! Very many Orthodox pastors have already, in one way or another, to a greater or lesser degree, become entangled in the nets of this skillfully camouflaged satanism, which, like the two-faced Janus, now appears in two forms: in the form of “Marxist-Communism” in countries enslaved by its God-fighting power, and in the form of “Ecumenism” in the countries of the so-called “free world,” in reality not free at all. Their father is one and the same—it is Satan himself, who is now actively preparing the enthronement in the world of his faithful servant—the Antichrist.

One must know and remember: a true pastor of the true Church of Christ can have no contact, no relationships—neither direct nor indirect—with either of these forms of global evil.

Yet it seduces many pastors and their flocks with all sorts of handouts and promises of earthly benefits, to which people are so susceptible, especially in our days.

The true pastor must in every way guard himself and his flock from this very dangerous temptation, which is usually disguised as “charity.” Here one must constantly remember the good Russian proverb: “If the claw is caught, the whole bird is lost.” Many have already become entangled in one or another of these nets, and would at times like to free themselves, but are no longer able. Satan holds his prey firmly and tightly.

We, Russian people in emigration, know more or less well what communism is, and from it we are, to a significant degree, somehow protected. But by no means has everyone clearly realized that “world evil” is not confined to communism alone—that it is only a derivative evil, only a “child,” and that its parent is far more dreadful, having produced no less, and perhaps even more dangerous and destructive evil—the so-called “ecumenism,” headed by the “World Council of Churches.” It is by no means accidental that the “World Council of Churches,” which formerly lured Orthodox into its ranks under the pretext of the necessity of common unity in the struggle against the advancing godlessness, now treats godless communism with such conciliatory attitude, and does not even so much as mention in its conferences any kind of struggle against it, having readily included in its ranks representatives of Orthodox churches that serve as obedient tools of communism.

At present, we, the pastors of the Russian Church Abroad, whose existence is comprehended and justified solely by our resolute rejection of “world evil,” find ourselves, as it were, at a crossroads. Until now, for the most part, we have modestly remained silent, not proclaiming to the whole world the entirety of our ideology, for the sake of which we exist. Only our Orthodox Russia has always written very decisively and unambiguously, which some even disliked. But now the matter has gone too far, and “ecumenism” has revealed itself to such an extent that we now have a whole series of official documents which oblige us to much. These are, first of all:

1. The three messages of our First Hierarch, His Eminence Metropolitan Philaret, addressed to the Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople, to the Greek Archbishop of North and South America Iakovos, and the “Sorrowful Epistle” addressed to all the Heads of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches and to all the Bishops of the Orthodox Church;

2. The message of the 9th Diocesan Assembly of the Western European Diocese, signed by Archbishop Anthony and Bishop James;

3. The report on the latest conference of the World Council of Churches under the title: Uppsala and Orthodoxy, by the overseer of external relations of the Synod of Bishops, Protopresbyter Fr. George Grabbe.

To this must also be added:

4. The report of Archbishop Vitaly at the Hierarchical Council of 1967 under the title Ecumenism, printed in the journal of the Canadian Diocese Orthodox Review, no. 40, June 1969.

These documents of extraordinary importance show that we have already sufficiently recognized the entire unsoundness and harmfulness of ecumenism as a movement leading humanity to the Antichrist.

Thus, now we must demonstrate that we are not content with mere words, with bare assertions alone, but that behind these words there follow corresponding actions on our part, confirming their truth.

We must decisively break with ecumenism, and with its fellow travelers we must have nothing in common.

We are not on the same path with them. This we must resolutely state and demonstrate in deed. A time of true confession is coming for us, when we may perhaps remain alone and find ourselves in the position of the persecuted. Since now all the Orthodox local Churches have entered into the “World Council of Churches,” and thereby have betrayed Orthodoxy and bowed down to Satan, the time of our complete separation has come. We cannot and must not have any communion with those who have fallen away from true Orthodoxy, and we must be prepared, if necessary, to go into the “catacombs,” like the “True Orthodox Christians” in our homeland.

Our position as defenders and confessors of the pure and unadulterated truth of Christ lays upon us a great obligation—greater than ever before in the past.

We must always remember that a true pastor of the true Church of Christ cannot and must not have any other interests besides pure zeal for the glory of God and for the salvation of the souls of his flock—toward this and only this must all his thoughts, all his feelings, and all his activity always be directed.

There can be no more grotesque, more repulsive phenomenon in the true Church of Christ than a pastor who has any other interests, than a pastor who becomes entangled in extraneous, purely worldly affairs that have no direct relation to the glory of God and the salvation of souls—such as, for example, political activity, which always only divides and embitters people; or the now so fashionable so-called “cultural-enlightenment activity,” which usually amounts to organizing secular entertainments and amusements, dances and similar pastimes, unbecoming and indecent for a Christian; not to mention various commercial ventures, financial schemes, and money dealings, which especially undermine the authority of the pastor, degrading his lofty office, and so on, and so forth.

We will conclude our report with the words of the holy and righteous Fr. John of Kronstadt from his remarkable talk, which he gave to his fellow pastors—priests—in the year 1904 in the city of Sarapul.

The holy and righteous John said even then—65 years ago—that the work of pastoral service in our time is becoming increasingly difficult: the struggle of the pastor is gradually becoming ever more subtle, and all the more must pastors be at the height of their calling. “The pastor in his disposition,” says Saint John, “must completely renounce all self-loving inclinations; he must resemble the biblical shepherds in their ‘standing in the Spirit.’” For this, pastors need complete caution and concentration, the constant crucifixion of self for the sake of their flock.

If the holy and righteous John said this 65 years ago in our Orthodox Tsarist Russia, then what would he say now, in our time?!

The talk further touched upon the sores of contemporary life. The holy and righteous John drew attention to the disposition of the society of his time, which is so close to the disposition of our present society.

“A remarkable illness has appeared nowadays—it is the passion for entertainment,” he said. “Never before has there been such a need for entertainment as there is now. This is a direct indication that people have nothing to live for, that they have forgotten how to live a serious life—through labor for the benefit of those in need and through inner spiritual life—and they have begun to feel bored! And they exchange the depth and substance of spiritual life for entertainment. What madness! As if they were children deprived of reason! Meanwhile, entertainment has already become a societal vice, already a societal passion. This is where pastors must direct their efforts: they must reintroduce into life the content it has lost, return to people the meaning of life. But, of course, pastors must prepare themselves for this.

Pastors must be at the height of their calling.”

And what is needed most of all for this?

How can a pastor best prepare himself to be at the height of his calling?

To this question as well, the holy and righteous John gives a clear and comprehensive answer:

“I pray, I constantly pray. I do not even understand how one can spend time without prayer. Truly—prayer is the breath of the soul.”

What more can be added to this?

This says everything—or at least everything most essential, without which all the rest is nothing.

 

 

Online: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Averkij_Taushev/sovremennost-v-svete-slova-bozhija-slova-i-rechi/3_15