“Lead me in Thy truth, O Lord, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation.” (Psalm, xxv. 5)
The Prophet-king David and Psalm-singer of the Old Testament, who enjoyed the light that shines from the truth perhaps as much as any mortal of that age and knowing well, that he comprehended the truth in part only, and as much as he did comprehend it was the reflection of the truth the Truth itself as yet was hid behind the veil; so he prayed: lead me in thy truth, O Lord, and teach me, for Thou art the God of my salvation.1
What is truth? This is the question the unbeliever asks in a false tone of earnestness. These are the very words that a Roman pagan uttered while presiding over the trial brought before him by a mob of Jews against a Jew who was no less than Jesus, the Son of the Most High. This pagan was Pilate, who was appointed by Rome, from which place he came to govern Judea. And this—shall I say—dignified procurator, this jurist sneering by questions the accused, but the innocent Man—even—Jesus of Nazareth the lawful King of the Jews. What is truth? One who is not well versed in the study of the Law of God, or His Revelation, one who will doubt one belief today and another tomorrow, in a word the Skeptic, puts the question, what is truth, in a sort of despairing mood.
Of course, you all know that Christendom, unfortunately, is divided. The most prominent branches which hold claims to Catholic Truth are three. The most ancient and for many other reasons the first among these three, who lay claims to catholic truth, is our Eastern Orthodox Church. Then follows the Anglican with her several sister churches. The third, which holds claims to Catholic truth, is the Roman Church. In divided Christendom there is still another party—the Protestants and sectarians, with several different associations. Some of this fourth party hold claims to Bible truth. Bible truth is only a part of the whole and perfect truth, which, when separate from the complete organism of the Church, is something vague and abstract, and therefore a particle can have no complete results nor powerful efficiency in the eternal harmony of God’s plans in saving the world.
We should pray and work in order to speed on that day in which a large part of Western Catholicism will unite with Orthodox Catholicism, for all peoples of the earth are called to be children of the Common Kingdom of God. Undisputed claims of catholicity belong to Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Athens, Constantinople, and Moscow; and France, England, and America have rights as well as Rome, which is not the Capital City of the World—but of Italy.
Let us take an historical view of our Holy Church, which lives chiefly in a part of the world not much known, but judging by her longevity after undergoing tortures by the Empire’s renting asunder, under the Moslem sway (and still partly subject to the Turk), under the Crusaders greed, trampled by the Mongolian Horde, judging by her faithful abiding to ancient principles of discipline, preserving the ancient form of the Divine Liturgy, keeping alive the faith which was once delivered unto the saints, notwithstanding her struggle with Judaism, Paganism, Arianism, Nestorianism, Mohamedanism, and other heresies that arose through the agency of Satan, and then to undergo the test of extreme patience caused by the founder of a new and strange power hitherto unknown even in Rome—its home, and finally to bear the cross of another burden—to be scorned by the sectarians who would be the restorers of primitive Christian simplicity, which they think was lost to the Church because they themselves had lost it in this Babel—this chaos of conflicting claims; yes, this much enduring, experienced, all patient, this Church of the Martyrs, which is still living with an ever bright glow of youth after her severe purification in the blood and fire of ages, sanctified to God by her journey through a terrible—desert this is the Orthodox Apostolic Church of the East.
An Orthodox Catholic will not shrink away before a question concerning the hope that is within him. He will tell you, that the Truth is Christ, our true God, as He said Himself when comforting the first members of His Church—His disciples: I am the way, the truth, and life.
The truth we preach to you is the one thing needful (Luke, x. 42). It is that Gospel treasure (Matt., xiii. 44), that precious pearl (45) which to gain we must sacrifice our strength, our means, our will, according to the precept of the Savior. The truth of which we speak is unconquerable, it does not fear the light, or attempt of an investigation, or the understanding. In its perfection it is incomprehensible, for God dwelleth, in the light, which no man approach unto, and no one with all the reasoning he may command, can take away from or belittle the glory of God; but it should be desired by all who seek happiness and salvation; to such it should be dear as the most necessary thing.
There was a time—and that time is the whole period of the old dispensation—when the truth was hid behind the veil, so to speak, concealed in the shadow. It was made known to the people by extraordinary revelations, by prophecies, and diverse representations in figures and symbols. But now God came as man, the Truth is incarnate, it appeared as day, arose as the sun in a clear sky of faith and love. And why so? In order that all may see it, receive and love it, that all may appropriate it, that the Truth may adapt itself to the heart, interweave itself to the understanding, flow into and unite with the life of all—doctrinally, liturgically, sacramentally, by hearing and learning, by seeing and worshipping, by feeding, and communicating. If this was not the Truth’s intention, then it would have remained inexplicable, a mystery inaccessible to no one.
They who try to bring the truth nearer to the understanding of their neighbor or the people they come in contact with, the same contribute their service to the great scheme of carrying out God’s plan of redeeming sinners, and they shall be rewarded accordingly, for the Truth appeared on earth to find and save sinners, but who think or strive to prevent it reaching those, who thirst to know it and submit to it, the same is against the Truth and an enemy of it.
In the early days of Christianity, there was no necessity for the Church to be called Orthodox, because then the Christians with one mouth and one heart glorified and hymned the honorable and majestic name of the Father, and of Son, and of the Holy Ghost; strangers distinguished them from the pagan and Jew by the simple but beautiful name of Christians, and they themselves distinguished one another from the people of the world by such a holy name as the saints. But now, since the Church has been divided by mighty Rome drifting away from the Simple Apostolic ruling and the venerable codes of Universal assemblages of the Church and sweeping in her proud and outwardly attractive train half of Europe and then in her turn giving birth to Lutheranism, Calvinism and all these young -isms, the Church of a necessity must by some name distinguish herself from other bodies that claim the title of Christian, or catholic, and so she is called Orthodox in distinction from heterodox; consequently, she is the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
It is a terrible thing to darken or throw a shadow over the path by which Truth should make its way; whoever thinks that such a thing is allowable, or that it is expedient for the populace at large, the same lowers the estimate of Truth, calling forth a doubt and suspicion against its worth and sanctity. Protect us, O God, from such defenders of the truth, they as if intentionally become the enemies of our happiness here on earth and our salvation in eternity. We should boldly speak the truth and express it in all its nakedness; the Redeemer left us this commandment, saying: what I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops (Matt., x. 27). Do not therefore hesitate to call yourselves Orthodox Catholic.
The Truth will never lose its significance and power, in spite of all the sacrilegious assaults, sooner or later, it will be victorious: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known (—26). By decree of the Truth itself not one jot of the law shall pass away, till all these things be fulfilled, and not the least part of the truth shall remain unfulfilled—without its being justified.
Beloved, fearlessly proclaim the truth i.e. of Jesus Christ, and His Church, do not be ashamed to boldly teach one another, guiding yourselves by the teaching of the Orthodox Church of Christ, for out of the mouths of babes and sucklings God may perfect praise (Matt., xxi. 16), and comfort yourselves with the promise of the Truth: whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven (Matt., x. 32).
This is a digital edition of Beacon from the Bay: The Collected Works of Saint Sebastian Dabovich of Jackson and San Francisco, a several-month-long project to catalogue the out-of-print works of Saint Sebastian Dabovich, the first American-born Orthodox priest.
If you would like to purchase print copies of Beacon from the Bay for a personal or church library or bookstore, you may do so from Amazon. All support is greatly appreciated for this labor of love.
Publisher’s Note: This sermon was originally published in the Russian American Orthodox Messenger, Supplement, 1904, pp. 81-8