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4. A Christian as a member of Society.

А. Responsibilities and virtues in the church society.

Relations between the members of society.

The “edification” of the church is accomplished by the joint efforts of pastors and the flock with the assistance of the Holy Spirit. The responsibility of pastors is, first of all, the preaching of the word of God and accomplishment of the divine services. But the responsibilities of a pastor are not limited by this, i.e., he must feed his flock, also, out of the temple. And here the very wide field for his activity is being opened: to edify the unbelievers, those who lost the way and doubting, to encourage those losing heart and the sick, to sooth the suffering, to suggest courage to those tempted, to raise the spirit of the abandoned, to reconcile the quarrelling, to instruct and punish the vicious and embittered, to admonish the dying. The activity of a pastor of the church is full of selflessness. Pastoral theology indicates the means and methods for the accomplishment of the mentioned objective. We shall only note that for the accomplishment of this objective is required, besides the mental and moral preparation, as well the knowledge of the human souls and their different states, here is also necessary the ability to be fitted to all and to be, on the word of the apostle, all things to all men (1 Cor. 9:22), and finally, one needs the width of the heart: “our heart is enlarged, ye are not straitened in us” (2 Cor. 6-11:12). As far as the disciplinary relations between pastors and the flock are concerned, in our Orthodox Church they occupy the golden middle point between the extremes of the Catholicism and Protestantism. The Roman Catholic priests excessively guard the flock, and the Protestants have too great independence of the flock in the respect to the pastors.

The responsibility of the flock is to contribute to the pastors with their own efforts in the fulfillment of their task (Rom. 15:30). And then — the flock must have deep respect and love for the pastors as their spiritual fathers. The apostle says: And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake (1 Thess. 5:12,13). But about the relation of the guided between themselves the apostle says: be at peace among yourselves (the same verse), endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). The unity of the Spirit and peace among the Orthodox is especially disrupted by heresies and schisms. Heresy is distortion or negation of any dogma of faith (Arias, Macedonius, etc.). And schism is distortion or rejection of any truth of moralization, divine service or decision of the Orthodox Church (Novatius, Donatus, etc.). Dissenters, in their turn, can be decomposed into different flows and sects. Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them (Rom. 16:17). The apostle expresses the following responsibilities of the members of the flock to each other with such words: let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith (Gal. 6:10).

The Orthodox Church enters into relation both with those departed and with the Church, Which triumphs in heaven. In the respect to the dead, our responsibility consists of commemorating them, of continuation of their good deeds and of the prayer about them. And all this happens in hope of being received in their everlasting habitations (Luke 16:9). The prayer for the departed persons is absolutely natural: if we love the close ones, then our love follows them after their departure as well (Charity never faileth — 1 Cor. 13:8); if their good state interested us within their life, then the more it interests us after their death. The prayer for the departed has its effect, since we are in one and the same reign of God with them (Luke 20:38; Rom. 14:8), and since the change in the state of the dead is possible before the Dread Judgment. Therefore prayers for the departed always existed in the Christian church. Even if the rich man in hell bustled about his brothers, who remained on earth (Luke 16:27), then should not we pray for the departed more? Ap. Paul commands to pray for all men, since God will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:1,4). Pronouncing the prayer “Thy Kingdom come” we pray, of course, so that the Reign of God would arrive into all existence domains, therefore, as well into the sphere of the departed. It is indicated in the 2-d Book of Maccabees that there was brought a sacrifice for the Israelites killed in the battle (12:42-45).

To grieve and cry about the dead persons is not prohibited to us. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles we read that with the burial of the first martyr Stephan the Christians made great lamentation over him (8:2). The very Lord wept at the coffin of Lazarus (John 11:35). But we should grieve not even as others which have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13).

The burial of corpses in the earth is absolutely natural in accordance with the Holy Scripture. Thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken (Gen. 3:19). It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body (1 Cor. 15:44). Our church opposes to the custom to burn corpses (cremation).

We must treat the members of the Church, which triumphs in heaven, as our patrons and defenders before God. Our highest Patroness and Protectoress is Ever-Holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Lord, “more honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim.” She Herself said a prophecy: from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed (Luke 1:48). Many of Her wonder-working icons in entire Russia loudly speak about the abundance of grace, poured through Her by God to the mankind. Then there come the faces of archangels and angels. Among them, we must especially appeal to the angel in our charge (Ps. 90:11). Finally, the glorified saints solicit for us before God. To them in particular is applicable the saying of Ap. James: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (5:16). According to how it was depicted by Ap. John, before the Lamb in Heaven there are raised golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints (Rev. 5:8). Ap. Pavel commands to commemorate teachers, who preached to you the word of God, and looking at the decease of their life, to follow their faith (Hebr. 13:7). The special respect deserve the saints, glorified by our church and helping our Russian people (for example, St. Nicolas), and also the saint, whose name we bear.

Our Russian people believe that one or another saint especially helps in this or that human need. For example, St. Panteleymon is considered to be an assistant especially in diseases; St. Gourias, Samonas and Abibus — in the family life; St. Blaise — in cattle breeding; St. Conon the Gardener — in gardening; St. Ap. Peter — in fishing; St. Martinian and Moses the Hungarian (Ugrin) — in the fight of the man with sensual lust, and so forth. This belief has its basis in the biography of the saints. It is narrated there, that the named saints either themselves dealt with those matters, in which they help, or on their death showed miraculous help in this, or they underwent any temptation with that sin, from which they free those appealing to them, in their life.

In the respect to the Christians of other beliefs and non-Christians, an orthodox Christian bares the duty of religious tolerance and prayers about the “connection of churches” and about the conversion of unbelievers into the Christianity, and also participation in the missionary activity. The participation can be personal, or at least, monetary.