SAINT THEODORA

On February 24 (11), the Church commemorates Saint Theodora, the righteous queen (+867), On February 24 (11), the Church commemorates the memory of Empress Theodora of Constantinople (+867), who restored the veneration of holy icons after two periods of severe Byzantine iconoclasm. Saint Theodora should be distinguished from other saints with the same name, such as the wife of Emperor Justinian the Great (482-565) or the holy ascetic Theodora, a disciple of Basil the New (who died on March 26 in 944 or 952), who had a vision of the mystery of the passage of the human soul through the aerial toll houses.

The first Sunday of Lent in our Church is called the Triumph of Orthodoxy. This day also has a more neutral name, “Sunday of Orthodoxy.” This day has a historical origin.

The Byzantine Empress Theodora came to power in Constantinople and ended the second period of iconoclasm, which lasted from 814 to 843. Theodora is a saint of the Orthodox Church. Her relics rest in a large sarcophagus in the cathedral on the Greek island of Corfu. If any of us go on a pilgrimage to Corfu, don’t forget to visit the cathedral where Saint Theodora rests. Icons depicting her sitting on a throne, holding the text of the dogma in her hands, are also sold nearby. You can always ask the priest of the cathedral for the blessing of this great Orthodox saint in the form of particles of cloth from her relics, as is the case with Saint Spyridon.

Thus, the Triumph of Orthodoxy is a commemoration of the deeds of Saint Empress Theodora in the ninth century. This day has historical significance and a precise historical origin. But this first, historical, and globally important meaning of the feast of Orthodoxy has faded into the background. Orthodox Christians have almost forgotten that iconoclasm was the bloodiest of heresies, which led to the destruction of many saints and shrines. If iconoclasm had not been stopped, Orthodoxy would most likely have lost its sacred art, its asceticism, and even the veneration of saints as we know them today. In this sense, the end of iconoclasm as the triumph of Orthodoxy is a very appropriate name.

The Triumph of Orthodoxy also has theological significance. In addition to the fact that the necessity of icon worship is a dogma in Orthodoxy, Sunday of Orthodoxy raises the question of what Orthodoxy is. First, Orthodoxy is the correct and true form of the Christian faith. Just as a person needs specific and healthy forms for her existence, Faith needs correctness, clarity, adequacy, clarity, and regularity. Secondly, Orthodoxy is the correct, accurate, and beautiful way to praise God. Orthodoxy is right and true praise. Grace is communication, and Orthodoxy is correct addressing. Thirdly, Orthodoxy is the veneration of icons. In Western Christianity, icons and images are the Bible for the illiterate. In Orthodoxy, historically associated with the Church of Constantinople, icons are proof of the incarnation of God. The worship of icons is a profession of faith that God became man in history through Jesus Christ. Why did I mention the “Church of Constantinople” here? Because in other ancient forms of Eastern Orthodoxy, Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian, and others, icon worship is not dogma. The icon became an integral part of dogma precisely in Constantinople, at the Seventh Ecumenical Council of 787 in the city of Nicaea.

Finally, the fourth definition of Orthodoxy, which is very important and perhaps the most difficult, is that Orthodoxy is the official definition of the faith of the Roman Empire. This explains a lot. It allows us to understand why the only person, apart from Jesus and Mary, who is mentioned by name in the Creed is the pagan Pilate. For it was Pilate who killed Jesus in the name of the Roman state and people. The Church has always considered itself a universal and worldwide institution, and therefore from the very beginning positioned itself as the counterpart of the worldwide Roman state. Orthodoxy is the official definition of the faith of the Roman Empire. Thus, it becomes clear why the largest Orthodox states have always sought to present themselves as its heirs. Bulgaria, Serbia, Russia, and even the Ottoman Empire assured the whole world that they were the heirs of Rome. Orthodoxy is the official religion of the Roman Empire. But the Roman Empire no longer exists. It gradually ceased to exist. This was the fall of Constantinople in 1453, followed by the Russian Revolution of 1917, finally, this was the Asia Minor catastrophe of 1922, which brought an end to the Orthodox presence in Asia Minor, to whose churches John wrote the Apocalypse. It is precisely this orphanhood of Orthodoxy, the absence of a single interlocutor with whom the Church could engage in dialogue, that explains the variety of difficulties Orthodoxy faces today.

Thus, the celebration of Orthodoxy Sunday transforms from an expression of the Triumph of Orthodoxy into a living icon of the faithful’s prayer for God to preserve its uniqueness and unity, which begins with each community. This gives rise to a warning. If two or three people gather in the name of Christ, Christ is among them. But if they unite not in the name of Christ, the danger that the devil will be among them is very great. God, protect Your Church from the evil one.