Christmas, 1989

   Last year, a beginning was made with occasional Liturgies in Christchurch city, at the S.Saviour's chapel at Cathedral Grammar school. Three were held at 6-weekly intervals, and, although no one came who had not at some time come to Ashley, 2 of the occasions were well enough attended to justify a further trial. It must however be emphasized that:

         1. very considerable investment has been made in the Ashley Church and centre, to make it congenial for Orthodox prayer,
       2. Ashley is as near in travelling time to ChCh as many outer suburbs, because of the excellent motorway,
         3. no TEMPORARY use of a Church can be really satisfactory, requiring the carrying of many sacred objects, books, etc.
         4. At least 3 cars travel to Ashley to each service from different sides of Christchurch, and the one or two occupants are most willing to take passengers.

   It was my hope that Ashley would eventually become a residential centre for Orthodox, specialising in catering for the needs of converts with an English language background. The Church was chosen for its style with which most converts would be familiar, and for its availability for continuous, daily worship. It is probable that this side of the project cannot be realised without attracting settlers or colonists, either Orthodox or well-disposed to the traditional christian spirituality. Our own land seemed a providential acquisition, divided as it is into 5 quarter- and 3 half-acre sections on 7 separate titles.

The development of the East end of the land as an organic vegetable garden by an ACCESS scheme has revealed how much work is needed to maintain an intensive land use like this, and how much scope there would be for a simple country lifestyle even on this 1 hA. I mention this again in SPOTLIGHT in the hope that copies if scattered sufficiently widely may attract interest that has seemed absent so far..
If there has been little interest in NZ in claiming the English cultural inheritance for the Orthodox Church, nevertheless we have to be pleased that in a few years a new, well-organised congregation has arisen in Canterbury capable of offering worship according to the authentic Byzantine norms so energetically published by our Antiochian brethren in New York; and that some people in Christchurch are able to make a spiritual home with us.
So at the risk of boring people we are featuring the Ashley Church (in the snows of May 1988, used on our Christmas Card last year) and its location in North Canterbury for the benefit of those who have not already found it out by trial and error.
I have also to record my gratitude for the kindness of the Gregorian Club, which was mentioned in a previous SPOTLIGHT as working in England for the restoration of the authentic Orthodox tradition of England. They have now invited me (and I have accepted) to serve on their committee. I consider this mainly an honorary appointment as I cannot do very much at 12,000 miles distance; and I appreciate this gesture very much.

The Conference of Churches is meeting twice in the South Island this year; Mr. Elder is representing us at the Executive meeting in ChCh in March as I am in Dunedin that weekend; and I hope to be accompanied by several of our people from various centres for the FORUM in Mosgiel (RC seminary near Dunedin) on May 12-14.
As I said above, these meetings are chiefly valuable for the contacts among the Orthodox, since much of the business is of slight concern to our Church, being politically slanted and approaching unity from a humanist angle; but they are worth it just for bringing the Orthodox together - if they do. I shall be there and hope for some company.

Mr. James Read, known to many of our people, has written with some information concerning Orthodox events in Europe,.-" which may interest travellers:
" 1990:

Tuesday, 3rd June: Annual pilgrimage in honour of S.Willibrord at Echternach in Grand Duchy of Luxemburg. The Saint was English born and is Apostle of Holland & Patron Saint of Luxemburg.
Sunday 17th June: Divine Li turgy at S. Albans, England, in honour of S. Alban, Protomartyr of Britain.
Sunday 28th June: Glastonbury pilgrimage, England. Akathist in afternoon, sometimes also Divine Liturgy in morning.
" There will also probably be two other events although dates are uncertain. The 'North Devon Pilgrimage' in honour of S. Nectan of Hartland, S. Brannoc of Braunton and S. Urith of Chittleharnpton. This is organised by Fr. John Marks.
" Bp. Kallistos & Fr. Yves Dubois will doubtless also have the S. Aldhelm Pilgrimage to Bradford On Avon.
" All these events will also be held in 1989, but fit together less compactly. Glastonbury usually gets about 5,000 as it is combined with the Anglicans."

He also mentions the 1400th anniversary of S. David in Wales, concerning which information should be sought from Fr. Deinol or Archcimandrite Barnabas (no addresses given).
editorial comment: it is good to note the enthusiasm of the English Orthodox for their own Saints, even though at times some historical imagination seems to creep in, so that Saints are promoted whose existence seems uncertain, and there seems a total lack of interest in the (Orthodox) prayers, rites and customs which these Saints, of whom we are certain, certainly used and loved. (At least so I am informed by the hon. sec., Greg. Club).

LIBRARY:

Our parishes are quite well supplied now with reading matter on the Orthodox Faith and related subjects. The largest library is in Auckland, but owing to the regular grants made by the Government through the NCC for "Ecumenical Youth Work", we have, over the last few years, been able to build up the collections in Dunedin and at Ashley too. The order for 1988 included a number of booklets published by S. Vladimir's Seminary of the writings of the Fathers: three collections of sermons by S. John Chrysostom on the Priesthood, on marriage and family life, and on Wealth and Poverty (sermons On the Parable of Dives and Lazarus); and also the three Treatises of S. John of Damascus on the Divine Images.
It is refreshing to find find that while the language of the translations is modern, the books consist not of predigested quotations arranged according to some contemporary subject classification, but of straightforward sermons etc. taken in their entirety from the authors' works; yet they are easy to read and while addressed to a situation many centuries old, still have clear application today. One cannot stress too strongly how important it is for Orthodox people to take their religious reading not only from modern Orthodox writings but also from the Fathers, and not through the mind of modern interpreters, but directly. It has been truly said that the Church does not travel through history as a train does through stations; it is an important characteristic of the Church that she does not leave her past behind, so that still today she is the Church of the Martyrs, of the Fathers, of the Ecumenical Councils, just as much as of the Greeks or the Russians of the 19th and 20th centuries. The sermons of S. John Chrysostom open to us a view of the Church in his day which can broaden our understanding of the catholicity of the Church's tradition, apart from the useful teaching he gives us on particular subjects. And the writings of S. John of Damascus give us another historical perspective, as well as being very informative about the ICONS, which play so important a rôle in modern Orthodox piety, as they did, but controversially, in his day. It is perhaps worth remarking that in his time the images defended were what is now known as ICONS, i.e. mosaics or paintings on wood; yet we look in vain in his writings, and in the Acts of the 7th Council, for any suggestion of the distinction that now appears to have entered a number of Orthodox minds, that the 2nd Commandnent forbad graven but not painted images. The revival of classical styles in the Renaissance, with paintings and statuary in the scientific-realist manner, wes for S. John far in the future; so was any idea that such things were alien to Orthodox Faith (because they arose in Italy?). His arguments apply equally to any images; the distinctions he makes are between IMPOSSIBLE images (of the Godhead of the Father, for instance), evil, pagan images (of false gods wno are really demons) and christian images of the Lord Christ in His visible Flesh, His deeds on earth, and His holy Mother and the other Saints.
We may well think that the best authentic school of icons is unparalleled for communicating spiritual vision, or that many modern religious works of art are sentimental and unworthy (which could be said equally of much religious music) but the value of the Fathers to us is partly that they help us to sift our received modern opinions (sound though they may be) from the perennial tradition of the Church. I recommend these patristic works to anyone wanting spititual reading. These and other books may be borrowed and we only ask that borrowers leave a note in the notebook so we don't lose track of them.

DUNEDIN PARISH:

It was encouraging for Fr. Jack to find a Church filled with congregation and visitors on the first Sunday in February; all the seats were full. Maurice reminded us of the Committee's fund for repainting the outside of the Church (the walls and windows) which ought to be done soon and will require some $1000+ to be collected before the contractor can be asked to start. He emphasized that any donation, however smal1, would help.

Orthodox Easter falls this year as late as it ever can, almost: April 30, and on a Sunday when service is to be in Dunedin. It is intended to provire the services of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (6p.m., 6p.m., 11.3Op.m.), and we hope that those who missed them so much last year (held at Ashley for the first time ever) will turn out well for-them this year. Fr. Jack will bring his family and other ChCh people hope to come.

THE ORTHODOX UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCH AND HER UNITY

Recently Fr. Jack was lent a copy of Karl Rahner's encyclopaedia of theology, perhaps one of the best- informed books of reference published in the christian west. Among the articles of interest was that on the Eastern Churches, with a section on the Orthodox Churches. It was pleasing to see a constructive tone on the whole and an effort to understand; however it was evident that understanding still has some way to go; in particuar, the writer (German, some 20 years ago) represented the Orthodox as lacking in unity, and varying in doctrine between views that were described as more Catholic or more Protestant. In particular, Alexei Kbomyakov, whose work on the unity of the Church last century has had enormous influence on Orthodox thinking, is characterised as protestant in his teaching. It seems therefore good to try to set out once again how we Orthodox understand the Church and her unity, as simply as possible, and with a view to assisting our ordinary people in their service of Christ.

We must say first of all that there is NO DOGMA on this subject. There are many things in the Orthodox tradition which never required to be defined by the Ecumenical Councils, mainly because they were never questioned by anyone within the Orthodox Church. That is not to say that it would be all right to deny them and think oneself Orthodox. There was NO LAW against any of the great heresies until they arose, and were in due course condemned; but that does not mean that they could have been believed without danger; for if they had been raised earlier, they would certainly have been condemned earlier. So I think we can helpfully set out the first sketch of the nature of Orthodox unity by saying something that may seem very uninspiring:

THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IS SIMPLY THE COMMUNION OF THOSE CHURCHES THAT ARE NOT ACTUALLY HERETICAL.

   Now that may seem to leave out a lot: but it seems to me that if we begin there we shall avoid the unrealistic expectations that so often lead to disillusionment and cynicism. It is historically true: the Orthodox Churches are those which continued to recognise each other as continuing to hold the faith of the one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church after the falling-away of several schisms, culminating in that of Rome, which came under the anathema of the Councils by altering the Creed, the "Symbol of Faith". All the modern sects are schisms not from the Orthodox Church but from Rome or from bodies alreadv separate. In spite of these divisions, there remain large parts of the christian tradition intact in many christian bodies; but the integrity of the Faith is still of very great importance, or the sacred Ecumenical Councils would not have laid anathema on all who contradicted their decisions.

   But this definition, bald as it is, serves only as a sort of fence, to mark out the boundaries of the SPIRITUAL PASTURE. It is the pasture itself which matters. And this consists of: the teachings of Our Lord and His Apostles, the Prophets and all the Saints of God recorded in the Holy Scriptures and later writings received in the Church as wholesome and true; the rich inheritance of prayers and sacred ceremonies that have come down to us; and above all, the Holy Mysteries by which Christ through the Holy Spirit makes himself present in the midst of the Church so that we can call her not only his bride, but also even His Body. So we say that those Churches which are not heretical, which have the one Faith, are 'in 'communion' with each other. That is to say, that each Orthodox Church recognises in every other the one and the same Body of Christ, offered one and the same on every Altar and making the whole congregation to be BODY OF CHRIST. If there are national styles, individual theories, even faults and defects and abuses that strain mutual loyalty, the unity remains so long as Cburches can regognise in each other the one Body. For there could not be more than One Body, plural and contradictory Bodies of Christ. To think this possible is the way to all confusion and nonsense. On the other hand, failure to discern the Body of Christ where It exists, is a serious sin which the Apostle tells us will lead to illness and death.
   So let us finish with a practical duty. The Body of Christ is there, in every Eucharist offered by every canonical priest of every canonical Orthodox Church anywhere, and at any time. And the same Ecumenical Councils lay the same anathema on those who fail (3 times, according to Nicaea I) to be at the Eucharist on Sunday. As we said above, the Church remembers her past. She remembers the Martyrs for whom, for 300 years, the most dangerous thing you could do was be at the Eucharist. And she is not much impressed by excuses.

Services in Auckland are weekly on Sundays at 10, and at other times as announced.

Services on Sunday alternate between Ashley and Dunedin
(Ashley 11 a.m., Dunedin 10 a.m.), as follows: