[ronaldasten]

Dear Matthew, dear Brethren,

Coming home from the Akathistos prayer, where I had to think a lot about being nice to brethren in the Orthodox Church, who tempt to change the Church from the inside, and loving those without faith or having another confession, who try to change the Church from the outside and what to do, how to react.

You said Love one another, but does love not also imply that I should tell my brother where he leaves the Church?(he leaves it because his ideas and wishes are not compatible with the teachings of the Church) That I must tell him so, because I love him and don't want him to get lost?!

When I go with my kin somewhere and I see how one falls in a river should I try to pull him out or should I let him drown? Which deed proves the better love? Which deed proves the True Love? The Love that went upon the cross, and gave his life for the Church!

Being a convert myself, I laid off my old ideas, my old views, and let my tell you why: Because I found this pearl! This precious pearl, more beautiful as everything I had ever seen before, giving more to my life as everything before and filling my heart and my senses better than everything and every religion I have been, better and more beautiful so that I only long to see the Heaven and to see Him as He is!

I gave up a lot for this, I had to give up the name which my parents had given me, but it was all a little sacrifice for what I received. And therefore I can not understand that this convert you are talking about and who became a priest in the Church brings up such ideas as you told us. It can be that he still has much of his former tradition in his luggage. And I really can understand why you are sad about these things happened at the dinner table. But real love is not present by going away, but by standing and defending the Church, which you and I are also!

All who belong to God and Jesus Christ are with the bishop; and all who repent [of schism] and come into the unity of the Church will also belong to God, that they may be living according to Jesus Christ. Make no mistake, my brothers. If anyone follows a man who causes a schism, he 'does not inherit the Kingdom of God'. And any man who goes in for strange doctrine disassociates himself from the Passion.
- St Ignatius of Antioch Christos voskrese! Nicolaj