In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!
Last week, on the Sunday of the Blind Man, we spoke with you about the spiritual healing of our minds, about the enlightenment of those born blind, that the spiritual light which a person begins to see when being healed is the light of love, as the Apostle of Love, John the Theologian, says: “He that loveth his brother abides in the light” (1 John 2:10). And on the contrary, spiritual darkness is the opposite of love, which is hatred: “But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:11). Moreover, we often think that hatred is only actions, filled with anger and irritation. But it is not entirely so. Indifference towards our neighbor, contempt, ignoring them, all of this is also hatred. The word “hate” itself reveals its meaning (in Russian “ненавидеть” is literally “do not wish to see”): not-seeing, meaning not wishing to see or notice, but rejecting the object of hatred. Therefore, just as any absence of light is darkness, any absence of love is hatred.
And next Sunday, we will celebrate Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, the birthday of the Church. And in today’s Gospel reading, we hear Christ’s prayer about this birth: “I pray not for the world, – He is asking His Father, – but for them which Thou hast given Me” (John 17:9). That is, for those who “have received [Your words] and have known surely… and have believed” (John 17:8) in Christ, for those who will soon constitute His Church. “Holy Father! – Christ prays, – “keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as We are” (John 17:11).
That is why today we remember the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council – they were concerned with preserving this unity. They established the beginning of the Symbol of Faith, which eventually included the following confession: “I believe in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church”. By the grace and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, they organized and purified the teachings of faith and brought the Church to the unity of true understanding of the mysteries of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, removing from Her all the false heretical teachings and their followers. They began to define the boundaries of the Church.
What are these boundaries of the Church that is about to be born amidst the “sound from heaven” (Acts 2:2) and the appearance of the fiery tongues of the Holy Spirit? Where do these boundaries lie? Of course, they lie in the realm of faith. And to determine these boundaries is very simple. If you believe according to all the definitions of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, then you believe in the “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church”, and you are within these boundaries. But if you do not accept anything from these Conciliar definitions and have your own opinion that differs from the teachings of the Orthodox Church, then you believe differently, in your own way. This means that you reject the fullness of the Church’s teaching and are outside these boundaries, outside the Church. Regardless of how beautifully you think or how cleverly you argue, or what you call your heretical assembly. And we know that many “churches” have been founded by humans, but only one Church is founded by God Himself. And if you consider yourself Orthodox but do not accept the fullness of the teaching and have your own opinions here and there, then you sin in faith and trust yourself more than God. Repent soon and pray so that the Lord strengthens you in the faith through which we hope to obtain salvation while you still have time. This is the Church’s teaching about Herself.
We live among unbelievers or even blasphemers, among followers of other religions or believers in Christ, but different from us, those who can affectionately (gently) be called non-Orthodox Christians or representatives of other denominations, or less affectionately (gently): heretics. The essence of the matter does not change regardless of how they are called. Every heresy is a teaching that contradicts the Church’s doctrine, that is not in agreement with it. Therefore, the term “heretic,” though it may sound offensive, clearly expresses the essence of the problem. All these people are outside the boundaries of the Church according to Her own definition, not according to my opinion or yours, but according to the Church’s opinion.
In the light of our previous conversation about love, a question may arise. If, in order to love, we must give up our own opinion in favor of our neighbor’s opinion, and this neighbor is an unbeliever or a heretic, and his opinion is contrary to our faith, then how do we fulfill the commandment? If in love, we want to maintain communication and unity with our neighbor, without which love is impossible, then “what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14) and “what part hath he that believeth with an infidel” (2 Corinthians 6:15). And most importantly, how do we maintain peace with such people and peace in our own souls, without which we cannot enter into God’s love?
Unfortunately, it often happens that when we encounter non-Orthodox or unbelievers, people beyond the boundaries of the Church, we become confused, engage in arguments, and sometimes even begin to waver in our own faith. Why does this happen? You may be surprised, but the answer is the same: because of our own opinions, experiences, and perspectives on which we rely instead of relying on the opinion and experience of the Church. Our passions perform their activity in us, and we think that we must defend our faith, but in reality, we start defending our own opinions, and of course, there can be no talk of love in such a situation. It is not love and humility that act within us in such cases, but pride and selfishness.
A person whose mind is enlightened by the light of Divine love remains humble and does not have their own opinion on matters of faith. They have renounced it and fully accepted the opinion (i.e., teaching) of the Church. Such a person, even if they hear blasphemy, will not be disturbed and will not lose their love for the blasphemers. Instead, they will pray for them, just as Christ prayed: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). This blasphemy does not touch them (how can it if they do not have their own opinion?), but it pertains to God, Who “is not mocked” (Galatians 6:7) and says, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” (Romans 12:19). Thus, a person becomes capable of loving even their enemies.
A person whose mind is enlightened by the light of Divine love does not direct their hatred towards another person, whoever they may be, but only towards deception and lies. Not active and fierce hatred, but rather in the sense of rejection. For this reason, God has given us the ability to hate, in order to distance ourselves from evil. Such a person does not condemn a heretic, saying, “You are mistaken,” or “You are a heretic,” which would cause their breath to become uneven and anger to well up in their throat. Instead, they speak calmly and peacefully, saying, “The Church teaches that such belief is incorrect, that it is a misconception, a heresy.” And when asked for their opinion, they say, “I adhere to the opinion of the Church. This is what we believe.” They do not engage in disputes unless they have a specific blessing from the Church to do so. In other words, they do not enter into conflict with their neighbor, even if the neighbor wants to engage in conflict with them. If someone wants to argue, let them argue with the Church and with God; after all, it is their choice. And by keeping the commandment of love, they say together with David, “With them that hate peace, I was peasable” (Psalm 119:6), and they guard themselves against anger, “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).
So, in everything except sin and matters of faith, we agree with our neighbor’s opinions and desires, thereby preserving love. However, when it comes to sin and errors in faith, we do not agree because “what part hath he that believeth with an infidel” (2 Corinthians 6:15). Besides the part that we are all part of one inheritance (which is one nature) from our forefather Adam. Towards unbelievers or those who do not follow Orthodoxy, we preserve love not through unity in faith, as we do with our brothers and sisters in Christ, but through unity in nature. Although they do not share the same faith as us, they share the same human nature with which Christ united and healed in Himself. Therefore, if someone is hungry, naked, or suffering from illness, we must feed, clothe, and visit them, regardless of their faith, simply because they share the same nature as us and are also created in the image of God. This is what it means to “to love his neighbour as himself” (Mark 12:33). Every neighbor is united with us in nature. However, only the true children of the Church are united with us in faith. Nevertheless, in both cases, the light of love should shine within us. Although primarily for those, who united with us in spirit, as Paul says: “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).
My dear ones, let us dedicate this week to preparing our souls for the birthday of our Mother Church, in which we were born through holy Baptism! Just as we usually pay careful attention to the birthdays of our earthly mothers because we love them, we should pay even more attention to the birthdays of our Mother in the spirit—the Holy Church—and love Her even more. We should love Her more to the extent that our soul is more than our body. Therefore, let us take care of this preparation. Of course, we will strive to come to the Church on this celebration to partake in the Holy Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ—the most precious gift that is given to us in the Church… Let us prepare ourselves to receive the Holy Spirit! Because the same Holy Spirit, which descended upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, will visit the Church with His special visitation on this feast day. Let us prepare ourselves through prayers and repentance, purifying the vessel of our soul from everything earthly and temporary, preparing a place for the Spirit of God Who “gives life” (John 6:63), Who guides us “into all truth” (John 16:13), and Who seeks to bestow His fruits upon us: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23). Amen!