Ukrainian Orthodoxy		Orthodoxie ukrainienne

First Church

Question:

I saw your site about the differences between Orthodox and Catholic  religions while I was looking for proof to show somebody that the Orthodox Religion was the original church and that Catholics broke off of the Orthodox and I am e-mailing you to see what you say and to prove that Orthodoxy is the 1st church.

Answer:

Very Reverend Ihor Kutash kutash@unicorne.org

If you check the Symbol of the Orthodox Faith, otherwise known as the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, which we sing in the Liturgy and which is part of the daily prayer of Orthodox Christians, you will notice that Article 9 goes: “[I believe] In one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church”.

Although there is some use in speaking of “Churches” it is theologically incorrect.  There is one Church and it is Holy and Catholic and Apostolic.  It is Holy because it is the Body of Christ, vivified by the Holy Spirit. Its members in the Church Militant (that part which is still upon the earth endeavouring to manifest the Glory of God in this world) often sin (i.e. miss the mark) but the holiness is continually restored and confirmed by the Holy Spirit Who ever woos and persuades us to repent and keep pressing on to fulfil our high vocation.

It is also Catholic because it is a gathering (this is actually the literal meaning of the Greek word for “Church”, i.e. “Ekklesia”)of all God’s people in space and time.  It is Apostolic because its message and work is unchanging from the time of the Apostles to this day.

We Orthodox perceive that that Church is fully present among the people of God known as Orthodox Christians. We find that God’s people in communities gathered around the Patriarchate of Rome, and those who broke with them to form the Protestant communities, have diverged in certain important areas of teaching about the Faith.  Some of us believe that the divergence was so great that they are no longer one with us but a different Church.  Many of us (I, too, am of this persuasion) believe that there is so much in common between us that we are in fact still one Church, although our unity is yet to be fully manifest and only then can we freely and consistently partake together of the Lord’s Table.  This is a work that must be done by the Holy Spirit.

But we, too, have a part to play in this work.  It is to become more and more the authentic followers of Jesus that we are called to be.  Part of this process is the opening of our hearts to all people, especially those who proclaim the Name of Jesus, prayer for them, honest and humble sharing with them of the Good News of our common liberation to be Children of the Light.

I am afraid that it also means that we stop occupying our time and energy with triumphalistic questions such as: “Which is the first Church?”  Having said that I must say that I myself have had many discussions on just that topic.  Perhaps there is a time and place for that.  But I don’t think that there is a great deal of it.

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