On “an incredible economy…”

For some — “the Body of Christ,” for others — “burning coals”

Source: Анафема РПЦЗ экуменизму: факты и значение (Новая редакция) [The Anathema of ROCOR Against Ecumenism: Facts and Significance (New Edition)], by Subdeacon Vladimir Kirillov, Paris, 2023, pp. 122-137.

 

 

In connection with the fall of the episcopate of the Moscow Patriarchate, and after them the priests as well, into the ecumenist heresy, one inevitable and “painful” question arises: is there grace in the Sacraments there (in this supposedly “canonical” “Mother Church”) or not? After all, ecumenist clergy are self-condemned and are cut off by the invisible Judgment of God from the Body of the Church. And can these cut-off ones perform, for example, the Eucharist? And how does the grace of God coexist with the flourishing “lavender lobby” in the MP, or the infiltration of Latinism, not to mention Sergianism and ecumenism? And how is it that clergy living immorally (drunkards, adulterers, money-lovers, extortioners, etc.), who are also ecumenists, perform divine services? And do they perform them at all? And if they do not perform them — then who does?

In a word, a multitude of questions arises...

To begin with, I will cite important words for understanding what is happening, spoken by Metropolitan Vitaly in an interview with Orthodox Russia (No. 17, 1992, p. 3):

“If there are still some truly believing people who pray before icons, who pray with the words spoken by godless priests—they pray, and for them the words remain the same, liturgical—then for their sake the Lord may perhaps perform an incredible economy—that is, these people partake of the Holy Gifts. If the Lord could give Communion to hermits in the deserts through their guardian angel, then the Lord can make such an exception for some old woman who sincerely believes in Christ.”

But I cannot imagine that a man who betrayed his fellow bishops, who was an informant…, and this informant celebrates the liturgy for his brethren, for his flock, and that it is truly performed—I simply cannot accept that in his Chalice are the Body and Blood of Christ. Or a hierarch who is an adulterer—and in his Chalice are the Body and Blood of Christ? This is simply impossible to accept—it is blasphemy.

A group of Soviet Russian Orthodox priests came to me and asked: “Is it not blasphemy to think that the entire Russian people are without the Sacraments?” I replied to them: “And do you not think it is blasphemy if a married bishop celebrates the liturgy and other sacraments?” And how then do the Russian people partake of Communion? Only in this way can I understand it—the Lord performs an incredible economy for the sake of the believing soul.”       

(http://dearfriend.narod.ru/books/other/22.html)

And perhaps now, more than ever (when in the MP, which has not purged itself of Sergianism, the heresies of ecumenism and Latinism have been implanted for decades), the words of Metropolitan Vitaly, spoken by him in 1996 before the wonderworking Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God, are especially fitting: “I personally cannot believe in the grace-filled nature of the hierarchy of Moscow” (http://dearfriend.narod.ru/books/other/22.html), a hierarchy that, by its deeds, crucifies Christ.

But how then can the gracelessness of the “hierarchy of Moscow” be reconciled with the “incredible economy” (that is, the partaking of the Holy Gifts by those in the MP who “sincerely believe in Christ”)? The same question is raised by the statement of St. Philaret the Confessor regarding the MP:

“We do not pronounce judgment on every human soul that believes in God there and that, so to speak, seeks Him in its own way. That is God’s affair. In such matters, judgment belongs to the Lord God alone. But I personally cannot allow that the grace of God is present there, in that very false Soviet church.”

(http://soborjane.ru/2016/05/07/svyatitel-filaretvoznesenskij-o-sovetskoj-cerkvi/)

According to the thought of the third First Hierarch of ROCOR, it turns out that there is no grace in the MP, and at the same time, the Lord, by ways known only to Him, arranges the fate of every human soul “which believes in God there and, so to speak, seeks Him in its own way.” Yet it remains unclear how such a “fate of every human soul” can be arranged favorably without the possibility for one who believes in God to partake of His Holy Gifts. And furthermore, would it not be simpler to cast aside all this “incredible economy” as a fabrication, and at once cut off from the Church all those who belong to the MP—that is, both the common people attending MP churches, and the hierarchy that confesses ecumenism and Sergianism?

Of course, it is simpler—and this is exactly how some, burning with excessive zeal, proceed.

In this regard, I will cite important remarks by Protopriest Lev Lebedev from his book “The Boundaries of the Church”:

“All heretical communities have been characterized by the fact that not only the hierarchy, but all the laity without exception consciously confessed false doctrines—that is, they were ‘alienated’ from the Church in the very essence of the faith... Indeed, everything we know from history about the Arians, Monophysites, Iconoclasts, and other ancient heretics testifies that the delusions of these heretics were consciously shared by the masses of laypeople who followed the heresiarchs. This is one of the most important signs by which a fallen ‘church’ body can be identified as a heretical community—a branch completely cut off from the ‘vine,’ from the Body of Christ, from the Church, and therefore from Christ. The second feature of the known heresies was that they were entirely open—that is, their false teachings were preached openly, as supposedly true, and were imposed upon the Church. And… overall, the ancient heresies were certainly open. If someone did not recognize Christ as God, he confessed Him to be a ‘creature’ of God; whoever did not recognize two natures in Christ in one Person confessed so plainly; whoever did not accept icons did not venerate them either. All the same can be testified concerning modern heretical communities—Catholics, Protestants, sectarians, Monophysites. All their errors they preach and confess openly, and these errors are shared by all members of these communities—that is, not only by the hierarchy (or leadership), but also by the ‘common people.’”

(http://rpczmoskva.org.ru/otecheskie-trudy/protoierej-lev-lebedev-granicy-cerkvi.html)

But can it be said that the MP, in its present form, is already a heretical community? Or that the tares have completely choked out the wheat?

I think that would be a great exaggeration.

Ecumenism and Latinism are being imposed from above by the hierarchy; the majority of the “common people” know little about this and understand even less of its essence, while only a small part of them disagree with the introduction of heresy and protest, even going into “non-commemoration.” However, there are also those who either do not care or fully share the delusions of the false patriarch and his associates “out of obedience.” Therefore, if the heretical delusions of the hierarchy are not shared by the majority of the people, then to speak of a complete falling away from Christ, as Fr. Lev defined it, is premature. All the more so since the preaching of ecumenism is not carried out entirely openly and universally. It is evident that the apostate hierarchy has chosen a strategy filled with cunning, deceit, and casuistry. The decisions of the MP Bishops’ Council of November 2017 regarding the Council of Crete or the Havana Declaration are a vivid example of this. It is clear that the false patriarch and his associates, moving toward their goal but fearing the reaction of the people, consistently choose the tactics of their friends—the Jesuits.

But how then can this “incredible economy” for the sake of the believing soul take place? And how does the Wisdom of God resolve this case?

To understand this paradoxical yet important and fundamental question, I will first present a lofty description of the celebration of the Eucharist during the Divine Liturgy by a worthy clergyman:

“Together with the visible celebrant of the Liturgy—the priest—the unseen participants are the Angels. They concelebrate with the priest, inspiring and strengthening him in every action, in every prayer. The demon present in the church trembles at their presence. He, full of malice, stands at the church doors, holding a sharp arrow in his teeth and gnashing them, seeking to strike those who pray. But before the beginning of the Liturgy of the Faithful, one of the Angels expels him from the church with a fiery weapon. During the celebration of the Eucharistic Canon, the altar is united with heaven. Following the exclamation: ‘The hymn of victory,’ when all the heavenly Hosts and the four-faced living creatures chant the Thrice-Holy together with the people, the roof of the church opens, and from heaven descends in flaming fire a multitude of Angels of indescribable beauty. Among them descends the Divine Infant upon the table of oblation. All the Angels are aflame, and from them proceed utterances like flaming fire. The visible celebrant of the mystery—the priest—is also set aflame: he becomes fiery from head to toe. The entire altar becomes a fire-breathing flame. In the midst of the fire the ‘dreadful thing’ takes place. As soon as the priest proclaims, ‘The Holy things for the holy,’ ‘Then the Angels, having a knife, holding the Child in their hand, slaughter Him, and His blood they pour into the holy chalice, while cutting His body they place it on the bread, and the bread becomes the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ After the Communion of the faithful and the end of the Liturgy, the Holy Gifts are raised up by the Angels again to heaven.”

(Tunitsky N., Ancient Legends of the Miraculous Appearances of the Christ Child in the Eucharist – http://www.odinblago.ru/sagarda_stati1907)

This is also testified to by St. Righteous John of Kronstadt:

“All the saints, beginning with the Mother of God, are called to participate in the service of the Liturgy during the Proskomedia and the Liturgy itself. All the saints and all the Angels serve together with the priest.”  “Even if only one priest were serving—as we shall now see—still, he is not alone… Meanwhile, the Proskomedia is usually performed by the priest before the Liturgy and the Hours in visible solitude. And hermits who celebrated the Liturgy alone for many years were not truly alone, but in the fullness of the Church: invisibly with them were the Angels and the saints.”

(http://rumagic.com/ru_zar/religion/fedchenkov/0/j10.html)

From the Lives of the Saints, paterikons, pious narratives, liturgical texts, and so on, it is also known that Angels actively participate in the Divine Services and the Sacraments (in particular, Angels always participate in the Eucharist). There are numerous examples of this:

●        https://happyschool.ru/publ/bozhestvennaja_liturgija/48-1-0-8105

●        http://pocdk.ru/publikacii/chudesa-vo-vremya-bozhestvennojj-liturgii-4

Thus, in the Life of Venerable Sergius it is told how an Angel concelebrated the Liturgy with him: (http://www.zavet.ru/b/ipavlov/044.htm)  Likewise, Venerable Euthymius the Great “revealed to several monks that he often saw an Angel serving the Holy Liturgy together with him” (https://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life260.htm); An Angel also concelebrated with St. John, Bishop of Suzdal (19th c.) (https://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life1746.htm); Also: “In Gaul, during the persecution of Christians by pagan authorities, all three confessors—Hieromartyrs Dionysius the Areopagite, Eleutherius, and Rusticus (October 3/16 – V.K.) were captured and cast into prison. At night, St. Dionysius celebrated the Divine Liturgy with the concelebration of the Angels of God” (https://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life1657.htm). From the troparion of St. Spyridon of Trimythous it follows that he was served by Angels: “When you offered holy prayers, O most sacred one, you had Angels concelebrating with you” (https://azbyka.ru/molitvoslov/molitva-svyatitelyu-spiridonu-episkopu-trimifuntskomu-chudotvorcu.html). This is also evident from his life:

“...Spyridon stood at the altar and, filled with spiritual joy, exclaimed: ‘Peace be unto all.’ In the church, there was no one to respond to the bishop, yet the attendants heard countless ranks of holy Angels cry out: ‘And to thy spirit.’ Their heavenly, extraordinarily sweet-voiced chant far surpassed any earthly art. The deacon, with great fear and trembling, pronounced the litanies, and myriads of bodiless powers cried: ‘Lord, have mercy.’ The sound of the mighty angelic voices spread widely around the church, and astonished townspeople began to rush out of their homes... When the people entered the church, they saw no one but the bishop and the clergy serving with him. Yet the parishioners not only heard the voices of the bodiless powers—they clearly felt that the Angels were rejoicing and exulting together with the thrice-blessed Spyridon in praise of the Great and Eternal King. A dreadful awe seized the people, and the hair on the heads of many stood on end.”

(http://www.k-istine.ru/sants/our_sants_spiridon_trimifuntskiy-01.htm)

One may also mention the monastic tonsure of Venerable Pimen the Much-Ailing, performed by Angels:

“And behold, Angels in the appearance of monks performed the rite of tonsure over him. Some of the brethren heard the sounds of chanting, and coming to Venerable Pimen, they found him clothed in monastic garments. In his hand he held a burning candle, and his shorn hair was found in the reliquary of Venerable Theodosius.”

(https://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life4389.htm)

Or the episcopal consecration of St. Amphilochius of Iconium:

“The Angels of the Lord appeared three times in visions to St. Amphilochius, calling him to go to Iconium for the episcopal ministry. The truth of these visions was confirmed when the Angel who appeared the third time sang with the saint the angelic hymn: ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth.’ The heavenly messenger led the saint to the nearest church, where a choir of Angels ordained Amphilochius as bishop.”

(https://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life3209.htm)

Or other services, for example: “The Angels of God helped... paint icons” for Venerable Alipy of the Caves (https://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life6400.htm), and so forth.

From Orthodox teaching—and this is even reflected in iconography, for example, in the 14th-century frescoes of the Serbian monastery of Gračanica (illustrations 74–78a http://www.ruicon.ru/artsnew/fresco/1x1dtl/grachanitca/angely_diakony_bozhestvennaya_liturgiya14/)—it is known that “Angels not only guard the temples of God—they also participate in the Orthodox divine service. This we know from the lives of many saints…”

The participation of Angels in the divine service is also testified to by the Church herself:

“Now the heavenly powers invisibly serve with us,” is sung at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. Before the Little Entrance, the priest prays that the Lord would send Angels who participate in this sacred action. Moreover, during the Liturgy, the “Trisagion” and the seraphic hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” are sung. These hymns are not of human origin—they belong to the Angels, and during the service, the Angels sing them invisibly together with the people. Furthermore, it must be said that the Church teaches that the Sacraments are also performed by the Lord through the Angels. This is why the Church teaches that Baptism, Communion, and Confession are accomplished independently of the personal worthiness or unworthiness of the priest. If the serving priest is sinful and unworthy, then in such a case everything is accomplished by an Angel; the priest, however, will answer before God for his errors and sins.” (Fr. John Pavlov, Feast of the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael – http://www.zavet.ru/b/ipavlov/044.htm)

At the same time, as the Patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic (i.e., Orthodox) Church taught in their Dogmatic Epistle,

“…the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is not performed by just anyone, but only by a pious Priest who has received the Priesthood from a pious and lawful Bishop…”

(http://krotov.info/acts/18/1/1723patr.html)

But what then is to be said of unworthy, impious clergymen (living in sins: in false belief, drunkenness, adultery, theft, etc., or having received ordination from an impious bishop), who mystically—in essence—cannot participate in the act of performing the Sacraments, and whose visible, formal presence in the church and pseudo-service is reckoned to them as judgment and condemnation?

It turns out that the Lord sends Angels (Ill. 79) in place of godless (graceless) priests for the sake of the faithful souls worthy of Communion—of course, if such souls are present in each specific case. Venerable Lavrenty of Chernigov spoke of this, saying, “Instead of unworthy clergymen, Angels serve” (http://www.ic-xc-nika.ru/texts/2008_jan/frame_n072.html). Likewise, the well-known writer Sergei Nilus, in his book The Power of God and the Weakness of Man, recorded a “wondrous revelation” given by God to a peasant girl, Evdokia:

“And it was told me concerning the pastors of the Church of the Lord, the priests, that very few of them are worthy of bearing this name, but no matter how little they are worthy of their great calling, the Liturgy they perform is still a Liturgy, for the Lord’s Angels perform the service in their place.”

(http://gorenka.org/index.php/bibliotechka/6094-sergej-nilus-sila-bozhya?showall=&start=5)

Thus, the visible Divine Service of the unworthy is reckoned to them as no service at all, and they are mystically removed from it (while the Angels perform everything necessary in their place).

But what then takes place if the Sacraments (for example, the Eucharist) are performed not only by those unworthy due to personal sins, but also by priests who have departed from the purity of Orthodoxy (for example, by commemorating a heretic-patriarch and thereby justifying his heresy)?

And who, despite their unworthiness, have not yet been lawfully prohibited from serving by their canonical ecclesiastical authority (since a prohibition may itself be unlawful—for example, if issued by a bishop who has himself fallen into heresy or has been prohibited from ministry for some offense, and in such a case is already a false bishop, whereas the priest whom he “suspends” for disobedience to him remains a priest before God and is a confessor). Moreover, in the case of a lawful prohibition of a priest from serving, the Sacraments—as is evident from dogmatic theology (see the dogmatic definition of the Eastern Patriarchs cited above)—are not performed at all; that is, the presence of a lawful and not-prohibited Orthodox priest is a necessary condition for the celebration of the Eucharist during the Liturgy (and here we are not discussing the special, exceptional case when the Eucharist is performed invisibly by Angels alone, without the participation of a priest and not publicly).

How the mechanism of Communion takes place for unworthy communicants, who through their negligence and sins receive instead of the “Body of Christ” burning coals, can be learned from the Life of Venerable Macarius of Alexandria (January 19 / February 1), who

“told… how one of the ascetics of the holy monastery, Venerable Mark, received the Holy Mysteries from the hands of Angels, while the negligent among the brethren received (from demons – V.K.), instead of the Body of Christ, burning coals; and that the Body of Christ, when offered by the priest’s hand, returned to the altar. From those who were worthy of Holy Communion, the demons fled far away. Meanwhile, at the altar, beside the priest, stood an Angel of the Lord, who extended his hand together with that of the priest to distribute the Divine Mysteries.”

(https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Makarij_Aleksandrijskij/)

Thus, the Angels, performing a selection, do not allow the desecration of the Divine Mysteries through unworthy Communion; for this reason, they return them to the altar when an unworthy person approaches the Chalice. At the same time, those who are worthy of Communion are served by the Angels, whereas when the unworthy draw near, they are attended to by demons.

Moreover, in the case of unworthy Communion, the visible particle, though appearing to the eyes, is in reality not the Holy Communion, but is—imperceptible to the eyes of the unworthy one—a burning coal, which becomes condemnation for him, and it is none other than the demon himself who places the burning coal into the mouth of the unworthy communicant. From the above, it is evident that Angels participate in the distribution of the Divine Mysteries alongside the priest, and, consequently, if the priest is unworthy to participate in the celebration and distribution of the Divine Mysteries, then an Angel, invisible to others, performs this in his place.

I will cite yet another interesting account from the life of Venerable Macarius, from which the guidance of an Angel during Communion is evident:

“During the Holy Eucharist, when Macarius was communing the other monks, he was unable to commune Mark, as an Angel prevented him, took the Holy Gifts from the altar, and communed Mark with his own hand” (http://zolpust.ru/?p=6220).

So this is yet another testimony to the active role of the Holy Angels, who, by God’s command, in one way or another, interact with the priest and have authority from God to correct his liturgical actions, up to and including fully replacing him due to his unworthiness (see Ill. 79).

In the case of the anathema against ecumenism, which cuts off the heretical clergyman by the invisible judgment of God, the Sacraments can be performed only by the Angels, while he himself is bound by them.

As a nun from the Lesna Monastery once told me about a holy elder woman and ascetic from Lithuania—whom she personally knew—this woman, with spiritual eyes, saw that the Liturgy was not being performed by the well-known Metropolitan of the MP (Chrysostom Martishkin), but by Angels in his place, while he himself (mystically) was lying bound on a bench in the altar. This likewise indicates that the Angels in fact duplicate (or oversee) the actions of a priest or bishop, and accordingly, if the clergyman is unworthy, his visible actions have no power, and he is mystically bound by the Angels (i.e., he is without grace, though formally a clergyman), and it is the Angels who perform everything necessary in his stead.

So as not to speak without proof, I will bring yet another important testimony from the Paterikon in confirmation of what has been said above:

“In the city of Ephopia, located near Gaza, there lived a pious and merciful bishop. But through the cunning of the evil one, he fell into fornication with a certain Jewish woman… (One day, at his urging, this woman – V.K.) went to church. When the bishop approached the holy altar, her spiritual eyes were opened by God’s providence. She saw a beautiful man (an Angel – V.K.) in white come out from the altar and tie the bishop (unworthy and living in sin – V.K.) to a column. Then he went back in and served together with the priests and deacons. When the time came for the elevation of the holy bread, the woman saw how the Angel lifted up a Child, cut Him into parts, and communed the people. When all had communed, she again saw the same Child alive and whole, shining like fire. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, that man in white untied the bishop from the column and became invisible.”

(Manifestations and Miracles of Angels, published by Palomnik, Moscow, 2002 – http://www.docme.ru/doc/70603/yavleniya-i-chudesa-angelov---2002)

From this account it is clear that a bishop living in sin is removed from service, and instead of him, the Liturgy is performed by an Angel.

That this is not an isolated case, but a norm (and that it simply cannot be otherwise), is shown by the following account:

“At a distance of approximately fifteen versts from Constancia, there was a place called Trachiades. In this place lived a certain presbyter who, under the influence of the devil, fell into delusion and became a sorcerer—so impious that he would eat and drink with harlots and prostitutes from the holy vessels. After some time, this became known and was reported [to the authorities]; [the priest] was defrocked and arrested. The assistant to the provincial governor who was conducting the investigation addressed him with these words: ‘Tell me, miserable man, unworthy of any compassion and deserving of all punishment and retribution—clearly, you held the future Dread Judgment in contempt and gave no thought to our present judgment. But how were you not terrified before the awe-inspiring throne in the altar, when offering the Dread and Bloodless Sacrifice? Did you not think that fire would come down from heaven and consume you, or that the earth would open up and swallow you?’ To this the sorcerer replied: ‘I swear by God, Who now punishes me through your hands and Who in the future will punish me by His own hand, that from the time I fell away from God and became a sorcerer, I never once performed the Holy Offering or communed the people. Rather, the Angel of the Lord would enter the altar, tie me to a pillar there, offer [the Bloodless Sacrifice], and commune the people. And after he would say, “Let us depart in the peace of Christ,” he would untie me, and I could come out. But none of the [faithful] people saw this mystery—only I did. The people thought that it was I who was offering [the Sacrifice] and communing them.’”

(Venerable Anastasios of Sinai, Questions and Answers)

(https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Anastasij_Sinait/voprosy-i-otvety/2)

Here is another case, recounted by Sergei Fudel in his book At the Walls of the Church:

“In one parish, a boy of about 5 or 6 years old was baptized. A week later, his grandmother met the priest who had baptized him, together with the boy, and said to him: ‘Greet the priest—he baptized you.’ The boy looked and replied: ‘No, I was baptized by an angel with wings, and the priest was lying tied up on a bench.’”

(https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Sergej_Fudel/u-sten-tserkvi/)

Here is another testimony of an Angel serving in place of a priest:

“A young boy saw that his Baptism was performed by a radiant man, while the priest at that time was bound and outside the church. During the reign of the emperors Leo and Alexander, a certain nobleman living in the Peloponnese purchased a boy of Scythian origin and entrusted him to a priest to serve in his household chapel. When the boy turned twelve, it was discovered that he was not baptized. The nobleman summoned the priest and ordered him to baptize the child. After the sacrament was performed, the boy came to his master holding a candle. The nobleman asked him to call the priest who had baptized him. The boy went to the church, saw the priest there, returned, and told the nobleman that the one who had baptized him was not in the church. The nobleman was surprised and sent another servant to bring the priest. When the priest came, it was clear he had been in the church. The nobleman then asked the newly baptized boy why he said that the one who baptized him wasn’t in the church. The boy replied that it was not this priest who baptized him, for the one who had performed the Mystery shone like the sun, and his face gleamed like lightning. And when that fearful man served, this priest stood outside the church, bound by iron chains on his hands and feet, held by two dreadful monsters, until the sunlike man completed the service. Hearing this, the nobleman was astonished and overcome with fear. Taking the priest by the hand, he led him into his chamber and asked the meaning of the boy’s words. The priest, falling to his knees before the nobleman with tears, said: ‘Since the Lord and my God has not hidden this matter from you, hear the following. In my homeland, having been tempted by the enemy of our souls, I fell into sin. When my bishop learned of this, he imposed a penance forbidding me to serve. But I, being poor and without means, came to this land. You, my master, had compassion on me and took me into your house. But I, wretched as I am, trampled on my conscience and the laws of God, forgetting the eternal and fearful torments, and have served up to this day. Now that God has revealed this to you, I am no longer worthy to look upon you, my master.’ The nobleman replied that it would have been better for him to beg for bread than to trample upon the commandment of God for the sake of temporal life and to dare to approach divine service unlawfully. ‘But since God is merciful and receives those who sincerely repent, go to a monastery and repent for the rest of your life, that the Lord may be merciful to you for your impiety. I believe there is no heavier sin than when a priest, having been forbidden, dares to serve the Liturgy.’ Having said this, the nobleman sent the priest to a monastery.” (Prologue, January 5, p. 13)

(https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Mark_Lozinskij/otechnik-propovednika/383)

To illustrate that the judgment of God differs from the opinions of certain zealots not according to knowledge (lovers of a formal approach), it is fitting to present a story from Volume 3 of the Collected Works of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov about a certain holy presbyter “of the early centuries of Christianity.”

“Because of his purity and guilelessness, he was continually vouchsafed, during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, to see an Angel standing near him. A traveling deacon once visited the presbyter. The presbyter invited the deacon to join him in offering the Bloodless Sacrifice. As they began the sacred service, the deacon pointed out to the presbyter that in his prayers he was pronouncing words which contained heretical blasphemy. The presbyter was deeply shaken by the remark. He turned to the Angel who was present and asked him: ‘Are the deacon’s words just?’ The Angel replied: ‘They are just.’ ‘Why then,’ the presbyter objected, ‘have you, being with me for so long, never told me this?’ The Angel answered: ‘It is God’s will that men be instructed by men.’ The presbyter’s constant communion with the Angel had not prevented him from remaining in a soul-destroying delusion.”

(http://www.xpa-spb.ru/libr/Ignatij-Bryanchaninov/polnoe-sobranie-tvorenij-tom-3-all.html)

Thus, this presbyter, despite his “heretical blasphemy,” due to his purity and guilelessness (that is, in simplicity and ignorance), not only performed the “Bloodless Sacrifice” (the Eucharist), but had an Angel concelebrating with him, as well as correction from another— a deacon sent to him by God.

It is precisely by what has been said above that one can understand how, in the words of Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov), “the Lord performs an incredible economy for the sake of the believing soul”—that is, He sends Angels to perform the Sacrament in place of unworthy clergymen who have lost grace and the right to serve, but who have not yet been formally prohibited. And in this way, He wisely puts to shame the devil, who desires not only to drag the unworthy ministers and communicants into hell, but also to ensnare those who believe in God in simplicity of heart and guilelessness.

Now, in order to fully understand this “delicate” question and not go astray (though the answer to it has already been essentially presented above), let us turn to the modern Saints, to whom the Lord revealed His mysteries.

In this study (see Part 2, Chapter 13), numerous testimonies of the Holy Fathers were presented, affirming that the sacraments of heretics are not sufficient for salvation. But what is to be done, and how is it to be understood, when heresy is in the process of development and has not yet permeated the entire body of the Church? And when there still remain people (and there may be many of them) “who receive [the Sacraments] with faith, in simplicity, without analysis or doubt in their efficacy, and who do not even suspect anything amiss in the… structure of the Church” (Hieromartyr Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan)? Especially when no authoritative Councils have yet been held indicating the loss of grace, and, for example, they have never even heard of ROCOR’s anathema against ecumenism.

In this case, we may find useful the “formula” applied to the Sergianists by Hieromartyr Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan (Smirnov), perhaps the most authoritative hierarch of the Russian Church after the repose of St. Patriarch Tikhon, and the first to use the term “Sergianism”:

“Whether the believers remaining in Sergianism will be saved, we cannot know, because the matter of eternal salvation is a matter of God’s mercy and grace. But for those who see and feel the falsehood of Sergianism… it would be an inexcusable duplicity to close one's eyes to this falsehood and to seek there <spiritual guidance> and the satisfaction of one’s spiritual <needs> with a conscience that doubts the possibility of such satisfaction.”

(http://wwvv.krotov.info/acts/20/1930/19370308.html)

And if we apply this position of the Holy Hieromartyr Metropolitan Kirill to the ecumenical heresy, then the pastoral care of the faithful by priests who are related to this heresy—even if one were to suppose that the Mysteries are performed there by Angels instead of them—will, for those who understand the essence of the matter, be not only undesirable, but moreover will be to their judgment and condemnation, since the seeking of spiritual nourishment from ecumenists contradicts the faith of those who understand the nature of the issue. And that which is not of faith is sin, wrote the same Holy New Martyr.

Even more clearly did this same Holy Hieromartyr express his position (“formula”) in a letter from February 1934 to an unknown hierarch:

“The sacraments performed by the Sergianists, who have been rightly ordained to the priesthood and are not under suspension, are undoubtedly saving sacraments for those who receive them with faith, in simplicity, without reasoning and doubt concerning their efficacy, and who are entirely unaware of anything improper in the Sergianist arrangement of the Church. But at the same time, they bring judgment and condemnation upon the very celebrants themselves and upon those among the recipients who well understand the existing falsehood in Sergianism and, by their lack of resistance to it, reveal a criminal indifference to the profanation of the Church. That is why an Orthodox bishop or priest must abstain from prayerful communion with the Sergianists. The same is necessary for laypeople who consciously relate to all the particulars of Church life.”

 (http://krotov.info/history/20/tarabuk/smirnov.html)

To understand the logic by which Hieromartyr Kirill is guided and to discern how to act in our current situation of the formation of heresy, one must, taking his words as a basis, replace the Sergianists with the ecumenists—while at the same time assuming that the Sacraments are not performed by them, since they are under anathema, but by Angels, and not for the apostates, but for the simple-hearted “who do not suspect anything amiss in the (ecumenical – V.K.) arrangement of the Church.”

For example, I will present a contemporary approach to the topic of our interest, which fully corresponds to the position of Hieromartyr Metropolitan Kirill (Smirnov):

“The cessation of commemoration prior to a conciliar investigation of the case of a bishop involved in heresy takes place because heresy is present in the churches where his name is commemorated, and not because grace is supposedly absent there. The people who separate themselves from a priest commemorating a hierarch involved in heresy do so not because valid Holy Mysteries are no longer celebrated in his church, but because the partaking of these Holy Mysteries would be unto condemnation for them, knowing that they receive them from the hands of a priest associated with heresy”

(http://amin.su/content/analitika/9/5149/).

In a 1971 letter, Metropolitan Philaret of the ROCOR wrote to Deacon Benjamin Zhukov:

“Can it really be that sincerely believing people (of the Moscow Patriarchate – V.K.), who approach the Cup of Life with deep faith, instead of the Heavenly Bread, partake of the food of demons? (Thus do the holy fathers define a graceless pseudo-Eucharist). Who would dare to assert this?... The ever-memorable Metropolitan Anthony pointed out that the grace of God can pass even through unworthy vessels, spiritually scorching them unto perdition, but communicating itself through them to those who receive it with faith. The betrayal of Orthodoxy by the hierarchy is not yet a betrayal by the Church herself. The guardian of right faith and piety is the believing people themselves, as is precisely stated in the Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs” (see Supplement No. 3).

To understand the paradox of how, under the graceless hierarchy of the Moscow Patriarchate (according to the definition of Metropolitan Vitaly), believers in simplicity of heart (who do not directly participate in heresy) can partake of the Body and Blood of Christ (at least for the duration of the “incredible economy”), one must turn to the letter of April 15, 1934, by the Holy Hieromartyr Bishop Damaskin (Tsedrik) (ill. 84) to the Holy Hieromartyr Archbishop Seraphim (Samoylovich) (ill. 85), in which the author examines this issue in more detail. Here, one may also add the ecumenists to the Sergianists and replace M. Sergius with P. Kirill (for the sake of analogy, since what is described in this letter very closely resembles the current state of affairs).

“The path of Metropolitan Sergius (Patriarch Kirill – V.K.),” wrote the newly-glorified Hieromartyr Damaskin, “is a path of unquestionable apostasy. Hence, the loss (i.e., deprivation – V.K.) of grace in him is beyond doubt. Likewise beyond doubt is the departure from grace of anyone who consciously implements the ‘wisest’ plan in life. (Also, observing the words and deeds of the false patriarch Kirill, the departure of grace from this Sergianist and ecumenist, as well as from his supporters, is likewise beyond doubt – V.K.)”

Here arises the question of how guilty in this sin are the masses of believers and the ordinary clergy (for the bishops there can be no justification), who are not able to discern the subtle cunning of the Sergian (and ecumenical – V.K.) “course,” who, submitting to the authority of the majority of the episcopate, fear a “schism”? ...

Another question also arises: does anyone have the right to call the sacraments performed in Sergian (and ecumenical – V.K.) churches graceless before the Church, by a Conciliar decision, cuts off those who have sinned, having first called them to repentance and correction? (The above question was essentially rhetorical, since convening a legitimate Council in a time of persecution by the godless, and even in today’s situation, was not possible. In our case, another question arises: has the introduction of the heresy of ecumenism in the Russian Orthodox Church reached the necessary “degree” after which the point of no return comes, that is, when even the Angels cease to be sent instead of unworthy clergy – or not yet? One can only suppose that the Lord still, for a time, shows longsuffering for the sake of those unable to comprehend the essence of what is happening, i.e., He performs for them an “incredible economy.” For those who understand the nature of the heresy of ecumenism—especially for the lukewarm clergy—the Mysteries performed by the Angels are clearly to their judgment and condemnation. And this follows not only from the letter of the Holy Hieromartyr quoted here, but also from the position of the Holy Hieromartyr Cyril, Metropolitan of Kazan, cited above – V.K.)

They have been deprived of grace—M. S., X, Y, Z, (P. K., M. I., and others – V.K.), but since they have not yet been cut off, is not that principle still active in the Church, which the Church confesses: “in place of unworthy ministers of the altar, the Lord invisibly sends His angels for the performance of the blessed Mystery”? (from the Akathist to Holy Communion, Ikos 7 – V.K.) If such a principle exists (I believe it does), then would it not be more prudent to bear patiently, and not accuse in the lawlessness of deliberate Sergianism (and ecumenism – V.K.) the masses of those who suffer in their souls from the injustice committed by lawless men, who in no way share their views, but, being unable to comprehend the essence of our divisions, are afraid of erring in making an independent choice of path, and who, finding their only consolation and comfort amid the surrounding darkness and sorrow in the church services, attend Sergian (and ecumenical – V.K.) churches? Such a condition I consider tolerable regarding those weak, unenlightened ones to whom, due to their childlike ignorance and simplicity, the sin of Sergianism (ecumenism – V.K.) cannot be imputed. Those of them who err are the ones who understand all the falsehood and the evil that proceeds from Sergianism (ecumenism – V.K.), but due to inertia or faint-heartedness remain among them.

Still more at fault are those pastors who understand the situation, but due to their cowardice—or worse, out of material calculation—remain among the ranks of the Sergianists (and ecumenists – V.K.), thereby increasing their number and significance. Unfortunately, there are many such as these.

As for those servants of God who have been granted understanding of the situation, who have recognized the falsehood and evil of Sergianism (and Ecumenism – V.K.), who understand that the path of Sergianism (and Ecumenism – V.K.) is the path of apostasy—they are obligated not only to protest the actions of M. S. (P. K. – V.K.) and his associates, not only to follow the path of admonition and rebuke of those causing scandal, as indicated by Scripture and the Church canons, but also, by their own example, to demonstrate their resistance to the ongoing falsehood and scandal, by breaking liturgical communion with the Sergianists (Ecumenists – V.K.), not attending their churches, and doing everything possible to hasten the moment of conciliar judgment over the lawless ones… I find it permissible to "endure," without accusing the masses of the simple-minded and unlearned of conscious Sergianism (Ecumenism – V.K.), and only to endure—for tomorrow they themselves will flee to us, or rather, those of them “predestined for salvation.” The history of the times of the Councils gives us many examples of such condescending treatment of the "simple-minded"…

The outpouring and action of grace does not appear to me as the action of a stream of water, which necessarily drenches anyone who steps under an open faucet, or from which anyone may drink simply by opening their mouth. If we seek analogies in external phenomena, then the action of grace appears to me like the action of light in a musty cellar, when access to sunlight is opened: all filth, woodlice, miasmas, putrid worms will be killed by the light or will hide again in the darkness; all mold will be consumed, while any healthy seeds that happened to be there will sprout and stretch toward the light, being nourished and transformed by the life-giving rays of light and warmth. Therefore, as long as the Church has not cut off the access of the grace-bearing light to the thickets of Sergianism (and Ecumenism – V.K.), healthy seeds or little plants that happened to end up there may still partake of the gifts of the grace of the Holy Spirit according to the measure of their faith, according to their spiritual maturity. We, together with you, confess that the same Holy Mysteries serve for the salvation of some, and for “judgment and condemnation” for others. (http://drevle.narod.ru/damaskin.htm)

And in conclusion, I will also present the position of the confessor, Bishop Athanasius (Sakharov), who also wrote about the duty to separate from a heresiarch:

“For unworthy clergymen, the Lord sends His Angel to perform the Holy Mysteries. The Mysteries performed by unworthy clergymen serve as judgment and condemnation for the clergymen themselves, but as grace-filled sanctification for those who receive them with faith. There is, however, one circumstance: if a clergyman begins openly, publicly, from the church ambo, to preach a heresy already condemned by the Fathers at the Ecumenical Councils (more precisely, as stated by the 15th canon of the First-Second Council, ‘condemned by the holy councils or the Fathers’ – V.K.), – this not only gives the right but obligates everyone, both clergy and laity, without waiting for a conciliar judgment, to break all communion with such a preacher, regardless of what high position he holds in the church hierarchy.”

(http://krotov.info/history/20/1950/saharov.htm)

In particular, in our case, the Fathers of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia conciliarly recognized ecumenism as a heresy (as a collection of previously condemned heresies) and anathematized it on behalf of the entire Local Russian Church (as its free and inalienable part), which obliges the faithful to separate from the heretics—for example, from the false patriarch who publicly preaches the already condemned heresy of ecumenism, for which there is no need to convene another Council. Thus, it can be fully affirmed that instead of the unworthy, graceless clergymen of the MP (who commemorate the false patriarch and outwardly imitate liturgical acts), the Mysteries, for the sake of and in the presence of “simple-hearted” sincere believers in Christ, are performed by Angels. And it must be assumed that the Lord will carry out this “incredible economy” as long as such simple-hearted believers still remain within the MP. For falling into heresy and falling away from Orthodoxy is a process that unfolds over time. And while we endlessly and audaciously argue about His grace, the Lord unceasingly gathers into His granary from everywhere all that is in any way usable, each according to his measure—“some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matt. 13:8). But how He does this, why, and in relation to whom exactly, this is the mystery of God.

As St. Righteous John of Kronstadt wrote:

“When it comes to the mysteries of God, do not inwardly ask: how can this be? You do not know how God created the whole world out of nothing; you cannot and must not know here either how God secretly does anything. The mystery of God must remain a mystery to you, because you are not God and cannot know everything that is known to the infinitely wise, all-powerful God. You are the work of His hands, His insignificant creature…”

(“My Life in Christ” –http://pravprihod.ru/pages/main/library/books/23778/index.shtml)

In principle, to pass judgment concerning the presence or loss of grace—especially based on a formal criterion—is not only a difficult matter (as it exceeds weak human reasoning), but also a dangerous one (as it may lead to spiritual harm and, as some write, to “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”). Whoever possesses a “sense of truth” will understand everything and make the right choice (that is, in the face of danger, will simply separate himself from heresy); but for someone who lacks this sense, explanation is impossible—“even if you drive a stake into his head,” for such people even among Roman Catholics all the sacraments are considered valid.

And moreover: one must understand that Orthodoxy is truly paradoxical and mysterious and practically does not fit into human schemes; therefore, some things do not enter into certain narrow minds steeped in dull, formal, and dry rationalism. On the other hand, what concern is that to the churchly rationalists, if the Lord desires to save someone who finds himself involuntarily within Sergianism and Ecumenism (that is, attending in the simplicity of faith churches where the false patriarch is commemorated—especially if there are no other churches in reality or they are very difficult to find)?

As the Greek Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol wrote:

“God does not act according to schemes; God does not fit into schemes, no matter how much we try to squeeze Him into them. God has His own ways, His own measures, His own rhythm—He acts in His own manner. And if God acts in this way, then who are we to judge and examine the works of God?!”

(http://www.pravoslavie.ru/63961.html)

Yes, and unexpected metamorphoses are also possible: after all, Saul, a persecutor of the Church, by the influence of the grace of God became the great Apostle Paul—and that case is by no means singular... As an illustration, I will present one story:

“The future bishop was born into a peasant family. He fought on the front lines of the Great Patriotic War. He was severely wounded, and after recovery became a student. He did not believe in God. But after the war, he was summoned to the regional party committee and given an order: you will go study in the seminary—we need our own people there, loyal communists. He was stunned—but he went, he fulfilled the party's order. He completed the seminary course—barely believing in God. He became a priest—there were many people in the villages, but the churches were boarded up—and, he said: ‘for two years I baptized and buried from morning till night, baptized and buried—moving from village to village. I saw and felt the faith of the simple people—so I myself came to believe.’ I think this could have happened with many... Therefore, the Orthodox Church, even under the communists, never became fully Sovietized.”

(http://ronsslav.com/igor-artyomov-kakogo-edinstva-my-ishhem/)

And once more: even if God does indeed save such people (the simple-hearted from among the common folk), and grants them His Faith, for those who understand the essence of the matter (as has been discussed in detail above), the path to churches where ecumenists and Sergianists are commemorated is closed off, due to the danger of falling under “judgment and condemnation,” from which may the Lord deliver them. For if you know everything about the heresy and are not yourself a heretic, then why would you do anything against your faith and go to Gundyaev’s or other, essentially similar, churches, inventing absurd excuses to do so? And what could you possibly receive there? Is it not burning coals instead of the Body and Blood of the Savior? That is, instead of salvation—eternal condemnation… For the grace of God in the celebration of the Mysteries and within the Mysteries does not operate automatically; it is inexorably selective: hence to the unworthy (heretics, apostates, and the like) – burning coals from demons, while to the worthy, through the Angels – the Body and Blood of Christ.

In conclusion of this topic (as a kind of “compass check”), I will cite an excerpt from a 1990 interview with Metropolitan Vitaly given to the radio station Voice of America:

“We believe that the Russian people, the simple folk who do not understand either Sergianism (or Ecumenism – V.K.), or anything else—when they approach the chalice in a church of the Moscow Patriarchate… they do partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. But as understanding deepens more and more, and… I’m talking even about a Russian person without any particular education, still the untruth of the Moscow Patriarchate, Sergianism, begins to reach him. In other words, we are already approaching a time when we will call Sergianism a heresy, and that will be a very serious matter. And so, it seems that upon the Russian people is being performed an absolutely incredible, incomprehensible Divine economy: a person who approaches the chalice in complete ignorance, not knowing what is going on, partakes; but a person who comes to the chalice knowing about Sergianism (and Ecumenism – V.K.) partakes unto condemnation. That is how we understand it, that is what the Solovki prisoners told us. That is how they understood it, and that is how we understand it to this day. It is completely incomprehensible to us, some kind of unbelievable Divine economy…” (Voice of an Epoch. TV. 50 Interviews of Metropolitan Vitaly to “Voice of America,” listen starting from 18:38.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rigCujQvtkU&list=PLCanJfFm1N7fsGGt_OP8X4mJcYmiwD1kO&index=53)

On December 29 / January 9, 1991, while addressing in a letter the question of the gracefulness or gracelessness of the Moscow Patriarchate in connection with the Epistle of the 1990 Council of Bishops of the ROCOR, Metropolitan Vitaly wrote the following to Archbishop Lazarus (Zhurbenko):

"Now, dear Vladyka, let us speak about the ideological side of the whole matter. It must be said outright that our Church has never—under any Metropolitan—proclaimed that the entire Moscow Patriarchate is completely without grace. What is this? A betrayal of the Truth? By no means! We deeply acknowledge ourselves to be a part of the FREE Russian Church and do not possess such fullness of authority as to issue such a decree, which belongs solely to the All-Russian Council of the entire episcopate. We express our complete disagreement with Moscow by the fact that we have no communion whatsoever, even on a daily level, with their episcopate. Moscow is a subject awaiting judgment and awaits its condemnation. The Lord is evidently performing for us an absolutely incredible economy on behalf of many truly believing people, and He allows them to partake and brings down upon them His grace—for example, in Baptism."

Can you yourself, who were also once in this Moscow Patriarchate, really deny this?!

By no means can you, for you yourself know—and have even confirmed to us—that there are not a few of God’s excellent priests who languish within this Patriarchate, doing all they can to rightly shepherd their flock; and for that reason, their days are numbered, and they all await their expulsion, or suspension, or even deposition without any trial whatsoever. Under such conditions, can we proclaim anathema upon all of them? That would be an absolutely irreparable mistake, a tragedy for many, if not simply a folly of zeal not according to knowledge.

The phrase which you deign to mention from the Archpastoral Epistle (1990, referring to the phrase that to those priests who are not only ritual ministers but also good pastors “saving grace is given in the sacraments” – VK) was a tactical mistake, and this serves as a lesson for us, since in Russia many must have been troubled by it, as you yourself write. What is natural for us is not clear to them. We, thanks be to God, have preserved objectivity—but try to preserve it in the USSR, when you are constantly persecuted, oppressed, and harassed. We understand all this perfectly and will simply act with caution. And there is nothing else here and can be nothing else.

I could cite to you hundreds of excerpts from letters from Russia, in which many young people are fighting for the faith, being baptized, and completely transforming their lives—something that only the grace of the Holy Spirit can accomplish. And am I supposed to suddenly tell them that all of this is a lie, that they are not baptized at all? They simply would not believe me and would take me for some kind of sectarian, because in their souls there is joy, they pray to God with tears, they have been completely changed in their whole life—and I would insist that all this is just an illusion? No, Holy Vladyka, neither I nor you will act this way, of that I am deeply certain. Give them time, and gradually, under the influence of God’s grace, they will become enlightened, the eyes of their understanding will be opened. After all, at Baptism we say, “You have been baptized, you have been enlightened, you have been chrismated, you have been sanctified,” etc. Evidently, enlightenment acts gradually, overcoming our infirmities, overcoming our distortions. We must give them time—and ourselves, patience...

(https://altai.rusidea.org/pismo-mitropolita-vitaliia-episkopu-lazariu-9-22-ianvaria-1991g/. See also important Supplement No. 14 on this topic.)

But a natural question arises: why is such an “incredible economy” for the “simple people” even possible? On what grounds is it at all permitted by the Lord God, if the graceless hierarchs of the MP are sinking into heresy and apostasy?

This question is answered by St. John (Maximovich), referring to the position of Blessed Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky):

“The actions of the hierarchy cannot be attributed to the Church, because the hierarchy is not the whole Church, even though it speaks in its name. On the throne of Constantinople sat Paul the Confessor, Macedonius, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Nestorius, Proclus, Flavian, Germanus—some shone with holiness and Orthodoxy, others were originators of heresies—yet the Church remained Orthodox. During iconoclasm, after the expulsion of Severinus, Nicephorus, and others, not only were their sees but the majority of episcopal sees filled by Arians. Other Churches even refused communion with her, according to the testimony of St. Paul who left both heresy and his see, unwilling to commune through the iconoclasts. Nevertheless, the Church of Constantinople remained Orthodox.” (See in Supplement No. 3 the analogous position of St. Philaret the Confessor.)

Thus, during a period of the spread of heresy, when the simple people have not yet been infected by it, the Lord God gives them His Body and Blood for salvation, and to the heretical hierarchs and their companions—for judgment and condemnation. And this is the teaching of the Russian Church Abroad, expressed many times by its last lawful First Hierarch, Metropolitan Vitaly, according to whose position the paradoxical “incredible economy” consists precisely in the fact that the sacraments in the Moscow Patriarchate are performed selectively, despite the gracelessness of its episcopate. And therefore, it is necessary to distinguish between the Patriarchate itself—that is, its apostate hierarchy (administration, leadership, a caste bound by mutual complicity)—and the truly believing simple people, who in simplicity approach the Cup of Christ.

 

Russian source online: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1niPo6dvSwXMd7RgB73AQ4zW3zYUamOaD/view