Almost one century ago, the Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich was engaged in the solving of such problem. Besides his activity as a Bishop, during World War First we see him as diplomat of Serbia in England, besides the political and religious missions he was a lecturer at the Oxford University (as well received his PHD in philosophy at the university’s King’s College). Here is what thoughts this great Hierarch, who was recently canonized, offers on the Christian community life:
You are worried that the Church “betrayed its primary form of organization, which was communist, and became capitalist”. Excuse-me but none of the two statements stand. The truth is that the first Christian society, which was in Jerusalem, lived a community life, so that no one thought of his material goods as of own but of all community, they were all public. This community life was an inward calling – there was no pressure from the outside at all – a calling from the heart and soul of the Christianized people - because it says that the heart and the soul of the ones that believed was one. Nevertheless, it says nowhere why have not preserved the Christians this form of social organization. But unnecessary the written statements, it is obvious that it must have been terminated by the wild persecutions from Church’s enemies and the prohibition for Christians of meeting at community refectory. So, it is not because the Christians did not want to stay in their community life; being impeded, they could not. The community life though, was preserved more or less as a form of social organization in the Church along all the centuries.
It was preserved in coenobitic monasteries till up to date – nowhere so integrally as on the Saint Mountain or in Russia till the arrival of the faithless and extortive communism. You will ask: “Why hasn’t the Church proliferated this form of social organization in all the masses and in all other peoples, at least in the baptized ones?” Because, without doubt, the external conditions were not favorable and the world was not prepared to live a community life voluntary by one's own will.
Anyway, if it could not be yesterday, it might be tomorrow! The most important is that the Church did not give up its primary ideal of community life; neither abolished it, nor suspended it. It is likely that by the will of God, the community life, as it was at the outset of Christianity, to be a prophecy or pre-imagination of Christian social organization, which the Christian peoples will live at the end of times.
Your other statement about the Church adopting capitalism also lacks ground. Why would the Church do this? Capitalism does not help out the Church; the ones who help it are the middle class people and the poor. Why would capitalism help the Church? In the recent Lent I gave communion to the people in a church in Beograd. Hundreds of people received The Holy Eucharist. They were ordinary, middle-class people, people of God, who do not lean too much over the left or right gulf, but follow the middle way. No capitalist was present. I did not commune then any capitalist. And that was not the only case. It is a rule, with rare exceptions. That’s why, I think, your statement about the Church supporting capitalism is arbitrary and imprecise.
Peace and grace to you from the Lord.”
Excerpt from Saint Nicolae Velimirovici book,
Răspunsuri la întrebări ale lumii de azi (Answers to the questions of today life),
Vol. 2, Ed. Sophia-Press, Bucureşti, 2003
Comentaries: Mihail Dohot
Translated by V. Ursu
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