Homily on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council #
Metropolitan Korniliy (Titov)
John, reading 56. Chapter 17:1-13
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today we commemorate the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council. On the eve of the feast of the Holy Trinity, the Church glorifies those who confirmed the true doctrine concerning the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. The First Ecumenical Council was convened by the holy, equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine in the city of Nicaea in the year 325, against the false teaching of Arius. The Arian heresy, like all false teachings, was born of a proud mind. Arius began to teach that only God the Father is the true God, and that the Son was created by the Father and merely resembles Him.
In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear an exhortation to the shepherds of the Church: Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them (Acts 20:28–30). In the history of the Holy Church, in every age, it has been necessary to protect the sheep of Christ from wolves who sought to introduce falsehood into the doctrine of the Church.
The Holy Fathers at the First Ecumenical Council, having thoroughly examined the Holy Scriptures and Apostolic Tradition, perceived that in many places there is clear testimony to the consubstantiality of God the Father and God the Son.
Today, in the Gospel reading, we heard the words of the prayer of Jesus Christ to God the Father. At first glance, it might seem that since He prays, He is subordinate and unequal to the One to whom He prays. But He also says: I have glorified Thee on the earth… And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. And when the Lord prays on behalf of men, He says: Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me; and they have kept Thy word—meaning that it is the Father who has revealed all things to men. Yet at the same time, we see that knowledge of the Father came to men only through the Son: I have manifested Thy name unto the men… the words which Thou gavest Me I have given them (John 17:6–8). There are no contradictions in the Gospel, for its logic is not of this world, but divine and heavenly—a logic we do not always immediately understand. It is the Son who gives eternal life to mankind and intercedes for them before the Father, even though they also belong to the Son: Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, even as We are.
At the First Ecumenical Council, where holy Fathers gathered from all the lands of the Christian world of that time, the dogma of the consubstantiality of the Son of God with God the Father was affirmed. The word consubstantial (“of one essence”) gave rise to many heated disputes, but the truth of this term was firmly established, for only the Son of God—only-begotten and of one essence with the Father—who assumed human nature, could heal and cleanse that nature from sin, raise it up to the heavens, and offer Himself as a sacrifice for the whole world, taking upon Himself our sins, and opening the way to the Kingdom of Heaven, to eternal and blessed life.
Christ took on human nature, yet remained fully and perfectly God. There is no boundary between Him and the Father. The Persons of the Holy Trinity share one will. With sacrificial obedience, Christ says to the Father: All Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine, because They are of one essence and indivisible.
The heretics, through their impious teachings, sought to rob Christians of the power and glory, the comfort and cleansing that the Lord Jesus Christ has always been for all who believe in Him. But today we are confirmed by the holy Fathers in the truth that Christ is the True God, the Everlasting Father, the Wonderworker beyond measure, almighty over angels and evil spirits, the Lord of heaven and earth, of life and death, who by repentance can transform sinners into righteous ones by the grace of the Holy Ghost; who strengthens strugglers and martyrs; who teaches and inspires His disciples—those who once were weak, but became mighty and could boldly say: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:13).
The precious inheritance of Orthodoxy, immovably established in the God-inspired definitions of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, has given to the Orthodox a firm defense and sure foundation, a victory over heresies and schisms.
The history of the Ecumenical Councils is instructive for us because it bears witness to the great zeal of the Holy Fathers in preserving the truths of the faith and the Tradition of the Church from arbitrary inventions. We remember and deeply venerate also the defenders of ancient piety who, in the post-schism history of the Russian Church, preserved the integrity and purity of Orthodoxy, bravely resisting the powers of this world who had fallen into heresy. Our pious forefathers, whether in the era of persecution during the early centuries of Christianity or during the post-schism trials, despite every hardship, upheld the faith in its purity and preserved our precious and profound liturgical ustav.
It was through the fidelity of the lovers of Christ’s truth that indifference and carelessness in observing Tradition and rites were put to shame. Even now, those who are zealous without understanding and proud accusers—whose hidden aim is to undermine trust in the Church—seek to turn the faithful away from unity of mind in faith and to destroy the bond of Christian love. Let us guard ourselves against false teachers and sowers of discord, remembering the exhortation of the Apostle: Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong (1 Corinthians 16:13).
Christ, in His prayer, asks the Father not for all, but for those whom the Father has given Him: I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine. Why does the Lord not pray for the whole world?
Because He came into the world to save every person, but not all received Him. We now live in a time when the glad tidings of the Gospel have been preached throughout the earth. The Word of God is heard almost everywhere, the Holy Scriptures have been translated into every language. The voice of Christ resounds in all lands—but not all respond to it.
By nature, man belongs to two realms: the heavenly and the earthly. The human soul, destined for heavenly life and having its source in God, longs for Him with all its strength, as a plant turns toward the light. Therefore, it is rightly said: our soul is Christian by nature. The Creator, having breathed into man a living soul after His own image, established for us an unchanging law of communion and union with Himself. After the fall into sin and the loss of paradise and immortality, our misfortunes and ruin can only be healed by restoring the union with God—the Source of life and blessedness—which sin had broken. Thus, for the Christian, the life of the soul is of utmost importance: its moral growth and preparation for eternal life in the spiritual realm of the Kingdom of God.
Our earthly life, with its sufferings, illnesses, and privations, is merely a transitional state leading to eternal life. Therefore, we ought not to fear earthly burdens, but rather to fear sin, which deprives us of spiritual communion with the Creator and, like a predator, casts the soul into eternal death and the torments of hell. The Kingdom of Heaven is the Kingdom of love, perfection, righteousness, and beauty. Only the one who has used this life for salvation—who has turned his soul through the Divine Word toward perfection, love, and humility—becomes a partaker of the Divine life and begins to behold the Creator. It is for such as these that Jesus Christ prays—those who are of one spirit with Him, whom the Father has given Him to lead to salvation.
Because of our sinfulness, we are unable to fully perceive the Word of the Gospel. We must so attune our soul that all worldly distractions are cast out—only then can the spiritual life begin. To prepare the soul for the Kingdom of Heaven, it must be brought to Divine perfection, as the Lord Himself exhorts us: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. This perfection can be attained only through the Church—through prayer, repentance, and partaking of the Holy Mysteries.
Our entire life must be brought into harmony with the commandments of God. When all the strings of the soul are tuned to the commandments of the Lord, then within us will resound the Divine hymn. But if we live according to the laws of sin, then worldly and sinful harmonies will sound within us, drowning out the heavenly song. Therefore, only the one who has tuned this divine instrument—the immortal soul, given by God—enters into the Kingdom of God, joins the choir that sings in heaven, becomes a participant in the Divine melody, and begins to hear the Creator.
Thus, to prepare our soul for the Kingdom of God, we must turn away from the world with its sins and passions, so that nothing earthly holds dominion over the soul. This does not mean complete isolation from the world—no. It is enough to enter into the closet of the heart in silence and prayer, overcoming passions and vices, so as to find peace and stillness in the soul. One can come to know the Creator only through His Son—Jesus Christ, the living God, who has overcome the world. If we remain in constant spiritual labor, making each day a step toward God by fulfilling His commandments, we shall receive the perfect joy of knowing God and being united with Him, of beholding His beauty and majesty—and then the prayer of Christ will be about us also, and He will lead us into the Kingdom of God.
Brothers and sisters, today with reverence and gratitude we turn to the labors of the Holy Fathers, who, in the face of lies against the Son of God, boldly proclaimed the faith that Christ is the living God, who has cleansed us from sin, sanctified our souls and bodies, and united mankind with the Creator.
The Apostle teaches that we must glorify God both in soul and in body, and that the time shall come when the Son of God, having submitted Himself to the Father, shall make all things subject to Him, and God shall be all in all. We must labor so that these words may come to pass, that the Holy Ghost may overshadow us, that the heavenly song may begin to sound within the soul, calling us to build the Kingdom of God within ourselves—and through this, to be made worthy of dwelling in the abode of eternal blessedness.
To our God be glory, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.