Orthodixie

Just when you thought it was safe to head back to Mass — or even go back in the water — here come the Priestesses!

Nine women, including one Canadian and one American, plan to defy the Vatican and become the first female Roman Catholic priests and deacons ordained in North America during a ceremony on a boat on the St. Lawrence River next month.

You can click H E R E to read the whole story. Here’s the sentence I liked best:

The ceremony, which is not sanctioned by the Vatican …

Really? Please.

“I only have my faith and my hope and what the global scene says to me that I believe it’s time to take this step,” said former nun Michele Birch-Conery, 65 …”

The global scene? Wait. There’s more …

But, two of the women, Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger of Austria and Gisela Forster of Germany, were later secretly ordained as bishops by their male counterparts in the Roman Catholic church, insists Birch-Conery. The two women bishops will perform the St. Lawrence ordinations.

The following piece (apologies in advance) was written almost 20 years ago when the Episcopalians were to consecrate their first female “bishop”.

BA – A – AD THEOLOGY

It was a gorgeous day. It was a gorgeous day for a consecration. The pasture was green … very green. Pentecost? No one even looked over the fence to see … well, you know. This was it. History in the making. FINALLY. The Church was back to its very roots. It all started here. Yet, for centuries, it had gone astray. Now, justification.

The bishop-to-be was nervous. Wouldn’t you be? History. This was a first. It was like a first step, a first kiss, a first love, a first … well, to put it bluntly: It almost seemed sinful. Everyone in attendance was excited. The air was a buzz. What was that smell? Incense. It must have been incense. Yet the aroma of the pasture was pungent.

Sheep. Many sheep were present. They anxiously awaited the moment. Most had waited a long, long, time for this. There had been fighting. The battle was long. In the end, the participants were few. But they were committed. Now was the time. And …

There she was! Her fleece seemed white as snow. In many ways she looked almost male. Almost like Him. Almost. It was almost heaven! This was it. This was what they had come to see. History. Make that Herstory. Finally, a sheep becomes a bishop. Wasn’t it about time? There was a great debate over what to call the new bishop. Yet all in support wanted to use their own language. Thus, it was settled.

They simply called her “Ba – Ba”.

Things would be different now. In fact, they already were! The beauty, the historical moment, the buzz, and the aroma totally drowned out the message that was to be found on the other side of the fence: “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing” (Mt 7:15).

During Ba-Ba’s first public address she stressed the value of sheep liberation.

“For far too long men have treated us as chattel. Was Abel not a shepherd? Was David not a shepherd? Were the shepherds not shepherds? Was He not a shepherd? For years our blood has been shed for man’s sin. Does not the Old Book say, ‘Smite the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered?’ Well, this is a new day. We are neither smitten or scattered. We are one, slain only in the spirit. Thanks be to our God!”

And the crowd was feverish with adoration of their new spiritual head. Certainly she knew their pain better than any other creature. Some started to shout, “Behold the Lamb!”

“My people, I implore you … Who do they say that I am? Before you answer, let me quote some scripture: ‘How much then is a man better than sheep?’ Now, I ask you, is there any difference in the eyes of God? Does God distinguish between creatures? Well of course not! Not my God!” [She said sheepishly.]

They had waited for centuries to hear this. Just as He was a revelation and a manifestation, truly this creature before them was also qualified. It was time to re-write the Faith, the Faith of Inclusion.

“Just as Abel was a keeper of sheep — I, a sheep, am a much abler keeper.”

They all laughed. They loved her way with words, her sense of humour and vigor. In her, there was no doubt. She was certainly qualified.

“In the past, many were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. I promise you, this will not happen with the advent of sheep spirituality. For far too long our gifts have been overlooked. ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?’ Yes my friends, we have been treated as chattel. We too have a cause. We too have a purpose. We too have a God. Thus, we too have a calling! Some claim to be washed in the blood. It is our calling to rise up and show them what is in the blood they are washed in. Throughout the ages we have borne the burden of the sins of men. No more! We are witnesses today of the evolution of the Spirit.”

Some present — mimicking Abba, Father — started chanting, “Ba-Ba, Mother”. There was much laughter. It was a gay time. No more penitential worship of an imposing deity. The future was now. And all supposed that God, the Lamb, looked on in extreme pleasure.

Orthodox Priest in Charleston is uninvited to give the benediction at the Medical University of South Carolina.

An unfortunate sign of the times.

by Mary Catherine Huneycutt (age 10)

I walked inside from a cold but enjoyable walk. To my surprise, there was a sticky note on the watermelon on the counter. I read it and automatically understood. My Dad prepared a “scavenger hunt” for me. It was a great start too. The first sticky note said, “Go to a place you look every day, many times.” I walked back to my room, not knowing what awaited me.

As I entered my room, I looked all around. I glanced in the mirror and saw the second clue. It all fit perfectly! A place that I look, many times each day: my mirror! I looked very closely and read the second clue. It said: “Go to the most published book in the world. Ever.” As I walked toward the living room (where most books are) I figured out the book … the Bible!

When I reached the living room I spotted my next clue above a Bible. This clue read: “Go to Proverbs under your saint.” So I picked up the Bible, went to the book of Proverbs and looked for something about my [patron] saint. I found nothing. I sat down in the recliner and read that clue at least 10 more times. The last time I read it I finally understood. The clue meant: “Go to Proverbs in the Bible in your room that is under [the icon of] your saint!” I rushed back to my room for the Bible.

I quickly got the Bible as soon as I walked into my room. I opened the front cover and found my assignment. It was: “Read through the book of Proverbs; list 5 favorite verses”. It was my first scavenger hunt and I finally understood how it worked. I think it was a great idea.

In the end I ended up having to ask Dad if I had to read the whole book of Proverbs and he said “No”. That was a big relief! Here are my favorite verses from the book of Proverbs. Thanks Dad! The scavenger hunt was great!

1:15 — My son, do not walk in the way with them, hold back your foot from their paths.

3:3 — Let not loyalty and faithlessness forsake you; bind them about your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

3:11 — My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof.

6:12 — A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech.

26:1 — Like snow in the summer or rain in the harvest, so honour is not fitting for a fool.

____________________________________

Dad’s addendum …

I asked Mary Catherine why she chose those verses and she said they were ones she could understand. 🙂

When I was growing up I often found myself poking around in Proverbs. The pithy sayings were perfect for my leisure Bible reading. Besides, having gotten stalled out on the “Begats” after Genesis & Moses, what’s a kid to do?

In the spirit of the hunt, here’s some of my [current] favorites from Proverbs:

1:7 — The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

2:6-8 — For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and preserving the way of his saints.

3:5 — Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.

3:9-10 — Honor the LORD with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

3:13-14 — Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding, for the gain from it is better than gain from silver and its profit better than gold.

6:16-19 — There are six things which the LORD hates, seven which are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and a man who sows discord among brothers.

9:8 — Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

10:17 — He who heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof goes astray.

10:24 — What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.

11:22 — Like a gold ring in a swine’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.

12:1 — Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

12:15-16 — The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent man ignores an insult.

12:19 — Truthful lips endure for ever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

13:1 — A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

13:11 — Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but he who gathers little by little will increase it.

13:24 — He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

15:16-17 — Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it.

16:2-3 — All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

17:1 — Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.

17:10 — A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.

17:24 — A man of understanding sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

17:28 — Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

18:2 — A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

18:17 — He who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.

18:22 — He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD.

19:18 — Discipline your son while there is hope; do not set your heart on his destruction.

20:3 — It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife; but every fool will be quarreling.

20:19 — He who goes about gossiping reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with one who speaks foolishly.

20:22 — Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the LORD, and he will help you.

21:9 — It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

21:13 — He who closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself cry out and not be heard.

21:26 — All day long the wicked covets, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.

22:3 — A prudent man sees danger and hides himself; but the simple go on, and suffer for it.

22:6 — Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

24:17-18 — Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the LORD see it, and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.

26:7 — Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

28:14 — Blessed is the man who fears the LORD always; but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

29:11 — A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

29:15,17 — The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.

You can scavenge your own Proverbs H E R E.

Much is being made these days of Pope Benedict’s dream for Church unity — West & East, Catholic & Orthodox. Many may ask: What happened to the unity of the Church? Was it ever united?

There are currently over 2,600 Christian groups in North America — all claiming, in one way or another, to be “the Church”. So, instead of studying the “Church of What’s Happening Now”, we must look back to the “Church of What Actually Happened” for clues, answers, the truth.

The Church originated with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Scripture tells us that on the day of Pentecost, fifty days after the Lord’s Resurrection, some 3000 souls were baptized into the Kingdom. The Faith soon spread throughout Judea, to Samaria, Antioch and the Gentiles. Within a few years after the Resurrection, there were Christian communities sprouting up all over the Roman Empire. This period of the Church’s history is recorded in the Acts and Epistles of the Apostles.

Then what? What happened to the Church after it leapt off the pages of Holy Scripture into the second century and beyond?

Persecution. For nearly 300 years the early Christians were seen as a threat to the religion and politics of the Empire. Thousands were murdered — martyred — for the Faith.

In the year 313, the Emporer Constantine granted Christians freedom of worship. Not only did this signal the end of the persecutions, it showed that the Church had survived to become, and continue to be, a significant force in the Empire.

During the next six centuries the Church determined and authorized the content of the New Testament, formalized the framework of the worship services, saw the development of theology and doctrine by great pastors and theologians known as the “Fathers” of the Church. It was also during this period that Saints Cyril and Methodius exported the Faith to the Slavs (Russia).

The fourth through the tenth centuries were also a time of struggle. The Byzantine Empire was on continual “red alert” against the Persians and Muslims. There were also many grave heresies within the Church. The greatest of these was the heresy of Arianism which taught that Christ was not truly God. This wind of error swept through the Church for centuries and is even present in some “denominations” to this day.

To battle such erroneous teachings, the Church convened councils. It was during what’s known as the Seven Ecumenical Councils that the Church, by way of refuting the heretics, also proclaimed and defended the fundamental doctrines of the Faith. Bishops from around the world gathered at these councils to affirm the authentic teachings on the Incarnation and the Holy Trinity. Instead of creating new teachings, these gatherings proclaimed what the Church always believed and taught. The conciliar spirit and collegiality expressed within these authoritative gatherings are an important aspect of Orthodoxy. Five cities were sanctioned as centers of Church organization: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. Each center had its own theological style, customs, and liturgical traditions. Yet they all shared in the unity of the Faith.

THE GREAT SCHISM

The splitting of the Church into Western (Roman Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox) which took place in the year 1054 is known as the “Great Schism“. There were many factors — political, doctrinal, economic and cultural — that fueled the division. However, two issues emerged above all others: Papal supremacy, and an addition to the Creed.

The addition to the Creed, known as the Filioque (Latin for “and the Son”) affirms that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Unlike the Creed which was authenticated and affirmed by two Ecumenical Councils (Nicea in 325 & Constantinople in 381), the Filioque was added at a local council in Spain in the year 589. The King, Reccared, claimed that “the Holy Spirit also should be confessed by us and taught to proceed from the Father and the Son”. Although Kind Reccared may have meant well, his addition was not in accord with the Apostolic teaching about the Holy Spirit. The local Spanish council unfortunately agreed with his erroneous proposal.

For the East, this unilateral action (noted above and over the centuries repeated in various regions) was seen as a flagrant violation of the conciliar collegiality that was manifest and maintained by the Ecumenical Councils. It represented a major departure from the Orthodox doctrine of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. [For more on the Filoque controversy go HERE.]

The other major issue that finally brought about the Great Schism was the superior claims of control and power by the bishop of Rome. Although the bishop of Rome had always been viewed as “first among equals”, he began to assert more and more unilateral and authoritarian control upon the rest of the Church. The ultimate “slap in the face” came in the year 1054 when a Cardinal, sent by the Pope, slapped a document of excommunication on the altar of the Church of Holy Wisdom in Constantinople during the Sunday worship! From then on the Western Church, centered about the Pope of Rome, and the Eastern Church, centered about the Patriarch of Constantinople, went their separate ways.

Although attempts were made in the years 1274 and 1439 to restore unity, no lasting communion was achieved. For certain, there are many factors — political, cultural, and emotional — that are involved in the continued separation of the East and West. However, the Orthodox Church believes that the two main reasons for the continued schism are the papal claims of universal jurisdiction and infallibility, as well as the addition and meaning of the Filioque to the Creed.

The centuries that followed the Great Schism saw the Western Church embroiled in the Protestant Reformation and the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation. The Church of Rome became increasingly bogged down in political and theological problems. Martin Luther inadvertently ushered in the Reformation with his famous Ninety-Five Thesis. Though not his intention, his actions ultimately resulted in the Protestant body known as Lutherans. Hundreds of others across Western Europe also sought reform with the Church of Rome. The Reformation soon spread like a wild fire throughout the West. The Western Church’s artificial unity was replaced by massive division.

There was also trouble raging across the way in England. Henry the VIII, in the midst of marital problems, decided to replace the Pope of Rome with himself as the head of the Church. Soon, the English Church would also be torn apart by division.

Some of these Protestant bodies, such as the Lutherans and Anglicans, held on to basic forms of Liturgy and Sacraments. Others, such as the Anabaptists and their descendents rejected many biblical ideas of hierarchy, sacrament, historic tradition, and other elements of Christian practice — regardless of when and where they appeared in history — thinking that in so doing they were freeing themselves from Roman Catholicism.

Thus, even though Protestantism and Roman Catholicism can each claim to have retained portions of foundational Christianity — neither group can lay historic claim to being the one true Church of the New Testament.

We should all rejoice that steps are being made to reconcile differences and to heal this breach. Yet we must also be realistic. After centuries of separation, the way toward unity will not be an easy one. I am reminded of an old Anglican prayer: “Lord, revive Thy Church …beginning with me.” If each us start there — with ourselves, working out our own salvation with fear & trembling — the path toward unity will seem much more God-pleasing. There’s much good we can all do together in the meantime. The rest is on God’s time.

For a timeline of Church History, go H E R E.

For further views on Primacy, Unity & Ecclesiology, go H E R E.