Unto our God worshipped in Trinity, we send up all praise and thanksgiving, for He has brought us here, to this most learned Seminary. May this synaxis be blessed, through the intercessions of Saint Vladimir.
We give thanks for the joy of this face to face fellowship with all of you, such a distinguished body of esteemed Professors of the Seminary and these students so devoted to their studies. God has called you to prepare for well-pleasing ministry in this Country of unique opportunities and invitations. We salute all of you from the depths of our heart and bestow upon you our paternal prayers and Patriarchal blessing, beseeching the All-Holy Spirit to illumine your course toward the inner mysteries, as Christ gives you wisdom, unto your edification and increase in our Most Holy Orthodox Church, and according to the will and unto the glory of God.
We give thanks for this most honorable distinction for our Modesty, through which you have desired to underscore your reverent sentiments not only for our person, but chiefly for the Mother Church, which is the preeminent recipient of this honor. he wise words of our most beloved Reverend Thomas Hopko constitute the seal and confirmation of these sentiments. These words which he, as Dean of the Seminary, has addressed to us, reflect the theological maturity of this blessed country, where we perceive a living presence of great theological stature. Those fist laborers ventured to found this Seminary some sixty years ago, they followed in the spirit of the Holy Three Hierarchs, whom you also rightly honor, and proved this Seminary, establishing it as a respected member of the circle of Institutions of theological inquiry and education in this country. They contributed before all else to the promotion of our Patristic Orthodox theological Tradition and to the ecumenical high standing and exalted position of our Church, through their teaching, writing and their great labors. Therefore, in the name of all of Orthodoxy, we bless them at this moment with gratitude: George, Nicholas, Nicholas, George, Alexander and John and all the rest of the past teachers of this Seminary. Their legacy is difficult to bear, but also an invaluable treasure.
* *
*
According to human standards, indeed difficult to bear, but with the help of God, it is precious, good and light — it is the treasure of Orthodoxy.
With this confirmation [of their value], which has gone forth throughout the Orthodox world, we prefer now to center our talk, and fulfill the responsibility imposed by academics in the usual way. Rather, we prefer to satisfy an inner question of our shared confession, toward the faithful children of the Church, in this moment of harmony at this gathering. [We offer it with] a feeling of our common earnest expectations and indeed, our responsibility.
Such is the treasure of Orthodoxy, that we feel compelled to set down that which is common to all, that which is the same for all. And this is not occupation as it were, but is participation and indeed communion! With this understanding, permit us to arrange for you, our fellow sojourners, in a brief outline, some of the treasures and in a brief confession, some of our thoughts and expectations.
* *
*
Recently, we have had the opportunity to glorify God in righteous boasting, because we have marveled at the treasures of the Holy Mountain in Thessaloniki, on the city of Paul, the Apostle of the Gentile, the city of St. Dimitrios the Myrrh-bearer, the city of the Equals-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodios, and the city of Gregory Palamas. As is known, Thessaloniki has been honored in this year of our salvation as the Cultural Capital of Europe. And it was decided, with the blessing and permission of our Ecumenical Throne, by special dispensation and the extraordinary permission of the Sacred Community, to temporarily send out certain treasures of the Holy Mountain and make them accessible to a multitude of people, who were fortunate enough to marvel at works of truly unique spiritual and artistic worth, which are themselves the glorious fruit of a reverent temperament and divine inspiration.
Oh, what joy! What a responsibility! Indeed, how often do we perceive through material things the spiritual treasures of accomplished ascetic discipline, of unceasing prayer, of the ascent by toil and much labor of the ladder, of perfection, of sanctification, of theosis! What praise, what jubilation, what laudation would be sufficient to glorify with thanksgiving the Architect and Sustainer of all, our Thrice-Holy God, for the abundance of the treasures of faith, of wisdom, of inspiration, of endurance, of self-sacrifice — taken all together — to speak of Christian art of every form and type, which have been treasured in our Church over the course of two thousand years? Such a responsibility do we all have for the preservation of that which the ages have bequeathed to us for the further inspiration of human creativity! Unfortunately, in the great sufferings of Orthodoxy, especially as we arrive at the close of this century, we can recount the hostile ruin of holy places, the violent usurpation of invaluable artistic treasures, the barbaric destruction of priceless repositories of the sacred objects of humanity. That is why we have proposed to the international community that every act of ruin of shrines, plunder, destruction, sacrilege and exploitation of the holy treasuries of faith and of the worship of God be recognized as a crime against civilization, a crime against history, a crime against humanity.
* *
*
We have also recently made another journey across the Black Sea. The sea is a most precious treasure, a spectacle of lands and peoples, in whose life one recognizes things perhaps yet hidden, but nevertheless they are clear “signs” of the slain Lamb (Apocalypse 5:6). It is an inheritance of the memory of crucifixion, and through this, of salvation.
These most precious treasures are indeed recognized as distinct signs of the Lamb, in the life of peoples and countries, where the forerunners of the Antichrist have wanted to unfold the shadow of death. The light of the Resurrection is now scattering the darkness and the gloom. The Life has shone forth from the tomb, revealing Hades as being laughed to scorn. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
* *
*
It is a treasure indeed for brethren to well together in unity (Psalm 132:1). We have experienced this, by the grace of God, on that voyage, as we had the opportunity to meet with our brother Orthodox Patriarchs, Hierarchs and the rest of the faithful living in love, as we passed those many days in prayer and spiritual fellowship. We experienced the whole patrimony of Saint Vladimir floating spiritually above those waters. And our beloved brother in Christ, Alexy, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia gladly came down to meet us. Whoever, in an evil spirit of jealously, might have compared the treasure of our priestly dignity was immediately passed over in silence, for through our priesthood, we have the communion of the life of all. The communion of priesthood engages reconciliation and cooperation at every level, and unites what had for a time been separate, and bears witness to the ancient experience that :a brother helped by a brother is as a city strong and exalted, its power is as a fortified castle” (Proverbs 18:19)
* *
*
Another treasure we experienced on that voyage was the Conference of FAITH and KNOWLEDGE, which was the result of a common listening to the groaning of creation, and acknowledgment of the great suffering of human beings. We call this a treasure, because the dreadful pollution of the Black Sea, and of many other landlocked seas, in general the ecological crisis of our times. Moreover, its causes are recognized as ethical in nature, showing clearly that this has come from disobedience and transgression of the will of God and of the order of the divine creation. We call knowledge of this a treasure, for in this way, a path is opened up that we may travel together towards faith, knowledge, ethical economics, religious and political leadership leading to the healing of this most grave sickness of our natural environment and the disposition to other excessive crimes, and from which has been established of late the field of Bioethics, which you know well in this Seminary.
You know as well that our Ecumenical Throne has taken unifying initiatives on a Pan-Orthodox and Inter-Church level, for common actions with official representative of Judaism and Islam. It does this in the belief that ecological crises do not know boundaries, neither should there be barriers to our cooperation in overcoming them. What is more, we know it is appropriate in this regard, that Orthodoxy explore other treasures of ecological wisdom and sensitivity, so that whoever is able, ought to put them at the disposal of humanity.
But there are other reasons of a spiritual texture, for which these dialogues should progress. It is well known, that the believes of the great religions live side by side in many countries and that century old clashes and conflicts have created prejudices and other difficulties. In our era, when the planet earth is becoming a single village, these prejudices ought to be resolved, that new hecatombs of innocent victims might be avoided, for they continue even in our own day. High level meetings and conferences accomplish this to a extent, because they give objective information and firsthand acquaintance, unaffected by a low level of passions, misinformation and crises.
Surely at least to a small extent, indeed as it relates to our person, we should be able to give more messages of peace and reconciliation.
No one is seeking through this process to change the country of one’s beliefs, neither to create some mixture of religions. Very simply, we must find way of peace, coexistence, and cooperation. In this regard, the seed of truth is sown invisibly and imperceptibly and it is likely to find in some soul good ground and to bear fruit. You cannot blame the shepherd for leaving for a time the ninety nine sheep and finding the one who is lost, for he is imitating the Chief Shepherd. In ancient Athens, the Apostle Paul spoke in front of the Areopagos to only a few people, among whom were Dionysios the Areopagite and Damaris. The had well-disposed ears, and indeed from them the great tree of the Orthodox Church increased as the grain of mustard seed.
Today, exclusion is not only unrealistic but hurtful. Because, unless we give others a reason to find hope in us, we leave it to them to speak with the usual inaccuracies.
But fear of such contact is unjustifiable. Perhaps we shall not ever remove all the inherited antipathies, but we can their justifications. This is a significant victory.
Now we have come to things as they are here.
We dwell in a great and blessed country, and we marvel and behold other, untold treasures. We will no enumerate those treasures of power and wealth, certainly not those gained by rapacity! It is enough for us Orthodox to have a living faith, ministry and witness in this great continent. We behold flourishing Dioceses and Communities, Schools and Institutions, progressing well with much fervor and love for one another. This treasure belongs to all Orthodox; it is the treasure of America.
We hold our treasure “in earthen vessels” (II Cor. 4:7). These can be easily crushed. Nothing is guaranteed. Especially for us Orthodox, we know well in our historical experience trials and persecutions and the witness of martyrdom. Therefore, we do not boast in these treasures. We boast only in whatever is recognized in them s the Cross of Christ, the saving boast of Christians (Galatians 6:14), in the hope of the resurrection and life eternal.
Our vessel is a shell, which contains Orthodox faith, grace, and truth. Under the mass of the faithful, it manifests signs of fatigue, and danger of cracking in the areas of preservation of the pure Orthodox mind-set. This mass of faithful are inundated every day with an abundance and indeed great doses of heterodox ideas from the prevailing atmosphere. They are not of an Orthodox perspective and many times our faithful are not able to discern and reject them. As their appointed teachers, we ought to call out the differences, in an understandable way, between Orthodox and non-Orthodox belief, in each subject which is confused, so that we might be of assistance to our weaker brethren. Also, let us demonstrate clearly the grace consequences of even the slightest turning from the straight path. For it is not the degree of the turn that is significant, but that if one should follow that bend in the road, it will no lead you to the desired end.
In this regard, the contribution of this Seminary is able to be very important. You have published editions for lay people with summary expositions of the truths of the Orthodox faith, on themes which point out these erroneous views. We think that this is indispensable. For unless this rejected teaching is pointed out, it will work its way to being handed down and will bring the faithful Christian into the temptation of personal choice, with the danger of further error.
One door, through which the deterioration of the Orthodox mind-set has entered into the Orthodox people of America is careless translation. The translator must above all be holy, just like the iconographer, and indeed expert in the handling of words, just as the iconographer is with his paint-brush. He must have seen clearly with his spiritual eyes the true icon, in order to give, in anther tongue, the reality of expression in the words. For he must be able to give exact expression by a proper handing of the power and the system of a new language. It is not easy to translate into another language mystical senses of life and notions of spiritual ascent, as in the Divine Liturgy, if one has not lived them for himself.
The most important of the successful translators of the ecclesiastical and patristic texts were known Saints, like Cyril and Methodios and Saint Paisios of Monastery of Neamt in Rumania, and others. One who has not lived this depth [of faith] cannot translate these truths into another language, or he will give it an impoverished and otherwise different meaning, in place of the richness and truth of the text. He ought to give it that which he himself understand and not only whatever he is able to accept. Three is a powerful and ancient observation: “You cannot receive correct understanding, if you do not have correct comprehension.”
Another door through which a spirit foreign to Orthodoxy has entered into the Orthodox Pleroma is through the overlooking of the importance of the liturgical typikon and the interior adornment of the holy churches. Through imitation of customs alien to our faith, we find ourselves outside that spirit. And this has happened steadily and imperceptibly, until the point where we may find ourselves overtaken. For example, in the Orthodox spirit of contrite hymnody, there is a distinct opposition to a spirit of such emotional enjoyment. It is not that contrition cannot be beautiful, but that it does not of itself look to emotional satisfaction, but to the mystical initiation of the soul. The iconography of the Church has as its purpose to show the inner light of the Saints and their supernatural beauty, in opposition to common painting, which reveals natural beauty by natural light and in general the human conceptions of the artist.
All of the objects within the Holy Temple express a certain spirit. The appearance and amount of pews shows either an ascetic spirit or a spirit of relaxation. The loud or soft intensity of microphones shows either the noise or the quiet of the soul. The lighting of the Church, bright or soft, shows whether we are turned outward or inward. As we view them in comparison, our actions show if we are centered on making an outward impression, or the inner life of prayer.
From this and by these things, our attention does not feast on the types, but on the message which is sent forth through the types. The entire inner life of the Church and of the faithful is revealed in what happens in the Holy Temple.
Certainly the conflict of different opinions is continual and the position of the shepherd is sometimes difficult. Without fanaticism and extremes we ought to be able to find better effective solution at each instance.
But these issues, which concern coming from one country to a new world are many and important, and the time is little. The treasure of Orthodoxy is magnificent and unknown by many as to its value and usage. We pray and we hope that its value will become known in the future to more and more people.
With this objective, let us guard well our treasures and be encourages in a fatherly way by the Apostle: “Brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which you have been taught, whether by word or by our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, Who has loved us, and has given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work” (II Thessalonians 2:15-17). Amen.
