Unity

[Unseen.Warfare]

What’s keeping all the True Orthodox Christians from being in communion and is it possible to work it out? What issues are keeping us apart? Can this be fixed?

[SavaBeljovic]

While I'm the least qualified to speak, I have a few thoughts on this:

St. Basil the Great mentions in his work "On the Holy Spirit" a prophecy he had heard (though I forget who originally said it) about the "shipwreck", that at the end times the Church will appear fragmented and you'll have splinters and planks floating above the water, not to be united until the very end of time. Those who float about the sea of heresy will be saved, however.

If I recall, it wasn't a prophecy. He was actually describing the Church at the time as a shipwreck.

Letter 92: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3202092.htm

[Suaidan]

@SavaBeljovic REALLY SORRY

I was trying to respond, and I edited your response instead
really embarrassed
I don't know how to roll this back

[SavaBeljovic]

@SavaBeljovic REALLY SORRY

I was trying to respond, and I edited your response instead
really embarrassed
I don't know how to roll this back

It's fine. I don't think I can edit it myself anymore. If I can find a way to restore it and make it a new post I might. Otherwise I'll retype it tomorrow.

[Suaidan]

@SavaBeljovic REALLY SORRY

I was trying to respond, and I edited your response instead
really embarrassed
I don't know how to roll this back

It's fine. I don't think I can edit it myself anymore. If I can find a way to restore it and make it a new post I might. Otherwise I'll retype it tomorrow.

thanks, really sorry

[SavaBeljovic]

This is a re-do of my comment I wrote a few days ago. I once again state I am unqualified to speak, but I will share some thoughts on this subject:

As Fr. Joseph points out, what St. Basil the Great was talking about with the Church in his period, it was like a "shipwreck', with splinters and planks floating above a sea of heresy. This can be found in one of his letters. There's other prophecies talking about Orthodox Bishops not being in communion with each other, like our state today. There's apparently a prophecy by St. Nilus the Myrrh Streamer like this.

During the Meletian Schism we see some people who were Orthodox who recognized St. Meletius, and some who didn't. St. Maximos the Confessor says the Saving and Orthodox Confession of the Faith is what unites us. When he was brought before the Emperor who asked why he wouldn't be in communion with heretics, he said he would rather be in communion with no one in the universe if it meant he had to be in communion with heretics.

The Emperor and these other accusers asked why he wasn't in communion with other Orthodox, he stated the Orthodox are unified by the Confession of Faith. The Catacomb Council of Ust Kut in 1937 -- which there is another form post on this website about -- says those Catacomb Bishops who are preaching Orthodoxy, and are against Sergianism, are part of the Church -- which is a stark contrast to the "branch theory" of the Ecumenists which states those who do not share the Orthodox Confession of the Faith are part of the Church.

We pray for unity in our morning and evening prayers, and every Liturgy. Met. Valentin of Suzdal and Vladimir, our second first hierarch of the ROAC, memory eternal, said that after he was gone, there'd be more unity among True Orthodox. He reposed in 2012 and since then we've seen more unity and communions established, which we thank God for.

Some Saints say the situation with Church unity will get worse, then get better, some say it will get better, then it will get worse. I think any sane Orthodox Christian hopes for more unity. But I also like one thing Timotheos said to me while he visited us here in Louisiana, "people will talk about how divided we appear, but forget how united we really are."

St. Ieronymos of Aegina was once visited by these mocking New Calendarists who asked him "which schism are you with Father?" To which St. Ieronymos responded with "I am with all!" The New Calendarists try to claim this was him saying he was fine with the New Calendarists, but he meant he was neither a Florinite or a Matthewite, but with all the True Orthodox. Elder Joseph the Cave-Dweller became this way near the end of his life as well.

It's not even uncommon for Saints to condemn each other as heretics. St. Basil the Great sent a letter to Pope St. Damasus I, who rejected it as he thought St. Basil was a crypto-Arian and didn't trust him. Or you had St. Lucifer of Cagliari who thought St. Athanasius and the Council of Alexandria in 362 A.D. was a capitulation to the Arians.

It seems common that we hear people say they want more unity, but when we bring up those they don't like, we'll hear some variation of "we want unity, but not with them!" As for why we are in this current predictament, I think it's a lot of pride and canonical chaos.

These are just some thoughts I have on the subject.

[SavaBeljovic]

post scriptum: since I don't like editing my comments too many times. I will also add a few more thoughts. In Greece, there's a lot of "shared Saints" between the Florinites and Matthewites, such as St. Kallinikos the Ever-Vigilant, St. Haralampos, Fool for Christ, and Blessed Taraszia, Fool For Christ. Not to mention I personally know many Florinites even here in the US who venerate Abp. Matthew I of Bresthena.

I think the "infighting' and "court politics" are a big temptation from the evil one. I think one thing besides our prayers we can do on the "ground level" to help this situation is to avoid such temptations, and more than anything be friends and -- if available -- visit other True Orthodox.

We shouldn't attack those who would call us brother, and those who hold to the same Faith as us. Whether or not the situation gets better or worse, while concerning, has little bearing on us personally, as our struggle still comes from the spiritual life, and avoiding heresy, regardless of how many Bishops we are in communion with.

St. John Maximovitch says in the last days, you will be able to count the number of Orthodox Bishops on one hand. St. Nektary of Optina says there might only be one left. In Russia during the Soviet period, you only had individual Bishops. No Synods, or large communions. It was like this in the early centuries of Christianity as well.

This isn't to say there are no schismatics, parasynagogues or heretics who use the name "True Orthodox". Fr. Steven Allen said there is a temptation here of "...taking everyone for their word and accepting heresies" and "becoming so isolated in a view point your Synod is the only correct one, that you become a sectarian..."