“Everything in the Church must be heavenly.”
“In truth the church is an earthly heaven, where God’s altar is, where the awesome Mysteries are celebrated, where the Angels minister with men, where there is uninterrupted glorification of the Almighty – there heaven truly is, and the heaven of heavens.” –St. John of Krodstadt
“In church, everything is different: there one’s particular world is not earthly, but heavenly; there one’s rules, customs, one’s regulations and customs are prescribed by the church order. And he who loves the church, for whom it is the way to heavenly sanctity, such a one must know all this, and, if he does not know it, he must strive to learn it.”
“And so, see the characteristic sign of our times: the true Church of Christ with her preaching of the spiritual life must needs be abolished, and exchanged for a certain false likeness, one with exclusively worldly working principles, aims and tasks.
But isn’t such a mentality the very clearest sign of the approach of that dread time, of which the Saviour and Lord spoke: “When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)? Already many have no faith in God, no faith in Christ and no faith in the Church; and in the place devoid of faith, they set up other idols, among which the proponents of the new “false Church” have the idol of “organization” and that of “administration.” But why, and what for, if the most important thing, faith, is not there, if it is unknown?
“Organization” and “administration,” without real faith, without a genuine spiritual life, are but a body without a soul, a dead, lifeless corpse!”
Archbishop Averky was a righteous shepherd of the 20th century who served as Abbot of the Holy Trinity Monastery and Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY. He was spiritual son of the great 20th century theologian and holy hierarch, Archbishop Theophan of Poltava, Russia, who himself was a disciple of St. Theophan the Recluse, and therefore is a living link in America to the Faith of Pre-Revolutionary Russia. Archbishop Averky was so esteemed that before his repose, St. John Maximovitch told Fr. Seraphim Rose that if he had any theological questions to ask Archbishop Averky. The honorable Archbishop reposed in 1976 and his relics lie in a small chapel for veneration at Holy Trinity Monastery.
This channel is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!
Thank you for the upload again. God bless!
Thank you for these Godly words of the right-confessing blessed hierarch, Abp Averky of Jordanville. It saddens me that we've thrown away these things pertaining to modesty in the parish. Few women wear the head scarf, the majority are in pants, skirts when worn are often immodestly short, bare arms are showing, nobody pays any attention to the custom of men standing on one side and women on the other. Others wear sneakers and tees, far from what can be reasonably called their "Sunday best" (they are not poor); in summer, the boys regularly wear shorts. And the priest does not dare speak against any of it. If such essential tenets of modesty and respect in God's house is no longer being adhered to, how am I supposed to hold out the hope that Orthodox Christianity prevails over the world???
I'm not saying that the dress and decorum of us laity is everything, but it's speaking volumes nonetheless…
The Archbishop is right …
At 15:18, I think you made an error , it should read "If therefore thou shalt not watch…" , Revelation 3:3. I didn't hear the word 'not' before the word 'watch'.
OUTSTANDING! ☺👍
as one of our priests adresses these issues about to apropriate behaviour in church he was mocked, but he stood strong and then our first priest joined him and now it became somehow better. Truth makes a hard way to life.
I'm no Eastern Orthodox Christian but I've attended the Divine Liturgy services on Sunday mornings and my question is this. How one should dress properly in order to attend the Divine Liturgy? I've attended the Divine Liturgy service on Sunday and I wore khaki shorts and a polo shirt during the summer and I didn't recall anyone complaining towards me.
If few others are wearing suits will I distract them if I do? I don't want to cause a distraction but how can I stand under Christos Pantokrator wearing less than my best?
I always get a strong urge to ask for Archbishop Averky's prayers, even though he is technically not a saint. I really wish he were.
Thank you for your time and effort creating this faith strengthening content.
Amen, Amen, Amen. Lord have mercy . Christ is in our midst !
God bless you and thank you keep making these!!!💞