Holy Metropolis of Kythera: The Sunday message

To

The Holy Clergy and Christonymos Laon of our Holy Metropolis Kythira and Antikythira

«What kind of mourning should we undertake in order to be deemed worthy of beatitude?…When we mourn for our sins—that is, for our offense against God, because by transgressing the Divine Law one offends God— or because some are in danger from sin» («A soul that sins is condemned to death,» according to the Prophet Ezekiel).

(St. Basil, *Horoi kat’ epitome*, EPE 9, 234–236)

My dear brothers and fellow ministers,

My Christian brothers, my beloved children in the Lord,

Blessed, godly in mourning, peaceful, and abundant in the fruits of repentance is the Holy and Great Lent.

We have called the preparatory period of the Holy Triduum (from the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee to the Sunday of Tyre) in our Pastoral Encyclical, at the beginning of the Holy Triodion, in light of the unopposed passage of the anti-Christian and unconstitutional bill regarding the so-called ’same-sex marriage,« a union that is unnatural and abhorrent to God from a Christian perspective. An indelible disgrace for our Greek Orthodox homeland, the Land of Saints and Heroes, the first Orthodox Nation, which succumbed to the dictates of the »new era« and the »new world order.«.

We await the immediate convening of our Supreme Ecclesiastical Authority, the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy of the Church of Greece, as stated during its previous extraordinary session convened to address this most critical issue, if the legislators had proceeded with this spiritually ill-advised step, which was carried out without hesitation. Instead of this (convocation), the Permanent Holy Synod, acting by authorization of the Hierarchy, has decided for the time being not to celebrate this year, in a festive manner, the ecclesiastical anniversary of Orthodoxy Sunday, in accordance with the established tradition, due to the aforementioned tragic events, a decision that found a favorable response in the heavy hearts of our Christians.

For the time being, the prevailing view is that «the matters should first be resolved,» first, and then for the Sovereign Body of the Hierarchy to convene to take the appropriate measures, in response to the rapid developments on this matter. And it is our duty to act with spiritual discernment and the fear of God in a timely manner, proactively and defensively, before events overwhelm us. However, unfortunately, when we are faced with unprecedented and unheard-of events, when the «crime» has already taken place and moral lawlessness is running rampant, it is obvious that there is no longer any time for «maturation.».

When the Apostle Paul learned of the mortal sin of incest in Corinth, he condemned it most severely. (We quote the translation of the text: «It is generally reported that there is sexual immorality among you—and such sexual immorality as is not even found among the pagans —idolaters—where a man would have his father’s wife as his own.». He described them as proud and He rebuked them because they had not mourned properly for the removal of the incestuous man from their midst. He did not say to them: «Wait for me to come to you so that we may face that terrible sacrilege together and let the issue »mature’ the issue that had arisen until then, but what did he say to them?; «Though I am absent in body, I am present in spirit, I have already judged, as if I were present, the one who committed this act. Gather together in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, hand this man over to Satan, excommunicating him from the Church (ecclesiastical communion) until he repents sincerely, so that his body may be severely punished and he may come to his senses through this discipline, so that his soul may thus be saved on the day of Christ’s Second Coming.».Isn't the problem they've raised actually more acute from a spiritual perspective?;

But also Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, whom we mentioned in our previous Triodion Encyclical, found himself before Emperor Theodosius the Great, who wished for a Divine Liturgy to be celebrated in the Holy Church, where the saint was officiating, while his soul was weighed down by the unjust murder of thousands of Thessalonians in the stadium of Thessalonica, (following his own specific order), he did not allow him to attend church services or receive Holy Communion. He later admitted him to ecclesiastical and sacramental communion when he recognized his sincere repentance. Saint Ambrose, being fully aware of his personal episcopal responsibility and his sacred pastoral duty, of the canonical order and the Tradition of our Holy Orthodox Catholic Church, he acted in the case of His Eminence Theodosius in accordance with his episcopal conscience and not following a synodal decision, because both the episcopal duties, as well as the bishops’ obligations toward our Holy Synod, are clearly established and regulated by Scripture, Canon Law, and legal principles throughout the entire course of the 20 Christian centuries. And the powers of the Sovereign Body of our Most Holy Hierarchy are most clearly recorded and legally enshrined, as are the authorizations granted to the respective Permanent Holy Synod, which exercises the powers newly established for it in the Constitutional Charter of the Churchof Greece.

My dear brothers,

Since, as stated above, we have not yet been summoned to an extraordinary meeting of our Hierarchy, in accordance with the announcement made in our previous Encyclical (during Holy Trinity Week) to deprive our parliamentary representatives those from our electoral district who voted for the anti-Christian and unconstitutional bill in question, We designate our God-saved Prefecture of Kythira and Antikythira as the Holy and Greatand Holy and Great Week, which begins tomorrow, as a period of spiritual mourning. These two devotional seasons of our Church are, by their very nature, periods of spiritual mourning. However, for the additional reason mentioned above, Our spiritual mourning for our Holy Metropolis is deepening, so that we may comprehend the great calamity that is about to befall our Orthodox people, unless we repent in time.

Spiritual Mourning

What Is Spiritual Mourning, and How Does It Benefit Devout Christians? Three great Fathers of our Holy Church will tell us this: two from the 4th^no aion, Basil the Great and Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki on the 14th^no eternity.

1. Basil the Great

a) «Weep with those who mourn and weep.’ When you see your brother weeping over his sins, for which he is now repenting, weep with him and show compassion. For in this way, through the sufferings of others, you will be able to correct your own. For the one who shed warm tears over his neighbor’s sin, mourning for his brother, healed himself. Such was the one who said: »I was overcome with great sorrow when I saw sinners abandoning Your law« (Prophet David)ΐd). Why should you weep over sin? It is the sickness of the soul; it is the death of the immortal soul; this is worthy of mourning and unceasing lamentation. May many tears be shed for it, and may the sigh that rises from the depths of the heart never cease. The Apostle Paul wept for the enemies of the Cross of Christ. Jeremiah wept for those who were being lost from the people…Such tears and such mourning are blessed by the word of Christ,  and not the kind that is shed easily for every sorrow and comes all too readily to the eyes at every opportunity’ (E.P.E. 7,234).

b) «It is appropriate to feel distressed by what is happening, to mourn quietly over the sad events, and to express the mourning of your soul with thoughtfulness, modesty, and seriousness… But, after you let him cry out and lament in vain and to no avail, when his grief has eased and subsided somewhat, then with gentleness and meekness begin to comfort him… «It is beneficial, according to the wise Solomon, to visit a home where there is mourning, rather than a home where a banquet is being held and wine is being served,» provided, of course, that one uses words properly and gently to convey one’s own spiritual well-being, rather than being offended bygrief of others, just as those who approach patients suffering from such an illness are stung by their pain» (E.P.E. 7, 232–234).

c) «Let us, then, pray and raise this spiritual cry, seeking the great things, without concerning ourselves with the life of the flesh («for those who have given themselves over to the fleshly and worldly life cannot please God»), so that the Lord may hear us as well and have mercy on our weakness. And then, after we have received divine help, let us also say: «You have turned my mourning into joy». The joy of God is not born in just any soul, but if someone has wept deeply for his sin, with great lamentations and unceasing mourning, and has mourned deeply for himself as if he were dead, that person’s mourning is transformed into joy.» (St. Basil, Commentary on Psalm 19, E.P.E. 5,154–156).

2. Saint John Chrysostom

a) «Blessed are those who mourn»… And here he is not referring to people in general who are grieving, but to those who mourn for their sins· because the other is completely forbidden—that is, for someone to mourn over something worldly. This is what the Apostle Paul also taught when he said: «The sorrow caused by the world through sin results in spiritual death, whereas Godly sorrow brings about sincere repentance, which the sorrowful person will never regret and which brings salvation» (E.P.E. 9,470).

b) «Blessed are those who mourn»… Those who mourn for their sins. This commandment is the teacher of every philosophy. If you wish to find true comfort, mourn. God commands us let us also mourn for the sins of others» (E.P.E. 9, 470–472).

c) «He groaned, because You have grieved your Lord, »who is so gentle and kind” (E.P.E. 19, 148).

δ) «The Lord did not bless those who simply mourn, but those who let them mourn with contrition for their sins, », those who reflect on their own sins or even the sins of others" (E.P.E. 22, 28).

3. Saint Gregory Palamas

a) «Although cathartic mourning does not take place solely in the souls of those in distress, but also extends from it to the body and to the physical senses (and clear proof of this is the tears filled with sorrow of those who mourn for their sins), why should we not reverently acknowledge the evidence of the spiritual divine delight, which are manifested through the body’s senses that perceive them? What does the Lord also do? Does He not bless those who mourn for this very reason, because they will be comforted (Matt. 5:4)—that is, they will receive joy within themselves, the fruit of the Holy Spirit? But the body, too, partakes of this very comfort in many ways… the gentle disposition, the sweet tear, the grace-filled conversation with those who draw near to him…’ (E.P.E. 2, 184).

b) «Self-reproach always goes hand in hand with humility of the soul … But even self-reproach in and of itself, when it takes permanent root in the soul’s consciousness as an intellectual burden, crushes, oppresses, and squeezes out the saving wine that gladdens the human heart (Ps. 103: 15), that is, our inner self. And such wine is the contemplation. Along with mourning, it also crushes the passions and fills the soul with blissful joy, »after relieving her of their terrible burden” (E.P.E. 8, 406–408).

c)  «When the mind may it be removed from all that is perceptible and lifted up from the deluge of the turmoil associated with them and contemplate the inner man, first He sees the hideous mask that his journey down below has formed on his face and hastens to wash it away with mourning· Then, when you remove this ugly covering, since, the soul is not easily distracted by the variety of its relationships, it proceeds undisturbed into the true sanctuaries and prays to the Father in secret» (E.P.E. 8, 410).

δ) «This, then, is the benefit of the beginning of mourning, which is very painful, because it also involves the fear of God. As it progresses, however, it is wonderfully united with the love of God and attains sweet and holy consolation, because Whoever attains virtue through mourning experiences the goodness of the Comforter, the sweetness of which is almost unheard of—indeed, indescribable—to those who have not tasted it. For if one cannot explain the sweetness of honey to those who have not tasted it, how, then, could anyone possibly describe the delight of the sacred joy and grace that comes from God, »to those who haven’t tried it?” (E.P.E. 8, 424).

ε) «But let us give another, even clearer example, because The beginning of mourning is like the return of the prodigal son, which is why it fills its servant with despondency and persuades him to say those words: ’«Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son» (Luke 15:21). The end of mourning, however, resembles the welcome and embrace of the heavenly Father»…” (E.P.E. 8,426–428).                                          

My dear brothers,

The three Great Fathers of our Holy Church, as mentioned above, spoke to us about spiritual mourning, mourning for our sins and the moral and spiritual decline of our society. They also call it joyful mourning, because, while we mourn our sins and our spiritual decline with tears, at the same time We sincerely repent and, through the Holy Sacrament of Repentance and Confession, seek divine mercy, the remission and forgiveness of our sins, and we receive as a divine gift the joy of redemption. We have the bittersweet joy and the joyful mourning.

This spiritual and joyful mourning has nothing to do with worldly and sinful mourning. For the former, Spiritual and joyful mourning contains true joy—redemptive joy, the joy of spiritual freedom, the joy of God. Whereas worldly mourning brings sorrow, deep sorrow, melancholy, despair, hopelessness, and disappointment. It lacks true joy, Christian hope, and spiritual freedom.

For this reason, my brothers and sisters, I earnestly urge you to deepen our devotion this holy and devotional period of the Holy Triodion, Great Lent, and Holy and Great Week, Let us deepen our spiritual mourning. At this time, Christ and His Holy Cross are being mocked in the most blasphemous way, as He is depicted on the cross as a half-naked, pregnant woman, with the letters I.N.B.I. at the top, so that these wretched people might defile the Holy Cross and convey the message that there is no distinction between the two sexes. And what was the reaction from the authorities?; Let us mourn spiritually for ourselves and our personal spiritual condition, first and foremost, and at the same time, for our family and relatives, for our suffering society, our Greek Orthodox people, who have been sorely tested and humanity, which in many ways was faltering. Let us ask from the bottom of our hearts divine enlightenment for our leaders and our people, so that all of us—the Holy Clergy, the Rulers, and the people— to realize the grave moral and spiritual decline, which this new law has brought upon our homeland, which seeks to overturn the Christian structure of our society and every moral and spiritual value. And if we do not rise up in time, it will spread everywhere.

Praying that this Holy and Great Lent may be, from the heart, blessed, peaceful, God-pleasing, and fruitful in the fruits of repentance, Holy and Great Lent, and the visitation of Divine mercy and the Grace of Godinto our lives, our Community, and the whole world,

With paternal wishes and blessings

The Metropolitan
†Seraphim of Kythira and Antikythira

P.S. This Pastoral Encyclical is to be read clearly during the Divine Liturgy on Cheesefare Sunday, or during the Lenten Vespers of Tyrene Sunday, where the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated, or during the First Salutations to the Theotokos.