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Christ is in our midst, my dear readers!
But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil (Matt. 5:37).
We are often asked to judge people based on a beautiful story: a person resisted, was broken, and now we are supposed to feel sorry for them. But the Gospel teaches us to look not at the story, but at the fruits: Ye shall know them by their fruits (Matt. 7:16). Let us consider a case that is much discussed today—that of Patriarch Bartholomew, who was “under pressure from Poroshenko.”
Let us begin with the patriarch who yielded to pressure. According to some media reports, the desire for revenge or financial gain, as well as fear for one’s position, is understandable, and showing mercy toward human weakness is not a sin. But let us remember the difference between Peter and Pilate. Both gave in to pressure. Peter denied Christ, went outside, and wept bitterly, while Pilate washed his hands and remained satisfied with himself.
Yielding under pressure is a fall, but a fall is not yet a final condemnation. That begins when what was forced upon a person becomes something he willingly chooses. When the pressure has disappeared, yet the person continues to support what was created through coercion and silently approves of those who persecute people who disagree with the newly established order, he is no longer a victim of circumstances but a willing accomplice.
Silence in the face of another person’s suffering is not neutral, for it is written: Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (Jas 4:17).
And if, at the same time, that person allows himself to be portrayed as a hero, while his subordinates call upon those who have been humiliated to come them in repentance, then hypocrisy is added to weakness.
Yet the primary blame lies with those who exerted the pressure. To coerce a person’s conscience is to violate the image of God within him. But to say that “the elites have changed” is not to say that “the sin has been atoned for.” Those in power come and go, but responsibility remains. The worthy man is not the one who embraces an evil legacy as his own, but the one who repudiates it. If the new masters continue the work of their predecessors, they share in their guilt.
And what of this undertaking itself? “Chimera” is an apt image here: something stitched together from incompatible parts, born not of prayer and truth, but of calculation and coercion. Every undertaking must be judged by its origins and its fruits. If it is sustained by the support of those in power and the persecution of dissenters, its fruit is evil, however beautifully it may be described. Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil (Is. 5:20).
Particularly grave is the responsibility of those who undertake to support this “initiative.” A media outlet that calls itself a defender of the purity of the faith and a champion against injustice assumes a special duty: to be the voice of those who have no voice. But if, whether through malice or negligence, it fashions the image of a benefactor out of someone whose silence wounds those who have suffered injustice, it is no longer serving the truth, but an image.
Acting in ignorance may mitigate guilt, but it does not absolve one of it; whoever claims the right to tell people the truth is obliged to verify it. And whoever knows the truth but remains silent is doubly deceitful. And what if he deliberately distorts the facts…?
The Lord warns: Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! (Luke 6:26). But woe also to him who orchestrates such praise.
Finally, let us speak of those for whose sake all this is being said: the faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. They deserve compassion and protection, and we who hear of their plight must not remain indifferent. Yet they, too, have been given a commandment: Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21).
Let us not allow resentment to make us like those who have wronged us, nor allow ourselves to be lulled into complacency by an attractive image. For this very reason, the way back remains open even to the one who has stumbled. He need only say “no” to what he was once compelled to say “yes” to, and stand up in defense of the persecuted. This is what repentance means: not mere words, but a change of course.
As for us, we are commanded to remain spiritually vigilant, to verify what we hear, and not to place our trust in those who trade in appearances.
O Lord, grant us the courage to say “yes” where yes is called for, and “no” where no is called for, and never to seek, for the sake of our own peace of mind, either the glory of others or glory for ourselves.
