The Light of ROCOR

ROCOR brought holiness out of Russia and planted it here.

The Light of ROCOR

Questions About the GOC to Metropolitan Demetrius

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaQeq4VVtzM

https://www.youtube.com/@OrthodoxTradition

https://app.box.com/s/eh686gf45dbck9cnr6fw7rfj1glvtv13

uploaded to YouTube July 2023

transcriber's note: Inserts aqua-greenish color text are mine. 

 ~Joanna

I think it's very important for people to think objectively, to have a little bit of critical thinking, perhaps open-mindedness as opposed to automatically just black-and-white, the book says this, and that's it. 

   

If somebody is sincere, they're going to be very cautious and careful about what they say and they believe; and they're going to understand something about what Fr. Seraphim Rose says concerning Orthodoxy of the mind and Orthodoxy of the heart.

I think that the tables have turned somewhat, and I see that there are certain apologists on the side of the modernistic jurisdictions who don't understand Orthodoxy of the heart.

      

Of course, I think we need to have Orthodoxy of the mind and Orthodoxy of the heart connected.

Because that would be the true application and true offering and true, reality, — a lived thing.

Which would show us, verify in us, the truth of where we are; and it would help us to understand that only through the Orthodox Faith can we receive sanctification (only) in the Orthodox Church.

Metr. Anthony Khrapovitsky says that, he says concerning heretics and people that are stubbornly opposed to the Church and Church order, that nothing that you say will convince them.  Even if One were to rise from the dead, as it says in Scriptures, you will not convince them.

We've spoken so much about this miracle that happened in 1925 concerning the Cross — people have a whole bunch of different reasons why they don't want to accept it, or perhaps they do accept it because you can't deny it, but they just look at it in a very different way from what the 2,000 people who were present saw and got from this miracle.

So I think that one has to fall on their knees a little more and ask God for illumination, lest we sin  And sometimes we have people who are spokesmen for these conservative modernists, if you will, who say that we should see what the saints say.

So, in my last video I quoted what some saints said, and we have more to say concerning that — God willing in the future we'll hear concerning that.

But to answer your question, I grew up in ROCOR, and eventually we joined some of these Greek Old Calendarists, and a lot of people basically saw a great link between the so-called Greek Old Calendarists and the ROCOR.  There's a link because first of all the ordinations came from ROCOR, but then ROCOR eventually totally recognized the Church of the GOC as a Sister Church.

And even right up until the end, just before the union with the Moscow Patriarchate, that's how they considered us.

In fact, to prove that we have living examples, in other words we have clergy (alive today) that joined us from the ROCOR basically on the eve of the union between ROCOR and Moscow Patriarchate with a canonical release from Vladyka Lavra (Metr. Laurus), who was very much for the union.

So I think that some people, at least, in ROCOR would probably – those who know their history – should probably be a lot more objective and understand us and who we are, because they know their old ROCOR.   And the old ROCOR most likely would not have been ready for this union with the Moscow Patriarchate.

And there are a number of reasons for that.

First of all, one of the things that the ROCOR hierarchs kept saying was that the Moscow Patriarch needs to repent, seriously, before any type of a reunion could happen.

And, although things are not as bad as they were during the Soviet time there was a great fall, and that's the way, this is the way that the ROCOR saw it.

And so, let me give you an example here:

Patriarch Kyrill, who's the present day Patriarch of Moscow, is seen in a photograph underneath a great big statue of Metropolitan Sergius (Stradgogosky), and he's standing together with President Putin. 

So, the  old rorocr would have a problem with that; they would not be able to stomach that.

Probably, I assume, that even some people in ROCOR-MP right now have a problem with that.  And as I said, those are the ones who probably know something about their history, and remember their old Fathers.

So we have people who have no connection with ROCOR that are quoting some of the ROCOR hierarchs, but really misrepresenting them, and not understanding their spirit.  Just not undertanding what ROCOR stood for.

   

ROCOR was a light.  ROCOR was the Church of Christ, and it was a shining light, because they brought holiness out of Russia and planted it here.

So, we have to recognize that — especially those of us in our sacred metropolis, here.

Because, as I've said many times before, the Church is not ethnic — that's what we believe, that's what my synod in Greece believes.  But the Church is local.  And so here, in our local metropolis, we had holy people.  And it behooves us to honor their memory.  And, by the grace of God, we try to.  So, be careful not to falsify facts. 

I can give you a few more examples:

We have an iconographer in our Church*  who's a monk, who's painting an icon of St. John Maximovitch – St. John of San Francisco – in an OCA church.*  

     *Church is capitalized when referring to a jurisdiction, but when referring to a parish the c is lower case.

And one of the older members of the church was upset about it.  And when he saw the icon he said, "Why are you putting a schimatic on our wall?"  That's how people saw ROCOR.

You can misrepresent it all you want, but all the (official, a.k.a "world orthodox") patriachates recognized the Patriarchate of Moscow under Metr. Sergius.

Although, the Patriachate of Serbia and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem had some sympathies towards ROCOR, still eventually they cut communion.  There was a time when they didn't have inter-commmunion.

And I know this from people –from monastics– who lived in Jerusalem; they told me that they never concelebrated.  The ROCOR clergy and the clergy of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem never concelebrated.  There was intercommunion at the level of the lay people, but it never got to the point where the clergy concelebrated.

So this is significant because, today, there's a little bit of a different view about the history of ROCOR.  Now after so much time has passed, people just don't want to see St. John Maximovitch as a  schismatic.  With good reason — because he's a great saint of the Church.  He's one of the greatest saints of our last century.

But you can't rewrite history.  It is what it is.  And St. John Maximovitch felt very strongly about what I'm talking about here.

There were two particular things in ROCOR which stood out  which I think we should point out.

The first is that the ROCOR hierarchy absolutely insisted that they could not come into communion with the Moscow Patriarchate, 'til the Moscow Patriarchate repented.  I repeat:  They would not join the Moscow Patriarchate until the Moscow Patriarchate repented.  I already mentioned about this statute.

The second thing which was stressed was they were optimistic.  They had great hope that Russia would be liberated.  And that the Church would be free again.  And that there would be a tzar.  And I truly hope, and I have the same optimism, perhaps one day the Lord will clear all this up.

And I don't think it's a joy – it shouldn't be a joy, for some people it is a joy (on both sides) – that we are not in communion.  It's sad for us that the ancient Patriarchates, right now, are preaching something quite different from what the Fathers of the Church preached.

We can talk about that in a subsequent video, but already there's a lot of information out about that.

We are talking about two distinct different voices:

– the voice of St. Mark of Ephesus (vs.) – the voice of the modern modernist bishop

(and similarly)

– the voice to St. Gregory of Palamas  (vs.) – the voice of the modern modernist bishop

And there's a lot of them.  There are a lot of modernistic, heretical bishops.

So, we brought up examples in the previous video of holy people.  And there are a lot more.

And ROCOR felt this kinship with the Greek Old Calendarist, because actually the Greek Old Calendarists had a few, it was not totally all of them, definitely we had some issues for awhile, but there were a few very holy men who were miracle-workers.  I'm talking about really serious miracle-workers.  If you were to read their lives, you read them as a life of a saint.

There's a little piece of information I'd like you to know, as well:

Fr. Ephraim, Elder Ephraim (Moraitis) of Arizona, also called us.  He called my predecessor, Metropolitan Pavlos years back,  and I have a clergyman who was present who was a witness.  He was actually in the room when Elder Ephraim called Metropolitan Pavlos, to ask him if he could be received into GOC. ("Elder" Ephraim also asked the ROCOR, around the same time, — I think circa 1985-1990)

Probably, if he went ahead with that, if he were to join us, you probably would have seen document coming out from him about our canonicity.  He probably would have defended it.  Because, it is a fact during the lifetime of Elder Ephraim, he did go back and forth a number of times.   (Actually, this vacilating is the tip of the iceberg.)

And also, when he came to America, he came through our parishioners,  people who belonged to our parish in Canada in Montreal; and they still belong to our parish.  And he didn't tell them no, don't go there because they're schismatics.

He knew a lot of our people.  Sometimes he would send people to us, sometimes he would send people to confess to some of our clergy.  Anyway, that is what happened.  

The ROCOR went to the point where they even believed, — some of the bishops. it wasn't all of them  and it wasn't all the people, but a lot of people in ROCOR, especially the Catacomb Church, especialy as time progressed,  because in the beginning you are trying to figure things out, a lot of people said the Moscow Patriarch was graceless.  Of course, the Moscow Patriarch (considered?) the Catacomb Church was graceless.

They were anathemitzing each other but truth is on one side.  

The thing that really surprises me is that — and I don't know if you can find this anywhere in the history of the Church — people who claim to be Orthodox so venomously, aggressively opposed to those who are actually saying the same thing with regards to  (...) being a heresy — at least up to a certain point we're saying the same thing, and just saying, oh, the're all schimatics.  Well, the ones who came from ROCOR are not.

And even the ROCOR-MP knows very well who we are

There are others, quite frankly, who are break-off groups from the new calendar modernistic jurisdctions.  And they just sort of set up shop and they treat the Church as their own personal franchise.  And then they call themselves the GOC with absolutley no relation to us.

And so somehow their scismatic groups, they're connecting with us.

No! they don't belong to us, they belong to you, they're schismatic groups of the new calendarist groups.

So, as I said in the beginning I think one needs to be very careful, lest we sin.  Let us be more cautious with our words.  Let us be more spiritual about our outlook.

Let us listen to what the saints have said, and in my own personal experience I've known holy people I believe to be saints for many good reasons.  And they were sanctified in the GOC.  

If you really feel that Orthodoxy is the truth, and if you really feel that the panheresy we're dealing with today truly is a panheresy; which is a different (new) term. 

Fr. Justin Popovic called it a "panheresy,"

I don't know if we've ever called a  heresy a panheresy in the past, I don't think so.

     (In 1998 Jordanville came out with a statement:  "Ecumenism is the most prevalent heresy of our times; and it is the most devastating heresy of all times.")

So, this is a unique situation, the Church is dealing with a very unique situation today.  Think about it.  And rather than just thinking like a lawyer, or a scribe or a pharisee; humble your heart, go on your knees, pray about it, ask the Lord for illumination.  And you'll see something very different.

You'll be a lot more careful with what you are saying.

Don't misinterpret things, and be very careful with hurling accusations.

Like this really strange accusation, because, like I said, I don't know if there's ever been a time where you see this aggressiveness from people who say that they're Orthodox against the people who are confessing Orthodoxy.

So they have to come up with something, so they're saying that we are Donatists.  How in the world do you make that connection?

Actually, sometimes I think that there are people in the modernistic jurisdictions that are Donatists.  And I'll tell you why.  At least moreso, it can apply to them moreso.

The Fathers always say that there's a difference between sin and heresy.  We have so many examples of that.  And here we're putting this Donatist claim.  Those of you who don't know what Donatism is, you're going to have to look it up.

Heresy is a totally different level.  The purpose for this separation is heresy – what we believe to be heresy.

Now, there are people in the modernistic jurisdictions, who basically say no these people, us, ("us" meaning we who are in the GOC) are schismatics, but we'll accept Elder Ieronymos is a saint.  But that sounds a little more linked to Donatism to me.

"No, but he was in communion with us."

You're lying.  You are lying.  He was sympathic (to world orthodoxy), but he was not under the new calendar Church.   Our bishops buried him, our bishops gave him Communion.

The priest who was his priest in Ægina, for years, just reposed a few months ago in his 90s.  He's our priest, Fr. Ignatius (Baffas?)   God rest his soul.  All he did was talk about Elder Ieronymos his whole life — miracle after miracle after miracle.

 

No, he was totally under our bishops, and quite frankly, at a time which was a little more ambiguous because we still didn't have at that time the official recognition of ROCOR.

Official recognition from ROCOR came a few years later.  But still there was the unofficial recognition of ROCOR, before the official recognition — meaning the documents which came up from ROCOR stating that we're Sister Churches.

Before that we had, of course, Vladyka Leonty, St. John Maximovitch, Vladyka Averky, Vladyka Nektary (Kontsevitch), Vladyka Savva, all came to my cathedral.  And St. John came a number of times.  And he stood on the throne.  And he prayed with us.  He blessed our cathedral and through our cathedral our entire metropolis.

So, please, do not lie.

May the lord give us understanding in all things, and may the Lord open up our minds and our hearts to at least be a little more open to the truth.

Through the prayers of our saints, saints of our days, may the Lord protect us all from evil and unite us to the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Amen.