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Holy Catechism

Nikolaos Voulgaris, tr. Daniel, 1893

Of the Dismissal

Christ our true God.

Now comes the real Dismissal of the Laity. “And the High Priest having prayed for a blessing on the people, finishes the holy Rite,” so the Thessalonian concludes, though I see that all the people were the rest of the time standing in the Church until the Priest went outside the Sanctuary clad in his priestly cope, or in his every-day raiment. “And the Priest goes forth, says the Commentary, to the doors of the holy Sanctuary, robed in his priestly dress, and makes obeisance saying, God be merciful to me a sinner, and turning to the people, he blesses them, saying aloud, The Lord God guard you all in His grace and loving kindness at all times, now and always and for ever and ever. And the people bow their heads and all say, Him that blesseth and sanctifieth us guard, O Lord, for many years. And they depart in peace with the holy God.”

To complete what we have said, with great sorrow and distress I feel compelled to add the injustice which has been inflicted on the race and more particularly on our Corcyræans by Antony Coccus, Metropolitan of Corcyra,¹ through the various false charges, which he wrote against us to Pope Gregory XIII., who died in 1585. I am clear however that he did not write them of himself, but gave credence to some opponent of Christianity who misinformed him: since a ruler and most prudent man like him would not fall of his own accord into such false charges, clearer than the day. So that at Rome itself I saw that they wrote against him a notable refutation, and blamed him as a too poisonous mouth like that Nonacrian water, with which Antipater by the advice, they say, of Aristotle, poisoned Alexander. See Allatius, Bk. iii. ch. 17 And who can endure to hear that we the Orthodox Greeks do not give any worship to the Bread which has been transubstantiated into Christ’s Body, if the celebration have taken place both with leavened matter and according to the form of our holy Eastern Church? That we the Orthodox Greeks confess that the spotless Mysteries, which are celebrated on the great Holy Thursday have more than ordinary virtue different from the other days of the season and the other Feasts? That we first partake of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, and then confess our sins to the Ghostly Fathers, since we believe forsooth that mere faith without other confession suffices for the Reception of the most tremendous Mysteries of Christ themselves? That we assert that it is not in general necessary for Christians to confess one by one their deadly sins, though we are aware of them and have them actually in remembrance at the time when we make confession? That we believe that Confession is not a Mystery, like the rest, ordained by the Master Christ, but a positive law and a commandment of men? That we do not admit the Mysteries to be seven, but only five, disallowing Chrism or Unction and the holy Prayer-oil? That we do not regard as deadly sin what is termed simple fornication, of a free woman, that is, with a free man? That our priests forsooth are able freely and without censure to become laymen? That the confessing penitent need not restore the thing which he stole or plundered? That usury, commonly called advantageous interest, is not a deadly fault?² And ever so many other points which with the utmost injustice, not to say with blasphemy, they attribute to us. O Lord, forgive them.

75. Ex. We have run on long without the plan of question and answer, which we kept to at first. But let us conclude as we began. And if I am right, so far as I can remember, that among the requisites which you laid down for priests, you certainly maintained, that in every celebration of the holy Mysteries of Christ they must have an orthodox, pious and faithful disposition: I ask you, what is this orthodox and faithful disposition?1

C. An orthodox and faithful disposition is for a Christian to believe rightly and to live agreeably to his faith, following accurately and without meddlesomeness the doctrines and decrees of the Apostolic and Catholic Church of Christ, without turning aside or halting in revolts, heresies, schisms, which belong to the sons of perdition. The Evangelist calls them Antichrists, 1 John ii. 18. Sons of Disobedience the blessed Paul calls them, Eph. ii. 2. The Illuminator of Damascus, Unbelievers. “For he who believes not according to the tradition of the Catholic Church, he is an unbeliever.” Of the Orthodox Faith, iv. c. 87. All Priests therefore in celebrating the holy and divine Mysteries must have that orthodox and faithful disposition, which the Church of God holds, being itself built up “on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone, wherein all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord,” Eph. ii. 20, 21. Wherefore Priests who hold opinions and thoughts different from the determinations of the Church, must learn that they do not perform a Mystery.³ And their portion is with Judas.

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