Saturday, October 16, 2004
The Martyr Longinos the Centurion
2nd Vespers, Fathers of 7th Council: Deuteronomy 1:8-17 Epistle: 2 Corinthians 1:8-11
Gospel: St. Luke 5:27-32
Deuteronomy 1:8-17 RSV, especially vs. 17: "You shall not be partial in
judgment, you shall hear the small and the great alike; you shall not be afraid of the face of man,
for the judgment is God's; and the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will
hear it." Sadly, even within the Church, the Body of Christ, there are quarrels and disputes. Too
frequently contentions have arisen throughout our two thousand year history, despite the healing
ministry of Christ Who "is our peace" (Eph. 2:14) and despite the outpouring of His Holy Spirit
upon us - from Whom come "the fruit of...love, joy, peace" (Gal. 5:22). This troubling of God's
People by "strife" (Deut. 1:12) is so contrary to our Lord Jesus' will! After all, He came to
"reconcile [us all] to God in one body through the Cross" (Eph. 2:16), and yet disputes occur!
Who does not know that quarreling, altercations, and even all-out war have been a dark,
persistent factor in the life of the human race through all time? We can trace the bitterness of
contentiousness back to the dawn of history, to the slaying of the righteous Abel by his own
brother, Cain (Gen 4:8). Furthermore, we understand that the deep cause of all our human
disputes is our sin and death, for "through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin,
and thus death spread to all men" (Rom. 5:12).
The Prophet Moses, understanding the lurking, universal evil of sin long ago - two millennia
before the Incarnation of Savior - graciously provided us with a basic framework for the settling
of disputes within the community of the Faithful. Moreover, because of what Christ
accomplished in His Passion, and because of active work of the Holy Spirit, Moses' framework
still provides solid hope that disputes among us do not have to degenerate into enmity and strife,
but truly may be resolved through seeking a common mind in the Lord Jesus (Phil. 4:2).
Simply put, the People of God are committed to choosing "wise, understanding, and experienced
men" and to appointing "them as [our] heads" (Deut. 1:13). Within the Church this means we
have a hierarchical body of Pastors to lead us and settle disputes among us - Patriarchs,
Archbishops, Metropolitans, Bishops, Priests, and other elected leaders who are "set...as heads
over [us]" (vs. 15). In every nation and society, we have such worthy men who serve as fathers in
God. Not only at their ordinations do we pray that "the grace of the all-holy Spirit may come
upon them" but we continue praying "for all the clergy and the people" that the peace of Christ
truly may reign among us in a healing and living way.
Because those who are appointed and set over us as heads are fallible men like ourselves, the
Church has a hierarchical ladder of appeal for our clergy, so that should any "case" prove "too
hard" for one of them, he may bring it to those in higher councils of pastoral responsibility to
"hear it" (vs. 17) and provide guidance and light from the Lord.
Such was the Seventh Ecumenical Council, a gathering of the leading hierarchs of the Church
who resolved a conflict in Church and State that had produced numerous martyrs, exiles, and
confessors over a hundred and fifty year period (717-843 AD). These holy Fathers truly were
"luminous stars upon earth, and through them [God] did guide us unto the true Faith" of
representing "painted images in accord with the story of the biblical preaching...for our benefit."
The point Moses makes clear is that in all deliberations concerning quarrels within the Church -
among the People of God - every effort is made to avoid partiality "for the judgment is God's"
(vs. 17). It is under His truth that our holy Fathers seek to resolve disputes.
Let us extol today those mystical trumpets of the Spirit, namely the God-mantled Fathers, who
sang in the midst of the Church a hymn of unified tones, teaching the Triune Godhead.
