There are many reasons why the majority of Orthodox Churches have not recognized Patriarch Bartholomew’s unilateral and unfortunate “recognition” of the false church for the Ukraine.
There are in fact many reasons why the majority of Ukrainians have not joined the false sect known as the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine.”
This is one of them.
Epiphany Dumenko, the enrobed charlatan who heads this false sect, recently “celebrated” a graceless liturgy within one of the churches of the Kiev Caves Lavra.
This is what happened: the crosses on the dome turned black. If you want proof of divine displeasure, please check this out: https://twitter.com/worldwarnow_/status/1635627528894451713?s=42&t=WB5Kwpct9u1Kh3wmqCkb7w)
I’m not an expert, nor do I claim to be one. I’m sure there are many theological and ecclesiological reasons why Dumenko’s sect should not have existed in the first place. I am merely a layman and all I can contribute to this discussion, growing up as I did in a pious Greek Orthodox home, is impart this piece of advice that my dear mother drilled into our little heads as we grew up: “he koinonoia dhen einai paikhnidhi” (Communion is not a plaything.)
My mother and grandfather did not know Scripture chapter-verse as did my many Protestant friends but they knew that the Eucharist is not something to be taken lightly. Somehow along the familial line, the knowledge that St Paul told the Corinthians, that by partaking of it unworthily was the reason some were sick and others had died, was passed along from generation to generation (I Cor 11:30).
It was so seriously ingrained that we only received the Gifts four times a year. And even then it was with (literal) fear and trembling. We were told that if we had sinned the Eucharist would burn in our mouths. (Confession had fallen out of favor in most GOA parishes in the interim, that’s a story for another day.)
I’m not here to talk about my own piety (or lack thereof), only to state that in my gut, I know that one does not “play church.” It’s not a plaything. And if it is an ecclesial body that is jury-rigged by non-believing secularists, then there will be hell to pay. As for the monks who inhabit the Lavra, even though they are being starved out, they are refusing to vacate the premises. Good for them.
As for Zelensky, who is married to an Orthodox Christian and whose children are baptized, he is heaping bowls of wrath upon himself. He would be wise to cease and desist immediately.
But he won’t. His non-believing overlords won’t let him –he’s in too deep.
We in the West however, are more fortunate. We can come to our senses and pull back from the disastrous course of action which the diabolical neocons have set us on. And we must because otherwise, our judgment will be more severe than Zelensky’s; this is because we have freedom and we are not beholden to these same overlords.
As for me, I know that war is horrible and that in all wars, there is more than enough blame to go around. But I also know divine displeasure when I see it. As much as I grieve for the Ukrainian people, thanks to Zelensky, I know which side I don’t want to be on.
This wasn’t just any Sunday when Epiphany led this particular service at the Upper Lavra. On the Church calendar it was, in fact, the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves Lavra!
“On the second Sunday of Great Lent, we commemorate the Synaxis of all the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves Monastery…”.
Holy and venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves,
pray to God for us all!
Troparion — Tone 2 (from the OCA website):
When you gathered in the Caves and enclosed yourselves therein, / then, O God-bearers, having died to carnal passions, you buried yourselves with Christ. / There in the Caves, you destroyed the snares of the devil. / Therefore, the angels gave you heavenly crowns.
Yep. God will not be mocked. He has patience, but I imagine only so much.
Samantha Power and the Western leftist globalists think they can outsmart God, but they are used to dealing with lapsed Protestants who operate largely according to fallen logic.
They have no idea what they are dealing with in messing with the Heavenly realms. May God have mercy on them.
Thank God for the millions of faithful Ukrainian Orthodox who know in their hearts/souls where God lies and who will not abandon the suffering Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the saintly Metropolitan Onuphriy. May God protect them, and may we — the faithful Orthodox Christians living in somewhat still free lands — help and support them.
As you state, George, they may not be able to quote Scripture/verse like a good Southern Baptist, but the noetic knowledge that the Eucharist is not something to be messed with is way more powerful than that.
A couple other comments/thoughts:
“It was so seriously ingrained that we only received the Gifts four times a year…”
For us, it was only about once or twice a year. Not a very pious family we were either (by some modern Orthodox Christian standards), but as a kid, our tacitly understood “day” to receive the Gifts was on Holy Saturday. Then no Church for months…. Sorry, that’s just how it was. I didn’t invent that way of Church life… it’s what I was born into. It’s clear testimony, though, that even receiving the Holy Gifts once or twice per year can and does have a deep impact on one’s life.
“As for Zelensky, who is married to an Orthodox Christian and whose children are baptized…”
How exactly did this happen? How is it even remotely acceptable for a Jewish dude to marry an Orthodox Christian woman in an Orthodox Church wedding? That’s some seriously weird “economia.” Marriage is joint life in Christ, helping each other on the path of salvation…. how does a Jewish dude like Zelensky participate in life in Christ? Thought that the only way to get married in an Orthodox Church wedding according to “economia” was that both spouses had to have a legitimate Trinitarian baptism, with one spouse obviously being Orthodox Christian. Goes without saying that the Jewish dude Zelensky never had a Trinitarian baptism!
Zelenskyy may be a Ukrainian Jew by heritage – like my grandmother, actually – but also like my grandmother and so many other 20th/21st-century Jews, he was raised without religion and has been described as a “secular intellectual Jew.”
He does at least profess to believe in God.
I don’t think Zelensky and his wife had a church wedding. During the Soviet era, it was quite common for Russian and Ukrainian women to marry Jews. One reason, sadly, is because Jews were less likely to be drunks compared with Russian and Ukrainian men. Most likely they had a civil ceremony.
Civil marriage. Also rampant amongst Greek-Ameticans from Michael Dukakis to Telly Savalas to Jamie Dimon. I know such mixed marriages a they are relatives and friends. They baptise their offspring then have bar mitzvahs when the time comes. Rampant and yes they remain in good standing in the GOARCH.
85% of Greek Americans have married outside the faith
Being that Holy Communion is so serious is Baptism any less serious? God forbid.! Holy Communion puts Jesus Christ into our soul just like Baptism and Chrismation purify us and place the Holy Spirit into our souls. Both are divine fire. You disrespect them and you will get hurt…badly!
That’s why:
Unanswered pastoral questions regarding Holy Baptism and entrance into the Holy Church.
Need to be answered and answered properly. Now will they? I think not. Oh well, you sow the wind you reap the whirlwind.
Peter
If the Russian Federation stages another invasion of Kiev based on the ousting of monks from the Kiev Caves Lavra… then whooah boy… then the RF would not be doing any favor for Metropolitan Onuphry and the UOC. Such an RF intervention would only prove that President Zelensky was right, and that the UOC actually is a national security risk to Ukraine.
Unfortunately, that might be where this is all headed.
Not gonna happen because this war is not, and never was, about the UOC. It is Zelinsky who us making it about the UOC. The same Zelinsky who is himself the greatest threat to Ukrainian national security.
Joseph, I think that El President Zelensky is using this all as a bargaining chip. When Ukraine falls, and Russia rolls in, he’ll return a relatively undamaged Lavra back over to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, for guarantee of his safe passage into exile. But that’s just my take.
Looks like Bart is starting Ukraine 2.0
He really can’t help himself.
He sure can’t.
I saw this over at Helleniscope:
I wonder how they came about this information and if it’s actually true, or, even possible for the Turkish government to do that.
As much as I hate to say it the suppression of that patriarchate for a period of time might be for the best. After all who exactly is going to replace Bart? Emmanuel? If that’s the case then I hope to God that it is suppressed.
Good.. Proves my point that the parallel synod known as Old calendarists of Greece is the real canonical autoceohalous church of Greece and not that atheistic State controlled Church of New calendarism.
Honest question, why hasn’t he been deposed yet?
Good question.
Because he is doing what those who support him want him to do.
It is one of my fears that these same powers will line the pockets of our bishops here.
Someone asked me a question the other day that concerned me. He asked me why there was an influx of money given to the OCA during COVID. Not the parishes, where I would expect to see it, but the Archdiocese.
It could be due to the Cares Act.
Maybe someone here can help me out with this: (1) Is it true there has been an influx of cash into the Archdiocese and (2) why is this the case?
OrthoChristian is reporting that President Zelenskyy personally ordered the reopening of the caves at the Kiev Caves Lavra, just a day after they were closed for review by a special commission of the Ministry of Culture.
Glory to God!
They did this quite some time ago. I don’t believe they are doing this again.
“Tkachenko tried to object that
“we’re working in accordance with our instructions,”
but the response was something that can’t be conveyed in writing.”
https://orthochristian.com/152663.html
He obviously failed to distinguish between
the written and the unwritten instructions.
Generally the latter have priority in political life.