Does God bless the schisms?
The tormented spirits of “old calendarists” separated from the Church’s Body have often in mind the apparition of the Holy Cross on the 14th of September 1925 – old calendar – as a sustaining miracle of accuracy/exactness of the old calendar. The event was published the next day in SKRIP newspaper (15/28.09.1925) and it was described as the following:
“The Association of Orthodox, a well-known association always in agreement with the old churchly calendar who firmly abides against the introduction of Gregorian calendar in the Church, celebrated today, 14th September, according to the aforementioned calendar, the feast of the Exaltation of the all-honorable Cross. For that purpose, starting from 9 o’clock that evening more than 2000 members of the association gathered at the Church of Saint John the Theologian that was outside the city, where they took part to the vigil. It is clear that this gathering of people could not go unnoticed by the authorities whom around 11 pm were keeping an eye on the service for the orders they had, as it was told.
Regardless of the true motives for their presence, against their own will they became participants with the crowd of the believers that were over flowing the courtyard of the church, their reason that might have been exceed any human order or authority. It was 11.30 PM when above the church, from East to West, a white bright cross appeared. The light was only shinning over the church and the crowd of believers and it fully exceeded the shinning stars, and the church and the yard were as if an electric spot lamp was shinning over them. The horizontal line of this cross was inclined to the right and at the bottom part of the vertical line was formed a smaller cross by the inlay of a smaller horizontal line.
This heavenly sign had been continuously observed for a half an hour and then it started to gradually fade away. The human language is not adequate to convey what followed after this heavenly miracle. All the believers kneeled and cried of joy and started to sing and glorify the Lord in one voice and heart. The police forgot their mission and found deep down their hearts the childlike faith. That entire place became as if it was of another world. All of them were full of an inexpressible holy joy and were weeping. The vigil continued and finished around 4 am when all that crowd of people streamed back to the city carrying the news of the miracle from that night at every turn they made and all of them were fully touched.
Maybe there will be non-believers who doubt the event; maybe there will be arrogant people who will try to explain the event through autosuggestion and other guised make-believe yet their both unfunded reasoning will not stand if we take into account that we do not deal with a phenomenon of a moment like the shine of some falling stars but a phenomenon that was unceasingly observed for more than a half an hour by over more than 2000 people.
Fortunately, amongst those who saw and admired that heavenly bright Cross were also the policemen and therefore the Church and the state have the duty to investigate, ascertain and officially confirm the event.
Besides, we think that the appearance of the heavenly Cross on the day it is celebrated, according to the old calendar, the feast of the Exaltation of most-honorable Cross, that represents an additional proof from God on the accuracy of convinces of those who follow this calendar and gives a hand to the leaders of the Church to revise their anti-canonic decision regarding the unilateral implementation in our Church of the Gregorian calendar through the separation from the whole Body of Orthodoxy.”
It is useless to say that Satan can appear as an angel of light having as purpose to deceive and to alienate from Church the sons of God. In our ecclesiastic history there are thousands of cases of deceiving appearances that occur for separating, falling, unfaithfulness and all those that the devil offers with an open hand to those who entrust themselves in him.
Yet, someone could say: “We know that the evil impacts discomfort the hearts and leave behind confusion, fear whereas then “all of them were full of an inexpressible holy joy and were weeping”. Related to this matter, Elder Paisios said: “The devil is wile. He kindles a bit the man’s heart and makes him feel a deceiving delight giving him the impression that it is a spiritual, divine delight. He steals the man’s heart and the man thinks that everything is ok. “We did not feel discomfort”, he says. Yes, but the feelings they experienced were not the verily, spiritual rejoice. The spiritual rejoice is something heavenly.[1]
These kinds of experiences are common in the heretic zones where the deceiving charismas and apparitions succeed one another. Apparitions of angels, of Christ, of symbols, dreams, prophecies, glossolalia, fake healings are part of the daily program of Pentecostals, Mormons, “charismatics”, occultists and other deceived ones. (We recently heard about an “old calendarist” “priest” around Salamina who has the “charisma” of… glossolalia!!!)
“– Son, are you sure that he who appeared to you was the angel of God?
– I am sure! I am very sure, Gheronda! We pray together, we do thousands of prostrations every day, we talk about the life after, about Heaven… he is my guardian angel.
The deacon was not possibly convinced, yet he was prudent for the trust he had in his enlightened by God confessor. Yet he said again: “How can the devil strengthen me in pray when he disturbs the one who prays?” After many discussions they agreed to do some tests, to test the “guardian angel”.
Father Sava told him:
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As soon as he arrives, ask him to say: “Theotokos Virgin” And ask him to make the sign of the cross.
Yet things are not that easy. While the devil has been deceiving you for two entire years then your eyes and ears will deceive you as if you apparently hear “Theotokos Virgin” and see him making the sign of the Cross.
At their next meeting, the deacon with an inward concealed satisfaction told his confessor:
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Gheronda, things are exactly how I told you. He is the angel of God. He is my guardian angel. He said ““Theotokos Virgin” and he made the sign of the cross.” [2]
The event was reported by the time newspaper SKRIP. Yet does this prove its authenticity? On the contrary. According to the statement of the blessed father Haralambios Vasilopulos, during the time of the fake saint from Egaleo, Athanasia Kriketu [3] the newspapers were writing about the light that appeared in Egaleo. Today it is well known to everybody that Athansia from Egaleo is a deceived “enlightener” and the signs she showed were the consequences of her deception. Let’s read about how blessed archimandrite Haralambios described the facts:
“There was a time when newspapers wrote about a light that appeared in Egaleo and that was wonderfully occurring for Athanasia Kriketu. After some investigations I made, an engineer stated the following:
“I was following the Paraklesis and sermon of Athanasia. Afterwards, the auditorium late at night went hiking the hill to see the light. Indeed, they went there and were waiting in front of the rocks. I was actually following two youngsters who made me suspicious. When I came to that point, they continued to go further in the woods. I went after them but they sent me away. After a while the light started to shine on the rocks. I was sure that it was arranged by the two guys using some electrical projectors. The people worshiped the light. They worshiped it and sang troparions from the Paraklesis. After a while, I saw the two guys coming back. Then I said to the one next to me:
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The light will stop showing up.
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Why? asked the other.
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Because those who arranged it came back! Here they are!
And indeed, the light stopped. Yet, there were so many people who consider it holy and rush to it.” [4]
But did God bless with such kind of miracle the schism in His Church? May it not be! Officially the schism took place in 1935 when three hierarchs: Chrysostom, the former metropolitan of Florina, Ghermanos of Dimitriada and Chrysostom of Zakint took the pledge for leading the fight to reintroduce the old calendar. Later they proceeded to ordain four hierarchs:
On the 5th of June 1935, they ordained Ghermano, bishop of Cyclades, on 6th of June 1935 Hristofor, bishop of Megarida, on 7th of June 1935 Matthew, bishop of Vrestene, and 8th of June 1935 Polycarp, bishop of Diavlia. In this way the schism occurred, [5] after 11 years from changing the calendar on 16th of February 1924. The sign of the apparition of most-honorable Cross occurred, according to the statements on 14th September 1925, when there was no “church” of those following the old style; when there was One undivided Church [6]; when the three hierarchs where the hierarchs of our Church.
Beloved reader, by this article we do not intend to offend the faith of those who follow the old calendar, we only want to create some issues in the conscience of the well-intended investigator. If the apparition of the most honorable Cross was from God, then it would look like God blessed the calendar schism. Then why those who follow the old calendar divided in more than 12 divisions – “churches”? Is it possible that God blessed the old calendar with a sign? The schisms of “old calendarists” are “schisms for occupying the mitropolies, ordinations, rules, encyclic editing against new bulletins, iconographies and other good-for-nothing reasons (there is even the fraction of “Hexagons”). Their reasonless inside schisms prove their groundless separation from the Church. The easiness with they characterize the other zealots as heretics, illustrate the fact that they lost long time ago the real meaning of heresy and of churchly schism. The simple people were confused as they always find themselves in another fraction than before without being even aware of that. The residence of Head Council of those “who oppose resistance” was formed after three schisms that carried with them the same number of depositions. They remind of the schisms of monophysites, protestants and old Christians who were destitute of the divine Grace”[7]
Saint John Chrysostom said: “to not fight with our shadow and to not harm ourselves in important matter, arguing for pointless issues. For it is not a crime to fast in this period or other, but what represents a crime and even an unforgivable one, worthy of damnation and causes a big punishment is the division of Church, the quarrel, seeding of discord and our continuous absence from the gatherings of believers.”
The sin of schism is so huge that neither the martyrdom can wash it. “Neither the blood of martyrdom can wash this defilement.” (PG 57.250) Therefore Saint Luchillian casted away the relics of a schismatic martyr. [8]
The old-calendarists have not been able to indicate ANY saint since they have separated themselves from the Body of Christ but they have been able to show only divisions after divisions and anathemas after anathemas. Their hate against the Church and against its recently proved Saints is demonic. Their war against blessed elders Porfirios, Paisios, Jacob is awful and by all means. From schismatics they became fighters against the Holy Spirit. The reader can draw his own conclusion…
Source: http://www.egolpion.net/8avma_gox.el.aspx#ixzz338ia4FmB
[1] Elder Paisios the Athonite, Spiritual Struggle, Vol. III, The Devil shows himself as an angel of light.
[2] The angel that was not an angel, from the Book “Sava, the confessor” – recorded Homily of blessed Father Daniil Guvalis.
[3] Athanasia Kriketu-Samari was born in 1926 in Manolada village from province of Ilia and is one of the most controversial and legendary characters that represented a big focus of the post-dictatorial history of Greece.
“Saint Athanasia from Egaleo” is an illiterate woman. She got the most out of a rare allergy of the skin, dermographism and since she was 14 she has started to write on her chest “messages from the Theotokos” that she presented further as being the “will of the One full of Grace”. She did not hesitate to even frame her death and rise, telling everybody about her return from “the life after”. Athanasia Kriketu is now 82 and she gained an army of bigots from all the levels of society. In her village, everybody believes she is a “saint” Her fame became known all across Greece and her opposers were sometimes embarrassing her in front of others. She gained a huge fortune through questionable ways and every time she was brought to court she was festively discharged. She is now 87 and she is in a wheelchair. http://www.gossip-tv.gr/G-Specials/Back-To-the-Future/story/248785/pos-einai-simera-i-agia-athanasia-toy-aigaleo#ixzz33GXEwJSn
[4] “The enlighteners” are showing their true colors, Archimandrite Haralambios D. Vasilopoulos the former abbot of Holy Monastery Petraki, Orthodox Typos Printing House, 1997
http://www.egolpion.com/fotismenes.el.aspx
[5]-6-8 Archimandrite Vasilios Bakoyannis, Christ was orthodox, „TERTIOS” Printing House, Katerini.
[7] Monk Vasilios Grigoriate, the Anti-patristic position of old-calendarist zealotry (Answer to the article of Blessed Nicholas Dimaras)
