The Sunday of Orthodoxy,

The First Sunday Of Great Lent

Sermon by Archbishop Averky

SERMON OF ARCHBISHOP AVERKY SUNDAY ORTHODOXY=20

"This is the Apostolic faith, this is the faith of the Fathers, = this is=20 the Orthodox faith =94

Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, you will hear these solemn = and=20 significant words in the Rite of Orthodoxy which the Holy Church has = established=20 to be served on this day. The first week of Holy and Great Lent has = ended a week=20 of intensified prayer and ascetical repentance. Now the Holy Church, = desiring to=20 encourage and console us, has established for us in this first week of = Great=20 Lent, on its first Sunday, a spiritual celebration, one most dear and = close to=20 our hearts - The Triumph of Orthodoxy.=20

This celebration was first performed in 842 in Constantinople in the = presence=20 of the Blessed Empress Theodora by His Holiness Patriarch Methodius in = memory of=20 the overthrow of the last terrible heresy to shake Christ's Church, the = heresy=20 of iconoclasm. But in this celebration the Holy Church marks the triumph = of the=20 holy Orthodox faith in general, her victory over all impious heresies, = false=20 teachings and schisms.=20

Our Lord Jesus Christ the Saviour founded His Church on earth so that = all=20 belonging to her could be saved, could elude the nets of the devil and = enter=20 into the Heavenly Kingdom prepared for them.=20

The devil exerted all his strength to overthrow and destroy the = Church of=20 Christ and, through this, to hinder the salvation of men, At first he = raised up=20 terrible persecutions against the Church on the part of the Jews and = pagans. For=20 almost three centuries the blood of Christian martyrs flowed without = ceasing.=20 But the devil did not succeed in his task. The blood of the martyrs, = according=20 to the apt statement of the Christian apologist Tertullian, became the = seeds of=20 Christians. Christianity triumphed over its persecutors. The meek lambs = of=20 Christ's flock transformed the wolf-like rage of their persecutors into=20 lamb-like meekness.=20

But the devil did not resist after the defeat he suffered at the = hands of the=20 martyrs .When the Church of Christ triumphed in the world he raised up a = new,=20 even more dangerous persecution against her: from within the Church, as = the Holy=20 Apostle Paul had foretold in his conversation with the Ephesian = presbyters: "men=20 arose speaking perverse things". Paul called such men grievous wolves. = [Acts 20:29,30]. These were so-called heretics who = tried to=20 pervert the true teaching of Christ concerning faith and piety in order = to make=20 this teaching ineffective for men.=20

When this happened, the Holy Church, in the person of its best = servants, took=20 up arms against these heretics in order to defend its true, undistorted=20 teaching. There began to be convoked first local and then ecumenical = councils.=20 Bishops came together from all the corners of the earth and through the = Holy=20 Spirit they gave voice to the pure and undistorted Truth, following the = example=20 of the First Apostolic Council of Jerusalem [Acts = 15:6-29].=20 They also cut off heretics from the Church and anathematized them.=20

This was in according with the clear commandment of Our Lord Jesus = Christ=20 Himself who said, If he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee = as a=20 heathen man and a publican. [Matthew 18:17]. And = in=20 accordance with the commandment of the Holy Apostle Paul, that great = apostle to=20 the nations who said, But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any = other=20 gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be = accursed=20 [Galatians 1:8]. And in another place he states: = If any man=20 love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. Maranatha [I=20 Cor. 16:22].=20

Thus our moving, majestic and solemn Rite of ORTHOD0XY takes its = beginning=20 from our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and from his great Apostle, called by = Him to=20 be the apostle to the nations, i.e. of the whole pagan world.=20

From the ninth century on the Holy Church has established that this = rite=20 should be served on the first Sunday of Holy Great Lent and that it be = named=20 Orthodox Sunday. The rite, brothers and sisters, is particularly = important and=20 significant in the evil times we are experiencing, times in which the = Orthodox :=20 faith is wavering and shaking.=20

This wavering and shaking of the Orthodox faith is due to those very = persons=20 who ought to be strengthening and supporting it in the souls of the = faithful.=20 Those who should be pillars of Holy Orthodoxy high ranking hierarchs = including=20 the heads of certain Local Churches are departing from the Truth of H0LY = ORTHODOXY. It is terrible to have to say that even the head of the=20 Constantinopolitan Church, which is known as the Ecumenical Church, the = man=20 considered to be the first hierarch of all ORTHODOXY, has set out this = path! On=20 all of this there undoubtedly lies the print of the Apostasy about which = the=20 Holy Apostle Paul foretold [II Thess. 2:3] the = apostasy of=20 Christians from Christ.=20

We are now face to face with this Apostasy.The major threat to true = Christian=20 faith, the Orthodox faith, is the so called "Ecumenical Movement", = headed by=20 what is known as the "World Council of Churches", a body which denies = the=20 doctrine of the unity and infallibility of the True Church of Christ and = attempts to create from all the presently existing and distorted the = faith, a=20 new false Church which, from our point of view, will without any doubt = be the=20 Church of Antichrist, that false church which the Antichrist, whose = coming is=20 now being rapidly prepared in the world, will head.=20

From the teaching of the Word of God and the Holy Fathers of the = Church we=20 know that the Antichrist will be both the religious and political leader = of all=20 humanity: he will stand at the head of a new universal false church = which the=20 Antichrist, whose coming is now being rapidly prepared in the world, = will head.=20 From the teaching of the Word of God and the Holy Fathers of the Church, = we know=20 that the Antichrist will be both the religious and political leader of = all=20 humanity: he will stand at the head of the new universal false Church; = he will=20 also be the director of one new world government and will attempt to = submit all=20 to his absolute power.=20

The Orthodox faith =94 this is the faith of the Apostles, the faith = of the=20 Fathers, it is that faith which the Apostolic Fathers, the direct = disciples of=20 the Holy Apostles, and the Holy Fathers and Teachers of the Church and = their=20 lawful successors, established by the Holy Spirit, interpreted for us in = their=20 marvellous and inspired writings.=20

Brothers and sisters, we must hold this faith steadfastly if we = desire=20 eternal salvation!=20

Now we shall perform with you this deeply instructive, moving and = highly=20 solemn rite which consists of two parts: the first part is the prayer of = the=20 Holy Church for all those who have gone astray or fallen away from the = true=20 Orthodox faith; in the second part the Holy Church pronounces dread = anathema=20 against all false teachers, heretics and schismatics who have grown = stubborn in=20 their malice and who do not wish to reunite with the true Church of = Christ but=20 instead struggle against her.=20

Then we shall sing Eternal Memory for all departed defenders of Holy=20 Orthodoxy and Many Years for those defenders of the Holy Orthodox faith = and=20 Church who are still among the living.=20

Amen.=20

Sunday Of Orthodoxy 1971