Garagan

The Triumph of Orthodoxy

In the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. I’d like to thank all of you in

attendance for this magnificent occasion, the Passia service on the Triumph or Sunday of

Orthodoxy, upon which we may place our hope and for which the Divine Liturgy was

celebrated this morning. Vladyko, Rev Fathers, Dobrodyku, honored guests and all

present. Slava Icycy Khristy! Glory be to Jesus Christ!

1This evening I would like to share with you a story about two women who fatefully

chose two different paths “to their respective lives”, yet reached the same destination. The

background of their story is amidst the iconoclast heresy. While there are many available

resources to describe this controversy in detail, I will offer a brief and concise summary for

those who are unfamiliar with this part of Church history. Iconoclasm arose in the 8th

century when its proponents claimed that the veneration and possession of icons were

illicit. While the heresy was denounced at the 7th ecumenical council, the heretics had at

first, as their allies, the emperors of Constantinople.

Our story begins its crescendo as Emperor Theophilus acceded to the throne and as

the iconoclast heresy was approaching its decline. He was the final emperor to embrace the

iconoclast’s teaching in which the venerating and owning of icons was considered

blasphemous. At this time, Theophilus was a young man in search of a bride. His mother

had arranged for the most noble unwed women in the empire to congregate at the Royal

palace and thereto participate in a bride contest. The winner was to be awarded a solid

1
The presentation or sermon is adapted and copyrighted by the author Bryan (Mykolai) Garagan and except for te
intellectual property of the aforementioned is the exclusive intellectual property of Fr. Raphael Daly, and Fr.
Alexander Schmemann and their respective jurisdictions. We also honor the copyright companies under the
aforesaid jurisdictions.
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gold apple and to become the empress. Theophilus, presided over the contest as judge. As

the contest came to a close, six semi-finalists remained, and among the six were two

heroines-named Cassiani and Theodora. Both contestants were “exquisitely beautiful” and

possessed keen intellects. However, whereas Theodora was characteristically “modest and

humble”, Cassiani was sharp-tongued. In other words, she did not “suffer fools gladly.”

That Theophilus was known as something of a fool did not bode well for the impetuous

Cassiani, or so it seemed. Enthralled by Cassiani’s beauty the Emperor Theophilus

approached her with the golden apple in hand. It appeared that Cassiani had triumphed

over her competition. Theophilus, ever the fool, decided to wax theological with her; we

may infer that as he held the apple the story of Eve and the Serpent in the Garden came to

mind, for it is recorded that he spoke to Cassiani in these words: “From women flowed

corruption.” Without hesitation Cassiani retorted: “But also from woman sprang forth

what is superior”, an obvious reference to the fact that “God Himself deigned to be born of

a woman, the Theotokos.” Nonplussed, by the wittiness of Cassiani he elected instead to

award the golden apple to the silent and modest Theodora at which time they were

married.

This turn of events “suited Cassiani just fine.” She neither aspired to marriage or to

be empress. Free to follow her noble pursuits she founded a monastery which she oversaw

as Abbess. While things change, some also remain the same, the expression goes. Even as a

nun Cassiani continued to speak her mind to the emperor. At the same time, Theophilus

persisted in his persecution of the Icondules, that is, those Orthodox people who revered

icons. Cassiani conversely joined other monastics in public defiance of his legislation. The

emperor had her beaten and persecuted, though history relates that she was numbered
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among the fortunate. It was not uncommon for monks, nuns, and other Orthodox

supporters of icon veneration, to have their eyes gouged and their ears cut off. The

persecutors also ransacked churches and monasteries under imperial order, divesting them

of all sacred images, whereupon all that remained, one author described, was “ mere

shells.” Against her monastic mandate, Cassiani once remarked: “I hate silence when it is

time to speak”. I think this, my Orthodox brothers and sisters in Christ, is an important

lesson in history. Perhaps a lesson that we need to embrace. In the face of injustice in any

era, but increasingly in our current epoch, it is essential that Orthodoxy be heard. I believe

her words to be apropos, at present; especially if one considers that daily what we value is

viewed by many as an object of ridicule and for which censure is often prescribed. Such

ungodly cultural trends has prompted our own Metropolitan Yuri to reference the present

times in which we live as “Post-Christian”. The time for silence one may argue has long

since past.

Returning to our story, 13 years after Theodora’s marriage to Theophilus, the

emperor died, leaving Theodora as regent in his place. The Hitchcockian twist here is that

unbeknownst to Theophilus, Theodora, although submissive and humble throughout her

marriage to the emperor, was a silent supporter of the icondules and accordingly raised her

six children to venerate Icons and love Orthodoxy. To this very day, at the Vatopedi

Monastery on Mount of Athos two of the Icons she owned can be viewed by pilgrims. One

of the Icons is two sided, with a mirror on one side and an Icon on the other. Sources

testify, that when she was alone in her room she venerated the Icon, and when her husband

entered she turned the Icon around revealing the mirror and avoiding detection. Upon
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Theophilus’s death she deposed the iconoclast clergy and restored the “icons and (those)

clergy who defended them”, thereby vanquishing the iconoclast movement.

I have here a copy of the Icon depicting the Triumph of Orthodoxy and I can pass it

around after this presentation. When you peruse this icon you will observe the empress

Theodora and her son Michael standing, from our perspective to the left of the famous

Directress Icon of the Theotokos. Below, in the left hand corner, again from our purview

you can see a nun positioned along side all of the monks. This is the nun Cassiani.

There at times have emerged arguments over whether we should speak out or be

silent, and both of these women could be offered as evidence for the wisdom of either

position. Perhaps, the timing and context is important, since both women were vocal

advocates of Orthodoxy. Cassiani spoke first while the more introverted Theodora bided

her time, eventually speaking and acting with unequivocal conviction. Thus, both were

elevated and glorified as saints for their defense of Orthodoxy and icons. Of equal or more

significance is Fr. Raphael Daly’s comments in this regard He states: “(Both Cassiani and

Theodora each had their own method of defending Orthodoxy, but it was the faith they

defended that matters ultimately.” The triumph in the ninth century, he persists, was not

simply a victory for certain people whose practice was “ to kiss icons”, rather it was a

triumph of the Orthodox faith. Both Saints safeguarded Orthodoxy- which is our faith my

brothers and sisters-and would not bend to the whimsical notions of emperors nor the

fanciful currents of a particular epoch in history. Our Divine Liturgy, our icons, our

monastics, our doctrine, our clergy are all elements of this faith. A faith prefigured by

Prophets and proclaimed by the Holy Apostles, and indeed Christ Himself. St’s Theodora

and Cassiani with intrepid courage defended the faith and handed it down to us, it is now
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our responsibility to likewise defend and maintain. Fr. Raphael exhorts that we

correspondingly, “must uphold the faith that we have received unchanged.” It is our

obligation to resist and denounce as they did. The obstinate notion that the Orthodox faith

must be revised to acquiesce to the whims of the age or contemporaneous yet fleeting

attitudes, ought to be vehemently opposed.

This is not only to be our stance with respect to the world but also as it concerns the

modernism so pervasive in contemporary theology. As Protopresbyter Alexander

Schmemann has suggested there is a predominant sentiment in the theology of the West

that proposes a “reduction of theology to a given “situation” or “age”, a stress on

“relevance” that is understood almost exclusively as a dependence of theology,” with its

“task, method and language on the “modern man: and…(his) modern needs.” Thus, Fr.

Schmemann astutely declares: “Therefore we must emphasize that Orthodoxy rejects such

a reduction of theology, whose first and eternal tasks is to search for Truth, not for

relevance, for words “adequate to God” (and) not to man.” Theoprepeis logoi.

We must dear brothers and sisters in Christ in light of the Triumph of orthodoxy

and in the words of St. Paul as quoted by Orthodox theologian Alexander Schmeman

understand that theology is “truly relevant because it is truly Christian when it remains a

scandal for the Jews, foolishness for the greeks and is at odds with this world and its

passing “cultures” and “modernities.”

It is our privilege to be Orthodox and so as modelled by the two women we have

purposed this evening to discuss, it is also our responsibility to be an outspoken witness to

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the world, as St. Cassiani was, and moreover to be an outspoken witness to our children,

friends, and grandchildren as exemplified by St. Theodora.

Works Cited

Daly, Raphael. “On the Sunday of Orthodoxy”. St. Mary’s Orthodox Church.
Massachusetts:2002-2018 web 21-02-2018
Schmemann, Alexander. “The Task of Orthodox Theology in America Today.”