New York, April 2, 2020
Photo: pravoslavie.ru
Those clergy and laymen who, out of a zeal not according to knowledge, are disobeying the directives of their hierarchs and local authorities during this time of pandemic risk causing unforeseen consequences both on a parish and a wider-community scale, writes His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, in a new letter to his flock, published on the official ROCOR website.
Met. Hilarion notes the sad reality that in many places, Church services have been prohibited altogether, or perhaps continue with the priest and small number of servers and possibly a limited number of parishioners. However, he rejoices that so many parishes are using modern technology to support their flocks through holding spiritual talks and livestreaming services.
“I am sure that such a creative approach strengthens the unity among people who together endure these difficult circumstances, and will bring good fruit in the future. In general, any positive examples in such complicated situations, when new methods of preaching and pastoral nourishment are discovered, are always inspiring and instructive,” His Eminence writes.
“Unfortunately,” Met. Hilarion continues, “we also hear of sorrowful instances of insubordination not only to local authorities, but also to the ruling bishops.”
“Such behavior on the part of the clergy and lay parish officers is completely irresponsible and involves risk not only to the physical health of our neighbors, but also to our relationships with these communities and to parish property,” the First Hierarch notes.
“Tempting God and man” in this way, they risk legal trouble for their parishes, and, moreover, “they irreparably damage their relationships with those around them, sowing in them doubts toward Christ’s Church, whose members must serve as an example.”
Such zeal not according to knowledge (Rom. 10:2) could even cause problems within parish communities themselves, Met. Hilarion laments.
Quoting the holy Apostle Peter: Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time; casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you (I Peter 5:6-7), His Eminence calls upon his clergy and laity to adhere to all precautionary measures issued by the local authorities and the instructions issued by the hierarchs.
He also calls upon his flock to increase its prayer, fasting, reading, and salvific contemplation during this time.
His message concludes:
Perhaps before we did not sufficiently treasure the opportunity to pray in church, missing the divine services through our laziness and carelessness, or were so swallowed up by our affairs that we practically never saw our families, never prayed, never read anything of spiritual value, never prepared for the feasts, and never observed the fasts. General quarantine is a gift from God, which drives man into the depths of himself, forcing him to reexamine his attitude toward life, to think and to care about what is most important. Let every one of us make use of this blessed opportunity, at midnight on the Glorious Pascha night, to say to our own heart: “Christ is Risen,” and to hear from it that sweetest reply: “Indeed He is Risen.”
