What About the Non-Orthodox?

A Letter of St. Joseph of Petrograd (+1937)

We all, the children of the one, holy, catholic, apostolic, universal Church, in perplexing cases regarding doctrine, should not be led by our own understanding, which may be erroneous, but should adhere to guiding rules. These rules are primarily contained in the book called The Rudder (Kormchaya). This is a collection of rules from the holy apostles, the holy ecumenical and local councils and some of the holy fathers. At the end of this book, in the chapter: “About the Roman apostasy, how they separated from the Orthodox Faith and from the holy Eastern Church,” the Pope of Rome and his followers, wrongly calling themselves Catholics, are labeled as heretics. As for other Protestant Christian confessions, they have deviated from Orthodoxy even further.

In the Rudder, in Chapter 10, Canon 6 of the local Laodicean Council, the following judgment of the holy Church on heretics was written: “It is not fitting for heretics to enter the house of God.” And in Canon 33 of the same Laodicean Council it is said: “Let no one pray with heretics and those who have separated from the Catholic Church.” But here is the question: what is the opinion of the holy fathers of our Orthodox Church about heresy?—In the Patrologia of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov it tells us about the elder Agathon. Once, some brethren visited him and wanted to test his humility and patience. They reproached him for his pride, slander, and debauchery. The elder recognized all these vices in himself and tearfully asked the visitors to pray for him. When they called him a heretic, the elder said that he was by no means a heretic. He answered the question: “Because heresy is separation from God. The heretic is separated from the living and true God and is joined to the devil and his angels. One who is separated from Christ (of course, through the false teaching he professes about Christ) no longer has God, Whom he could plead with for his sins, and in all respects he is lost.”

And if this were not so, if the heresies or false doctrines, as consequences of freedom of thought, did not have such a pernicious significance in the holy Church of Christ, then the holy Apostle Paul would not have written such warnings to the first Christians: “Be wary lest there shall be anyone who leadeth you captive through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ” [Col. 2:8]. And one more: “There are some who trouble you and wish to turn around the Gospel of the Christ. But even if we, or an angel from out of Heaven, should preach a gospel to you besides what Gospel we preached to you, let such a one be anathema” [Gal. 1:7-8].

However, our Orthodox Church, due to its inherent love for mankind, allows prayer for those who separated from it, that is, for heretics, as can be seen in the same Rudder, in Chapter 15, Canon 66 of the Carthaginian Local Council. But about what to pray: “Pray that they may abandon their delusions and come to know the truth.” And in another book, “The Orthodox Confession of the Catholic and Apostolic Eastern Church,” in its Part I, at the end of the answer to Question 92, it is also allowed to pray “for heretics and schismatics, that they may be converted to the Orthodox Faith before the end of their life.” This is what the Orthodox Church does. For example, in the commemorations (at the end of the Psalter), we pray: “Enlighten those who have departed from the Orthodox Faith and who are blinded by damnable heresies with the light of Thy knowledge, and bring them to Thy most holy apostolic and Catholic Church.”

Now let us present some of our reflections. It can be seen from the above passages that our Orthodox Church allows us to pray only for living heretics, but not for the dead, and moreover only for their conversion to the Orthodox Faith. When, furthermore, a heretic, due to the prayers of the holy Church, is converted to the Orthodox Faith, then the Church’s prayer for him will be entirely different, that is, for the salvation of his soul.

How is salvation achieved by a person? One of the main conditions for achieving salvation is repentance. Examples of this are seen in the holy Gospel. The tax collector was justified through repentance [Lk. 18:10-14]. The prodigal son returned to his Father through repentance [Lk. 15:11-32]. The good thief, crucified with the Lord Jesus Christ, entered paradise also through repentance [Lk. 23:40-43]. Indeed, the Lord said about Himself that He came to earth in order to call sinners to repentance [Mt. 9:13]. And all people are in need of repentance. “For all have sinned,” as the apostle says, “and come short of the glory of God” [Rom. 3:23]. But an infidel or heretic, if he were to try to present repentance before an Orthodox priest for his sins, his repentance would be ineffective. We read in the “Orthodox Confession” in Part I, Question 113: What should we observe in the Sacrament of Repentance?—Answer: First of all, we must ensure that the penitent is a Christian of the Orthodox Catholic Faith; for “repentance without true faith is not repentance and is not accepted by God.” But all this was said about living “Christians” of a false faith, or heretics. What can be said about the souls who have departed this life?

Although the Extensive Christian Catechism of the Orthodox Catholic Eastern Church states in Part 11 that the souls of the deceased can be helped to achieve the blessed resurrection by prayers offered for them, especially those connected with the bloodless Sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ, this refers to the souls of Orthodox Christians and those who died with faith.—But what hope of salvation can there be for the soul of a wrong believer who died in his delusions and did not offer sincere repentance before the Lord? And how and for what should we pray for such a soul?—It is impossible to pray for its salvation (“Grant rest with the saints...”); because during his life the heretic did not renounce his delusions and did not offer sincere repentance before the Lord. It is too late to pray for the soul’s conversion to repentance, because the soul, after leaving the body, cannot repent, since the future life is not a time for repentance but for recompense. And the following should be taken into account: why would the Orthodox Church make special rites for the joining of Roman Catholics and Protestants to the Orthodox Church if it were already possible to pray for the salvation of their souls without such rites? However, our holy Church constantly requires that every heretic desiring to be in communion with her must publicly accept pure Christian doctrine. Furthermore, if it were possible to pray with Church prayer for the salvation of the souls of deceased heretics, or even for the alleviation of their afterlife suffering, then special litanies or petitions for them would certainly be included during the services of the Orthodox Church. However there is nothing like that in all our church services. And, on the contrary, on the 1st Sunday of Great Lent, celebrating the Triumph of Orthodoxy, our holy Church pronounces anathema, i.e. excommunication from communion with her, to all heretics and apostates from Orthodoxy; consequently, to Latins or Roman Catholics, and Protestants as well. How, then, can the Church both anathematize and pray for them at the same time?

To confirm what has been said, we will quote here the words of the memorable hierarch, the late Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow. He says: “It is one thing to pray for the union of non-Orthodox churches with the Orthodox Church in a broad scope of prayers that encompass the whole world; and it is another thing to commemorate the non-Orthodox in the diptychs (synodika or memorial books) during the Holy Eucharist. The non-Orthodox, by their very non-Orthodoxy, have excommunicated themselves from communion with the mysteries of the Orthodox Church. This corresponds to non-commemoration of them during the Holy Eucharist and exclusion of them from the diptychs.” [Notes on the life and times of St. Philaret, Met. of Moscow. N. V. Sushkova. Moscow: 1868. Appendix, p. 162.]

Let us note here that the words “exclusion from the diptychs” lead to the thought that the names of non-Orthodox Christians should not be commemorated in any church services. For how can we really commemorate them when they are excluded from the diptychs?

One might say: this reasoning is very strict.—What can be done? But indeed, it is impossible to obtain mercy from the Lord by force. Because our God is a jealous God [Ex. 20:5]. “For the Lord is righteous and hath loved righteousness” [Ps. 11:7]. There were cases when He forbade to pray about people. Thus, He spoke to the Prophet Jeremiah about His people: “Therefore pray not thou for this people, and do not offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with Me, for I will not listen to thee” [Jer. 7:16]. And this commandment of the Lord pertains to people still alive, therefore, who still had the opportunity to repent. And the prophet did not dare to disobey the word of the Lord, justifying his prayer for them with compassion.

However, in speaking of this, we mean here only a public Church prayer for non-Orthodox Christians. Indeed, if such a prayer were allowed in the Orthodox Church, it would inevitably result in the greatest harm and inexhaustible evil for Orthodoxy. Let us consider, for example, how many Orthodox Christians are firm in the faith they profess? Do not most of them have a weak faith, as fragile as a spark, ready to extinguish at any moment? And if such people hear in Orthodox churches prayers for the health or repose of Roman Catholics or Protestants, will they not soon come to the conclusion: therefore, no matter what you believe, it is all the same? And through this, departures from the Orthodox Church will become more frequent, if not formally, then in the soul. And here is the greatest tragedy. Imperceptibly for the seduced person, one might become Orthodox only in name, but in fact he is a heretic or even an unbeliever.

Likewise, Christians of other confessions, seeing that the Orthodox Church prays for them, might come to the same conclusion about the equality of all confessions. And this may even deter potential non-Orthodox from joining the Orthodox Church—“After all, the Orthodox pray for us anyway,” they will say.

However, this is exactly what some people are concerned about, arguing that all people, no matter what faith they profess, will be saved; and furthermore: that the Lord did not specify which faith to follow. These are false human fantasies. The fact that not everyone will be saved is evident from the holy Gospel. Describing His terrible Judgment, the Lord strictly divides all people into two categories and places some at His right hand, taking them into the Kingdom of Heaven, while sending others away “into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” [Mt. 25:31-46]. The number of those inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven will be smaller—even among the Orthodox, only those who will live according to Orthodox principles. This is also evident from the words of the Lord Himself: “For many are called, but few are chosen” [Mt. 20:16].

As for the second objection, that the Lord has not indicated to us what faith to follow, it must be said that this is a slander against God. For did not the Son of God come down to earth to give people a clear and detailed teaching about how they should believe and arrange their lives according to that faith? That is why He said: “Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the prophets; I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill” [Mt. 5:17]. And He also said of Himself: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” [Jn. 14:6]. And His teaching is called “the words of eternal life” [Jn. 6:68]. And so He called everyone to Himself, saying: “If anyone thirsteth, let him come to Me and drink” [Jn. 7:37]. And also: “Come to Me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden,” and so on [Mt. 11:28-29]. And after His Resurrection, sending His disciples to preach, the Lord commanded them to teach all nations to observe all things He had commanded them [Mt. 28:20]. The apostles wrote down all the commandments of the Lord, the true doctrine, and moral teaching in the holy Gospel and in their epistles. Subsequently holy fathers and teachers of the Church of Christ explained in detail all this true doctrine and moral teaching contained in holy Scripture in its entirety and purity, without any admixture of human wrong opinions and reasonings. And in the beginning, this Church of Christ was the only one in the whole world. And it was only in the 9th century that the Roman popes arbitrarily began to mix their false reasoning with the true teaching of Christ, through which the Roman Church separated from the Eastern Orthodox. The further time went on, the more errors were added by the Roman Church; and finally, it came to the point that some Roman Catholics, dissatisfied with it, departed from it and formed their Protestant churches, which separated even further from Orthodoxy.

The Lord said about the importance of obedience to the holy Church of Christ in the holy Gospels: “And if he should take no heed of them, tell it to the Church. But if also he should take no heed of the Church, let him be to thee even as the heathen and the tax collector” [Mt. 18:17].

But let us return to the main issue. What does it mean that Orthodox Christians do not ask Roman Catholics and Protestants to pray for them and for their dead; but Roman Catholics and Protestants, on the contrary, often ask Orthodox Christians to serve memorial services for their relatives and so on? What is the reason for this? It is obvious that the reason for this is the poverty of the inner spiritual content of Western non-Orthodox Christian churches. The soul of a Roman Catholic or Protestant, thirsting for salvation, cannot find satisfaction in his church for its higher spiritual needs within its own church; and therefore, it turns to the Orthodox Church, which alone possesses all the divine powers necessary for life and piety [2 Pet. 1:3]. And this is confirmed by experience. It is not uncommon for non-Orthodox people who sincerely joined the Orthodox Church that soon after their conversion and after they received Communion of the divine Mysteries of the body and blood of Christ, they felt inexplicable spiritual consolations in their souls, which they had no idea about before joining the Orthodox Church.—And it can also serve as proof of the failure of the Western churches that their defenders always ardently and bitterly uphold their erroneous beliefs against our holy Orthodox Church. And it is said in holy Scripture about God: “His dwelling is in peace” [Ps. 75:3]. Hence, where there is peace and love, there is only God; and where there is discord and bitterness, there can be no grace of God, and the Lord does not favor embittered hearts.

However, speaking about the strictness of our Orthodox Church regarding the commemoration of non-Orthodox Christians, we do not mean to suggest that our holy Church commands us, her children, not to pray for them in any way at all. It only prohibits us from self-willed prayer, that is, to pray as we please and as it seems to us. Our Mother, the Orthodox Church, instructs us that everything, including prayer itself, should be done decently and in order [1 Cor. 14:40]. We do pray during all our church services for all different nations and for the whole world, most often without knowing or understanding it ourselves. Specifically, we pray as our Lord Jesus Christ taught His apostles to pray in His prayer: “Let Thy will be done also on the earth, as in heaven!” [Mt. 6:10]. This all-encompassing petition embraces the needs of both ourselves and our blood relatives, even if they are non-Orthodox. We ask the all-good Lord for the souls of the deceased non-Orthodox Christians, that He may do with them what is pleasing to His holy will. For the Lord infinitely knows much better than we do to whom and what kind of mercy to show.—So, Orthodox Christian!—whoever you are, a layman or a priest of God—if during any church service you feel the urge to pray for a close one to you, any Charles or Edward, then when reading or singing the Lord’s prayer, sigh for him to the Lord and say: “May Thy holy will be done concerning him, O Lord!”—and confine yourself to this prayer. For this is how you have been taught to pray by the Lord Himself. And believe that such a prayer of yours will be a thousand times more pleasing to the Lord and more beneficial for your soul than all your private church commemorations.

All the thoughts we have expressed, based as anyone can see on divine Scripture and the tradition of the holy fathers, naturally lead us to this conclusion: “To pray for non-Orthodox Christians with church-wide prayer, on par with Orthodox Christians, that is, to commemorate their names in churches in the same way as the names of Orthodox Christians are commemorated, is contrary to the teaching and decrees of our one holy, catholic, apostolic, universal Church.” That is what we say and do. And this is not at all out of hatred for non-Orthodox Christians or because we do not wish them well; but because self-willed or arbitrary prayers for them are displeasing to God and useless for their souls, and the prayer for them will turn into sin for the one praying. We can see a clear example of this in the Israelite King Saul. Apparently, he did a good thing when, before the start of the war with the Philistines, he turned to God with prayer and a sacrifice. But since he acted on his own initiative in this case, without waiting, as he had been told, for the prophet of God, Samuel, not only did he not get the favor and blessing of God to himself, but also incurred God’s wrath and punishment. Moreover, we can add that disobedience is a sin in itself and even an intolerable vice among people. There is a proverb: “The will of one’s self is worse than that of a king.” However, we can see that the king punishes those who do not obey royal laws. Why? Because a self-willed person causes harm to himself, his family, and society; a self-willed person is an unpleasant person. And even self-willed individuals themselves do not like those who disobey them, and if they have the opportunity, they punish them. And we all want to live and pray—each in his own way.

Now let us say a few words about private prayer. There is a well-known example in our Orthodox Church, maybe the only one, in which the private prayer of one saint of God helped the souls of deceased non-Christians, even pagans. This is how the elder Macarius of Egypt recounted about himself. “One day, while passing through the desert, I found the skull of some dead man lying on the ground. When I hit the skull with a palm branch, it spoke to me. I asked him, ‘Who art thou?’ The skull answered me: ‘I was the chief priest of the idols and pagans who lived in this place; and thou art Macarius the God-bearer. When thou, having pity on those suffering in torment, beginnest to pray for them, they feel some consolation.’ The elder asked him: ‘What kind of relief is this? And what kind of torment?’ The skull said: ‘As far as the heaven is above the earth, so far below is fire, and we are standing in the midst of fire from feet to head. None of us can see another’s face. We are facing the back of the other. But when thou prayest for us, each of us sees the other’s face. That is our consolation.’—The elder wept and said: ‘The day on which a man was born is unhappy!’ Then the elder asked: ‘Is there any more severe torment?’ The skull answered him: ‘The torment below us is even more terrible.’ The elder asked: ‘And who is there?’ The skull replied: ‘We, as those who do not know God, are still somewhat pardoned; but those who knew God and rejected Him (through vain wisdom in faith and an impious life), they are below us.’ After this, the elder took the skull and buried it in the ground.” [Memorable Stories about the Asceticism of the Holy and Blessed Fathers. M., 1845.]

From this account of the blessed father, we see primarily that his prayer for the pagans suffering in the flames was not public Church-wide prayer, but private. This is the prayer of a solitary hermit who prayed in the secret cell of his heart. For if he had not told others about this prayer, it would have remained unknown to anyone. Furthermore, this prayer may partly serve as a reason for us, Orthodox Christians, to pray for the living and the deceased non-believers with a private prayer at home, but only as a reason and by no means as an example. For the saint did not tell us how he prayed for the pagans, nor did he teach us that. This prayer cannot serve as an example for us because Saint Macarius was a great servant of God; therefore, he had great boldness before the Lord. How can we, who wallow in the abyss of sin, take an example from such a prayerful person? There is only one thing that it can serve as an example for us, namely, that the elder Macarius prayed for the pagans not by his own self-willed prayer but as the Spirit of God taught him, Who dwelt in his pure heart, and Who not only instructed him but also compelled him to pray for the whole world—for all men, living and dead—as is usual and characteristic of the loving hearts of all the saints of God; as the holy Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “Our heart is enlarged; ye are not straitened in us” [2 Cor. 6:11].

Thus, we can now agree that it is possible for Orthodox Christians to pray for non-Orthodox Christians—living and deceased—by private domestic prayer. However, we remind you again we should not pray self-willedly—not as we think or desire (lest we attract God’s wrath instead of His favor) but according to the guidance of experienced spiritual men.

There was an interesting situation during the life of the Optina elder Leonid (Leo in the schema), who died in 1841. One of his disciples, Paul Tambovtsev, had a father who died by an unfortunate and violent death—suicide. The loving son was deeply saddened by the news of this, and that is why he poured out his sorrow before the elder in such a way: “The unfortunate death of my father is a heavy cross for me. Yes, I am now on the cross, and the pains will go with me to the grave. I imagine the terrible eternity for sinners, where there is no repentance, and I suffer from the thought of the eternal torments that await my father who died without repentance. Tell me, Abba, how can I comfort myself in this real sorrow?”

The elder’s answer: “Entrust both yourself and the fate of your parent to the will of the Lord, the wise and almighty. Do not test the High One with miracles. Strive to strengthen yourself with humble wisdom within the bounds of moderate sorrow. Pray to the most merciful Creator, thereby fulfilling the duty of love and sonship.”—Question: “But how to pray for such souls?”

The answer: “In the spirit of kindness and wisdom, in the following way: ‘Seek, O Lord, the lost soul of my father; if possible, have mercy! Thy judgments are inscrutable. Do not count this prayer of mine as a sin for me. But let Thy holy will be done!’—Pray simply, without testing, committing your heart to the hand of the Almighty. Of course, it was not God’s will for such a sorrowful end for your father; but now he is completely at the will of the Almighty, Who can cast both soul and body into the fiery pit, and Who both humbles and exalts, kills and gives life, casts down to Hades and raises up. At the same time, He is so merciful, omnipotent, and loving that the good qualities of all earthly beings are nothing compared to His supreme goodness. For this, you should not be excessively grieved. You will say, “I love my father, which is why I grieve inconsolably.”—Justly. But God loves him incomparably more than you do. So you should leave the eternal fate of your father to the goodness and mercy of God, Who, if He wills to show mercy, who can oppose Him?” (From the biography of the Optina Elder Leonid, Leo in the schema)

This prayer, given here, private, cell, or home prayer, taught by the experienced-in-life spiritual Elder Leonid to his disciple, can serve as an example of prayer for Orthodox Christians praying for someone close to them, a non-Orthodox Christian. An Orthodox Christian might pray in the following way: “Have mercy, O Lord, if it is possible, on the soul of Thy servant (name), who departed into eternal life in departure from Thy holy Orthodox Church! Thy judgments are inscrutable. Do not count this prayer of mine as a sin. But let Thy holy will be done!”

We do not know and it is not revealed to anyone how beneficial this prayer can be for the soul of a deceased non-Orthodox Christian. But experience has shown that it alleviates the burning sorrow in the heart of the petitioner for the soul of a person close to them, even if the person died outside of Orthodoxy.

In conclusion, we can say: may our hearts not be troubled, and may we not be intimidated by the strictness of the rules of our holy Orthodox Church! Especially, take courage, O people of God! All this should not lead us to the hopelessness of our salvation, but, on the contrary, should lead our souls to a contrite, humble repentance before the Lord for our sins, while the doors of His mercy are not yet closed for us. For, according to the psalmist, “A humble and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not treat with contempt” [Ps. 50:17]. And the more humble and self-condemning the prayer is, the more hopeful and effective it will be.

[Source: Soul-Beneficial Reading. 1901. October.]