is a very pastoral question. What do you do with
former iconoclastic Christians who decide to
return to the fullness of orthodoxy when they're
converted from their heresy, if you want to put
it in those terms? Well, it was pretty clear
for lay people that they would be received through
penance and confession. and then be restored
to communion. But the issue was, what do you
do with the iconoclastic clergy? How do they
come in? Do they come in as laymen, because they
promoted this heresy? They can't be priests and
deacons. Or do we take an easy route and accept
them in their orders and allow them to continue
functioning now as Orthodox priests and deacons?
The patriarch at the time was the famous St.
Photius, who had been in the diplomatic service.
He was a civil official before he became bishop
and patriarch. And so he took a more mellow path.
He belonged to, sometimes the history books refer
to as the doves and the hawks among the bishops
at this time. So he was a dove. leniency, let
them abjure their heresy and come in. And that
his point of thinking, his way of thinking is
the one that was accepted at these councils in
689 and excuse me, 769 and 770. No, 869 and 879.
Got it right. The Presence of icons in the church
is a fascinating one from my point of view. I
remember years ago back in the late 1970s, there
were a group of Christians called the Evangelical
Orthodox Church. Many of you probably heard about
them. But they were looking around and trying
to discover how can we become Orthodox. So our
bishops had an official dialogue with them. And
I was asked to present a paper on the church
as one holy Catholic and apostolic to describe
what these four marks are of the church. And
I was told, you know, don't be too soft. Say
it as it is. And afterwards, I finished my paper
and I looked around. at the Evangelical Orthodox,
and I said, well, any questions? Anything to
discuss? He said, nope, we believe everything
you said, which was very gratifying to see the
completeness of their mental conversion to the
Orthodox Church. After the paper, also, Father
Schmemann came up to me and he said, Father James,
that was a very good paper. He said, but next
time, I want you to present a paper that doesn't
say so much that the church is the same, but
I want you to present a paper which says the
church is the true church because it is always
changing, which is a fascinating way. I knew
how Father Schmevin thought. And that has always
stuck in my mind. And I think the development
of icons, the president... The presence of icons
in our church is a perfect illustration of what
this means. The church is the same, but it is
always changing. Because if you had apostles
or first, second, third, fourth century Christians
that came in, they would probably be surprised
at the presence, proliferation really, of icons
and images in our church. But their presence
came about as an organic development, an integral
process within the life of the church. It was
something that was a change, but an intrinsically
correct change. And that, of course, in the history
of the Christian church, this is a real point
of contention. What is an authentic development
or what is an innovation? Notice the difference.
An authentic development or an innovation. And
icons are a perfect example of an authentic development.
Even today, if modern non -Orthodox were to come
into the church, Some of them, frankly, I don't
mean this uncharitably, but some Protestants
are modern -day iconoclasts, that there shouldn't
be all this kind of artwork in the church. It's
distracting, so to speak. So what they notice
are the icons and the beauty of our liturgical
worship. the texts, and the music. So what attracts
people, by and large, to the Orthodox Church
is the truth of what we teach, that what we teach
is the one holy Catholic and apostolic faith,
the one that was revealed by Jesus Christ, preached
by the apostles. taught and explained by the
fathers of the church and the councils of the
church, which has come down to us as a package,
as an authentic development in the life of the
church. And the theology behind the presence
of icons is precisely this. The hinge is that
Jesus Christ as the... Troparian and the Kentuckian
proclaim, no one could describe the image of
the Father, but when you took flesh from the
Theotokos, you accepted to be described. So the
icons are an artistic affirmation of our belief
that Jesus Christ is God who became a human being,
became man. And in his human form, we can express
the inexpressible incarnate word of the Father.
So today is frequently called the triumph of
orthodoxy. And in many places, the orthodox get
together from all different jurisdictions and
show everybody how united we are. You know, we
really are united in our faith, but sometimes
we don't put this unity into canonical practice.
Let me put it gently like that. So we have so
much, my friends, those of us who converted to
the church, those of us who are cradle Orthodox,
we have so much to be thankful for. particularly
on this day, that we possess this pearl of great
price, the fullness of the Catholic and apostolic
faith, which has been transmitted to us. So today,
with the entire church, let us thank God for
this wonderful heritage that we have and let
us live a life expressive of what God has given
to us. in his church. Amen.