In one way its sad to need a www site like OCANews.org. Even if its not required by law or canon the Church should be the most transparent organization on the planet. Hasn’t 20 plus centuries of existence taught us the futility of secret agendas, politics behind closed doors, and moral secrets? Apparently not and so we have to go into the murky waters of the internet, of all places, to find slivers of truth. At its best OCANews is a flashlight shining into some very dark corners, an irritant to those who benefit from that darkness, and a warning to all of us who stand somewhere between day and night that nothing in this world or the next stays hidden.
Yet it can also be a place of mischief and anger for all of us reacting to what is posted there. To seek out the truth represents the best of our Faith but how we handle ourselves along the way its also as important, perhaps even more so. It’s easy to say hurtful words in the face of betrayal and the feeling of powerlessness and the sense of betrayal when bad things happen in the Church is profound. Exposure of the illness is supposed to lead to healing but so many times it seems that both the people caught up in a moment of exposed struggle and sin and those who bring it to light forget this important truth. The person exposed is angry and defensive at the exposure and the ones critiquing swim in for the kill. The sin of one leads to the sin of another and the salvation and healing of both become casualties.
Our feelings are not evil in and of themselves but when they override our principles we all tread closely to danger. It is possible to stand for that which is right and good with humility. It is possible to say “You are the man…(2 Samuel 12:1-9)” and still realize that sometimes we, too, stand convicted before the prophet. The passion we share for the exposure of someone else’s sin must be exceeded by the desire to blot out our own or we are missing something important and put our own salvation at risk. The www with its instant access and supposed anonymity can be a place where passions run wild, when the first thing that comes to our mind gets scattered to the world. Believe me I know. Yet there is more to a moment or a thought.
That more is the end we seek. To what end is all of this directed? Surely the end should be the glory of God, the furtherance of the Church, our salvation, and the salvation of the world. If that is more or less the goal for everything we do then why should this particular circumstance be exempt? In the end evil, within and without, still must be conquered by good and the manner in which this victory occurs must also be holy. For those who respond to the information on OCANews knowing this can be the difference between OCANews being a place full of sound and fury signifying nothing or a place where truth leads to holiness. The choice is ours.
The Beautiful Path 
I usually eventually discover when I think of myself as a “prophet” pointing out “Thou art the man…” it usually ends up that “I am the man…”, but not in the way I thought I was.
sigh.
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Controlling passions remain a major challenge for most of us Fr. John. However, the efforts to reveal the truth by Mark Stokoe and many of those who post on OCA.org continues to be an extremely effective ministry. Truth is an attribute of the Holy Trinity and should always be imbraced, even if it is painful. The most painful truth is the revelation of how each of us fails to follow the way that leads to truth and life.
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I have no problem exposing the truth. I’m disappointed at the glee some people seem to show at the demise of others. Presuming everything, or even a part of, what has been said about our Metropolitan is true I believe our zeal for the truth should be matched, at least, by our zeal for his salvation. This is what I would want for myself and so I feel obligated to apply the same standard to others.
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You are absolutely correct Father. If we are truly followers of the Way as Orthodox Christians, we can only be saddened by the revelations that confirm the loss of fitness and worthiness (axios) of our leaders. But if we really care about their eternal spiritual condition, we should pray that they resign or be removed from Holy Orders and return to the laos from which they came. If they remain in Holy Orders even in retirement, the humility necessary for the repentance required for healing may very well be impeded.
Because those who answer the call to Holy Orders will be held to the highest level of accountability by Jesus Christ due to how their actions effect His Body, being reminded of this fact by other members of His Body, can be spiritually helpful. Those of us in the laos must never forget our responsibility to pray for and support our bishops, priests, and deacons in every way possible. The spiritual warfare that is ongoing is often fierce and the evil one, like any compentent general, will focus his efforts at debilitating and decapitating the leadership. This is why we always pray for those in Holy Orders when we worship together, and why we should also pray for them in private prayers.
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