Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Abp. Benjamin shuts down liturgies... for clergy families?

(OCA-DOW) - Further Update on the Coronavirus from His Eminence
To the Reverend Clergy, Monastics and Faithful of the Diocese of the West:

As you may expect, the situation concerning the Coronavirus is very fluid and the civil authorities are doing their best to limit its spreading among us. And we too, out of concern for the well being of our flock in every place, are sadly called upon to cooperate with them, even to the extent of closing our temples for a period of time.

At this time, the civil authorities in the Bay Area have called upon us to close our places of worship for the next two weeks in an attempt to slow down the progression of the disease. And I, with profound regret, have asked the clergy of the area to close their temples for the time being. Others of you live in areas where the authorities have asked that gatherings be limited to 25 or less persons. While this may seem to be a better solution, I ask you: “Who is to be among the chosen and by what criteria are they to be selected? Should you open your church for services, what do you tell the person who shows up and cannot be admitted?” For these reasons, I am asking all the clergy to close their temples for the next two weeks at least. I ask you not to serve the Liturgy even for your families or to hold any public worship. It is my hope and prayer that, by doing this, we may be able to salvage some of the Paschal joy later next month. Telling clergy not to celebrate the Liturgy and offer the Eucharist in their own homes (if I am reading this correctly) to their own children seems a draconian response. Why not let a priest pray for his people, sing with his family, offer entreaties for God's mercy for the entire world? A prohibition incongruous with our faith in a God who hears the prayers of His people especially in their times of greatest need. And lest you think this is a single hierarch doing this, Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago just told his clergy the same thing. As someone who remembers the inestimable value of the house churches under the communist (not to mention Turkish) yoke. I'm mystified by this directive.

Consequently, you should consume the Holy Gifts prepared for the Presanctified Liturgy.

So that your faithful may still be spiritually nourished, you have a blessing to broadcast via the internet sermons, read the appointed scriptures and whatever prayers, akathists and molebins you feel appropriate.

I would like to close with a quotation from a letter written by His Grace, Bishop Alexis of Bethesda:

“'Honour a physician with the honour due unto him for the uses which ye may have of him: for the Lord hath created him.'
—Sirach 38:1

We are at present speaking about temporary measures for two weeks. People have vacations for longer periods of time. Not so long ago, people would commune once a year. I fail to see how two weeks of closed churches is something too much for people to bear, especially for people who love their neighbor as themselves. If one life, if one parishioner, is saved because of stricter measures, shouldn’t we all have enough love to sacrifice even our own spiritual needs for that soul for two weeks? It is unthinkable that the servants of our Lord Who healed “ all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people” could be less prudent regarding the physical well-being and health of those in their charge than the civil authorities.”

If you have any questions or concerns, I am available by phone. Please know this policy will be reviewed in two weeks time.

Asking God’s blessing and protection for your and your flocks, I am,

†Benjamin
Archbishop of San Francisco

20 comments:

  1. "...telling clergy not to celebrate the Liturgy and offer the Eucharist in their own homes to their own children seems a draconian response. Why not let a priest pray for his people, sing with his family, offer entreaties for God's mercy for the entire world?..."

    Well, when you put it like that...but what if that is the wrong way to put it? Perhaps these bishops are addressing a bit of a rebellious spirit among *some* clergy and laity that will (or already have) held "house church" in a self congratulatory "faithful" spirit against what they feel is unwarranted intrusion into their piety by the government, "liberal" hiearchy, etc.? From comments on this very blog we know that at least some Orthodox reason that this is all overblown and just another flu like pandemic. Not only that, they obviously imagine themselves and the Church to be somehow oppressed and persecuted, similar to the early Church or Soviet Russia. There is no little amount of (spiritual) presumption and even arrogance in their overall attitude IMO. Could it be this what these bishops are trying to deal with?

    "...As someone who remembers the inestimable value of the house churches under the communist (not to mention Turkish) yoke. I'm mystified by this directive..."

    but but but...this a pandemic and not a communist (or any other) kind of persecution. Why this "siege mentality"?? I suppose a pandemic is a kind of siege, but is it the same kind - and thus requires the same thinking/response - as communism and state sponsored persecution?!?

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    1. If you don’t trust your clergy on these counts, why would you trust them with everything else?

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    2. "...If you don’t trust your clergy on these counts, why would you trust them with everything else?"

      Not sure what "trust" has to do with it, or in what way. Are you saying that bishops don't have a diversity of ordained men - of both strength of character, good sense, etc. - some of whom are more "trustworthy" on this or that than others? Particularly in these obviously trying and anxious times, do you just assume that *some* clergy might not be swept up in a siege mentality and a facile comparison of this pandemic to communisism, etc. and decide on their own to circumvent the CDC, local authorities and/or their bishop's directives and play house church? Seems to me a bishop just might have to "state the obvious"

      I think we are speaking to the same thing, could be wrong...

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    3. I think you either trust your clergy or not. These aren’t retail employees at Forever 21. Shutting things down for some supposed men who like loopholes seems an odd trust dynamic.

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    4. I don't know, I think there is something to leadership (of clergy, laity, etc.) and the everyday economy of the Church from a bishops perspective that can not be reduced to a black and white "trust" perspective. I once witnessed a priest argue with his bishop for about 3 minutes about an extremely minor aspect of rubrics right in the middle of a service - it was an excruciating 3 minutes of stopped liturgy/prayer, and I have never seen anything like it. The bishop was more patient than I would have been fer sur. I suppose I am used to "odd dynamics" when it comes to NA Orthodoxy however ;)

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  2. “Should you open your church for services, what do you tell the person who shows up and cannot be admitted?” For these reasons, I am asking all the clergy to close their temples for the next two weeks at least. I ask you not to serve the Liturgy even for your families or to hold any public worship.“

    There is no mention of clergy not celebrating Liturgy in their own homes for their families. Clearly Archbishop Benjamin is referring to clergy holding private Liturgies for their own families in the temples.

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    1. I ask you not to serve the Liturgy even for your families or to hold any public worship.

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  3. Sounds like the Archbishop is showing wisdom. What is it to you? Are you a member of the DOW?

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    1. I might as well close down the blog if that's the litmus test for posting. Delete the posts on Ukraine, Macedonia, Mexico...

      But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no [h]schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

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  4. "I might as well close down the blog if that's the litmus test for posting"

    I was thinking the same thing...rhartsc might be feeling protective of DOW?

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  5. Abp is way out of line. This truly reeks of a communist spirit.

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    1. Ssshhh, not so loud Mikail, the red menace is EVERYWHERE!!! ;)

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  6. I don't think anybody should be throwing stones at our bishops right now.

    Archbishop Benjamin didn't make this decision lightly. How about we just stop.

    Abbot Tryphon closed his monastery to visitors and pilgrims (all the while providing pastoral care). Does that make him "an alarmist?"

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    1. Stone throwers again?

      May God give our Hierarchs the courage and faith to keep the Churches open. This is the time when people need them the most.

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  7. The most concerning thing about all this for me has quickly become that it sets a new precedent for how easy it is to shut down the church. Communism, atheism, Statism in all its forms have failed. But a flu virus with a scary name? Highly successful so far.

    What happens when a real virus with a respectable mortality rate shows up? Even without that, the flu season is a yearly constant, do we no longer have lent?

    If the government says no more church because they’re anti-theist we resist, but if they say no more church during seasonal bugs it’s okay to follow that?

    The devil won’t have much of a struggle closing us down in the future it seems.

    Thankfully not everyone is going along, but it is disheartening to see this play out all the same.

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  8. Sojourner,

    It is not merely a "flu virus with a scary name." We have studied the flu for decades and understand it (including a vaccine, which isn't 100% but it's something).

    This is new, and it is a little premature to be so dismissive, considering that the information we do have suggests that the mortality rate and rate of transmission is higher for Covid-19 than the Flu. There are cases of re-infection by people who have recovered, and we don't know for sure how long it can live on surfaces or how long people are contagious (there are reports of people coming down the virus after the "2 week period."

    With all of that, Is it really hysteria? I think the tragic case of Italy shows it is not. This virus could still mutate, and the second wave could be much deadlier. Or not. We Don't Know . That is the biggest thing about it. We'll know more when this initial wave subsides, and then MAYBE we can get to the point of shrugging our shoulders.

    Let's give our bishops the benefit of the doubt. The faithful will not be left without shepherds.

    Mikail: I also pray that our Churches remain open, as you do. The difference between you and I is that I don't have a rock in my hand.

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    1. There have been no reported cases of re-infection, contrary to that there are reports of thousands of people making a full a recovery and now having antibodies that make them permanently immune.

      Last week 1,000 people died of the standard Flu in America, yes people have died in Italy, people die every day of countless yearly constants.

      According to the latest reports more people in Italy have made a full recovery, are now immune, and have been released, than have died.

      Every year the flu mutates and doctors guess at making a vaccine that may or may not help. It never helps those who are at the most risk, the elderly and the young, who even when vaccinated may still die of the yearly flu.

      There is no safety in this life from disease, it will be with us until the return of Christ. Panicking and giving up our Christian way of life is not the Orthodox response.

      Again, should we do this every flu season? 61,000 reported deaths last year. Would the responsible thing be to self quarantine to save all those lives? Shouldn’t we give up our way of life every year?

      How long are you willing to cancel church for? This hysteria will get worse before it gets better, we haven’t seen the end of increasingly strict governmental decrees. What will you do when the government tells you there will be no service on Pascha?

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    2. Dear David,

      The Rock is not in my hand. The Rock is in my heart. The Rock is Christ. It is you who need to repent for implying that people "strut their stuff and look down on others" in the Communion line.

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  9. In cases where our Orthodox Faith is ignored or slandered, it is permissible to check it and have just anger, most justifiable, but silence is not permissible. But the checking must be done with discernment and prudence not with disturbance and anger, but with divine anger. God does not give up His Church and to those who fight her He will humble them and they will be smashed like a ceramic roof, but those who hold their Orthodox faith and confession till death, shall be blessed.
         I bless you from the heart to never be timid in your struggles, even if you see the enemies of the Church becoming stronger….The one that struggles for the Orthodox faith and for our holy Church has the Almighty God for an ally, while the one that struggles for deceit has the ever cunning devil for an ally, the weak master of darkness, of lies and all heresies, fallacies and wickedness. There is nothing more honourable, modest and holier when one struggles for the faith.

    Blessed Elder Philotheos

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