The Agony of the Church (1917)
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Nikolaj Velimirovic >> The Agony of the Church (1917)
The Church of the East excommunicated thousands of those who crossed
themselves with two fingers instead of using three fingers. The Church
of the West burnt thousands of those who did not recognise the papal
organisation of the Church as the only ark of salvation. Yet there is
rarely to be found in the Church annals an excommunication on the ground
of chauvinism or brutal egoism. No one of the world conquerors--neither
Napoleon nor Kaiser William--have been excommunicated by the Church. It
signifies an extreme decadence of the Church. And this decadence
penetrates and dominates our own time. Speaking on the reunion of the
Churches the peoples of the East are anxious to know--not whether the
Church of the West has preserved the unmixed Christian spirit in its
integrity, but whether this Church still keeps Filioque as a dogma, and
whether she has ikons, and whether she allows eggs and milk in Lent. And
the people of the West are anxious to know whether the Eastern Church
has a screen quite different from their own screen at the altar, and
whether she has been always tenaciously exclusive in teaching, worship
and organisation. Who of us and of you asks about the integrity of the
Christian spirit? If St Paul were amongst us he would ridicule our
controversies on Filioque and all the trifles concerning Church
organisation and the external expressions of Christianity. He would ask:
What happened with the spirit he preached? What happened with this
spirit which excommunicated de facto the Jewish narrow Patriotism and
the Roman Imperialism? Have we still this exclusive spirit which moved
the world effecting the greatest revolution in History? I am sure he
would have to repeat with good reasons to every Church and to everyone
of us: "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His."
Well, we must come again to this source of Christian strength and
greatness, which is Christ's spirit. A new revival, yea, regeneration of
Christianity, could be possible only in a united Christian Church; and
the union of the Church is possible only upon the ground of the
primitive Church, which was inclusive in teaching, worship and
organisation, but exclusive in spirit. On the day when we all exclude
from ourselves the Jewish and Greek and Roman spirit, and retain only
the pure Christian spirit, we shall be at once ready to include each
other's Church into one body, into one Christianity. We must be clear
about it, and we must confess that the divisions of the church are due
to the invasion of a foreign spirit, an unclean spirit, into the Church.
When the Church cleanses herself from this foreign unclean spirit she
will be victorious over herself, and from this victory to the ultimate
victory of Christianity over our planet will be a very short distance.
ECCLESIA TRIUMPHANS
How can the church get her past strength again and triumph over the evil
inside and outside her walls?
If she were united she could get it by waiting for the ruin of
Europe--i.e. of a house which is divided in itself--which is not very
far off. But she the Church--is divided too. She is fighting with and
for the European parties, and against herself. Consequently, in waiting
for the ruin of Europe she is waiting for her own ruin. Therefore she
must make up her mind lest it is too late. Horribile dictu--she must
start a dramatic movement in order to get her soul back.
First of all she must become again a heresy towards Europe and European
secular, antidivine civilisation, just as she was a heresy towards the
theocratic Israel and semi-theocratic Greece and Rome. Theoretically,
she must stick to Theocracy, historically, to Christocracy, and
practically to Sanctocracy. She must loose herself from all the chains
binding her either to the chariot of any dynasty or of any oligarch or
president, or whatever political denomination it may be, and insist upon
the Holy Wisdom to lead humanity. It ought to be absolutely indifferent
to the Church what political denomination, or social creed, or
institutional shape a human society shall have as long as this is
founded upon any other ideal but saintliness. The Church ought to know
only two denominations--politics and social life, inter-human as well as
international and inter racial-racial relations in trade and business,
in education and family life--i.e. saintliness and unsaintliness. If you
ask what saintliness ought to mean, Christianity has not to argue but to
show you the saintliness in the flesh. Christ the saintly Lord, St Paul
and St John, Polycarp and Leo, Patrick and Francis, Sergius and Zosim,
St Theresa and hundreds of other saints. And if somebody thinks still
that a few thousands of Christian saints are not a sufficient argument
to show that saintliness is practicable, then the Church has still not
to give her ideal up and to take as her ideal thousands of great and
small Napoleons and Bismarcks, and Goethes and Spencers, or Medics and
Cromwells or Kaisers and Kings--no, in the latter case it would be much
nicer for the Church to point out the saintly men outside of Christian
walls, like St Hermes and St Pythagoras, or St Krishna and St Buddha, or
St Lao-Tse and St Confucius, or St Zoroaster and St Abu-Bekr. Better
even is unbaptised saintliness than baptised earthliness.
Saintliness includes goodness and sacrifice, and excludes all the
earthly impure spirits of selfishness, pride, quarrels and conquests.
Therefore, when the Church returns to her fundamental ideal, she will
return to her elementary simplicity in which she was so powerful as to
move mountains and empires and hearts at the beginning of her history.
That is what the world needs now just as much as it needs air and
light, i.e. an elementary spiritual power by which it could be moved,
cleared up, purified and brought out of its chaos to a solid and
beautiful construction.
HOLY CHURCH IN HOLY EUROPE
Europe has been eclipsed because her Church--her soul--has been
eclipsed; the Church has been eclipsed because her principal ideal has
been eclipsed. The principal ideal of the Church is saintliness. This
ideal, plunged down into darkness like a sun into ashes, must come out
again to illuminate the Church and Europe. Europe has tried all the ways
but the way of the Church, the European Church has tried all the ways
but the way of Christ. Well, then, Europe must try the only way left,
which is saintliness. The Church must give an example to Europe.
Europe has been materialistic, heroic, scientific, imperialistic,
technical, secular. At last she has to be holy. Whatever she has been,
she has been unhappy and restless, and brutal and criminal, unjust and
gluttonous. Soldiers and traders, despots and robbers, popes and kings,
gluttons and harlots, have ruled Europe, but not yet the saints, the
holy wizards. The Church's duty has been to provide Europe with such
holy wizards. She has failed because she has been obscured by Europe, as
a fine soul often is obscured by a heavy and greedy body. The body, one
thought, the soul, another, until their thought became one and the same,
i.e. the bodily thought. Now, after a bitter experience, the soul must
come to its rights. Europe and Europe's Church have not henceforth to
think two different thoughts, but one and the same, and this one thought
has not to be a bodily one but a spiritual one. The aim of the Church as
well as of Europe has to be God, Christ, saintliness. If this thing is
given to the Church and Europe, everything else will be easily given. A
Holy Church in Holy Europe!
A holy Europe only can be a missionary Europe. No other mission has
Europe on other continents but a Christian one. It was an illusion to
speak about Europe's mission in the wide world without Christ. Well, but
only a Christlike people can be a missionary of Christ. How could an
unholy Europe preach the Holy One?
Do you think that the Arabs, who gave Europe knowledge, are expecting
from Europe knowledge? No, they expect Europe's goodwill.
Or do you think that India, whose history is a history of saints, is
anxious to accept German materialistic science, individual philosophy,
and a destructive and shallow theology? No, they expect from Europe more
saintliness than they have had in their history. And that is just very
difficult for Europe to give them.
Or do you think that Chino-Japanese civilisation has anything worth
mentioning to borrow from Europe but Christian ideals? No, nothing that
could make them happier than they have been.
Well then, let Europe kill her pride and self-conceit in this war and
become humble and meek. The Church ought to give an example to secular
Europe: an example of humility, goodness, sacrifice--saintliness.
But which of the Churches ought to give this example for the salvation
of Europe and of the world? Yours, if you like. Why not just your
Anglican Church? But whichever undertakes to lead the way will be the
most glorious Church. For she will lead the whole Church and through the
Church Europe and through Europe the whole world to holiness and
victory, to God and His Kingdom.