Over the past 20 years as a priest in the Orthodox Church I have studied the "Rudder" off and on. My study has been somewhat disappointing due to the fact that in my experience the canons are haphazardly applied. There seeems to be no rhyme nor reason as to how they are applied today in the Orthodox Church. The leaders of our Church, the Bishops, play "fast and loose" with the canons applying only those that appear to be to their advantage. Very seldom are the canons applied to them. The canons address so many of the serious issues we have in the Church in American today, not only juridictionally, but also parochially, but seldom are they even mentioned. One contemporary situation is how our parish communities are "run" by lay people, who according to the canons are "excommunicated". We have lay people who feel that it is fine for them to absent themselves from the holy Chalice for weeks and months at a time and still be "members in good standing" of the Church because they pay their "dues". Then when they feel they are "ready" (without having been reconciled to the Church through the Mystery of holy Confession) to receive communion they come forward and expect the priest to smile broadly as he puts the spoon in their mouths; even though, according to the canons, they are excommunicated. No wonder our parishes haved "died" spiritually. St. Paul warned that this would happen in 1 Corinthians. So what good is it to apply the canons to some situations and not to others?
Over the past 20 years as a priest in the Orthodox Church I have studied the "Rudder" off and on. My study has been somewhat disappointing due to the fact that in my experience the canons are haphazardly applied. There seeems to be no rhyme nor reason as to how they are applied today in the Orthodox Church. The leaders of our Church, the Bishops, play "fast and loose" with the canons applying only those that appear to be to their advantage. Very seldom are the canons applied to them. The canons address so many of the serious issues we have in the Church in American today, not only juridictionally, but also parochially, but seldom are they even mentioned. One contemporary situation is how our parish communities are "run" by lay people, who according to the canons are "excommunicated". We have lay people who feel that it is fine for them to absent themselves from the holy Chalice for weeks and months at a time and still be "members in good standing" of the Church because they pay their "dues". Then when they feel they are "ready" (without having been reconciled to the Church through the Mystery of holy Confession) to receive communion they come forward and expect the priest to smile broadly as he puts the spoon in their mouths; even though, according to the canons, they are excommunicated. No wonder our parishes haved "died" spiritually. St. Paul warned that this would happen in 1 Corinthians. So what good is it to apply the canons to some situations and not to others?
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